June 25, 2002

 

SUBJECT:

Authorization for Department of Employment Development to Contract with Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office for $268,850 to Support Skills Enhancement Training for Non-Custodial Parents

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Welfare-to-Work (WtW) legislation focused attention not only on the custodial parent who was receiving financial assistance and caring for the children, but also on the non-custodial parent, whose ability to earn a living wage would assist the family in being self-sufficient.  NOVA has contracted with the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office since 1998 to assist low-income, non-custodial parents in gaining employment.  The DA’s Office had received a special grant from the State of California to enhance the earnings of their clients.  This grant has ended.  The DA’s Office applied to the David and Lucile Packard Foundation to continue their efforts in improving the income of non-intact families.  They have created a voluntary program to assist any parent behind in child support to gain additional skills to enable them to meet his or her child support obligations.  The DA’s Office approached NOVA to assist them in assessing the needs of these parents and connecting them with appropriate training opportunities.  They have dedicated $268,850 to support NOVA’s efforts.

Staff recommends that the Sunnyvale City Council concur with the NOVA Workforce Board to authorize the completion of a contract with Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office in the amount of $268,850 for the period of January 1, 2002 through December 31, 2002 to assist 50 non-custodial parents to gain skills through training activities. 

BACKGROUND 

Since January 1997 and the implementation of the 1996 Federal Welfare Reform Act, NOVA has spent considerable time and devoted significant attention to exploring effective strategies to assist families in gaining economic self-sufficiency, and to define NOVA's role in enabling change to occur.  One of the efforts that has been pursued under the umbrella of Welfare-to-Work has been to work with both parents in a family on public assistance, in order to increase the long term economic viability of the family.  Under a special grant received by the District Attorney’s Office from the State of California Department of Education, NOVA provided career assessment, training and job development for low-income fathers.  We staffed group meetings on dealing with problems of being an absent parent, and supported family activities to increase both parents’ involvement in the lives of their children.  This grant ended in 2001.  The Packard Foundation had been supplementing these funds to the District Attorney’s Office, focusing not just on the attainment of a job, but more specifically on the advancement and retention of jobs by the non-custodial parent, leading to an economically self-sufficient family. 

Following the completion of the State grant, the District Attorney’s Office returned to the Foundation, designing a program that would provide the next step in financial independence for these families.  The grant focuses on any parent not meeting their court-ordered support obligations due to unemployment or underemployment.  The DA’s office has asked NOVA to partner with them to carry out the activities of this project. 

EXISTING POLICY 

The proposed activities are consistent with the City of Sunnyvale’s Socio-Economic Goal 5.1F: Provide job training and employment services, within constraints of operative Federal regulations and available Federal funding to address the locally-determined employment and training needs of economically disadvantaged residents and others with special needs.

DISCUSSION 

This is the fourth year of a successful collaboration between NOVA and the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office.  The two agencies have worked together to develop solutions for parents under court order for child support and unable to meet their payment requirements.  The court contacts parents who are in arrears in their court-ordered payments, and offers them options in meeting their obligations.  For the past three years, one option offered these parents is to attend a program at NOVA, designed to enhance their earning capabilities.  While this opportunity was originally designed under a State program for low-income parents of children on welfare, this is no longer the case.  Under funding from the Packard Foundation, the eligibility for this service is now expanded to include any non-custodial parent whose ability to pay child support has been compromised by a loss or a lack of a job.  Keeping children from going on welfare was included as a priority, along with assisting them in moving off of public assistance. 

The grant from the Packard Foundation was designed to supplement and work in conjunction with other NOVA funding sources.  Thus, non-custodial parents in this project will be referred to Skills Gap (the H-1B funded program) and WIA training, as well as apprenticeship programs and Job Corps. Fifty non-custodial parents will be served through this partnership.  While the Packard Foundation authorized the District Attorney’s office to develop a new program, the District Attorney’s Office has not just completed the contract for NOVA to provide these services.  This contract, however, will cover the entire calendar year. 

FISCAL IMPACT 

The staffing and other costs necessary to provide the services described in this report would be fully funded by this contract. 

PUBLIC CONTACT 

1.  Publication and posting of NOVA Workforce Board Agenda of May 22, 2002. 

2.  Public NOVA Workforce Board meeting on May 22, 2002. 

3.  Publication and posting of Council Agenda. 

4.  This report will be available in the Library and on the City’s internet home page. 

ALTERNATIVES 

1.    Council approves the contract between NOVA and the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office to provide skills training for non-custodial parents.

 

2.    Council requests modification of the proposal.

 

3.    Council rejects this contract.

RECOMMENDATION

Staff recommends that the Sunnyvale City Council concur with the NOVA Workforce Board to authorize the completion of a contract with Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office in the amount of $268,850 for the period of January 1, 2002 through December 31, 2002 to assist 50 non-custodial parents to gain skills through training activities.  

Prepared by:

Judith Gentry, Manager
Program Quality and Operations

Reviewed by:

Michael J. Curran
NOVA Director

 

Approved by:

Robert S. LaSala
City Manager

Attachments:

1. Contract for Services

2. Proposed Budget