August 19, 2003

REPORT IN BRIEF

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), has made $2.5 million dollars available for up to five grants for strategic planning and implementation activities designed to improve the employment and career advancement of people with disabilities. These funds will be awarded to Local Workforce Investment Boards that are the lead entity in a consortium of public and private entities to build the capacity of the local One-Stop Center to provide customized employment services to persons with disabilities. Grants are for a one-year period but may be renewed for a period of up to four additional years at varying funding levels depending on the availability of funds and efficacy of the project activities.

 A consortium of six partners from the CONNECT! Collaborative has developed a proposal, entitled Project Access, requesting $750,000 to develop customized employment services for customers with disabilities that would be offered through the CONNECT! Job Seeker Center. The partner organizations are NOVA, Project Hired, California Department of Rehabilitation, TransAccess, Alliance for Community Care-Vocational Services, and Services for Brain Injury. Services would be initiated at the Job Seeker Center and would include referrals to CONNECT! partners that have specialized services for customers with disabilities, when appropriate.

 Staff recommends that the Sunnyvale City Council, on behalf of the seven-city NOVA consortium, concur with the decision of the NOVA Workforce Board and authorize NOVA’s submission of a proposal in the amount of $750,000 to provide customized employment services for individuals with disabilities through the CONNECT! Job Seeker Center.

BACKGROUND

The Workforce Investment Act (WIA) provides a system in which multiple programs and agencies that assist people with obtaining and retaining employment are accessible to the customer in a One-Stop environment. The U.S. DOL Office of Disability Employment Policy is providing an opportunity for Local Workforce Investment Boards to apply for funding to provide customized employment services to persons with disabilities with a consortium of partners in their One-Stop Career Centers. The intent is to create a coordinated and streamlined employment system for customers with disabilities.

Individuals with disabilities are a population greatly in need of employment assistance. The unemployment rate of the workforce with disabilities in Silicon Valley is 55 percent. In addition, the earnings of workers with disabilities are considerably lower than those of non-disabled workers. The median monthly earnings in the region for a non-disabled worker is $4,500 compared with $3,816 for people with a non-severe disability and $2,593 for those with a severe disability. This grant opportunity is intended to increase the number of people with disabilities who take advantage of the employment resources available in the One-Stop by providing expanded and targeted services to meet their employment needs.

In 2002, the NOVA Workforce Board received funding to increase accessibility of the CONNECT! Job Seeker Center. A broad array of assistive technology, including two fully accessible workstations, is now available in the Center. However, many customers with disabilities require more individualized assistance to overcome their barriers to employment. A coalition of CONNECT! partners including NOVA, Project Hired, California Department of Rehabilitation, TransAccess, Alliance for Community Care Vocational Services, and Services for Brain Injury have collaborated on a grant proposal, entitled Project Access.

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

The proposed Project Access is designed to expand the services available at the CONNECT! Job Seeker Center and to develop a strategy to more effectively coordinate services currently available from partner organizations. The grant would provide funding to hire an Access Coordinator and Job Developer that would be located in the Job Seeker Center. The Access Coordinator would provide individualized assessment and referrals to appropriate partner organizations when more intensive services are needed to prepare the customer for employment. The Job Developer would work with both the customer and employers to identify appropriate positions for these customers.

Funds from this grant would provide a full range of services to customers with disabilities enrolled under Project Access, including training and other supportive services when required, to prepare them for employment. Other grant activities include developing a marketing strategy and materials for this program and modifying our current case management system to allow for client tracking. The total project is budgeted at $750,000.

At its meeting of July 23, 2003, the NOVA Workforce Board approved submission of this proposal to the Department of Labor.

Fiscal Impact

There will be no fiscal impact to the City because funds received will offset program expenditures.

PUBLIC CONTACT

1.      Public contact was made through posting of the Council agenda on the City's official notice bulletin board, posting of the agenda and report on the City's web page and the availability of the report in the Library and City Clerk's Office.

2.      Public meeting of the NOVA Workforce Board on July 23, 2003.

ALTERNATIVES

1. Council approves submission of a proposal to the U. S. Department of Labor for a Customized Employment Grant to serve individuals with disabilities.

2. Council rejects submission of the proposal to the U. S. Department of Labor.

3. Other action as determined by Council.

RECOMMENDATION

It is recommended by staff that the Sunnyvale City Council, on behalf of the NOVA seven-city consortium, adopt Alternative 1:  Council approves the submission of a proposal to the U. S. Department of Labor for a Customized Employment Grant to serve individuals with disabilities.  It is further recommended that the City Manager or his designee be authorized to execute the necessary grant agreement. 

Prepared by:
Jeanette Langdell, Employment Training Manager
Department of Employment Development

Reviewed by:
Michael J. Curran, Director
Department of Employment Development

Approved by:
Robert S. LaSala
City Manager