Neighborhood and Community Services Management (NCS)
The Integrated Neighborhood Services Project was initiated in FY2001/2002 to explore building a stronger sense of community throughout Sunnyvale and, to support that effort, to examine the potential of a more integrated, cross-departmental approach to service delivery. During the project's first year, the project team focused on identifying Sunnyvale's unique needs and exploring best practices to address those needs. The project team, identified as the Connected Communities/Seamless Services (CCSS) team, completed several important assignments:
Defined community building and engagement for Sunnyvale,
Explored potential benefits and risks,
Identified community building issues unique to Sunnyvale,
Conducted best practice research, and
Developed a vision for Sunnyvale as an engaged community.
In response to a staff report on the community building project, Council directed staff to gather feedback from the community. These activities were deferred to January 2004 due to staff resource limitations arising from the City's budget crisis.
During FY 2002/2003, the project team developed an operating service structure and identified results that could be used to assess the program's success over time. These "success measures" include:
Involve more community members in government, Achieve higher participation rates in neighborhood and community associations, Encourage more collaborative community projects in which stakeholders are active participants in delivering solutions, Achieve higher attendance rates at City-wide and neighborhood events, Increase community volunteerism, as well as more diversity among volunteers, Increase community members' reported trust in government, Increase "city of choice" ratings for Sunnyvale.
In addition, the proposed NCS program also includes an outreach to youth and families component. While this component had previously been addressed through the City's Youth and Family Services Project, budget cutbacks reduced service levels significantly in the youth and family services project. Including a Youth and Family Outreach Service Delivery Plan (SDP) in this program will enable the City to maintain critical outreach services for youth and families as cost effectively as possible.
In FY 2003/2004, staff members assigned to the neighborhood and community services project are working on several activities. For example, in January 2002, NCS staff members were assigned a study issue to review the City's outreach practices. The study's results were presented to Council in November 2002. To address the report's findings, Council appointed an Outreach Task Force, composed of community members and staff. The task force's purpose was to evaluate specific current practices in several identified areas and make recommendations. The Task Force's report will be presented to Council in October 2003.
The program provides services to six main customer groups: residents and neighborhood associations, community groups, ethnically diverse communities, faith-based organizations, nonprofit groups, and businesses. There are three key requirements for these customer groups: customer satisfaction, timeliness of response, and effectiveness of outreach efforts.
Key program activities include:
Developing relationships and providing information on City activities to neighborhood and homeowners associations, community groups, faith-based organizations, ethnic groups, and non-profit agencies serving Sunnyvale, Increasing communication to community members and building the capacity of neighborhood groups to address neighborhood issues, Conducting outreach efforts about youth and family services, and Developing multicultural outreach mechanisms.
Program Structure
The following is the recommended program outcome statement, and the recommended program outcome measures, and the recommended weightings for measures:
Proposed Program Outcome Statement:
"Strengthen community engagement (including promoting a high quality of life for Sunnyvale youth and families) by:
Developing relations with, and conducting outreach to, Sunnyvale neighborhood/homeowner associations, Serving as an ombudsperson for community members who are unable to resolve their concerns through regular City channels, Encouraging community participation and leadership, Educating the community about issues and services related to youth and families and convening resources to address those issues, and Providing venues for community education and feedback on City issues."
Proposed Program Outcome Measures: Weighting
The percentage of residents who give the City a "favorable" rating in providing a sense of community and belonging for all residents increases by 5% each year, until the "favorable" rating reaches 85%. 4
50% of households with children rate Sunnyvale as providing a high quality of life for youth and families. 3
85% of neighborhood association officers feel adequately informed by NCS staff about City activities. 5
The number of residents applying for boards and commission appointments increases by 5% each year. 3
The ethnicity of applicants applying for boards and commission appointments increases annually on average by two percent toward reflecting the demographics of the community per the 2000 census data. 3
85% of issues brought to the attention of NCS staff are addressed within two weeks. 5
The budget/cost ratio is 1.0. 5
Program services are organized into six service delivery plans (SDP); each SDP contains the following activities and products.
Support to Neighborhood and Community Associations SDP
Activity & Product
Build relationships with association leadership - A relationship developed
Develop and support new community engagement strategies for neighborhood associations - A strategy implemented
Provide information about City activities to associations - An information update completed
Support participation in association/civic activities, develop/promote neighborhood identity - An activity completed
Coordinate Neighborhood Association Registry and NCS directory - A registry coordinated
Address neighborhood association concerns and coordinate City response - A concern addressed
Coordinate the City's Speakers Bureau - A speaker trained
Community Engagement SDP
Activity & Product
Partner with community groups to develop and implement leadership training - A training completed
Develop and support community engagement strategies - A strategy implemented
Provide information about City activities to community members - An information update completed
Gather, address, and track community member feedback and concerns - A concern addressed
Maintain Community Calendar and NCS website - A calendar and website maintained
Coordinate Quarterly Report's Neighborhood News section - A quarterly report completed
Coordinate community outreach meetings (including Council outreach to associations service) - A meeting held
Maintain Comments and Events telephone line - A telephone line updated
Support City staff in implementing department community outreach meetings An activity completed
Multicultural Outreach SDP
Activity & Product
Develop relationships with leaders of Sunnyvale's ethnically diverse communities - A relationship developed
Develop and staff a multicultural outreach task force - A diversity task force implemented
Coordinate annual multicultural/faith community leadership event(s) - A cultural outreach activity completed
Facilitate Seamless Delivery of City Services to Neighborhoods SDP
Activity & Product
Staff the Connected Communities/Seamless Services Initiative team - A meeting held
Staff the Interdepartmental Neighborhood Task Force - A meeting held
Staff the Columbia Neighborhood Center Joint Task Force - A meeting held
Implement Council-directed CCSS/Community Building activities - An activity/strategy implemented
Conduct Outreach Activities About Youth and Family Services SDP
Activity & Product
Implement annual Health and Safety Fair - Number of health and safety fair services delivered
Conduct outreach including maintaining the youth and family services web pages - Number of attendees at outreach events
Implement public education forum and provider networking activities - Number of public education forums and networking events held
Manage Neighborhood and Community Services Division SDP
Activity & Product
Conduct administrative responsibilities - A work hour
Participate in professional development activities - A work hour
Conducting staff supervision responsibilities - A work hour
The City Council received an information only memo on September 5, 2003. Final, detailed worksheets will be prepared for each outcome measure after Council approves the program structure. These worksheets describe how the outcome measure results will be determined, how and where data will be collected, and the job classification responsible for collecting data and reporting performance results.