City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: JUNE 4, 2025
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
THROUGH: JAMES F. PARAJON, CITY MANAGER
FROM: KATE GARVEY, DIRECTOR, DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY AND
HUMAN SERVICES
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
Independent Evaluation of the Alexandria Fund for Human Services.
BODY
_________________________________________________________________
ISSUE: Transmittal of the City Council requested evaluation of the Alexandria Fund for Human Services (AFHS).
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council:
(1) Receive the AFHS Evaluation conducted by Community Science, an external evaluator Attachment I.
(2) Consider the recommendations as outlined in the Community Science AFHS Evaluation.
(3) Set the AFHS Evaluation for public hearing for Saturday June 14, 2025, subsequently accept evaluation recommendations, and provide related staff guidance.
BACKGROUND:
After presenting the FY 2024 to FY 2026 AFHS grant cycle funding recommendations, the City Council requested a staff debriefing on the grantmaking process to include recommendations for improving ensuing grant cycles. Staff was subsequently advised to also use the FY 2024- FY 2026 grant cycle to review the key purpose of the AFHS. A follow-up memorandum from then City Councilwoman Gaskins on behalf City Council, provided guidance on the key elements of review of the Fund, the needs in the City and the definition of essential services. Councilwoman Gaskin's memorandum also recognized that this research would require an outside consultant given the scope of the request and charged staff to determine the capacity needed, cost and the best approach to complete the assignment Attachment II.
As a result, DCHS staff contracted the services of Community Science to conduct the independent evaluation. Community Science is a MWBE that has more than twenty-five years of experience providing consultation, research and evaluation and strategy development to f...
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