City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: JANUARY 6, 2021
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
FROM: MARK B. JINKS, CITY MANAGER /s/
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
Consideration of a Grant Application to the Department of Criminal Justice Services for the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) Victim Services Grant Program.
BODY
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ISSUE: Consideration of a Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) Victim Services Program grant application to the Department of Criminal Justice (DCJS) seeking ongoing funding and new funding for Department of Community and Human Services’ (DCHS) services for survivors of domestic violence and sexual violence.
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council:
1. Authorize the submission of a grant application for continued funding (Sexual Assault Domestic Violence (SADV) Core Service Funding) to DCJS in the amount of $506,000 for fiscal years 2022 and 2023 with an eight percent (8%) cash or in-kind match requirement of $44,000 for each fiscal year; for a combined grant award of $1,0120,000 to enhance services for victims of intimate partner violence and sexual assault survivors residing in the City of Alexandria.
2. Authorize the inclusion in SADV Core Service Funding grant application a request for competitive funding to DCJS; $106,028 for fiscal year 2022 and $ 104,258 for fiscal year 2023 with a twenty percent (20%) cash or in-kind match requirement of $52,571 for each fiscal year for a combined grant award of $262,857 to enhance services for victims of intimate partner violence and sexual assault survivors residing in the City of Alexandria.
3. Approve the addition of two Victim Witness Specialist positions (.50 PTE) and a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) consultant that will be fully supported by grant revenues if the competitive request is successful; and
4. Authorize the City Manager to execute all necessary documents that may be required.
BACKGROUND: For more than 20 years DCHS has received DCJS funding which has supported the staff position for the City’s sexual assault and domestic violence crisis and core services. The current DCJS grant award of $550,000 funds the salaries five 1.0 FTEs and one .50 PTE:
• Family Services Specialist responsible for out-reach and prevention activities for Spanish-speaking residents to address the problem of domestic violence in the City's Latinx community (FTE 1.0).
• Family Services Specialist responsible for providing services to children who have witnessed domestic violence and youth in dating violence relationships (FTE 1.0).
• Therapist Supervises responsible for providing therapy and advocacy services to sexual assault survivors. This position supervises two full-time staff members, one part-time employee and interns (1.0 FTE);
• Bilingual Senior Therapist responsible for providing therapy and advocacy services to Hispanic survivors of sexual assault (1.0 FTE); and
• Human Service Specialist II/Volunteer Developer responsible for recruiting, training, scheduling, and supervising a volunteer corps of 30 who provide Hotline crisis intervention and counseling support during the evenings, weekends, and holidays (1.0 FTE).
• Management Analyst responsible for providing administrative support to the sexual and domestic violence programs and the Commission on Women (.50 PTE).
Additional grant funding through the competitive process would support the addition of the two part-time positions that will provide court accompaniment and services to survivors of sexual and domestic violence.
DISCUSSION: DCHS was notified by DCJS of the opportunity to apply for a non-competitive grant (SADVGP Category 4) and a competitive (Services of Victims or Crime Category 2) grant on November 13, 2020 and grant applications due January 26, 2020. The grant awards will support the development and expansion of services for domestic violence and sexual assault programs.
The combined grant application requests totals $1,362,857 to support currently funded positions, and non-personnel cost and the hire of two part-time Victim Witness Specialist positions for Sexual Assault Center (SAC) and Domestic Violence Program (DVP). Funding through the competitive process would improve the quality of our court advocacy and accompaniment response to domestic violence and sexual assault criminal and civil cases and complement our already existing programs.
FISCAL IMPACT: The funding request in this grant application is for the period covering
FY 2022 and FY 2023 and totals $1,362,857. The funding falls into two categories but only one grant application is required.
1. Funding Category 2: Services for Victims of Crime - this grant initiative and awards will be made through a competitive grant review process. The request in grant funding is $210,286. There is a required 20 percent match of $52,571 for a total program cost of $189,942. The matching funds requirement will be met by using in-kind volunteer hours from the Sexual Assault & Domestic Violence Program.
2. Funding Category 4: only open to current grant recipients for Sexual and Intimate Partner Violence Core Services. The grant request is for Alexandria’s Sexual Assault & Domestic Violence Grant Program (SADVGP). The request of federal funds is for each FY22 and FY23 is $506,000. The request in grant funding for the two fiscal years is $1,012,000. There is a required 8 percent cash and/or in-kind match of $88,000, for a total program cost of $1,100,000. The required cash match is included in DCHS budget.
Funding in Category 2 is expected to continue. All individuals filling positions supported by this funding will be notified that the positions may terminate if grant funds become unavailable in the future. The employees will also be required to sign an agreement of understanding about this as a condition of employment at the time they are hired. If grant funding becomes unavailable in the future, outcome data will be analyzed to determine the project’s effectiveness and may be used to search for alternative funding and/or to reprioritize current DCHS funding to support the program's continuation. If, however, grant funding becomes unavailable and alternative ongoing funding cannot be secured, the positions will be eliminated.
ATTACHMENTS: None
STAFF:
Debra R. Collins, Deputy City Manager
Kate Garvey, Director, Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS)
Morgan Routt, Director, Office of Management and Budget
Stacey Hardy-Chandler, Director, Center for Children and Families, DCHS
Raphael Obenwa, Fiscal Officer III, DCHS
Debra Evans, Division Chief, DCHS