Title
Recommendation to Authorize the City Manager to Execute a First Amendment to the Agreement with Alameda Family Services for Social Worker Library Services, Extending the Term through June 30, 2027, and Increasing the Total Not to Exceed Amount to $205,300. (City Manager 10021830)
Body
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Gerry Beaudin, City Manager
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In 2024, the Alameda Library (Library) and City of Alameda (City) collaborated to provide social services support for library patrons for 12 hours per week. Since then, these case managers have experienced increased engagement from patrons seeking social support services, additional mental health support services, and support for unhoused individuals at the Library. The need for access to immediate, on-site mental health services is acute, as many of the patrons seeking help are low-income, from disadvantaged communities, unhoused, or at risk of becoming unhoused. In addition, while Library staff receive de-escalation and other training, their primary focus and time are on library services rather than social services. Therefore, a more specialized skill set and resource base are required to provide the needed level of social services resources and ability to effectively work with patrons with mental health issues. This Agreement with Alameda Family Services (AFS) provides a Social Worker at the Alameda Library for a full-time, 40-hour-per-week position, year-round, to provide a more holistic approach to the safety and well-being of patrons and staff of the Alameda Library.
Staff recommends that City Council authorize the City Manager to execute a first amendment to the agreement with AFS to increase the on-site social worker clinician from a 30-hour-per-week position to a 40-hour-per-week full-time position. This expansion of hours will provide the support needed by Alameda Library patrons, staff, and Housing and Human Services (HHS) Engagement Team case managers who coordinate closely with the social services clinician.
BACKGROUND
In 2024, the HHS hired part-time case managers to work at the Library for 12 hours per week, assisting patrons with linkages to services, crisis de-escalation, and other social service needs. This initiative has proven successful, with case managers reporting increased engagement from patrons seeking support. Unlike interactions between patrons and library staff, the relationship between a Social Worker and a patron involves specialized training and a focus on clinical and service coordination needs that library staff are not equipped to provide. Delivering these services falls outside of the scope of the library staff's training and expertise.
At the May 13, 2025, budget workshop, City Council allocated funding for Fiscal Year 2025-26 and provided staff direction to provide social worker services at the Main Library and evaluate whether those services should be provided by part-time City staff or through contractual services.
On September 16, 2025, City Council approved an agreement with AFS for a 30-hour-per-week on-site social work clinician pilot program. The AFS agreement was for a one-year term of $90,000. This pilot program ends September 30, 2026.
During the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025-27 Biannual budget process, City Council allocated $142,100 to establish a social services program at the Library with an AFS social work clinician. This total amount was prorated for the first year to account for the existing contract term ending in September 2026.
DISCUSSION
The City's 2024 Point-in-Time (PIT) Count indicated 35% of surveyed respondents suffered from serious mental illness. Placing a Social Work professional onsite at the Library has vastly improved the culture and services available. Under this agreement, AFS has provided a professional with a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree to work 30 hours per week at the Main Library, Monday through Friday. Having a trained professional on-site has helped safeguard everyone's safety in the library, including patrons experiencing mental health challenges and those seeking higher-level social service resources for food insecurity, housing, health care, and other needs, and has also improved the experience for library patrons and City staff. AFS staff bring specialized social services skills, oversight, existing coordination with the City's CARE Team, and ongoing service coordination with the City, County, and other social service providers. AFS also has access to directly refer to medical facilities, such as respite beds, and access to review the community health record database, which provides timely and effective services to individuals in a health crisis.
Under this Amendment, AFS will continue to provide support and training to Library staff for their direct work with patrons. AFS mental health services will augment and strengthen the Library's programming by providing best practice social work interventions, informal mental health support to Library patrons, consultation to library staff, and linkage to services.
The AFS agreement goals include:
1. Provide direct therapeutic interventions to 80% of patrons who are self-and/or library identified as having social services, mental health, and/or behavioral needs (this statistic considers consumers who decline offers of direct mental health support and linkages that result in engagement challenges).
2. Assess and provide linkages to 80% of patrons who are self-identified and/or by library staff as having social service and/or mental health needs, with a focus on warm hand-offs to relevant resources.
3. Provide 100% of consultations requested by library staff around mental health and behavioral challenges, including best practice de-escalation, to support increased ability for Library staff to support patrons who have mental health and behavioral challenges.
4. Support the overall goals of the Alameda Library to provide a safe and welcoming environment for all guests.
The AFS agreement scope of work includes:
1. On-site therapeutic interventions, as needed, with patrons
2. Collaborative crisis intervention and crisis de-escalation of patrons, as needed
3. Clinical case consultations and recommendations for engagement with library staff
4. Development of relationships with patrons who have resource needs and mental health concerns
5. Social Service and resource referrals and linkages for library patrons
6. Linkages to city services, including Alameda City Case Managers, and other Alameda providers and county services
7. Case consultation to Library staff, City staff, and local and county providers
8. Referrals and linkages to higher levels of care and specialty programs
9. Training as needed and requested
As part of the initial, one-year program, AFS collected detailed information and provided regular reporting, including quantitative and qualitative data. Between December 15, 2025 - March 31, 2026, the clinical social worker provided the following:
• Support for 15 clients who chose to formally enroll into services with AFS.
• Over 45 clinical case management sessions and consultation.
• Services to 15 clients who did not want to formally enroll in AFS services.
• Linkages to supportive services for 26 people.
• Referrals to resources for 53 people.
• A total of 113 therapeutic interventions for patrons who did not want to formally enroll in services with AFS. In addition to these therapeutic interventions, the social worker provided crisis intervention/de-escalation five (5) times.
There are many success stories due to the work of the Library social worker. For example, the AFS Library Social Worker supported a Transition Age Youth (TAY) client in exploring barriers to permanent housing, connecting him to a housing agency, and assisting with transportation to the TAY shelter. The client is now in a stable and supportive housing program.
A patron had become disconnected from their previous case manager from an agency in Oakland. They were lacking all resources, including housing and food. The Library reached out to multiple service providers to identify the agencies and staff assigned to this patron. The social worker reconnected the client with their case manager, who provided comprehensive services. In addition, the Library Social Worker supported the client in reactivating their Homeless Management System (HMIS) profile and accessing food.
The Library Social Worker connected a patron to legal services to assist with applying for SSDI, helped the client access primary care services, and assisted with placement in interim housing. The client moved into permanent housing in April 2026.
Providing clinical services and best practice social work interventions has positively impacted patron outcomes for those seeking mental health and social services to support their well-being. Increasing the social worker’s hours from 30 to 40 per week will expand opportunities and options for providing these services. Staff recommends this agreement with AFS as the most effective way to meet this need.
Should the term of this Agreement need to be extended, without changing any other provision of the Agreement as approved by City Council, staff further requests that City Council grant the City Manager the discretion to do so by amendment without returning to City Council for further approval.
ALTERNATIVES
• Authorize the City Manager to execute an agreement with Alameda Family Services to provide full-time, on-site mental health support at the Alameda Library.
• Direct staff to explore alternatives to provide social service work at the Library, such as hiring part-time case managers.
• Discontinue the program to fund a social work clinician at the Library, which will require Library staff to address mental health challenges directly and rely on Alameda Police Department (APD) support as an intervention.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
The funds have been appropriated in the City’s FY 2026-27 budget in the General Fund - Housing and Human Services department (10021830).
MUNICIPAL CODE/POLICY DOCUMENT CROSS REFERENCE
This action is consistent with the Social Services Human Relations Board Charter and Ordinance authority "to improve social services in the community" (Alameda Municipal Code Section 2-11.5) and the Report on Homelessness Policies and Programs. This action is consistent with Goal 2 of "The Road Home: A Five-Year Strategic Plan to Prevent and Respond to Homelessness in Alameda." This action is subject to the Levine Act. This action also supports the City Strategic Plan Priority to House All Alamedans and End Homelessness. This action is subject to the Levine Act.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
This action does not constitute a "project" as defined in California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines Section 15378 and therefore no further CEQA analysis is required.
CLIMATE IMPACT
The Social Vulnerability Assessment section of the Climate Action and Resiliency Plan states:
"adaptation strategies should consider how [the homeless] will receive emergency communications and how they will be sheltered. Proper, safe housing for all is an adaptation and resilience strategy. Planning strategies should always consider these vulnerable populations in adaptation efforts."
RECOMMENDATION
Authorize the City Manager to execute a First Amendment with Alameda Family Services for social worker library services extending the term through June 30, 2027, and increasing the amount to $205,300. (City Manager 10021830)
Respectfully submitted,
Amy Wooldridge, Assistant City Manager
By,
Camille Rodriguez, Housing and Human Services Program Manager
Financial Impact section reviewed,
Ross McCarthy, Finance Director
Exhibits:
1. Original Agreement
2. First Amendment
cc: C’Mone Falls, Housing and Human Services Manager