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...
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