Title
Item 5-C Exhibit 1: Staff Report
Body
July 18, 2019
To: Honorable President and Members of the Social Service Human Relations Board
From: Eric Fonstein, Development Manager
Re: Review and Discuss Draft 2019 Work Plan and Workgroup Assignments
Background
During the last month, four new members have been appointed by the City Council to the seven-member Social Service Human Relations Board (Board). Two of the standing members are also relatively new, having been appointed within the last year. Staff has scheduled a special meeting of the Board on July 18, 2019, to orient new members, while refreshing existing members, about the mission and responsibilities of the Board and provide an overview of the past activities, current initiatives, and future work plans of SSHRB. In addition, this meeting will be used as a “retreat” to foster cohesion and understanding among Board members. Staff have invited previous Board members to participate in this retreat to share their insights and experiences from their tenure on the Board.
Discussion
The Board is one of six boards mandated by the City’s charter and implemented by the Alameda Municipal Code (see Attachment A: City Charter, Article XV Section 15-1 and the Alameda Municipal Code, Section 2-9) with the stated goal:
to create an environment which will encourage and bring about mutual understanding, respect and good will among groups of people in the community and to improve social services in the community.
The City of Alameda Municipal Code mentions that one of the duties of the Board is to “adopt a plan for the performance [its] listed functions with advice and consent of the City Council. It is the intent of this section that the City Council and Board will meet at least once a year to review the plan.”
At the January 24, 2019 meeting of the Board, staff presented a draft 2019 SSHRB Work Plan. Board members found this to be a useful tool in planning future agenda items and in understanding the timing of different topics of concern. In preparing for this July 18, 2019 special meeting, staff has revised the Draft Work Plan for 2019 for the Board’s consideration (see Attachment B: Draft Work Plan). The Board may use this document as a starting document for the development of a formal work plan that will be discussed in more detail in future meetings and will ultimately be presented to the City Council.
Staff anticipates that the following three items will be continuous topics of discussion and, to some extent, the Board’s work throughout the year: the 2020 Census, the Homeless Emergency Aid Program (HEAP), and mental health concerns for local teens. In January, the Board assigned the Census 2020 and HEAP program development to the Assessment and Awareness Workgroup and the Homeless Action Plan Workgroup, respectively. The Board may decide to create a third workgroup to focus on teen mental health concerns.
The Board members should also be aware of its formal Rules and Procedures, last revised by the Board in 2008 (see Attachment C: Rules and Procedures). Two particular points may be of interest. First, the Rules and Procedures mentions the appointment of a non-voting youth representative. The Board has not had a youth representative in recent years. Staff will further research as to why there has not been a youth representative and report any new relevant information to the Board. The Board may revisit the Rules and Procedures at its August 2019 and make revisions as needed.
Second, staff would like to point out that the Rules and Procedures requires Board members to attend at minimum 75 percent of the meetings during any 12-month period, whether excused or not excused. Steady attendance and participation are necessary to maintain the Board’s effectiveness and continuity between meetings.
Recommendations
Staff recommends that the Board review and discuss the draft 2019 Work Plan. Staff also recommends that the Board establish a third workgroup to focus on teen mental health concerns.
Attachments
Attachment A: City Charter, Article XV Section 15-1 and the Alameda Municipal Code, Section 2-9
Attachment B: 2019 Draft Work Plan
Attachment C: Rules and Procedures