Title
Review and Approve the Draft Social Service Human Relations Board (SSHRB) Fiscal Year 2023-24 Work Plan for the City Council Consideration
Body
To: Honorable Acting President Scott Means and Members of the Social Service Human Relations Board
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Per the Alameda Municipal Code (AMC), SSHRB has prepared a Work Plan for the performance of its delineated functions. The Fiscal Year (FY) 2023-24 Work Plan focuses on:
• Addressing human relations concerns relevant to creating a welcoming community for all residents;
• Circulating the Community Needs Assessment (CNA) to the general public and community stakeholder groups;
• Participating in the City’s Domestic Violence Task Force, and
• Continuing to oversee existing City initiatives.
With SSHRB approval at tonight’s meeting, the final draft Work Plan will be presented to the Alameda City Council for comment and approval.
Background
The AMC states that one of the duties of SSHRB is to adopt a plan for the performance of its delineated functions “with advice and consent of the City Council.” The AMC further notes that, “[t]he City Council and SSHRB will meet at least once a year to review the plan.”
At its October 22, 2022 meeting, SSHRB initiated development of a FY 2023-24 Work Plan to determine SSHRB’s future agenda items, establish priorities, and create a timeline for its activities. These activities were based on SSHRB’s three ad hoc subcommittees (composed of two members each):
• CNA, which is conducted every four to five years.
• Human Relations/Alamedans Together Against Hate-to address human relations concerns to create a welcoming and beloved community for all residents.
• SSHRB’s infrastructure, including the creation of temporary ad hoc subcommittees or permanent work groups in compliance with the open government requirements (i.e. the State’s Brown Act and the City’s Sunshine Ordinance).
Discussion
The three ad hoc subcommittees have been meeting independently to develop their respective segments of the Work Plan (see Exhibit One: Draft FY 2023-24 Work Plan). In addition to SSHRB’s regular review and oversight of various City initiatives, the Work Plan identifies three areas of primary focus for FY 2023-24:
1. Attention to creating a welcoming for all residents-In 1997, the City passed a resolution declaring Alameda a hate-free city. In the early 2000’s, SSHRB had sponsored a work group called Alamedans Together Against Hate (ATAH) in response to racially and other bias-motivated incidences and hate crimes in Alameda. Its activities include creating a speakers bureau and “No Room For Hate” posters. The current SSHRB recommends reinstituting this focus with a more assertive, proactive approach to community-building and human relations. Under the proposed Work Plan, some of SSHRB activities include:
a. Research best practices from other comparable cities, such as the “Hate-Free Together Campaign” launched in November 2022 by UC Davis, City of Davis, and Yolo County.
b. Coordinate with other City initiatives and convene major stakeholder groups to discuss what the City can do to promote positive human relations.
c. Interview community members for their perspectives on how to promote positive human relations.
d. Revise and/or recommit to City Resolution for Hate-Free City.
2. Dissemination of the 2023 Community Needs Assessment (CNA)-The City’s Charter assigns SSHRB the responsibility of assessing and responding to the social service and human relations needs of the City. Under the proposed Work Plan, following City Council’s approval of the 2023 CNA, future SSHRB activities may include circulating and promoting the CNA to local community organizations. The data consolidated in the CNA may help local organizations with future grant proposals.
3. Leading and participating the City’s Quarterly Domestic Violence Task Force meetings-At its May 28, 2020 meeting, SSHRB incorporated issue of domestic violence into its annual Work Plan. The goal of the Task Force is to coordinate domestic violence prevention and intervention services in the City of Alameda and mobilize all members of our community to take a proactive role in building a domestic violence-free community. Future tasks may include:
a. coordinating domestic violence prevention and intervention services in Alameda
b. executing outreach activities during domestic violence awareness month (October) and teen dating violence awareness month (February), and
c. designing campaigns to build a domestic violence-free community.
RECOMMENDATION
Review and Approve the Draft SSHRB FY 2023-24 Work Plan for City Council Consideration
Respectfully submitted,
Eric Fonstein, Economic Development Manager
Exhibit
1. Draft 2023-24 Work Plan