Santa Cruz County Grand Jury
• 2023-2024
• Agency Response
Core: The Needs of The Community Equitably Distributed a Model of Transparency
⚠️ Translation Notice: This content has been automatically translated. The original English text is the official version. Translation may contain errors.
⚠️ Este contenido ha sido traducido automáticamente. El texto original en inglés es la versión oficial. La traducción puede contener errores.
Findings and Recommendations 6 findings
F1
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Funds are focused on improving conditions of well-being for community members experiencing the greatest challenges and barriers in the County.
No recommendations for this finding
F2
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A hybrid approach is administered to support both broad-based service programs and smaller “Targeted Impact” models.
No recommendations for this finding
F3
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There is good diversity of eligible applicants: Non-profit 501(c)(3) agencies, federally recognized tribal entities, and public education agencies.
No recommendations for this finding
F4
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The program is well coordinated, with County and City staff partnering to review and award for all tiers. The City focused their funding on programs serving primarily City residents.
No recommendations for this finding
F5
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A clear outline of the RFP is available to the applicants, with an understanding of the awards process and the tier level they fall under.
No recommendations for this finding
F6
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The County and City provides a comprehensive review of the process which allows the applicants an opportunity to ask questions of clarity if needed. Commendations C1. The CORE program is commended for being unbiased. Applicants for Small, Medium, and Large tiers are asked to select an “equity dimension” (i.e., race, ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation, etc.) that best describes how equity is defined in the proposed project or program. Since the Targeted Impact tier is focused on racial equity, a question is included in that specific application on any additional equity dimensions the proposal will address. It is not required to focus on an additional dimension, and it will not be scored. This aspect provides a very even playing field for all applicants applying and there is no room for any bias in the process. C2. The CORE program is commended for accommodating applicants of diverse size equitably. All applicants are encouraged to be as specific as possible when articulating their activities, populations served, and program outcomes. Details on activities (strategies) are relevant in the Small tier while higher tier applications are to emphasize outcomes. This allows inclusion no matter what size your organization and focuses on the central objective of helping the broader community with the most impactful services. C3. Since funding is awarded at the same amount for each year of the 3-year grant term, applicants are able to consider how this may impact the services throughout the 3-year term. CORE does a good job of ensuring that the services being funded remain intact and the impacted communities receive the needed support throughout the duration of the funded programs. We could not find any evidence of mishandling of the funds or programs being removed within this 3-year period. CORE published May 18, 2023 Invited Responses Respond Within/ Respondent Findings Recommendations Respond By Director of Human Services 90 Days
No recommendations for this finding
Conclusions 1
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CL1 Page 5The Santa Cruz County Civil Grand Jury is delighted to report that the Santa Cruz County CORE (Collective of Results and Evidence Based Investments) program provides fair and equitable distribution of funds to the many deserving non-profit organizations throughout the County. This process has removed any specter of bias and allows all potential organizations an even playing field. Their approach is completely transparent, from the application process, all the way through to the funded awards. The equity-centered approach clearly sets Santa Cruz County apart from any other counties in the region. It provides very clear parameters of how the process works and how each organization can benefit. The Grand Jury applauds the County and City officials and community members for their continued dedication and looks forward to the further evolution of CORE. CORE published May 18, 2023 Page 5 of 9
Commendations 4
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CM1 Page 9The County of Santa Cruz California Proposed 2022-23 Budget. March 29, 2022. “Proposed Budget in Brief.” Accessed April 24, 2023. https://www.co.santa-cruz.ca.us/portals/27/county/budget/pdf/Proposed%20Budg et%20in%20Brief_05030745.pdf
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CM2 Page 9County and City of Santa Cruz. February 4, 2022. “Request for Proposal.” Accessed April 24, 2023. https://www.co.santa-cruz.ca.us/Portals/0/County/GSD/Purchasing/Solicitations/ HSD1-2021%20CORE%20Investments%20RFP.pdf
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CM3 Page 9Santa Cruz County Data Share. Accessed April 24, 2023. https://www.corescc.org/about-us
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CM4 Page 9Santa Cruz County Data Share. Accessed April 24, 2023. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/619279f72531c218d085aee6/t/63f7ef8c3b 2d295e3044c389/1677193225008/CORE+Conditions+Bilingual Site Visits Human Services Department, County of Santa Cruz County of Santa Cruz Health Services Agency Human Services Department Archives CORE published May 18, 2023 Page 9 of 9 Grand Jury Responses to the findings and recommendations in the 2022-2023 Grand Jury Report, “CORE: the Needs of the Community Equitably Distributed.” Caitlin Smith Tue, Aug 8, 2023 at 4:26 PM Good Afternoon, Please see attached for the County Administrative Officer and the Human Services Director’s responses to the findings and recommendations in the 2022-2023 Grand Jury Report, “CORE: the Needs of the Community Equitably Distributed.” Best, Caitlin C. Smith County Supervisors’ Analyst Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors 701 Ocean Street, Room 500 Santa Cruz, CA 95060 831-454-2200 main 831-454-3516 direct caitlin.smith@santacruzcounty.us To email all five members of the Board of Supervisors at once, please use: BoardOfSupervisors@santacruzcounty.us 3 attachments CORE response cover letter.pdf 37K CORE Report-CAO response.pdf 216K CORE report-Director of Human Services response.pdf 217K The 2022–2023 Santa Cruz County Civil Grand Jury Invites the Director of Human Services, Santa Cruz County to Respond by August 16, 2023 to the Findings and Recommendations listed below which were assigned to them in the report titled CORE: The Needs of The Community Equitably Distributed A Model of Transparency Responses are invited from appointed agency and department heads, appointed committees, and non-profit agencies contracted to the county which are investigated by the grand jury. You are not required to respond by the California Penal Code (PC) §933(c); if you do, PC §933(c) requires you to make your response available to the public. If you choose to respond, your response will be considered compliant under PC §933.05 if it contains an appropriate comment on all findings and recommendations which were assigned to you in the report. Please follow the instructions below when preparing your response. CORE Published on May 18 2023 Page 1 of 8 Instructions for Respondents Your assigned Findings and Recommendations are listed on the following pages with check boxes and an expandable space for summaries, timeframes, and explanations. Please follow these instructions, which paraphrase PC §933.05: