TITLE
Recommendation to authorize City Manager, or designee, to execute all documents necessary, including any amendments, to enter into an agreement with FUSE Corps, a non-profit corporation of San Francisco, California, to participate in the FUSE Corps Fellowship Program, for the period of October 1, 2017 to September 30, 2018, in an amount not to exceed $150,000; and
Increase appropriations in the Employee Benefits Fund (IS 391) in the Human Resources Department (HR) by $150,000, offset by funds available. (Citywide)
DISCUSSION
The City of Long Beach (City) is currently participating as a FUSE Corps (FUSE) Fellowship Partner City in Fiscal Year 2017 (FY 17). FUSE is a nonprofit organization that partners with civic leaders to identify pressing local challenges and recruits entrepreneurial, mid-career professionals to serve in fellowships to effectively address these challenges. FUSE Fellows are strategically placed within partner cities to augment local public service. The program is intended to help cities achieve transformative impact across areas such as education, health, poverty, economic development, and the environment. FUSE Fellows are paid by FUSE using a combination of grants from foundation partners and some City allocation.
In FY 17, the City partnered with FUSE to address two focus areas impacting the City. Under the direction of the City Manager, one Fellow worked with City departments to help coordinate, support, and accelerate the City's efforts on the City’s comprehensive violence prevention plan, “Safe Long Beach.” The Fellow helped develop an implementation plan for achieving the goals of the My Brother’s Keeper (MBK) initiative. Key MBK accomplishments include engaging over 50 key stakeholders in MBK initiatives throughout Long Beach, participating in over 30 workgroup conferences and sessions, and convening the MBK Long Beach Advisory Council to carry out the MBK Implementation Plan.
Under the direction of the Health and Human Services Department (Health Department), a second FUSE Fellow focused on creating an integrated approach to addressing homelessness in the City. The project scope of work involved researching homeless strategies in Long Beach and other cities, engaging with stakeholders, improving data collection and use, and developing a new approach to addressing homelessness. As part of the ongoing work, the FUSE Fellow is developing a strategy that will redesign areas of the Continuum of Care focused on reducing the number of Long Beach residents experiencing homelessness.
For FY 18, the City Manager is proposing two new FUSE Fellow projects and the expansion of current FUSE projects through the FUSE Executive Advisor Fellowship program. These projects will focus on challenges affecting the City. City staff will work with FUSE to ensure the success of the residencies, support the Fellows throughout the projects, and participate in meetings and trainings, as needed.
• Proposed Project One: Establishing Care Systems for an Age-Friendly Community
Under the direction of the Health and the Parks, Recreation, and Marine Departments, the FUSE Fellow will develop a referral network system for the City’s senior population to connect seniors and their families to the services and support they require. After establishing the initial framework, the Fellow will address the sustainability of the program by identifying long-term funding strategies. The goal is to implement a long-term sustainable approach to senior care that addresses the needs of the City’s aging population and results in improved quality of life.
This project will be led by a first-year FUSE Fellow. Funding for this project, proposed at $150,000 for administrative and personnel costs, will be provided entirely by a grant from the Senior Care Action Network (SCAN).
• Proposed Project Two: Attracting and Retaining Talent to Drive Government Innovation
Under the direction of the City Manager’s Office, the FUSE Fellow will work with the Human Resources and Civil Service Departments to conduct a thorough analysis of the City’s hiring and onboarding process, including all of its policies related to talent management for both civil service and non-civil service positions. The goal is to identify areas for improvement in the City’s current hiring and onboarding processes, provide metrics for success, and create recommendations for improvements.
This project will be led by a first-year FUSE Fellow. Funding for this project, proposed at $150,000 for administrative and personnel costs, will be provided by the City.
• Expansion Projects: Developing Innovative Public Health and Public Safety Responses to Homelessness and Expanding the My Brother’s Keeper Initiative
Under the direction of the Health Department, a FUSE Executive Advisor Fellow will develop a comprehensive understanding of the delivery of homeless services provided to “high utilizers” of first responders, hospital emergency departments, and Health Department. The goal is to identify core systemic reasons for high-utilization of services and strategies for addressing them, opportunities for service consolidation, greater collaboration and increased efficiency within the existing homeless services framework in Long Beach.
Under the direction of the City Manager’s Office, a FUSE Executive Advisor Fellow will continue to carry out MBK initiatives. Since the program’s inception in 2016, the MBK initiative has set out to address persistent opportunity gaps faced by boys and young men of color. The Fellow will engage community stakeholders, carry out the MBK Implementation Plan and identify potential funding sources for the City to continue the MBK work.
These projects will be led by second-year FUSE Executive Advisor Fellows. Funding for these projects, proposed at $150,000 to cover personnel-only costs, will be provided entirely by a grant from the California Community Foundation (CCF).
This matter was reviewed by Deputy City Attorney Amy R. Webber on June 19, 2017 and by Revenue Management Officer Julissa José-Murray on June 21, 2017.
TIMING CONSIDERATIONS
City Council action is requested on July 11, 2017, to allow FUSE and the City to begin securing the necessary grant funding from foundation partners and recruitment of the Fellows. FUSE requires all documents to be executed prior to the start of the fellowships to allow ample time to secure funding.
FISCAL IMPACT
The total cost to administer the proposed FY 18 FUSE projects is $450,000. The City will provide $150,000 from the Employee Benefits Fund to FUSE to fund project two. The remaining $300,000 for project one and the expansion projects will be funded through a combination of grants, directly administered by FUSE, from the Senior Care Action Network (SCAN) and the California Community Foundation (CCF). Implementation of project one and the expansion projects is dependent on FUSE securing grant funding prior to the start of each project. An appropriation increase is requested in the Employee Benefits Fund (IS 391) in the Human Resources Department (HR) in the amount of $150,000, offset by funds available. Approval of this recommendation will help enhance the City’s appeal as an employer of choice and provide valuable resources to help continued support to the local economy.
SUGGESTED ACTION
Approve recommendation.
Respectfully Submitted,
PATRICK H. WEST
CITY MANAGER