CITY OF DAVIS COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT APPLICATION

Transcription

1 CITY OF DAVIS COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT APPLICATION Organization Name: Short Term Emergency Aid Committee Street Address: 1900 E. Eighth St., Davis, CA Mailing Address: 1900 E. Eighth St., Davis, CA Address: Fax Number: Contact: Susan Simon Address: 1900 E. 8th St., Davis Phone: (Be sure to list the best contact to get information to the organization as quickly as possible.) Total Proposal Request: $ $20,000 (Check one) x On-going Support New Project CDBG Eligible Category: Public Service (See List A) National Objective Compliance/Low and Mod Benefit: Limited Clientele (See List B) City Council Identified Critical Needs: (See List C) 1) Hunger Service 2) Homeless Service 3) Independent Living PUBLIC SERVICE x NON-PUBLIC SERVICE Beneficiary Information: 3,573 Total number of beneficiaries in proposed project 2,857 Number of beneficiaries in program to be served with CDBG funds 100 Percentage of the CDBG beneficiaries with low/moderate income $7 Cost ($) per CDBG beneficiary (CDBG Request/CDBG Beneficiaries) 25

2 CITY OF DAVIS COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT APPLICATION a. Need PROJECT NARRATIVE With an economy that is slow to recover and a 12.2 percent unemployment rate in Yolo County, many residents of Davis are out work and rely on the STEAC food closet to feed their families. According to the Yolo County Department of Employment and Social Services (DESS), many have been unemployed for a long period and lack the skills to find jobs in the county. Many of the unemployed from Davis are seeking food from the STEAC closet, located at Fifth and D streets in Davis. In 2011, the closet served 507 families, consisting of 1,261 individuals (unduplicated). The closet served 1,369 families, consisting of 3,565 individuals in 2011 (duplicated). Volunteers who run the closet provided each family with enough free food for 15 meals. Families with incomes at or below the federal poverty level can receive the food at least once each month. In 2011, that meant that enough food was provided for 53,475 meals. The following data reflects the use of the closet: Food Closet Service (calendar) (projected) Persons served, (unduplicated) 1,218 1,261 1,275 Families served, (unduplicated) Person served (duplicated) 3,554 3,565 3,573 Families served (duplicated) 1,354 1,369 1,373 Total Meals (duplicated) 53,310 53,475 53,500 Homeless As STEAC s data indicate, the largest increase in use of the closet has been by the homeless who live in Davis. In 2011, the closet served 295 homeless, compared to 243 in The 2009 homeless count, which was conducted by the Yolo County Homeless & Poverty Action Coalition, showed that there were 114 homeless in Davis in 2009, compared to 86 in The increasing ratio of unduplicated to duplicated families indicates the families are returning to the closet for food more often. A recent article in the Sacramento Bee states, As a weak economy sends growing numbers of new faces to local food pantries, those same organizations are reporting reduced levels of everything from canned meat to powered milk. STEAC has also experienced a reduction in food donations. According to STEAC data, the organization received an average of 7,000 pounds of food from its 2011 drives. That compares to the average of 13,000 pounds four years ago. Even in the best years, the drives only provide canned food, which means that STEAC must purchase frozen meats and other items for distribution to meet the organization s goal of providing food for a balanced diet. These items must be purchased either from the Food Bank of Yolo County or from commercial vendors. STEAC collects unsold fruit and vegetables from the Davis Farmer s Market, but storage limits the amount that can be distributed to clients. 26

3 The food closet service directly or indirectly meets three of the city s critical needs: hunger and homeless services and independent living. The closet fills critical needs of those who are hungry, including a number of homeless visiting the closet. After receiving free food, families have more money to pay for rent and utilities, which are critical to their remaining in their homes. Additionally, STEAC s other programs such as rental and utility assistance, the clothes closet, Suit Up for Success, which provides clothes for job interviews, and the annual Holiday Adopt-A-Family Program complement the free food distribution service. The CDBG-D grant helps STEAC purchase food, which allows the organization to allocate more funding to provide assistance for the other programs that help low-income residents to become independent and self-sufficient. b. Benefit Low-income persons benefit by receiving food for nutritious meals. The closet helps prevent hunger by providing low-income Davis residents with enough food for three meals a day for five days. With the $20,000 in CDBG funding, STEAC will assist 2,857 individuals, providing enough food for 42,857 meals. c. Other Resources and Collaboration While donations are down recently, 12 food drives in 2011 collected some 55,000 pounds of non-perishable items -- about 50 percent of the total food distributed from the closet. These drives include participation by U.S. Postal Service employees, Realtors, boy and girl scouts, service clubs, civic organizations, churches, schools, fraternities and sororities and many individuals. Each year thousands of Davis residents participate in food drives. STEAC regularly purchases food from the Food Bank of Yolo County at discounted prices. Over 50 regular volunteers work in the STEAC food closet, which is located on city-owned property at 508 D St. in Davis. STEAC is an active member of the Homeless Poverty Action Coalition of Yolo County. Hundreds donate food as part of the annual STEAC Holiday Adopt-A-Family Program, and the local schools donate several thousand pounds of food during the holidays. Davis Waste Management has donated a truck for closet work, provides transportation assistance for food drives and donates free commercial garbage service. STEAC is able to store food at donated warehouse space in Dixon. The food closet operating budget is $31,606. The food closet received no other grants. Charitable donations from STEAC s 2,800 donors pay for all administrative and other costs not covered by the CDBG grant. d. Organizational Capacity STEAC is a California nonprofit corporation that was founded in 1967 and has earned tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the IRS Code (Tax ID: ). STEAC provides assistance in the form of material aid by distributing food and clothing. Financial aid is provided for rent, utilities and miscellaneous expenses to Yolo County families and individuals with incomes at or below the poverty level. In FY , STEAC received $62,884 in grants from various government agencies and foundations. STEAC employs one paid part-time staff member and contracts for services for database management, an annual audit and fundraising. Much of STEAC s work is done by some 100 active volunteers, who work in the office and in the closets. Over 400 Davis residents donate gifts, food and coats during the annual holiday drive. 27

4 SCOPE OF SERVICES a. Project Description (Activity Summary: Describe the activities of the proposed budget) Funding from CDBG will be used to purchase food to augment donations for the STEAC food closet. STEAC provides nutritious food to low-income Davis residents throughout the year. Unfortunately, the food received from STEAC s 12 food drives is not of sufficient variety to provide for nutritious meals, and not enough food is received to meet the demand from the closet. With CDBG funds, STEAC is able to purchase food necessary to provide a balanced diet. Food purchases include such items as canned fruit, vegetables, tomato sauce, meals in a can, rice, pastas, dry grains and other staples. In addition, the STEAC volunteers purchase meat, bread, eggs, margarine and other perishables that are stored in refrigerators and freezers. STEAC purchases food from the Food Bank of Yolo County and is provided limited food from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Other items are purchased in bulk from commercial grocery stores. In response to a September 2006 assessment by the UC Davis Nutrition Department, STEAC incorporated several recommendations into its food purchases and procurement. The most notable was the establishment of weekly pick-up of produce from the Davis Farmer s Market. According to UC Davis, low-income families would have to spend 40 to 70% of their grocery money on fruits and vegetables to meet current dietary guidelines. STEAC now disperses seasonal fruits and vegetables in its food boxes on a weekly basis. Additionally, nutrition education materials on diet and food preparation material is provided by the Yolo County Food Bank, and offered to clients when they receive their food. b. Target Group The target group for this work consists of Davis residents with incomes at or below the federal poverty level. Emphasis is placed on serving families and the homeless. c. Outreach Outreach to inform those in the community of the food closet service is performed in these ways. For outreach to clients, the STEAC services access line number is listed in the telephone book and in directories of social service agencies and organizations in the area. Information about the food closet, printed in English and Spanish, is distributed to agencies, such as the Food Bank of Yolo County, Davis Resource Center, Yolo County Department of Employment and Social Services, the migrant center, libraries, in Davis schools and via many other nonprofit social service groups. Prospective clients are also made aware of the food closet services at the holiday program. STEAC food closet information is included on the web site STEAC sends informational mailings to schools, churches, community groups and public agencies. The food closet coordinator hosts field trips to the food closet for brownie troops to teach them about public service and STEAC s role in the community. STEAC volunteers regularly conduct training sessions to inform staff at public and nonprofit agencies about service. For outreach for food drives, STEAC volunteers regularly reach out to those who have sponsored drives in the past, in particular the schools. In addition, information for those wanting to sponsor a food drive is available on the STEAC web page, in regular newspaper articles and in brochures that are mailed to civic groups, nonprofits, churches and to individuals. 28

5 PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE Work Plan (Identify activities and completion dates) List Activity Completion Date Food is purchased on an as-needed basis Food is distributed daily Four major community food drives (Boy Scouts, U.S. Post Office, Realtors, Holiday Program) Eight smaller food drives (e.g. churches, police, fire department, UCD clubs, etc.) PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENTS ACTIVITY (What the program does to fulfill its mission) Purchase food to augment donations from community drives Distribute food to low-income residents of Davis Provide nutritious food INDICATOR (The direct products of program activities) Service #s Quantity and type of food purchased Number of individuals and families served Number of nutritious items purchased OUTCOME (Benefits that result from the program) Low-income Davis residents benefit by gaining access to food from the closet. Individuals and families are not hungry, which means they can live productive lives and be able to pay rent and utilities. Health is improved by eating nutritious food. 29

6 CITY OF DAVIS COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT PROGRAM BUDGET SUMMARY FOR PROPOSED PROJECT* Proposed Project "CDBG" Portion Direct Project Related Costs General Admin Costs of Service Provider Other Federal Funds Other Funds (Non-CDBG) State/ Local Funds Budget Category Private Funds Other Totals A. Salaries & Wages ,150 2,150 B. Fringe Benefits C. Consultant/Contract Services TOTAL PERSONNEL BUDGET ,203 2,203 D. Office Rent E. Utilities ,800 1,800 F. Telephone G. Office Supplies H. Equipment I. Printing/Duplication J. Travel/Conference K. Other (Specify) Food purchases) 20, ,000 25,000 TOTAL NON-PERSONNEL 20, ,606 11,606 BUDGET TOTAL PROJECT BUDGET 20, ,606 31,606 * Please revise this form and annotate budget items as needed Split CDBG Costs between direct costs associated with implementing the proposed activity and general administration costs used to operate the non-profit. All applicants are requested to submit a copy of their organizations Operating Budget. 30

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