County Executive’s Office

Important note: the following recommendation was approved by the Board of Supervisors on June 28, 2016:

To:              Honorable Board of Supervisors

From:          Iliana Rodriguez, Director, Human Services Agency

Subject:      Measure A: Agreement with Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County

RECOMMENDATION:

Adopt a resolution authorizing an agreement with Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County to provide workshops for veterans, immigration and citizenship, and housing legal issues, for the term of July 1, 2016 through June 30, 2017, in an amount not to exceed $297,469.

BACKGROUND:

In the course of evaluating potential funding from Measure A for serving vulnerable populations, the Human Services Agency (HSA) has identified a need to provide general legal assistance to veterans for veterans’ legal issues, to immigrants for immigration and citizenship legal issues, and to low-income residents with housing difficulties for housing legal issues. HSA issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) in September 2015, seeking providers to organize workshops to provide these vulnerable populations with general legal information and offer opportunities for consultation and legal referrals. Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County was selected based on its experience and is an excellent fit to meet the needs stated in the RFP. Another legal service organization, Bay Area Legal Aid, was also selected for a smaller and more specialized contract to perform a portion of this work for both immigrants and veterans.

DISCUSSION:

Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County will host a series of workshops for individuals with immigration and citizenship legal issues, veterans with veteran legal issues, and low-income residents facing housing legal issues. These workshops will provide attendees with general legal information on specific topics as well as provide opportunities for attendees to receive referrals for ongoing legal services. All workshops will be designed to assist individuals and families who cannot afford attorneys or otherwise have difficulty accessing self-help resources.

The resolution contains the County’s standard provisions allowing amendment of the County’s fiscal obligations by a maximum of $25,000 in aggregate.

The agreement and resolution have been reviewed and approved by County Counsel as to form.

The agreement contributes to the Shared Vision 2025 outcome of a Prosperous Community by providing legal assistance to veterans, immigrants, and low-income residents facing housing issues, allowing the clients to become more self-sufficient and capable of resolving legal issues. A minimum of 32 legal workshops will be available for these populations. The number of attendees will be contingent upon the workshop topic, determined by local circumstances, attendee requests, or current events. It is  anticipated that 90% of attendees will be eligible to receive a referral to a free or low  cost legal service for further assistance. Also, it is anticipated that 90% of attendees will indicate on their survey that they understand next steps in resolving their legal issue.

PERFORMANCE MEASURE(S):

*New performance measures.

FISCAL IMPACT:

The term of this agreement is July 1, 2016 through June 30, 2017. The amount of this agreement is $297,469. The fiscal obligation incurred under this agreement will be funded with Measure A Sales and Use tax revenues. Budgetary appropriation for this agreement is included in the FY 2016-17 Recommended Budget. There are no county General Funds associated with this agreement.

Important note: this is a copy of the official report -- item 27 on the Board's agenda.