REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
February 11, 2025
FROM
BRADLEY GATES, Director, Workforce Development Department
SUBJECT
Title
Reentry Opportunities in Workforce Development Grant Agreement
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
1. Accept and approve Grant Agreement with the California Workforce Development Board on behalf of the San Bernardino County Workforce Development Board, for the Partners for Reentry Opportunities in Workforce Development program, to provide targeted employment services to federally incarcerated individuals as they approach community reentry, in the amount of $2,300,000, for the period of February 11, 2025, through March 31, 2026.
2. Authorize the Director or Assistant Director of the Workforce Development Department to execute and submit the Grant Agreement, supplemental documentation, including compliance certifications, and any subsequent non-substantive amendments, as required by the California Workforce Development Board, subject to review by County Counsel.
3. Direct the Director or Assistant Director of the Workforce Development Department to transmit the Grant Agreement and any non-substantive amendments to the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors within 30 days of execution.
(Presenter: Bradley Gates, Director, 387-9856)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Create, Maintain and Grow Jobs and Economic Value in the County.
Ensure Development of a Well-Planned, Balanced, and Sustainable County.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this item will not result in the use of Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The Workforce Development Department (Department) will use the $2,300,000 grant funds from the California Workforce Development Board (CWDB) for the Partners for Reentry Opportunities in Workforce Development (PROWD) Connect program to fund existing staff salaries and benefits and contractual services. Sufficient appropriation and revenue are included in the Department’s 2024-25 budget and will be included in future recommended budgets.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
PROWD is a grant initiative launched by the Department of Justice and Department of Labor to provide targeted employment services to federally incarcerated individuals as they approach community reentry. The program aims to improve the employment outcomes of returning citizens and the public safety of all community members while increasing the capacity of justice and workforce system partnerships. CWDB was awarded $5,333,658 for this initiative to assist in California’s efforts to promote equity and create economic opportunity for formerly incarcerated and justice-involved individuals through local workforce development boards and their America’s Job Centers of California (AJCC) to provide seamless, integrated services through non-competitive contract awards.
Over the 14-month grant period ending March 31, 2026, the primary goal of the program is to lay the groundwork for launching effective reentry programs serving citizens returning from federal incarceration, with an emphasis on quality jobs by creating and delivering career services in a prison-based AJCC to inmates and addressing barriers pre-release. San Bernardino County Workforce Development Board’s (SBCWDB) PROWD Connect program takes an integrated approach to pre-and post-release services through the identification of individual, family and community risk factors building competencies and resiliency, all of which are proven to help reduce the likelihood of recidivism and reintegration into the workforce.
SBCWDB’s PROWD Connect will provide coordinated services across three stages: during incarceration in federal prisons, during time spent in residential reentry centers and after release into the community. The Grant Agreement will be used to support 350 participants in all three stages towards employment and away from recidivism by administering funds for direct and supportive services. Direct services will provide participants with career and skills training assistance. Supportive services will provide participants with assistance in meeting their basic needs, like stipends to cover participants’ transportation, clothing, and food costs. Ensuring program participants have the in-demand skills the current workforce requires and access to the supportive services and resources necessary for success.
The Department is asking the Board of Supervisors to delegate authority to the Director or Assistant Director to execute the Grant Agreement, as required by CWDB. This would include supplemental documentation, including compliance certifications, that may be required after the agreement has been submitted to CWDB, and any subsequent non-substantive amendments, subject to review by County Counsel.
PROCUREMENT
N/A
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Sophie A. Curtis, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on February 6, 2025; Finance (Carl Lofton, Administrative Analyst, 387-5404) on January 24, 2025; and County Finance and Administration (Robert Saldana, Deputy Executive Office, 387-5423) on January 27, 2025.