Community Navigators

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICE

County Spending Category
3.2 Hyperlocal and Community-Based Outreach
Federal Expenditure Category
Other COVID-19 Public Health Expenses (including Communications, Enforcement, Isolation/Quarantine)
Project Launch Date
04/30/2024
Anticipated End Date
06/30/2026
Interpretation Languages
  • Spanish
Written Languages
  • Spanish
Project Contacts Indicators & Metrics Target Populations Project Description Goals & Objectives

Project Contacts

Indicators & Metrics to Date

  • Number of responses to solicitation.
    102
  • Number of investigative meetings held with potential CBO partners.
    17
  • CBO partners are led by or serve highly impacted communities.
    0
  • Number of people reached/impressions on communication campaign.
    0
  • Number of languages used in communications and outreach.
    0
  • Number of print materials or mailers distributed.
    0
  • Number of additional specialized outreach methods conducted.
    0
  • Total number of individuals or small businesses reached.
    0
  • Demographics of people and small businesses reached.
    0
  • Percent of individuals and small businesses reached that are highly impacted.
    0
  • Percent of those reached that applied to ARP-related services and opportunities.
    0
  • Percent of applicants that were referred through this program to grant and contract opportunities.
    0
  • Identify a project administrator.
    1
  • Execute contract with project administrator.
    1
  • Number of CBO-attendees at project administrator bidder's conference.
    161
  • Number of CBO's partnering with project administrator.
    0
  • Bring on internal project coordinator.
    1
  • Number of meetings
    0
  • Number of organizations represented
    0
  • Number of surveys conducted
    0
  • Number of survey responses received
    0
  • Entries in database
    0
  • Number of database visitors
    0
  • Number of people who access database user guide in languages other than English
    0

Target Populations

  • Small Businesses
  • People Experiencing Homelessness
  • Systems Involved Individuals

Project Description

Throughout the pandemic and into recovery, the County has received reports from constituents and communities in the areas hardest hit by the pandemic that they have had, and continue to have, a difficult time accessing County services and opportunities, including ARP-funding grants, contracting opportunities, and services. These reports have been received directly by the Board of Supervisors' offices and Departments providing the ARP-funding during their outreach efforts. The Community Navigators project is designed to increase awareness of and access to these funding and service supports. The project is specifically designed to reach out to the communities that were hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and were the least likely to access and benefit from ARP-funded projects and programs. The Community Navigators program will help ensure that those who work, serve, and live in vulnerable communities receive notice of and access to ARP-related contracts, grants and services. This will facilitate an overall more equitable recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic by linking participants to the resources they need most to regain or further economic and social stability. The program will achieve this through a hub and spoke model where a program administrator acts as the hub and then partners with spoke organizations with established and trusted relationships in their communities to ensure that organizations, small businesses, and community members who work, serve, and live in vulnerable communities receive notice of and access to American Rescue Plan-related contracts, grants and services. Many community organizations, small businesses, mom-and-pop shops, and non-profits owned within communities hardest hit by the pandemic found themselves at the end of the line for assistance or unaware of the line altogether, while larger, well-connected businesses were able to access programs right away. To better reach these small businesses, providing access through technical assistance is critical, as this group has been hit hard over the course of the pandemic. This program will offer assistance to these entities in identifying programs they qualify for and assistance in applying for the same. Further, community navigators will provide referrals to financial assistance, access to County services, contracting and procurement technical assistance/navigation support, and training on how to navigate the County's contracting process, among other identified needs. Similarly, families and individuals in communities hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic were not in the position to access or receive the services and resources made available through the American Rescue Plan. To better reach these families and individuals, community navigators provide assistance in high needs areas to households so that they can take advantage of resources provided by the County to mitigate COVID-19, access funds for behavioral health care, tap into programs that are preventing and responding to violence, leverage other public benefits and services, connect to programs providing assistance for job training, food assistance and childcare, amongst many others. The County is committed to ensuring its constituents receive the support they need to access relief programs that can help them weather the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Community Navigator Program enables the County to maximize its efforts, leverage all possible resources, and have the greatest reach in promoting the County's ARP-funded projects and programs. Funds will also be used to cover staffing costs to administer the program.

Goals & Objectives

Goal Description By December 2024, the department will have established a culturally-competent communication network to widely share critical information regarding ARP-related and other County-funded grants, services, and contracting opportunities in communities and populations identified by the departments managing the ARP projects or programs that have historically been unreached through the County's traditional communication channels.

Objective Description By 6/1/2023, the department will contract with a project administrator that will oversee and manage program implementation.

Activity Description By 4/3/2023, identify a project administrator.
Indicators
# Type Name Baseline Target
23 Performance Identify a project administrator. 1.00

Activity Description By 6/30/23, prepare and enter into a contract with identified project administrator.
Indicators
# Type Name Baseline Target
24 Performance Execute contract with project administrator.

Activity Description By 6/1/23, identify an internal project coordinator to manage the Community Navigator project.
Indicators
# Type Name Baseline Target
10 Performance Bring on internal project coordinator. 1.00

Objective Description By 8/1/2023, project administrator will partner with at least 5 trusted community entities of which 75% are led by or serve highly impacted communities.

Activity Description Project administrator will host outreach efforts and investigative meetings with potential local entity partners to determine fit.
Indicators
# Type Name Baseline Target
9 Performance Number of investigative meetings held with potential CBO partners. 15.00
27 Performance Number of CBO-attendees at project administrator bidder's conference. 10.00

Activity Description Project administrator will contract with qualifying local entities that best fit program needs and are able to perform the scope of work effectively.
Indicators
# Type Name Baseline Target
21 Performance CBO partners are led by or serve highly impacted communities. 3.00
28 Performance Number of CBO's partnering with project administrator. 5.00

Goal Description By December 2024, see an increase in eligible populations and communities that use and receive ARP-related and other County-funded services, grant money and/or contracting opportunities.

Objective Description By 9/1/2023, the program will begin implementation of culturally competent outreach programs in targeted populations impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, especially those that are historically underserved, marginalized, or adversely affected.

Activity Description Develop a social media campaign and sharable digital toolkit to direct people to Doing Business and ARP contracting websites for more information about funding and contracting opportunities.
Indicators
# Type Name Baseline Target
1 Service Delivery Number of people reached/impressions on communication campaign.

Activity Description Translate and disseminate materials with information about funding opportunities to expand communication reach to limited English proficient communities (i.e., Armenian, Cambodian/Khmer, Cantonese, Korean, Mandarin, Spanish, and Tagalog)
Indicators
# Type Name Baseline Target
2 Service Delivery Number of languages used in communications and outreach. 12.00

Activity Description Develop print materials and mailers to reach businesses and individuals without digital access for greater distribution of information
Indicators
# Type Name Baseline Target
3 Service Delivery Number of print materials or mailers distributed. 5000.00

Activity Description Investigate other forms of information distribution, including print ads and radio spots, targeting ethnic media for access to small and micro-businesses and CBOs
Indicators
# Type Name Baseline Target
4 Service Delivery Number of additional specialized outreach methods conducted. 2.00

Outcome Description Increase in access to and use of ARP-funded programs and projects.
Indicators
# Type Name Baseline Target
5 Program Outcome Total number of individuals or small businesses reached. 100000.00
25 Program Outcome Demographics of people and small businesses reached.
26 Program Outcome Percent of individuals and small businesses reached that are highly impacted. 35.00
29 Program Outcome Percent of those reached that applied to ARP-related services and opportunities. 10.00
30 Program Outcome Percent of applicants that were referred through this program to grant and contract opportunities. 10.00

Goal Description By December 2026, expand the community navigation service referral network to support clients seeking to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts by publicizing an inventory of local non-profit and other community based organizations and their available programs and services.

Objective Description By December 2026, inventory and share local non-profit and other community based organizations and their available programs and services in three regions highly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Activity Description Convene and host meetings with an advisory group of nonprofit and civic leaders in designated high-need and other areas targeted for community navigation services to inform methodology and survey design for the inventory; help identify existing organizations and networks to include in the inventory; and advise on Community Navigation outreach strategies.
Indicators
# Type Name Baseline Target
1 Service Delivery Number of meetings 3.00
1 Service Delivery Number of organizations represented 15.00

Activity Description Implement survey and activities as recommended by the advisory group to collect quantitative and qualitative data on non-profit and other organizations, programs, and services; conduct data analysis and synthesis on data collected.
Indicators
# Type Name Baseline Target
1 Service Delivery Number of surveys conducted 300.00
1 Service Delivery Number of survey responses received 120.00

Activity Description Develop a public database of nonprofit and other community organizations in designated high-need and other program areas to support Community Navigation service delivery, ensure ongoing regional service and program collaboration, and strengthen the non-profit service sector.
Indicators
# Type Name Baseline Target
1 Service Delivery Entries in database 100.00
1 Service Delivery Number of database visitors
1 Service Delivery Number of people who access database user guide in languages other than English