DATE: August 6, 2025
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers
FROM: Housing and Neighborhood Services Department
TITLE: PROFESSIONAL SERVICE AGREEMENTS WITH VISTA COMMUNITY CLINIC AND NORTH COUNTY LIFELINE TO PROVIDE AFTER SCHOOL YOUTH PROGRAMS
RECOMMENDATION
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Staff recommends that the City Council approve three FY 2025-26 Professional Service Agreements (PSAs) for afterschool youth programs: Vista Community Clinic-Project REACH ($86,046), North County Lifeline (DBA Lifeline Community Services-La Casita ($37,860) and, North County Lifeline (DBA Lifeline Community Services-La Escuelita CCH) ($68,837); and authorize the City Manager to execute the agreements upon receipt of all supporting documents.
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BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS
Afterschool programs are an essential part of our community and have a significant impact on the lives of the individuals and families who use them. These programs provide a safe place for youth to go afterschool during critical hours, assist with homework, teach life skills, facilitate service- learning projects, and create community. Afterschool programs teach youth about art, culture, music, empathy, problem solving/decision making, and leadership. Soon-to-be high school graduates are able to visit local universities and receive help navigating college entrance applications with dedicated program staff. Afterschool programs teach employment skills and give our youth an opportunity to take part in civic engagement by attending and speaking at City Council meetings and completing projects that give back to the community. These afterschool programs also provide early intervention services for youth who are at high-risk for gang behavior, affiliation, and/or involvement due to familial ties or affiliations to gang members, as well as community-based risk factors such as poverty, high crime rates, and poor educational attainment.
In FY 2014-15, the City was unsuccessful in receiving California Gang Reduction, Intervention and Prevention (CalGRIP) funding to maintain funding for three (3) crucial afterschool youth development programs: 1) Vista Community Clinic’s Project REACH; 2) North County Lifeline Community Services’ La Casita program; and, 3) North County Lifeline Community Services’ La Escuelita Club Crown Heights (CCH) program. These programs operate and are available to community members in the neighborhoods of Crown Heights, Eastside and Libby Lake. Due to the critical nature of these programs and lack of outside funding, the City Council allocated General Funds to continue these programs.
Staff has continued to seek funding for these critical programs. In FY 2017-18, the CalGRIP program was restructured and renamed the California Violence Intervention and Prevention (CalVIP). However, the City did not meet the program’s funding criteria. Another CalVIP Request for Proposals (RFP) was released in April 2020 for a multi-year grant period (FY2020-23). Oceanside was not included in the list of 29 eligible cities. There has not been a release of a CalVIP RFP, nor a Youth Reinvestment Grant program RFP, since such time. These programs continue to fill a crucial need for prevention and intervention programs in these core neighborhoods.
Project Reach
Established in 1995, Project REACH is one of the longest-running programs at Vista Community Clinic (VCC). Reaching adolescents through afterschool programs located in neighborhoods with a history of gang violence, poverty, and low graduation rates, Project REACH has served thousands of low-income middle- and high-school students, providing daily academic, social and emotional support. Project REACH has helped to create a sense of community in the Libby Lake neighborhood, where over 70 youth are currently enrolled for FY 2024-25, with an average attendance of 35-40 youth daily. Youth attending Libby Lake REACH have an average Grade Point Average of 3.0 and parents/caregivers have used the program to become more active in their neighborhood (see the attached PSA).
La Casita
The Lifeline Youth Development Program at Crown Heights, La Casita, is an afterschool program for youth, grades K-5, living in the economically disadvantaged neighborhood of Crown Heights and the surrounding communities. Youth in Oceanside’s Crown Heights neighborhood and surrounding communities continue to overcome significant barriers to achieve success. Parents in these communities often work multiple jobs or are single parents. Most Crown Heights families have few options for afterschool care and limited adult supervision during critical hours, making youth especially vulnerable to drugs, gang involvement and other high-risk behaviors. La Casita provides individualized academic tutoring three times each week to assist struggling youth with reading and arithmetic (see the attached PSA).
La Escuelita
The Lifeline Youth Development Program at the Crown Heights Community Resource Center, also known as “La Escuelita” or “Club Crown Heights” (CCH), is an afterschool program for youth, ages 12-17, living in Crown Heights and the surrounding neighborhoods. La Escuelita youth learn employment skills, receive assistance with homework, participate in service-learning projects, and are supported throughout their high school career. Program staff assist graduating youth with college/university applications, many of whom are first generation graduates. La Escuelita has over 50 youth enrolled (see the attached PSA).
The attached PSAs are for the operation of the three Youth Development programs in Crown Heights and Libby Lake for the period beginning July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026. The Scope of Work, budget details, and reporting documents are incorporated in the PSAs and are provided as attachments. With continued funding and execution of the PSAs, the Programs will sustain positive youth development in neighborhoods where there is a lack of services and at-risk youth face the additional challenges of poverty and gang violence on a daily basis.
FISCAL IMPACT
The total cost of the three PSAs is $192,743. The funding source for these agreements is the General Fund and sufficient funds are available.
ž The PSA with Vista Community Clinic-Project REACH is $86,046 and will be charged to the Non-Departmental account 170174101.5395.0014, which has a current balance of $88,645.
ž The PSA with North County Lifeline (DBA Lifeline Community Services-La Casita) is $37,860 and will be charged to the Non-Departmental account, 170174101.5395.0020, which has a balance of $39,004.
ž The PSA with North County Lifeline (DBA Lifeline Community Services-La Escuelita (CCH)) is $68,837 and will be charged to the Non-Departmental account, 170174101.5395.0015, which has a balance of $70,916.
Both North County Lifeline (DBA Lifeline Community Services) and Vista Community Clinic will submit monthly invoices and quarterly program reports to the Neighborhood Services Department and will submit quarterly Non-profit Organization Financial reports to the Finance Department.
|
Description |
Amount ($) |
Account |
|
Vista Community Clinic-Project REACH Libby Lake |
86,046 |
170174101.5395.0014 |
|
North County Lifeline (DBA Lifeline Community Services)-La Casita |
37,860 |
170174101.5395.0020 |
|
North County Lifeline (DBA Lifeline Community Services)-La Escuelita (CCH) |
68,837 |
170174101.5395.0015 |
|
Total |
$192,743 |
|
COMMISSION OR COMMITTEE REPORT
Does not apply.
CITY ATTORNEY’S ANALYSIS
The referenced documents have been reviewed by the City Attorney and approved as to form.
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Prepared by: Michele Gehr, Management Analyst
Reviewed by: Leilani Hines, Housing and Neighborhood Services Director
Submitted by: Jonathan Borrego, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Staff Report
2. North County Lifeline PSA - La Escuelita
3. North County Lifeline PSA - La Casita
4. VCC PSA - Project REACH Libby Lake