OC Community Resources 19/20 FY Annual Report

Connecting People and Resources In the Face of COVID-19

OC COMMUNITY RESOURCES Annual Report 2019/2020 FY

CONTENTS

03 O C

B O A R D

O F

S U P E R V I S O R S

PROGRAMS

04 L E T T E R

F R O M

T H E

D I R E C T O R

08 O C

A N I M A L

05

C A R E

10

O R G A N I Z A T I O N A L

C H A R T

O C

C O M M U N I T Y

S E R V I C E S

Community Investment Division Office on Aging Veterans Service Office

06 B U D G E T

16

F I N A N C E O C

H O U S I N G

&

C O M M U N I T Y

D E V E L O P M E N T

07 A D M I N I S T R A T I V E

18 S E R V I C E S

O C

P A R K S

20 O C

P U B L I C

L I B R A R I E S

2

OC BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Chairwoman Michelle Steel Second District

Vice Chairman Andrew Do First District

Supervisor Donald Wagner Third District

Supervisor Doug Chaffee Fourth District

Supervisor Lisa Bartlett Fifth District

3

LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR Fiscal year 19/20 started like any other year at the County of Orange, with OC Community Resources (OCCR) hard

at

work

connecting

people

with

resources.

Housing

specialists

were

busy

matching

residents

to

affordable units, and veteran service representatives helped servicemen and women file for well-deserved benefits. The Office on Aging promoted resources to seniors in the community, and the Community Investment Division cultivated job opportunities for those in need of training or work. Our regional Parks were filled with visitors connecting with nature and participating in the year-round programming geared for all ages. OC Animal Care fostered over 2,366 kittens, and the Public Library system began the year with its annual circulation at 16 percent over the previous year.

As the calendar turned to 2020 however, the nation and the world were confronted with an unprecedented health care challenge, the onset of coronavirus - the disease that quickly became known as COVID-19.

COVID-19 rapidly escalated from a remote issue of concern, to a fundamental threat to Orange County.

Having never faced a pandemic on local soil, the County mobilized overnight to protect its residents against the threat of this dangerous virus.

The result has been one of the most remarkable years in the history of Orange County and OC Community Resources. OCCR was faced with the challenge of immediately shifting gears to prioritize the safety of its employees and the local community, with entire workforces transitioning to telework while others remaining on the front line. Given the nature of the pandemic, limiting disease spread was the central mission, but at OCCR there was a critical competing priority.

In a quarantine that would last for months, how would the department pivot to serve the public and connect them with vital resources in a way that kept both the public and our employees safe? How would we reinvent service delivery to ensure the public had uninterrupted access to resources that were more essential than ever?

The following pages are a tribute to the men and women of the OCCR team who set aside their concerns and fears, and focused on creating a safe work environment in a challenging time to focus on the residents of Orange County and serve them in new and innovative ways. It was not easy, and it was not comfortable, but it speaks to the caliber of the employees of OCCR. Be it Parks, Animal Care, Public Libraries, Housing and Community

Development,

or

Community

Services,

each

program

effectively

developed

alternate

service

delivery models to protect staff and meet resident needs safely amid a global pandemic.

I am proud of this team and I encourage you to explore this report and learn how the department pivoted our service delivery in 2020 to meet the needs of the community by continuing to connect people and resources.

Stay Healthy and Safe,

DYLAN WRIGHT DIRECTOR

4

OCCR ORGANIZATIONAL CHART

OC Community Resources DIRECTOR

Dylan Wright

OC Community Resources

OC Community Resources

Julie Lyons

Cymantha Atkinson

ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES DIRECTOR

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR

OC Animal Care

OC Public Libraries

Andi Bernard

Julie Quillman

DIRECTOR

COUNTY LIBRARIAN

OC Parks

OC Community Services DIRECTOR

DIRECTOR

Renee Ramirez

Stacy Blackwood

OC Housing & Community Development DIRECTOR

Julia Bidwell

5

BUDGET FINANCE

% OF EXPENDITURES

BY PROGRAM 9%

OF TOTAL COUNTY EXPENDITURES

1%

OF TOTAL COUNTY GENERAL FUND

EXPENDITURES

$518.2M

1109

NUMBER OF POSITIONS

REVENUES

$534.8M

$10.5M

NET COUNTY COST

6

ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES

ACCOUNTING

AGENDA STAFF REPORTS

33,690

106

Invoices Processed

Reports Processed

COMPLIANCE & CUSTODIAN OF RECORDS

CONTRACT MANAGEMENT & DEVELOPMENT

840+

76 Contracts for Over $117.2 Million

FINANCE & STRATEGIC PLANNING

HUMAN RESOURCE SERVICES

$679 Million

1,054

Records Requests Processed

Annual Budget

Full-Time Employees

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

STAFF DEVELOPMENT

5,059

21 OCCR-Specific

Service Calls

Trainings Developed

VOLUNTEERS, SUPPORT & SAFETY

18,334

Number of Volunteers

130,057

Volunteer Hours

7

OC ANIMAL CARE MISSION To provide refuge and care for animals, to foster the human-animal bond, and to promote safety in our community

WHERE WE STARTED OC Animal Care’s 2019/2020 goals included:

🐾 Grow the Volunteer Program 🐾 Increase Outreach Opportunities 🐾 Increase Animal Enrichment 🐾 Improve Foster Program

COVID-19 IMPACTS In response to COVID-19 guidelines, OC Animal Care modified services to include:

🐾 Open by appointments 🐾 Continued enrichment of animals 🐾 Essential field services 🐾 Enhanced partnerships to control intake 🐾 Expanded online licensing 🐾 Maintained essentials • Rabies Control

• Community Safety Net • Barking Dog Program

8

SAFETY MEASURES OC Animal Care took the following actions to protect the pets, staff, and community:

🐾 Schedule changes to protect staff safety 🐾 Appointment-based system for adoptions 🐾 Implemented alternatives to impound 🐾 Workflow enhancements to increase safety

SERVING OUR COMMUNITY While COVID-19 changed the way OC Animal Care operated traditionally, the shelter’s quality of service remained high and resulted in the following outcomes:

🐾 Save rates of 96.99% for dogs and 80.81% for cats totaling to 87.85% overall 🐾 Approximately 9 out of every 10 animals find a home 🐾 Animals leaving an average of 4 days faster 🐾 Sponsored pet food pantries and low-cost vaccine clinics to support keeping pets in homes 🐾 38,805 of COVID-safe Animal Control response call

OC ANIMAL CARE DISTRIBUTED 3,000 LBS OF PET FOOD to 118 FAMILIES ASSISTING A TOTAL OF 152 PETS at the INAUGURAL Family Fur-st Drive-Thru Pet Food Pantry 9

OC COMMUNITY SERVICES MISSION To serve as the administrative support to the Orange County Workforce Development Board and are primarily responsible for administering Workforce Innovation & Opportunity Act programs/activities in Orange County

WHERE WE STARTED Community Investment Division’s 2019/2020 goals and accomplishments included:

👔 Introducing an upskill program for adults with jobs that are considered

low-income to assist them with education or training programs that enhance their skills and obtain employment at a livable wage or higher

👔 Launching Prison 2 Employment Program that will provide individuals

who are incarcerated with workforce readiness and occupational skills training to prepare them for employment after release

👔 Transitioning

COVID-19 affected individuals into transferable employment and training opportunities

COVID-19 IMPACTS The Shift: Offered services virtually, over the phone, and in-person for emergency and time-sensitive circumstances

👔 Implemented

an Economic and Business Recovery Call Center to provide personalized support and information to over 13,000 callers regarding CARES Act, community resources, and other business recovery resources

👔 Provided virtual services by appointment via the OC One-Stop Center in Garden Grove to assist clients with employment, training, and workforce needs 👔 Developed and implemented a network of Economic & Business Recovery Grant programs to support small businesses and workers including layoff aversion, supportive services, and small business grants

10

SAFETY MEASURES

Community Investment Division took the following actions to protect staff and clients:

👔 Increased cleaning 👔 Shifted to virtual service support where possible 👔 Mandated physical distancing among and between staff and clients 👔 Installed free standing hand sanitizer stations; plexi-glass screens at front desks; and signage and reminders

SERVING OUR COMMUNITY

While COVID-19 caused a shift in normal operations, the Community Investment Division continued servicing clients safely:

👔 Assisted 13,000 through the Economic & Business Recovery Call Center 👔 Responded to nearly 1,700 calls; scheduled 8,000 appointments; and provided 247 trainings to unemployed jobseekers through the OC One-Stop Center 👔 Hosted first-ever OC Virtual Job Fair with 59 businesses and over 700 jobseekers participating 👔 Designed and procured OC One-Stop Mobile Unit 👔 Allocated over $38.7 Million in CARES Act funding to provide relief to small businesses 👔 Managed $1 Million of CARES Act funding for the Restaurant Outdoor Dining Grant program 👔 Allocated $10 Million in CARES Act funding to childcare facilities through a grant program 👔 Launched Back2Business initiative providing businesses with free software access to assist with redesign of their facilities and support to ensure COVID-19 safety requirements.

7 NEW COVID-19 RELIEF PROGRAMS & GRANTS advertised to BUSINESSES & JOBSEEKERS Orange County Community Investment Division

WE CAN HELP!

Orange County Workforce Development Board

LAYOFF AVERSION SUPPORT PROGRAM

HAVE YOU RECEIVED A LAYOFF OR FURLOUGH NOTICE, OR BEEN TERMINATED?

ARE YOU CURRENTLY RECEIVING UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS?

IF YOU ARE:

The OCWDB Layoff Aversion Support Program was launched to financially help local small businesses mitigate layoffs and

YOU MAY BE ELIGIBLE FOR:

• An adult* 18+ years old • Able to legally work in the U.S. *Males must be registered with Selective Services or have military services

✓ Up to $800.00 to help you with rent, utilities, transportation and childcare costs ✓ Free Workforce Training

adhere to “social distancing” provisions.

NEED HELP ADHERING TO SOCIAL DISTANCING

Eligible businesses can receive

UP TO $10,000

GUIDELINES TO REOPEN YOUR BUSINESS? Orange County Community Investment Division

IN GRANT FUNDS

✓ Job Search Assistance ✓ Resume and interview assistance ✓ Guidance on finding your next career TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PROGRAM,

*Call or visit www.oconestop.com for hours of operation

OC ONE-STOP CENTER - SOUTH

OC VIRTUAL ONE-STOP

7077 Orangewood Ave., Ste. 200

17891 Cartwright Road

www.oconestop.com

Garden Grove, CA 92841

Irvine, CA 92614

714-480-6500

714-241-4900

949-341-8000 800-735-2922 or 711 TDD/TTY

Laptop Loaner Program

Small businesses can get FREE access to floor plan software! latest social distancing requirements to get your business reopened and

OC ONE-STOP CENTER - NORTH

800-735-2922 or 711 TDD/TTY

BACK2BUSINESS INITIATIVE Quickly create, configure, or update your business space to meet the

VISIT ONE OF THE ORANGE COUNTY ONE-STOP CENTERS:

#OCWORKSTOGETHER

The County of Orange is launching the

OCONESTOP.COM

COVID-19 Needs Related Support Services Program

employees back to work safely.

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO REGISTER, VISIT bit.ly/ocback2business OR CALL (714) 480-6500 #OCWORKSTOGETHER

DOES YOUR BUSINESS... ; Have a workforce of 500 or fewer employees? ; Have good standing with the State of California and is up-to-date on Unemployment Insurance (UI) taxes? ; Pay employees minimum wage or more?

IF YOU CHECKED YES TO ALL THREE QUESTIONS, YOUR BUSINESS MAY BE ELIGIBLE FOR THE OCWDB LAYOFF AVERSION SUPPORT PROGRAM.

Applications open May 21, 2020 at 9 a.m. PST and close on May 28, 2020 at 5 p.m. PST or until 170 applications are received, whichever comes first.

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO APPLY, VISIT OCONESTOP.COM/COVID-19-LAYOFF-AVERSION-PROGRAM OR CALL (714) 480-6500 @OrangeCountyCID

@OrangeCountyCID Orange County Community Investment Division

Back2Business: Social Distancing Software for Small Business

#OCWORKSTOGETHER

WIOA Layoff Aversion Grants to Small Businesses

11

OC COMMUNITY SERVICES

MISSION To ensure Orange County’s older adults experience a high quality of life characterized by independence, safety, health, transportation, affordable housing, appropriate nutrition & social activity

WHERE WE STARTED OC Office on Aging’s 2019/2020 goals and accomplishments included:

❤ Implemented Great Plates Delivered Program to provide emergency meals to homebound seniors while supporting local restaurants ❤ Expanded Call Center capacity and resource information to further serve persons with disabilities ❤ Secured $143,750 in grant funding for Fall Prevention programs

COVID-19 IMPACTS The Shift: Offered services virtually, over the phone, and in-person for emergency and time-sensitive circumstances

❤ Focused access to resources via the Office on Aging Information and Assistance Call Center and provided over 5,200 direct referrals to services ❤ Designed and implemented multiple meal programs to support the senior community impacted by COVID-19 and provided approximately 800,000 meals

• Great Plates, Nutrition Meal Gap Program, and redesign of Elder Nutrition Program to support ethnic Grab & Go

❤ Applied state and federal funding to increase support to seniors during COVID-19

including increased meal delivery services, technology/mobile devices for isolated seniors to help them stay connected to family and doctors

12

SAFETY MEASURES

OC Office on Aging took the following actions to protect staff and clients:

❤ Increased cleaning ❤ Shifted to virtual service support where possible ❤ Mandated physical distancing among and between staff and clients ❤ Installed free standing hand sanitizer stations; plexi-glass screens at front desks; and signage and reminders

SERVING OUR COMMUNITY While COVID-19 caused a shift in normal operations, OC Office on Aging continued to exceed the needs of clients safely:

❤ Over $7 Million in state and federal dollars directed to COVID-19 support services for seniors

❤ Extended call center hours to meet peak

demand and provide outbound client check-in calls assisting over 16,000 clients with resources and services

❤ Developed

“Check on Your Elderly Neighbor” toolkit and launched campaign to reach isolated seniors

❤ Implemented

essential nutrition gap programs that distributed 1.5 million meals to over 20,000 seniors

office on aging distributed 1.5 MILLION MEALS TO 20,000 SENIORS 13

OC COMMUNITY SERVICES MISSION To actively pursue the rights of veterans and dependents of the United States Armed Forces to receive Department of Veterans Affairs benefits

WHERE WE STARTED OC Veterans Service Office’s 2019/2020 goals and accomplishments included:

🇺 Launch of an online College Fee Waiver Application

to allow veterans the ability to file for the College Fee Waiver benefit fully online making the OC Veterans Service Office the first in the State to offer this process

🇺 Secure grant funding for expanding services to student veterans on community college campuses 🇺 Increase referrals to Health Care Agency’s behavioral

health services and support through OC4Vets partnership by 10%

COVID-19 IMPACTS The shift: Offered services virtually, over the phone, and in-person for emergency and time-sensitive circumstances

🇺 Phone and virtual appointments offered one-on-one

consultation and technical advice to veterans and dependents

🇺 Online accreditation for four Veterans Service Office staff members 🇺 Converted hard copy case files into digital records providing a “touchless” record to reduce transmittal of paper documents. 4,400 case files consistent of over 800,000 pages converted.

14

SAFETY MEASURES

OC Veterans Service Office took the following actions to protect staff and clients:

🇺 Increased cleaning 🇺 Shifted to virtual service support where possible 🇺 Mandated physical distancing among and between staff and clients 🇺 Installed free standing hand sanitizer stations; plexi-glass screens at front desks; and signage reminders

SERVING OUR COMMUNITY While COVID-19 caused a shift in normal operations, the OC Veterans Service Office continued to meet the needs of clients safely:

🇺 Served approximately 15% more clients than last year; over 7,800 in six months 🇺 Answered a monthly average of 1,600 phone calls and emails 🇺 Increased College Fee Waiver applications processed by 50%, and received 2,200 College Fee Waiver applications with 850 eligible providing over $5 Million in savings to families

🇺 Secured $85,000 in subvention funds 🇺 Assisted 16% of veteran clients that reside outside of Orange County

923 CLAIMS PROCESSED through the COLLEGE FEE WAIVER APPLICATION

safely celebrated WWII CAPTAIN FRANK WENDZEL’S 100TH BIRTHDAY

15

OC HOUSING & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

MISSION Housing and Community Development administers the County’s affordable housing development, community development, and the Orange County Housing Authority and housing successor agency programs/activities.

WHERE WE STARTED OC Housing & Community Development’s 2019/2020 goals included:

🏠 Increase

electronic transmission of information to participants including virtual eligibility interview, briefing process, inspection, and digital annual reexamination process

🏠 Fund the development of 340 supportive

housing units a year for the next five years to meet the remaining goal (based on the current units in the pipeline) of developing 2,700 supportive housing based on the June 2018 Housing Funding Strategy

🏠 Continue alignment of funding and resources toward the development of supportive housing

COVID-19 IMPACTS

PLACENTIA VETERANS VILLAGE: 49 HOMELESS VETERANS HOUSED with the $2,754,000 in COUNTY INVESTMENT and 49 PROJECT-BASED VOUCHERS

In response to COVID-19, OC Housing & Community Development modified services to include:

🏠 Virtual platforms including emails, phone calls, websites, and virtual assistance to clients 🏠 Housing & Urban Development (HUD) approved “remote-inspections” 🏠 Expanded use of telecommuting and virtual conferencing 16

SAFETY MEASURES

OC Housing & Community Development took the following actions to protect staff and clients:

🏠 Implemented telecommuting strategy with 75% of staff working remotely 🏠 Trained staff in remote business practices 🏠 Trained staff and implemented HUD-approved “remote-inspections” 🏠 Installed signage and provided PPE and testing as requested

SERVING OUR COMMUNITY

While COVID-19 caused a shift in normal operations, OC Housing & Community Development continued to meet the needs of clients safely:

🏠 OC Housing Authority: •

Housed 57 Homeless Set-Aside vouchers, 40 Mainstream, 51 Family Unification/ Youth, and 116 VASH Households

•

Received $2,306,066 from HUD CARES Act for Admin Fees due to COVID-19

•

Awarded 57 Mainstream vouchers ($969,860) for non-elderly disabled homeless persons

•

Awarded 58 Family Unification Vouchers ($1,094,265) to provide rental assistance to reunite families after separation or imminent danger of being separated or to youth

🏠 Housing & Community Development •

Supported OC Housing Finance Trust in releasing 2020 Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) in January 2020 and received 13 applications requesting $22M in capital funding

•

Released 2020 Supportive Housing NOFA in January 2020 and received 12 applications requesting $17.5 million in capital funding and 176 project-based vouchers

•

Continued to fund contracts in support of 23 Community Development Activities

•

CDBG-CV Funding: $1.9M - Contracts with Urban County cities for business relief grants and OC Small Business Relief for Unincorporated Area small business grants, and for services and programs in response to COVID-19

•

ESG-CV Funding: $5.7 Million - MOU with HCA (for Yale and Homeless Services)

•

Permanent Local Housing Allocation: $1.2 Million - Urban County homeless and housing services

🏠 New Funding/New Programs

🏠 Housing Funding Strategy •

Over 800 PSH units and over 800 affordable housing units in pipeline since June 2018

SALERNO AT CYPRESS VILLAGE: 44 LOW-INCOME, 10 DEVELOPMENTALLY DISABLED, 10 HOMELESS VETERAN, & 15 HOMELESS HOUSEHOLDS HOUSED with $1,462,860 in COUNTY INVESTMENT & 25 PROJECT-BASED HCV/VASH VOUCHERS 17

OC PARKS MISSION We preserve and enhance OC Parks’ natural and cultural resources for recreation, education and exploration

WHERE WE STARTED OC Parks’ 2019/2020 goals included:

🌳 Develop 7-Year Capital Improvement Plan 🌳 Complete historical facilities improvement projects, including seismic retrofit of George Key Ranch Historic House

🌳 Complete facility infrastructure

maintenance improvements, including replacement of three pedestrian bridges at Clark Regional Park

COVID-19 IMPACTS OC Parks remained open and operated safely:

🌳 Initially, all OC Parks parking lots were closed for a period of two months 🌳 Regional and wilderness parks open with signage 🌳 Beaches open for active recreation with signage 🌳 Sports fields open for walk-up play and practice on first-come, first-served basis 🌳 Camping parks open for day use 🌳 Indoor and close proximity facilities closed temporarily 🌳 Special in-person events on hold 18

SAFETY MEASURES

OC Parks took the following actions to protect staff and visitors:

🌳 Implemented enhanced safety and sanitization protocols 🌳 Installed signage 🌳 Restricted access to various high-touch amenities 🌳 Conducted all advisory body meetings virtually 🌳 Converted to online programming 🌳 Limited and reinvented all events into COVID-safe proceedings

SERVING OUR COMMUNITY

While COVID-19 modified regular operations of parks and beaches, OC Parks committed to delivering essential public resources for recreation, exercise, and respite:

🌳 Park visitors increased by a total of 13% across regional, wilderness, and beaches 🌳 Social media followers increased across all platforms (Instagram 30%, Twitter 16%, and Facebook 12%) 🌳 Reinvented and adapted Special Events to comply with COVID safety parameters •

Created drive-in movie events

•

More robust social media and virtual entertainment, including posting daily highlights and themed stories on Facebook and Instagram, establishing a virtual concert series, and establishing a virtual nature education series

🌳 Repurposed regional parks for COVID-focused puposes: •

Grocery distribution days

•

Face-shield production

HOSTED SIX VIRTUAL CONCERTS TOTALING TO 139,035 VIEWS through OC PARKS SOUND CHECK SERIES 19

OC PUBLIC LIBRARIES MISSION Empower and Enrich our Communities

WHERE WE STARTED OC Public Libraries’ 2019/2020 goals included:

📙 Offer a wide variety of literary services to create communities of lifelong learners 📙 Optimize public communication and access to information 📙 Partner with county, state, and federal agencies 📙 Provide equitable services responsive to cultures, languages, abilities, and other diversities

COVID-19 IMPACTS In response to COVID-19 guidelines, OC Public Libraries modified services to include:

📙 Reduced Occupancy 📙 Physical Distancing 📙 Facial Coverings 📙 Metered Access 📙 Grab & Go Services 📙 Curbside Pickup 📙 Virtual Programming

20

SAFETY MEASURES

OC Public Libraries took the following actions to protect the staff and community:

📙 Telecommuted to focus on expanding and enhancing virtual programming and online access 📙 Retrofitted branch libraries 📙 Developed and implemented safe access for book loans •

Curbside Pickup

•

Grab & Go

•

Book Giveaways

•

Mobile Hotspot Lending Initiative

📙 Mobilized access to the community

SERVING OUR COMMUNITY

While COVID-19 modified facilities and in-person programming, OC Public Libraries adapted, maintained, and expanded services:

📙 Items Borrowed: 1,530,916 📙 eResources Borrowed: 1,490,890 📙 Library Cards Issued: 48,149 📙 Virtual Program Views: 107,888 📙 A robust number of virtual programming was hosted: •

Author Visits

•

Virtual Book Clubs

•

Career Online High School

•

Teenfest 2020

•

Summer & Winter Reading Programs

2,525 BOOKS GIVEN through EIGHT BOOK GIVEAWAYS

21