Sponsor: Health and Wellness
Title
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Grant Agreements with the Minnesota Department of Public Safety for Therapeutic Youth Treatment Homes and Violence Prevention - Wrap Around Services
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Recommendation
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1. Ratify the submittal of the grant application to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety for Therapeutic Youth Treatment Homes in the amount of $4,640,675.
2. Accept a grant award from and approve a grant agreement with the Minnesota Department of Public Safety for Therapeutic Youth Treatment Homes in the amount of $ $4,640,675.
3. Ratify the submittal of the grant application to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety for Violence Prevention - Wrap Around Services in the amount of $4,750,000.
4. Accept a grant award from and approve a grant agreement with the Minnesota Department of Public Safety for Violence Prevention - Wrap Around Services in the amount of $4,750,000.
5. Authorize the Chair and Chief Clerk to execute the grant agreements.
6. Authorize the County Manager to enter into expenditure grant agreements and execute amendments to agreements in a form approved by Finance and the County Attorney’s Office, provided the amounts are within the limits of the approved expenditure grant agreement program budget.
7. Approve an increase in personal complement to the Office of Health and Wellness by 2.0 Full Time Equivalents.
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Background and Rationale
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In connection with Ramsey County’s strategic Priority of Centering Community and Wellness in 2023 Legislative Platform two priority areas were added to develop wellness centered placement options for youth, and to develop wrap around services for those youth and their families.
• Pursue legislation to create culturally appropriate, intensely therapeutic, community-based home placement options for youth involved in the justice system.
• Pursue funding for the creation of family support groups and resources to support families during the time a young person is placed out-of-home and support the family through the period of post-placement reentry.
Through a cross county collaboration of Government Relations, County Manager’s Office, Deputy County Managers of Safety and Justice and Health and Wellness, County Attorney, County Sheriff, Social Services, Community Corrections, several bills were authored and passed with direct appropriations for Ramsey County. The implementation of this work is co-sponsored by Health and Wellness Service Team, Safety and Justice Service Team, Ramsey County Attorney’s Office, and the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office.
Ramsey County Youth Treatment Homes
$4,640,675 grant to Ramsey County to establish, with input from community stakeholders, including impacted youth and families, up to seven intensive trauma-informed therapeutic treatment homes in Ramsey County that are licensed by the Department of Human Services, that are culturally specific, that are community-based, and that can be secured. These residential spaces must provide intensive treatment and intentional healing for youth as ordered by the court as part of the disposition of a case in juvenile court.
Ramsey County Violence Prevention - Wrap Around Services
$4,750,000 grant to Ramsey County to develop new and further enhance existing community-based organizational support through violence prevention and community wellness grants. Grantees must use the money to create family support groups and resources to support families during the time a young person is placed out of home following a juvenile delinquency adjudication and support the family through the period of postplacement reentry; create community-based respite options for conflict or crisis de-escalation to prevent incarceration or further systems involvement for families; or establish additional meaningful employment opportunities for systems-involved youth.
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County Goals (Check those advanced by Action)
☒ Well-being ☒ Prosperity ☐ Opportunity ☐ Accountability
Racial Equity Impact
In Ramsey County, Black and American Indian populations continue to be burdened by the most significant disparities across life outcomes. The pandemic only exacerbated those disparities, manifesting in circumstances, behaviors, and needs which have been approached with public safety system responses. More appropriate investments are required to support the development of systemically disinvested communities. These investments should support the wellness of communities, offer options that do not utilize harmful punishment mechanisms, and prevent engagement with the public safety system. Through the development of Therapeutic treatment homes, wrap around services, and alternatives to detention placements juveniles engaged with the justice system will be provided the support and treatment needed to have their needs met and to disrupt further engagement with the justice system. With an intentional focus on Black and American Indian individuals we will partner with community in the development of these services to ensure the programs created are culturally specific, and center racial equity.
Community Participation Level and Impact
Community partners were engaged in the writing of the legislation and advocacy to get this direct appropriation from the state. The project team is working on the development of additional community engagement to ensure that those with lived experience in the justice system and their families have an opportunity to have their voices heard in the planning of this work. Additional work is being done to ensure that we are communicating to our broad community about this work.
☒ Inform ☒ Consult ☒ Involve ☒ Collaborate ☒ Empower
Fiscal Impact
$4,640,675 being accepted from Department of Public Safety to be spent by June 2025 for Therapeutic Youth Treatment Homes.
$4,750,000 being accepted from Department of Public Safety to be spent by May 2027 for Violence Prevention - Wrap Around Services.
This funding will be accounted for in two separate accounts, that will be tracked in partnership between controllers and project manager to ensure spending aligns with grant agreement and does not exceed allocated total amount. Additional strategy will be developed for long term funding for services developed.
Last Previous Action
None.
Attachments
1. Treatment Homes 2024-2025
2. Wrap Around Services Agreement 2024-2027