Explanation
Background
This ordinance authorizes the City Clerk to enter into a grant agreement with Africentric Personal Development Shop, Incorporated (APDS) to provide resources for capacity building and community outreach.
APDS will utilize grant funds to pay expenses for marketing and outreach to reduce stigma surrounding mental health and substance use treatment while recruiting new clients into APDS counseling, outpatient, and wellness programs. This marketing investment focuses on culturally responsive messaging, trusted community engagement, and targeted outreach to individuals and families most impacted by barriers to care. Target audiences include:
• Individuals and families seeking counseling and behavioral health services
• Medicaid-eligible and justice-impacted adults
• Faith-based, healthcare, and community referral partners
• Public systems including courts, child welfare, and re-entry providers
APDS intends to leverage radio ads and public service announcements, billboards and outdoor advertising, digital and social media, community and stakeholder marketing events, and the creative development of educational materials. APDS intends to increase participation in counseling, outpatient, and wellness programs by 10% compared to 2025.
As part of delivering programming, APDS will utilize a portion of the grant for distribution of food and non-alcoholic beverage. Council deems the aforementioned distribution to serve a public purpose in that it encourages participation in APDS programming.
Emergency action is requested in order to avoid any delay in initiating critically-needed services for the target constituencies.
Fiscal Impact: Funding in the amount of $25,000.00 is available within the Neighborhood Initiatives subfund.
Title
To authorize the City Clerk to enter into a grant agreement with Africentric Personal Development Shop, Incorporated (APDS) to provide resources for capacity building and community outreach; to authorize an approp...
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