Explanation
In 2014, the White House, under President Barack Obama, launched the My Brother’s Keeper (MBK) initiative to address persistent opportunity gaps faced by boys and young men of color and ensure that all young people can reach their full potential. Through this initiative, the Administration called on cities, businesses, and foundations to take important steps to connect young people to mentoring, support networks, and help them gain the skills they need to find a good job or go to college and work their way into the middle class. The milestones associated with the My Brother’s Keeper initiative include having young people enter school ready to learn, reading at grade level by third grade, graduating from high school ready for college, completing post-secondary education or training, successfully entering the workforce, and providing a second chance to those with past criminal offenses. In responding to the call to action, the Department of Neighborhoods established the My Brother’s Keeper Village to be the hub of all work throughout the City of Columbus, created a website to streamline the efforts and enhance communication of/for the community, and hosts an annual summit/conference.
The City of Columbus and Franklin County are partnering for continued community engagement around the My Brother’s Keeper initiative. The Department of Neighborhoods will contract with an external vendor to hold community/stakeholder meetings on the topics of economics, education, health and safety. Meetings will be organized by geography as well as with specific constituent groups including by not limited to youth, mental health providers, suburban residents, social service providers, law enforcement, community organizations and parents/guardians. The consultant will prepare meeting summaries, report progress and results in an accessible and easy to share format on how My Brother’s Keeper can create City/County wide initiatives and goals. The consultant will provide a final report at the conclusion of all community/stakeholder meetings.
Emergency action is necessary to avoid causing interruptions in the delivery of program services.
Fiscal Impact: Funding is available within the Neighborhood Initiatives subfund.
Title
To authorize an appropriation and expenditure within the Neighborhood Initiatives subfund in support of the My Brother’s Keeper Initiative; and to authorize the Director of the Department of Neighborhoods to conduct community engagement; and to declare an emergency. ($25,000.00)
Body
WHEREAS, in 2014 President Obama called on cities, non-profits, and the private sector to collaborate and close opportunity gaps for boys and young men of color; and
WHEREAS, numerous non-profit service providers, schools, and companies have created programs to serve vulnerable youth of color since the launch of the national My Brother’s Keeper (MBK) initiative; and
WHEREAS, Columbus City Council contracted with the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity to gather data on youth vulnerability, map community assets, and determine a strategic investment framework; and
WHEREAS, the MBK grants financially support programs that have shown success in one of the four categories the Kirwan Institute identified as contributing to youth vulnerability: economics, safety, education, and health; and
WHEREAS, the Department of Neighborhoods will contract with an external vendor to hold community/stakeholder meetings; and
WHEREAS, it has become necessary in the usual daily operation of the Department of Neighborhoods to authorize an appropriation and expenditure within the Neighborhood Initiatives subfund in support of the My Brother’s Keeper Grants Program; and
WHEREAS, an emergency exists in the usual daily operation of the Department of Neighborhoods in that it is immediately necessary to authorize an appropriation to avoid causing interruptions in the delivery of program services, and for the preservation of the public health, peace, property, safety, and welfare; now, therefore,
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
SECTION 1. That the City Auditor is hereby authorized and directed to appropriate $25,000.00 in the Neighborhood Initiatives subfund, fund 1000, subfund 100018, to the Department of Neighborhoods per the accounting codes in the attachment to this ordinance.
SECTION 2. That the Director of the Department of Neighborhoods will conduct community engagment surrounding the My Brother’s Keeper Grants Program.
SECTION 3. That the expenditure of $25,000.00 or so much thereof as may be needed pursuant to the administration of the MBK Grants Program, is hereby authorized in the Neighborhood Initiatives subfund, fund 1000, subfund 100018 per the accounting codes in the attachment to this ordinance.
SECTION 4. That the City Auditor is authorized to make any accounting changes to revise the funding source for all contracts or contract modifications associated with this legislation.
SECTION 7. That for the reasons stated in the preamble hereto, which is hereby made a part hereof, this ordinance is hereby declared to be an emergency measure and shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage and approval by the Mayor, or ten days after passage if the Mayor neither approves nor vetoes the same.