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<span "font-size:11.0pt;font-family:symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:symbol;="" mso-bidi-font-family:symbol"="" style="">-  Brokered $124,330 in funding for individuals (stipends or summer youth jobs) and $188,849 in funding to the following community-based organization partners for their support and/or implementation of  various initiatives: Bread of Life Evangelistic Outreach (BOLEO) ($32,000); East Palo Alto Digital Village (EPADV)/Computers for Everyone (CFE) ($12,840); El Concilio of San Mateo County (El Concilio) ($30,320), Free At Last (FAL) ($53,371), Live in Peace (LIP) ($5,000) and Pacific Tonga Ma’a Tonga USA (PTMT)($53,406.67) [Total $313,179].

<span "font-size:11.0pt;font-family:symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:symbol;="" mso-bidi-font-family:symbol"="" style="">-  Implemented the 7th Annual “Embracing East Palo Alto Youth” Fundraising Luncheon, proceeds of which provided funding to OEPA-led youth-focused initiatives, especially Summer 2014 operations of the Sponsored Employment Program (SEP).

<span "font-size:11.0pt;font-family:symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:symbol;="" mso-bidi-font-family:symbol"="" style="">-  Completed Year 3 and began Year 4 of convening the Youth Empowerment Strategies for Success (YESS) collaborative (formerly named Mega-network Continuum of Care/YESS). During 2014, OEPA’s efforts advanced this groundbreaking initiative’s goals through the following: implementation of five Direct Services Group (DSG) full membership meetings and eight DSG Steering Committee meetings; recruitment of 44 paid member organizations (including 40 local nonprofits and four institutional entities – East Palo Alto Police Department (EPAPD), Office of San Mateo County Supervisor Warren Slocum, Ravenswood City School District (RCSD) and Sequoia Union High School District), and completion of a signed Memorandum of Agreement by all members documenting their commitment to collaborate on youth service provision improvements, link data, participate in joint fundraising opportunities and more. In July 2014, YESS’ launched a multi-meeting strategic planning process designed to restructure the initiative according to a Collective Impact model and make its activities and outcomes more robust.

<span "font-size:11.0pt;font-family:symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:symbol;="" mso-bidi-font-family:symbol"="" style="">-  Convened two meetings of the East Palo Alto Crime Reduction Task Force (EPACRTF) in partnership with the Office of San Mateo County Supervisor Warren Slocum, 4th District. The first meeting, held January 14, 2014, was a special session to host the YESS Policy Group. The second was held on December 19, 2014 and highlighted a new partnership between San Mateo County and the City of East Palo Alto (EPA) to support and sustain the David Lewis Community Reentry Program as well as collaborative efforts to create Students with Amazing Goals (SWAG) providing educational support, truancy reduction, mentoring, career and vocational learnings for young people ages 14 to 24 with juvenile justice records.

<span "font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"garamond","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:="" simsun;mso-bidi-font-family:"times="" roman";mso-ansi-language:en-us;="" mso-fareast-language:zh-cn;mso-bidi-language:ar-sa"="" style="">Continued to partner with EPAPD’s David Lewis Community Re-entry Program, BOLEO, El Concilio and FAL to support work of the East Palo Alto Community-based Coalition (EPACBC) and launched work on a contract with San Mateo County Probation wherein OEPA serves as fiscal sponsor of Community Corrections Partnership funding awarded to BOLEO to establish two Clean and Sober Living homes for AB109 formerly incarcerated individuals.
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OEPA achieved other accomplishments by conducting quality of life improvement projects described below.

Health & Well-being

<span "font-size:11.0pt;font-family:symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:symbol;="" mso-bidi-font-family:symbol"="" style="">-  Convened monthly meetings and other activities of the East Palo Alto Behavioral Health Advisory Group (EPABHAG) (formerly named the East Palo Alto Mental Health Advisory Group). EPABHAG’s work is conducted in partnership with San Mateo County Behavioral Health & Recovery Services (SMCBHRS) and is supported by the agency’s contract work for SMCBHRS’ Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) grant.

<span "font-size:11.0pt;font-family:symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:symbol;="" mso-bidi-font-family:symbol"="" style="">-  Coordinated EPABHAG efforts to implement the 7th Annual Family Awareness Night on May 15, 2014 as part of the national celebration of “May is Mental Health Month.”

<span "font-size:11.0pt;font-family:symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:symbol;="" mso-bidi-font-family:symbol"="" style="">-  Established operations of the Behavioral Health Advisory Group Ambassador Team (BHAGAT) project in consultation with EPABHAG. BHAGAT was awarded San Mateo County Measure A funding to establish a culturally competent crisis response to Ravenswood City School District middle school students experiencing trauma as a result of violent crime in EPA. This project has been planned and implemented by a partnership led by OEPA and comprising EPABHAG, RCSD, EPAPD and San Mateo County Office of Education.

<span "font-size:11.0pt;font-family:symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:symbol;="" mso-bidi-font-family:symbol"="" style="">-  Provided fiscal sponsorship and coordination of the East Palo Alto Partnership for Mental Health Outreach (EPAPMHO) as contract work funded by SMCBHRS’ MHSA grant. EPAPMHO is a collaboration with El Concilio, FAL, PTMT all year as implementing/direct service partners and with LIP during part of the year.

<span "font-size:11.0pt;font-family:symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:symbol;="" mso-bidi-font-family:symbol"="" style="">-  Completed Year 6 and began Year 7 operations of The Barbara A. Mouton Multicultural Wellness Center (The Mouton Center or TMC), which is funded by the agency’s contract work for SMCBHRS’ MHSA grant.  Since its inception, The Mouton Center has provided safe space, drop-in leisure activities and other supports to 1100 unduplicated consumer-members dealing with mental health issues and their families. During 2014, TMC provided services to 165 unduplicated consumer-members, including 20 referrals to SMCBHRS and other mental health services as well as other quality of life improvement services.

<span "font-size:11.0pt;font-family:symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:symbol;="" mso-bidi-font-family:symbol"="" style="">-  Completed Year 5 and began Year 6 of operations of YouthEastPaloAlto (YouthEPA), a multi-year Drug Free Communities (DFC) federal grant to implement a comprehensive, youth-led initiative to prevent and reduce alcohol and other drug use among EPA youth. YouthEPA operates in conjunction with the East Palo Alto Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition (EPASAPC), which is convened by OEPA and funded jointly by the agency’s contract work with SMCBHRS’s Alcohol and other Drugs Division and its DFC grant. In March 2014, OEPA submitted a renewal application to the DFC grant program. The application was successful in earning DFC approved funding for YouthEPA in the amount of $125,000/year for five more years. On September 30, 2014, YouthEPA began Year 6 of its youth-focused substance abuse prevention efforts.