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Board approves $65,000 augmentation for Support for Recovery’s Hispanic sober‑living project
Summary
After a presentation from county staff and the grantee, the Board of Supervisors approved a $65,000 augmentation to a Measure X innovation grant to allow Support for Recovery to replace planned volunteer counselors with paid staff and keep separate male and female housing.
The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors on April 15 approved a $65,000 augmentation to a previously awarded innovation fund grant for Support for Recovery, allowing the nonprofit to re-budget and pay counselors it had planned to rely on as volunteers. The board voted unanimously to increase the award so the program can meet Fair Labor Standards Act requirements and operate separate facilities for men and women.
The county awarded Support for Recovery a $335,830 innovation grant on March 25 to develop a 12‑bed Level 3 sober‑living program tied to the organization’s Hispanic outreach work. After the award, Support for Recovery informed staff that the Fair Labor Standards Act prevents the organization from using volunteers for work that would otherwise be performed by paid employees. That shortfall prompted the organization to request an additional $65,000 to cover paid counselor positions and related costs.
Julie (county staff) briefed the supervisors on the request and said Support for Recovery’s revised budget showed the need to convert volunteer roles to paid positions to comply with federal labor law. Tom Oswald of Support for Recovery was present to answer board questions.
Public commenters in chambers and on Zoom urged the board to fund homelessness prevention and culturally competent supports; several speakers emphasized the importance of county funding for legal services and rental assistance. The board’s discussion focused on the grant’s limited scope (a bilingual sober‑living program) and the legal requirement that triggered the augmentation.
Supervisor Diane Burgess moved approval of the augmentation; the motion passed unanimously.
The augmentation is limited to the innovation fund grant award and was described in staff materials as a one‑time adjustment to this project’s budget. County staff said they would monitor the revised budget categories and the grantee’s compliance with labor law and program milestones.
Support for Recovery will proceed with paid counselor staffing in place of the planned volunteer counselors and will report back to county staff under the terms of the grant contract.
