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Stockton accepts $8 million Prop 47 grant to expand diversion and violence-prevention programs
Summary
The City of Stockton accepted an $8,000,000 Prop 47 grant to fund a three-year violence-prevention and diversion program focused on treatment, employment readiness and housing supports for people facing eligible offenses; CSU Stanislaus will perform independent evaluation.
The Stockton City Council on Dec. 16 authorized the city to accept $8,000,000 in state Prop 47 funds to expand diversion, treatment and reentry services across San Joaquin County.
Laura Larson, director of the Office of Violence Prevention, described the package as an effort to "replace incarceration with treatment and diversion," focusing on underlying drivers of violence such as unstable housing, untreated trauma and substance use. The grant will fund a countywide Redirect Project administered by the Office of Violence Prevention in partnership with Friends Outside, San Joaquin County Behavioral Health and an independent evaluator at CSU Stanislaus.
Program goals and scope: the city intends to serve approximately 650 participants over three years, with targets including a 25% increase in sustained sobriety measures, 50% employment or workforce placement among program participants and a 25% reduction in recidivism for those served. The program includes youth diversion tied to juvenile-court referrals, mindfulness-based substance-abuse treatment for youth, paid employment-readiness apprenticeships (LEAP), intensive case management, housing stabilization funds and expungement clinics.
Oversight and measurement: Larson said the state-required quarterly reports and an independent evaluation by CSU Stanislaus will track outcomes; quarterly progress reporting will also be available on a state dashboard. "We have a multitude of expectations that the state has set forth of what data we need to collect," she told council. Friends Outside executive director Michael Sorensen described the LEAP job-readiness curriculum and the program’s plan to develop employer relationships.
Budget and procurement: the grant is reimbursement-based; vendors will be paid through contracts with the city after receipts and deliverables are verified. Council members pressed for clear tracking metrics and public access to progress reports; staff said the state dashboard and annual program updates would be available.
Vote: Council approved the resolution to accept the grant, authorize staffing and execute associated agreements by a 7-0 vote.
Next steps: staff will finalize contracts with community-based partners, establish the independent evaluation contract with CSU Stanislaus and begin intake and referrals coordinated with juvenile court and the public defender’s office.
