City presenters cite drop in resource-center visits amid immigration enforcement; staff seek expanded funding and a county grant

City staff told a City committee that use of family resource centers has fallen sharply in the past two years as fear of immigration enforcement deterred residents from seeking help, and they urged the committee to prioritize funding and contract changes to maintain services.

"Los números han bajado mucho de los últimos 2 años," Daisy Fernández, a representative for the Department of Workforce and Community Investment, said during the presentation. She described operational changes at centers—moving food distributions indoors, switching to appointment-only services and expanding virtual options—to respond to community fear about enrollment and document-sharing with other agencies.

Fernández said program requirements such as staff certification and the need for additional personnel make virtual expansion resource-intensive. She urged more funding "más específicamente para apoyar los servicios de asistencia de inquilinato y de asistencia para los servicios legales" and said the department will return to the committee to request priority approval to accept a county grant that was recently awarded.

Presenters reported that emergency-aid efforts reached thousands: the transcript records distribution to "alrededor" 4,200 households and more than 5,000 gift cards used for food and essentials, and references a county-administered grant spoken as "1.3 1000000 de dólares"; the monetary amount is reported here as stated in the record and is flagged as approximate because the transcript wording is unclear.

Staff described outreach and rights-education workshops delivered in 14 languages (including videos for indigenous languages), two public phases of an emergency fund, and collaborations with immigrant-serving organizations. The department also noted training series for nonprofits and businesses and a public anti-discrimination campaign labeled in the record as "yo pertenezco / nosotros pertenecemos."

Committee members asked whether existing city contracts and the administrator's report could be used to expand services; presenters replied that some contracts may be adaptable but that further review and evaluations are required to identify remaining gaps. The staff said a small portion of the county grant is dedicated to personnel and that additional funding will be needed to sustain expanded hours, mental-health services and trauma-informed supports for youth.

The presentation concluded with staff saying they would return with a formal request to accept the county grant and to seek priority for allocation. The committee thanked presenters and prepared to take votes on related agenda items.

Sources: Committee meeting transcript; remarks attributed to Daisy Fernández and CFG/department representatives as recorded in the meeting transcript.