Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Social Services topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Supervisors adopt CORE safety‑net priorities as nonprofits urge protection of grants
Summary
The board accepted subcommittee recommendations outlining five CORE funding priorities—food & nutrition; housing & homelessness; health; seniors & people with disabilities; children & families—and asked staff to simplify applications and consult stakeholders; nonprofits urged preserving current grantees against cuts.
The Board of Supervisors voted March 24 to accept a CORE subcommittee framework that prioritizes five areas for future safety‑net grant cycles: food and nutrition; housing and homelessness; health; seniors and people with disabilities; and children and families.
Supervisors Cummings and De Serpa said the recommendations respond to community input and fiscal constraints and aim to make the CORE application shorter and more accessible for smaller nonprofits. The subcommittee also recommended reducing reliance on external reviewers, assembling a standing or ad‑hoc review body to score applications with staff, and publishing scores and comments for transparency.
Providers urged protecting existing CORE grantees and highlighted imminent federal and state changes that will increase local demand. Dientes Community Dental Care told the board that upcoming Medi‑Cal eligibility changes could double the number of uninsured dental patients and create a projected $1 million budget gap for FY27. Meals on Wheels, Community Bridges and other nonprofits described direct client impacts and asked the board to minimize service disruptions and avoid last‑minute contract reductions.
Supervisors acknowledged the difficult budget outlook — staff noted an anticipated $23 million county shortfall connected to policy and funding shifts — and asked for follow‑up work to integrate program priorities with department budgets and grant timing. The board approved the recommended prioritization framework and directed staff to continue stakeholder outreach and return with implementation details in August; the motion passed 5–0.
Next steps: staff will refine evaluation criteria, solicit stakeholder input on the draft application and scoring approach, and report back with a proposed process and timeline. The board asked staff to consider tiered funding (smaller awards for new programs) and possible set‑asides for critical contracts when drafting the next CORE cycle.
