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Board urged to fund two interim positions to coordinate immigrant and refugee services
Summary
Staff proposed a two‑year interim immigrant and refugee coordination team to fill service gaps while a Zellerbach Foundation needs assessment proceeds; the request was $450,000 from Measure W for two project positions and operational support, and philanthropy pledged an initial $100,000 for the study.
County social services staff asked the Board to approve an interim two‑person coordination team to centralize immigrant and refugee services, support outreach and policy advocacy, and develop a countywide action plan pending a broader needs assessment. Andrea Ford (Social Services Agency) and staff said the two‑year proposal is intended to be an interim structure while the Zellerbach Foundation conducts a needs assessment.
Staff asked the board to allocate $450,000 from Measure W to fund a manager and a policy analyst (project positions for two years) to stand up the coordination function, community engagement and performance monitoring. Supervisor Marquez reported an initial philanthropic commitment of $100,000 to support the needs assessment; staff said the private dollars were intended for the study rather than ongoing operations.
Why it matters: Alameda County has a large immigrant population (staff cited ~563,000 immigrants countywide) and supervisors said coordinated county action is needed to navigate shifting federal policies and to align county services and outreach. Several supervisors voiced support for an interim team and asked staff to return with a board letter and recruitment timeline; staff estimated a board letter could be ready in about six weeks.
