SAFE PASSAGES

SP researches, evaluates, develops, and advocates for culturally appropriate, cross-agency strategies designed to improve the lives of vulnerable populations, including young children exposed to violence, youth at risk of school drop-out, gang involvement, or Juvenile Justice system contact. For 20 years, we have worked with public and private partners to leverage resources that strengthen the safety net for poor people, reduce youth violence, and level the playing field for marginalized students, families and communities in Alameda County. Our goals are both short and long term:

Short term

Build on Community Strengths to Increase the Capacity of and Empower Underserved, and Inappropriately Served Communities to:

• Improve access to basic needs and services for families
• Improve school engagement for both parents and students
• Increase school attendance and academic outcomes for the highest need populations
• Increase college pathways for historically underserved populations
• Increase job skills and career pathway opportunities
• Increase access to livable wage career pathways for youth
• Increase family self sustainability through good paying jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities

Long-Term and Systems Change Efforts:

• Transform the way public systems deliver services to meet the needs of highest need families and communities
• Increase ownership of clients in public service program design and delivery
• Increase accountability of public systems for poor families and their children
• Improve self sufficiency, including economic stability for communities served
• Improve access to democratic participation

The SP programs and services are woven together to serve the entire age continuum from birth to college/career. These services incorporate economic development strategies that fuel economic self-sufficiency for youth and families. We currently serve 21 school communities across four school districts across Alameda County through the following initiatives:
Early Childhood Initiative – Promotes collaboration between public systems and non-­‐profit providers to create a citywide safety net for children (birth-­‐5) who are exposed to violence. Services include Baby Learning playgroups and workshops, case management, mental health services and mental health consultations at pre-­‐school sites.
School Linked Services – Aims to integrate education and social services at school sites in order to make school communities catalysts for social change within the larger neighborhood context. Through multiple funding streams, this collaborative has effectively developed full service community schools across the Oakland flatlands. School staff members work closely with families, case managers, health center staff and other providers to develop a coordinated plan for students.
Juvenile Justice Initiative – Brings juvenile courts, school districts, police departments, probation officers, and service providers together to reduce disproportionate minority contact with law enforcement and lower recidivism among juvenile offenders. The Law and Social Justice Career Pathways Program provides life skills classes, legal services, case management and mentoring, education and training, and employment to adjudicated high-risk youth, including Transitional Age Youth (TAY).
Career Development – Works closely with universities, government entities, and private organizations to develop new job opportunities for youth and adult family members. Students are given the opportunity to learn about diverse career tracks, including the arts, education, law enforcement, legal services, social work and the health profession. Adult program members are trained to conduct community outreach and engagement and promote private and public benefit programs.
SP programs all include a strong family engagement component that is culturally sensitive and meets families “where they are" in relation to their parenting roles and capacities. SP seeks to remove barriers to full democratic participation by increasing family access to social supports and services.

Programmatic

SP (SP) has been a key partner in building and strengthening the safety-net system in Alameda County for vulnerable populations since its inception in 1995. SP served as the lead agency for Oakland's efforts to bring together the major children serving public and private agencies, including Alameda County; the City of Oakland; Oakland Unified School District; and a broad range of community-based organizations. SP has galvanized public and private entities to work together to reduce duplication of services, maximize and leverage resources, and to develop effective cross agency delivery of violence prevention programs and services in low-income schools. This multi-prong approach includes site-based coordination of services, violence prevention curricula, targeted case management and mental health services, after school programs and family engagement activities. Key accomplishments include a 72% reduction of suspensions for violence at target schools.

In 2007, The Atlantic Philanthropies awarded SP a $15 million implementation grant in which SP leveraged $25 million in local public and private resources, for a full service community school initiative called Elev8.

SP successfully expanded its AmeriCorps partnership with California Volunteers and the Corporation National Community Service. The program grew from 28 members in the past cycle (2009-2013) to 45 Full Time Members in the current cycle (2014-2016).

In 2013, SP was awarded the US Department of Labor Face Forward grant to serve adjudicated at-risk youth.

Fiscal
In 2006, SP formally incorporated as a California Public Benefit Corporation and received IRS recognition of SP' tax-exempt status under Internal Revenue Code 501(c)(3). Since that time, all fiscal and operational functions have been managed directly by SP. These functions include: up to $7.7 million per year in budgeting for all SP' organizational funds as well as sub-budgets for up to 29 concurrently awarded grants. SP maintains industry-standard accounting, financial reporting, restricted fund management, employee payroll, vendor payment, and banking systems in addition to contracted external audit providers.

SP's fiscal staff regularly receives specialized training in grants management and reporting from the U.S. Departments of Labor and Justice, and Government Finance Officers Association.

SP has a perfect record of annual external CPA audits and successfully administered $60 million in local, state, federal, and private funding.

Management
The management team includes four women and one male, all of whom are people of color, and four of whom have been working together for the past 12 years. The team is led by Josefina Alvarado Mena, who was raised in Oakland in one of the communities served by SP. She holds a law degree from the University of California at Berkeley; she is currently a Social Entrepreneur in Residence at Stanford (SEERS).

SP accomplishments can be measured in the systems change/reform successes and in program/client outcomes. Some of the most significant outcomes follow:

• Annually, SP serves over 4,000 children, youth and families.
• Has developed and expanded an early childhood safety network model for children exposed to violence and growing up in poverty; the initiative serves over 1500 children and families with children ages birth-5 annually across the City of Oakland.
• 91% of students in the afterschool academic programs improve at least one grade level in reading and math because of the program supports.
• Implemented the Elev8 Initiative, a $40 Million full service community school model at five middle schools in Oakland. It established 5 new school based health centers; and built and staffed 5 family resource centers in the highest need middle schools in Oakland, CA. During this phase (2008-2012), 10,000 students and families were served by the initiative.
• The full service community school model was adopted by the OUSD Board of Trustees as a cornerstone of school reform efforts.
• To date, all components of the Elev8 initiative are sustained and several components have been expanded to 14 additional high need schools across three school districts in California.
• Elev8 school based health centers reach 3,000 students plus their families annually.
• Quality after school programs serve over 1,000 students annually.
• 180 SP AmeriCorps members have served over 1150 high need students through intensive academic supports.
• The Law and Social Justice Program has surpassed 100% of the enrollment goal, and 100 % of participants returned to school and remained in school for at least one year after enrollment.

The organization has also attracted a multi-sector Board of Directors that includes elected officials, policy makers, experts in key fields including health, law, community development, banking and philanthropy.