The City of Georgetown values partnerships with organizations that are committed to addressing our community’s greatest public challenges, and the purpose of City funding to the non-profit sector is to cultivate and sustain partnerships with 501(c)3 organizations that strengthen the City’s key priorities in the following areas: Public Safety, Transportation, Housing, Parks & Recreation, Veteran Services, and Safety Net, further defined as follows:
Public Safety.
- While the City is Georgetown’s Public Safety leader (Fire & Police), public safety also encompasses a broad scope of work that makes this community safe for all.
- Eligible organizations and programs may include those that contribute to safe neighborhoods such out of school time, youth empowerment, and neighborhood community centers.
Transportation.
- Eligible organizations include those that assist in meeting the transportation needs of Georgetown residents unable to access private transportation such as homebound seniors and youth under the age of 16 years.
Housing.
- Eligible organizations include those that offer emergency shelter, transitional or temporary housing, and affordable housing.
Parks & Recreation.
- Eligible organizations include those that provide affordable, accessible activities that enhance Georgetown residents’ health and well-being, including sports, fitness, and other recreational programs.
Veteran’s Services
- Support veteran programs and services within the community.
Safety Net.
- The City recognizes its responsibility to support efforts to address this community’s most pressing basic needs. Examples of basic needs include food insecurity, emergency financial assistance, mental/behavioral health care, substance abuse, domestic/family violence, and health care. Safety Net priorities will be based on ongoing analysis of unmet existing needs and emerging needs in this community, and may change over time.
The proposed Annual Operating Plan for the fiscal year beginning October 1, 2022 and ending September 30, 2023, includes funding for eligible 501c(3) non-profit organizations that meet one or more of the criteria as outlined above.
The attached Resolution approves, and authorizes the Mayor to execute, the Strategic Partnerships for Community Services (SPCS) Funding Agreements with the following 501c(3) non-profit organizations at the amounts recommended by the SPCS Advisory Board that were approved by the City Council on August 9, 2022.
Boys and Girls Club of Georgetown provides Parks & Recreation and Safety Net services by providing programming that will enable all young people of the Georgetown community, especially those who need it most, realize their full potential as productive, caring, and responsible citizens through outcomes that are guided by its “Formula of Impact” which is focused in 3 key areas: Academic Success, Character & Leadership and Healthy Lifestyles. The amount of the Agreement is $25,000.
Brookwood in Georgetown Vocational, Inc. (BIG) provides Housing, Parks & Recreation, and Safety Net Services for adults with functional disabilities who no longer receive services from the public schools to participate in high quality programs that will provide an educational environment that creates meaningful jobs, builds a sense of belonging and promotes dignity and respect for adults with special needs and create opportunities to develop their talents and strengths in order to celebrate, empower, and engage these Georgetown citizens and their families to lead healthy and active lives that give back to their community through volunteerism and entrepreneurial work activities. The amount of the Agreement is $13,000 for scholarships.
CASA of Williamson County provides Public Safety and Safety Net Services with the provision of trained, court-appointed volunteers who advocate for the best interest of abused or neglected children in court on their journey to a safe, permanent home to support 13 children in the community. The amount of the Agreement is $26,000.
Faith in Action Georgetown provides Safety Net, Transportation, and Public Safety Services for its volunteer transportation program which provides reliable, affordable (free!) and adaptable door to door transportation services for medical appointments, grocery shopping & personal errands for non-driving seniors with the intended outcome for them to stay connected to their community while living independent, healthy, and active lives. The amount of the Agreement is $29,000.
GENAustin dba Girls Empowerment Network (GEN) provides Safety Net and Public Safety Services through the provision of its Girl Connect Referral Groups, which is a weekly program for girls in grades 6-12 to increase their self-efficacy, which is the foundation upon which their future success is built on, and is especially designed for girls who are high-risk of entering the juvenile justice system and those who have behavioral challenges, frequent disciplinary issues, signs of high stress, truancy, etc. intended to help them get back on track, persist in school, and pursue positive goals. The amount of the Agreement is $10,000.
Georgetown Backpack Buddies provides Safety Net Services by purchasing food for children in Grades K-12 who are eligible for the free/reduced GISD breakfast/lunch program and who register for the Georgetown Backpack Buddies Program (GBBP), which supplies nutritious, non-perishable food items for them to take home for the weekends of the school year to supplement their family's food supply. The amount of the Agreement is $22,000.
Georgetown Caring Place aka The Caring Place provides Safety Net Services for emergency financial assistance to families experiencing financial crisis in Georgetown and northern Williamson County through the provision of basic needs assistance, including financial assistance for rent and mortgage payments to individuals and families in financial crisis. The amount of the Agreement is $40,000.
Georgetown Project provides Safety Net, Public Safety, Parks & Recreation, Housing and Transportation Services in the provision of provide youth development and youth activity programs for children, youth, and families in Georgetown through the Kid City Program (summer food and enrichment for economically disadvantaged students), ASAP (After School Action Program),the NEST (provides assistance to homeless teens, including basic needs, supportive services, overnight emergency/temporary shelter, and mental/behavioral health services), and the Summer Youth Employment Program (provides employment for GISD high school students qualified at-risk, homeless or living in transition). The amount of the Agreement is $29,000.
Habitat for Humanity of Williamson County provides Housing Services through its partnerships with families and individuals in Georgetown and Williamson County to build better futures through the stability & security of owning a safe & affordable home through participation in its Home Ownership Program. The amount of the Agreement is $10,000 for expenses related to the Shepherd’s Village Development Project.
Helping Hands of Georgetown, Inc. provides Safety Net services through its partnership with Boys and Girls Club of Georgetown and YMCA of Georgetown to provide its pantry bag delivery program to Georgetown families at these facilities to provide food for club families. The amount of the Agreement is $5,000.
Literacy Council of Williamson County provides Safety Net Services in the provision of its Back to Work Georgetown program which provides adult education programs that improve students’ financially independence by helping them earn GEDs, vocational certificates, and other job-related credentials. The amount of the Agreement is $10,000.
Opportunities for Williamson & Burnet Counties, Inc. (OWBC) provides Safety Net Services through the provision of comprehensive child and family development programs at the Mary Bailey Head Start Center that prepare children from birth to five years of age to become successful school students and productive members of society, continue serving low income, disabled and foster children with school readiness preparations, and to also provide consistent and healthy meals to seniors in need each day with meals being offered at the Madella Hilliard Neighborhood Center and also provides home-delivered meals to those seniors in the community whose mobility is limited. The amount of the Agreement is $10,000 for the Meals on Wheels Program.
Ride on Center for Kids (R.O.C.K.) provides the ROCK On Veterans Program which in includes equine-assisted activities and therapies and supportive family services to residents of Central Texas who are military veterans, or active-duty military, and their dependents, to promote physical and/or emotional recovery from stresses of service and to promote reintegration back into family and community. The amount of the Agreement is $33,000.
Sacred Heart Community Clinic, Inc. provides Safety Net Services to expand the capacity of its “Help Them Smile Again” Program and to improve the access and outcomes for dental services for City of Georgetown citizens who are uninsured and underserved, regardless of patients’ insurance status or ability to pay. The amount of the Agreement is $20,000.
Salvation Army provides Housing and Safety Net Services through its Williamson County Service Center and its partnership with the Georgetown Caring Place to meet the growing need of financial assistance and homelessness prevention in Williamson County by providing referral-based rental and/or utility assistance to help prevent households from spiraling into homelessness. The amount of the Agreement is $10,000.
Samaritan Center for Counseling and Pastoral Care provides Safety Net and Veteran Services in the provision of affordable and quality-based mental health services to residents of the Georgetown Community regardless of their ability to pay, with priority given to vulnerable populations such as the uninsured, under-insured, members of low-income families, and veterans and their families. The amount of the Agreement is $30,000.
Senior Center at Stonehaven provides Safety Net Services to meet the health, educational, social, recreational, and creative needs of the senior citizen population of Georgetown area. The amount of the Agreement is $12,049.
Texas Baptist Children’s Home provides Safety Net Services through its HOPE program which provides no-cost professional trauma-informed counseling and education to vulnerable Georgetown residents of all ages, including child-based therapy, as well as individual/family group therapy. The amount of the Agreement is $10,000.
Williamson County Children’s Advocacy Center provides Public Safety and Safety Net Services in the provision of services for abused children, non-offending family members, and professionals dedicated to the intervention, investigation, prosecution, and treatment options related to child abuse cases in Williamson County in a child-friendly environment. The amount of the Agreement is $20,000.
Williamson County Crisis Center dba Hope Alliance provides Public Safety and Safety Net Services in the provision of wrap-around, trauma-informed intervention services in Georgetown to victims and survivors of family violence, sexual assault, child abuse, including a 24 hour hotline, crisis intervention, support services, including emergency shelter, transitional housing, counseling, support groups, community education, and accompaniment to law enforcement, hospital and court; counseling; and legal advocacy including assistance with applying for protective orders and crime victims’ compensation funds. The amount of the Agreement is $36,000.
The provision of the services, as defined above, accomplishes a public purpose and benefits the community of Georgetown, Texas as they enhance the quality of life and the overall economic development of the City per Chapter 380 of the Local Government Code.
Additionally, these Funding Agreements also provide terms related to the exemption of development related fees as discussed by the City Council on April 28, 2020:
As a recipient of a Strategic Partnerships for Community Services Grant, “Name of Agency” shall also have the ability receive an exemption of certain development related fees in an amount not to exceed $10,000 should “Name of Agency” remodel their current facilities and/or build new facilities in Georgetown if the request is made in the fiscal year defined in this Funding Agreement. Development related fees are defined as Land development processing fees outlined in the City of Georgetown’s Unified Development Code (UDC) Development Manual which include Building Permits and Inspections Fees, Fire Code Permit Fees and does not include: Electric Connection and Engineering Fees; Water and Wastewater Connection and Engineering Fees; and Impact Fees.
The City Council is asked to consider the approval of 20 Strategic Partnerships for Community Services Funding Agreements as described above.