The Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously at its Tuesday assembly to allocate $1.3 million for the subsequent section of the Stanislaus 2030 venture.
The county will negotiate a three-year time period with the Stanislaus Neighborhood Basis to function the lead company for the 2030 venture, which seems to be to bolster financial growth within the area.
Of the $1.3 million, $700,000 will set up the preliminary program help and the remaining $600,000 will fund the formation and operations of the Stanislaus Middleman Group.
“We spent the higher a part of a yr analyzing our native financial system and attempting to brainstorm with one of the best minds we might, inside the neighborhood in addition to exterior, to place ourselves for a extra strong and equitable financial system for future generations,” stated Stanislaus County CEO Jody Hayes. “These are long-term issues. They might have some short-term wins, however we’re very, very centered on long-term funding and long-term strategic financial influence right here in Stanislaus County.”
Amanda Hughes, the chief technique officer on the Stanislaus Neighborhood Basis, would be the level individual for basis’s efforts.
“We’re actually inspired by the Board of Supervisors’ help, in partnership with the Stanislaus Neighborhood Basis, to actually create the situations essential for collaboration on the inhabitants degree,” stated Marian Kaanan, CEO of the Stanislaus Neighborhood Basis. “To do this, we’d like a quarterback and (Amanda) is uniquely certified to do this sort of work.”
In Might of 2021, the Board accredited a prioritized record of spending methods for the $107 million it obtained in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. Of that $107 million, $30 million was earmarked for financial growth and job creation.
In response to the Stanislaus 2030 Funding Blueprint, a 55-page deep dive into county economics ready by numerous native workgroups with advisors from the Brookings Establishment, greater than half of the county’s inhabitants — about 214,000 folks — battle to make ends meet.
Solely about 13 p.c of jobs within the Stanislaus may be categorized as “good” jobs, whereas one other 22 p.c are thought of “promising.” The remaining 65 p.c — almost two of each three jobs — fail to satisfy the requirements for making certain self-sufficiency, the report states.
And this instantly impacts youngsters within the county.
“We’ve about 145,000 youngsters in Stanislaus County and 90,000 are rising up in struggling households,” Hayes stated throughout Tuesday’s assembly. “However the quantity that actually popped out for us was 85 p.c of these youngsters have at the least one grownup working within the house. So, we’re not speaking about struggling households the place folks aren’t working, we’re speaking about working households and the struggles they’re dealing with in at this time’s financial system.”
To halve the variety of youngsters in struggling circumstances, the area might want to create 40,000 extra “good” jobs than presently exist.
As much as $200,000 of the funds accredited Tuesday will probably be used for child-care applications, permitting adults who search additional job coaching the flexibility to afford child-care providers.
“Along with workforce coaching, we should pay particular consideration to non-training limitations to enter the workforce and coaching applications,” Hughes advised the board Tuesday. “By means of our work with Stanislaus 2030, and this isn’t a giant shocker, youngster care is a significant barrier for us. Youngster care is so basically vital for financial prosperity.”
Hughes identified that with a view to meet present workforce calls for, the county wants 36,000 extra youngster care slots than presently exist — pre-COVID numbers which might be seemingly increased at this time, some three years after the beginning of the pandemic.