County Grant Will Keep FAJ Afloat Through June

A 20-year-old Union City youth program that was has been put on life support through June, though its ultimate fate remains in limbo.

A $25,000 grant from Alameda County Supervisor Nadia Lockyer’s office, along with a $5,000 donation from , will keep afloat through the fiscal year, which ends June 30, program staff said.

If the organization doesn’t find another funding stream, it will have to shut down in July.

“It’s a temporary sigh of relief for now,” said Christopher Cara, youth services director for FAJ.

The cash-strapped community group, which runs youth development and alcohol and drug prevention programs in Union City, lost an Alameda County Behavioral Health Care Services grant earlier this month due to a change in its funding process. Alameda County Behavioral Health Care Services has been FAJ’s primary funding source for the past 20 years, according to staff.

FAJ has since filed an appeal with the agency and is awaiting a decision to be made next month.

Meanwhile, FAJ isn’t holding its breath. The group’s members and supporters have asked the City of Union City for help in providing ongoing funding so that it can continue to serve the community.

The city, which provides financial assistance to 12 local nonprofit groups, currently gives $22,000 a year to FAJ. The group is now asking for $53,000 more for an annual total of $75,000 to make up for the loss from Alameda County Behavioral Health Care Services. 

The matter was addressed at Tuesday night’s City Council meeting. With news of the one-time grant from Lockyer’s office, which was approved by the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, city officials saw there was no need for immediate emergency funding and pushed the topic to June when city staff will have a firmer grasp of the city budget.

However, the discussion didn’t seem hopeful for FAJ as officials pointed to the city’s own financial stress and its obligation to fairness as hindrances.

“We are under [financial] stress. It’s not a catastrophe — we’re not filing for bankruptcy … [but] we’re not sitting on a pot of gold,” said Mayor Mark Green.

Councilwoman Pat Gacoscos said she unquestionably supports FAJ, “but my responsibility as a council member is to look at all things from a citywide perspective.”

“Will the city be able to help each [community-based organization] that will have funding problems in the future?” Gacoscos asked.

Granting additional funding to FAJ would set a precedent for how it funds other community-based nonprofits, said Deputy City Manager Tony Acosta. Every community nonprofit funded by the city is facing similar financial problems, Acosta added.

“Simply put, if the city can provide new funding to FAJ, then why shouldn’t Centro de Servicios, Tri-City Homeless Coalition, SAVE, Spectrum, and the other seven [community-based organizations] supported by [general fund] allocations also receive additional funds?” Acosta wrote in his staff report.

If the City Council does agree to provide $75,000 a year to FAJ, then the city will have to create a process to review all city-backed community groups’ funding needs, staff said.

FAJ’s abrupt financial dilemma came after a yearlong battle for county grants.

According to Cara, last year the county changed their funding structure for alcohol and drug prevention programs such as FAJ’s. The county behavioral health services department, which has awarded more than $50,000 a year to FAJ for the past 20 years, chose to award one grant per region in the county. FAJ applied for an increased $250,000 grant to expand services to the entire Tri-Cities.

The community advocacy group was initially selected last April to receive the grant but an appeal from competitors claiming there were biases in the selection process caused the county department to reopen and review the bidding, according to Cara. FAJ was given bridge funding through March 30 of this year in the meantime.

Earlier this month, FAJ learned their grant renewal was reversed. Instead, the county selected EMQ Families First to provide alcohol and drug prevention youth programs in the Tri-Cities.

According to city staff, EMQ is one of the largest social services nonprofits in the state with $98 million in assets. The organization is headquartered in Campbell.

Cara said EMQ, which focuses more on foster care, would not provide the same services as FAJ.

“We offer a unique mix of many different prevention strategies, including the community-based process,” Cara said. “EMQ is not a known primary prevention program in the area.”

He said the community focus would be lost if FAJ shuts down and EMQ takes over.

“That community-based effort is what got us Measure UU,” Cara said, pointing to FAJ’s role in assisting COR and Youth and Family Services in helping create the city’s Youth Violence Prevention and Intervention Program.

Cara also added that the services FAJ provides compliment the city-run youth violence program, which city staff acknowledged Tuesday night.

“FAJ tries to keep youth away from drugs, alcohol and violence before they get involved, while the YVPIP tries to reduce youth violence by targeting and re-directing youth already involved in violence,” Acosta wrote in his staff report. “In addition, FAJ has a stronger presence in western Union City, while the YVPIP maintains much of its clientele and program activity in eastern Union City.”

Among the services FAJ provides are a young men’s group at , a ninth grade group at and a support group at . FAJ’s office also serves as a meeting space for youth empowerment and leadership development programs like the Pilipino Youth Coalition, community organizing actions, immigration services and health education projects.

FAJ currently serves 75 local youth and has served about 1,500 over the years.

Dozens of community members again urged city officials Tuesday night to strongly consider assisting FAJ.

”They’ve been an integral part in the upbringing and support of Filipino youth,” said Tracie Noriega, principal of Alvarado Elementary School and president of the New Haven Pilipino-American Society for Education. Noriega’s son was a member of FAJ’s Pilipino Youth Coalition.

“I’ve been all over this district and I’ve seen and felt the impact [of FAJ],” she added.

Noriega added that EMQ would not be able to fill the void if FAJ stopped operating in Union City.

“They do not command the respect and trust that FAJ has built over the years,” she said. “FAJ has been part of our village and we need them to continue to be a part of it.”