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This Public Proposal responds to our Public RFP.
This is a sample proposal. Our sample is a proposal from a partnership of community-based non-profit organizations seeking public, or government, funds from a city agency to provide occupational training construction skills and on-the-job-experience as well as basic educational services and leadership development counseling to disadvantaged youth in conjunction with the rehabilitation of 40 units of low-income rental housing and vacant commercial space. |
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Public Proposal TOC
Cover Letter: See Sample Cover Letter
Cover Sheet: See Sample Cover Sheet
Narrative
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The Community Housing and Training (CHT) Program
1. Program Summary
The Community Based Organization, Inc. (CBO) and the Local Neighborhood Organization, Inc. (LNO) have partnered to develop an exciting and innovative initiative for assisted housing in the economically distressed neighborhood of the City that we serve. The Community Housing and Training (CRT) Program will provide occupational training construction skills and on-the-job-experience as well as basic educational services and leadership development counseling to disadvantaged youth in conjunction with the rehabilitation of 40 units of low-income rental housing and vacant commercial space.
This proposal requests $700,000.00 from the Department of Neighborhood Preservation for the Non-Housing and Administrative components of our Community Housing and Training program. We anticipate that the Department of Neighborhood Preservation grant will be an essential and primary part of our program and will add a crucial training and educational component to the program permitting us to both extend our efforts in the field of counseling and training as well as lower our construction costs so we may serve the community with a larger number of assisted units.
The program which the partners envision is multifaceted, comprehensive and innovative. The neighborhood has a tremendous need for additional assisted housing with little vacant land and few appropriate sites. The CBO and the LNO have identified an appropriate site and will rehabilite a 40-unit building with 36 units of housing and 4 commercial units as a component of this program.
The Housing component will provide aid not only to those families requiring assisted housing but also to those families left homeless after fire. We anticipate that 25 percent of the units will be set aside for transitional housing for homeless families that are victims of disaster. Social and other necessary services will be provided for them on site. The Housing component will be financed through the State Housing Fund, Federal low-income tax credits and Section A subsidy, State Housing Trust Fund, City funds, conventional lending, and public and private matching funds.
We have the enthusiastic cooperation of the State, City, the Housing Authority, the District Leaders as well as community groups and other private organizations. |
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2. Economic Distress Information
Recruitment Area:
The neighborhood is a diverse collection of many communities which includes mixed use residential, retail and small manufacturing firms located in the northern area of the neighborhood. The neighborhood is an ethnic blend with a predominance of Minorities, a large Polish population in north and a significant Chinese population in the south, and the rest of the mix is Hispanic, other Asians and Pacific Islanders and Black. The population has been in continual decline throughout the 200X's until the last decade. One cause of the population exodus has been the decline of the previously dominant manufacturing base that sustained the community throughout the years between the world war to the 200X's.
The neighborhood is particularly vulnerable and dependent on expanding employment opportunities for both cultural and demographic reasons. Culturally, the predominance of Hispanic and Chinese populations feature large extended families with many children and therefore require greater financial resources to sustain themselves in difficult times. Furthermore the Chinese population is confined to the area and is unable to search for opportunities elsewhere. Demographically, the population of the neighborhood is unusually youthful. More than one third of the population is under 28 years of age with the majority under 18.
The poverty rate is overwhelming. The neighborhood has one of the highest poverty rates in all of The City. Over one third of the population is below the poverty line. Over 50% of the residents are foreign born and have great difficulty in speaking and writing English. The unemployment rate is over 10% with some census tracts over 20%. And this does not account for the hidden unemployment and underemployment that is pervasive in the local area.
From the figures available at the present time the future looks no better. Half of the available population is in the labor force. Much of this can be traced to the lack of available employable skills, or a mismatch between the skills of the residents and those required by regional industries. Most of the members of the local community who are employed work in low wage jobs such as machine operators, clerical support, service work, sales and general labor. thirteen percent of the population are professionals, managers, or in technical positions, another twelve percent are involved in the crafts. With the emerging young population entering the work force, the neighborhood is drastically in need of new employment possibilities.
The neighborhood, as is the case in many of the neighborhoods of The City, has been losing manufacturing jobs. The firms that provided these positions in the past have and continue to move to other parts of the country and abroad. One in five manufacturing plants left the neighborhood in the last fifteen years but the number of jobs that disappeared in that period in these industries declined by 41%. Those industries that remaining utilize fewer and fewer workers, emphasising basic skills and experiencing high turnover because of the nature of the employment and the low wages that these jobs pay.
Many of the manufacturing firms that still employed local individuals tend to hire immigrants as machine operators and for other low skilled positions. Technical and skilled positions in local businesses employed educated residents, however, for these skilled positions there is little if any turnover and thus no opportunity for new employment for the emerging youthful population.
The neighborhood is facing an inevitable crisis involving the continuing viability of the surrounding communities and industries to support and employed the local population. Without a significant change in the current trends younger people will be forced to leave to find employment to support their families.
One of the potential areas of economic growth in the next decade is likely to be housing construction. The housing situation is in crisis. After the initial population loss between 19X0 to the 19X0's, the population rose dramatically in the late 19X0's and increased by close to 10% officially in the last decade. Unofficially, we believe the growth was even more dramatic, if only because of the number of immigrants (1/3rd of the community) and the potential for under-reporting in a region where large families, language skills, and closed communities make official census reporting extraordinarily difficult. Thus housing is at a premium and affordable housing even more precious.
With recent changes in zoning concomitant with huge increases in the number of young families its is extremely likely that housing production in the area will be a major development sector in the local economy. Space has been at a premium for the past several years, however the rezoning of vacant industrial space and the federal government's abandonment of the waterfront will provide vast tracts of necessary space for the expansion of both market rate and assisted housing.
In these circumstances training for the construction trades has the potential to have a major impact on the local labor force. The likelihood of both union and non-union employment in construction for building both housing and the resulting infrastructure improvements is likely to be a growth industry in the near future. Training dollars for the purposes of instructing young people in the capability of performing construction work and related tasks is liable to be well spent.
Job training and education is not a luxury for this community and its citizens, it is a necessity.
(see related census data and other information from City's Community Needs Assessment, 199X, attached in Appendix A)
Housing Area
The community in which the housing site is located is one in which housing has been identified as a critical need. The shortage of affordable and assisted housing is at a crisis level. Overcrowding is rampant and homelessness pronounced. It will be unlikely that public housing construction alone will be able to effect any change in the near future. Although The City has 2000 units of public housing in development, there is difficulty in finding sites which meet both Federal Housing criteria and are able to pass community standards.
Thus the need for affordable housing will primarily be the province of public-private partnerships, who will have the backing of community support and the capability of producing affordable housing for the residents of the local community.
This will be especially true in the neighborhood where there is a preponderance of public housing (6506 units) as a percentage of assisted units and a resistance to new public housing construction a small portion of the units will go to local residents.
New ways must be found to finance and construct affordable housing. From the census data it can readily be observed that the neighborhood experienced a growth of only 661 units (1.21%) in the past decade, while the population increased by nearly ten percent. Most of the new construction was for market rate units, which had no effect on the population requiring assisted housing.
The vacancy rate of all rental housing in the City is under 5% and in the neighborhood the shortages are even more severe. There is no available public housing and there are over 200,000 families on the waiting lists. There are large numbers of substandard and deteriorated units and many abandoned buildings.
It should also be noted that there are large numbers of young families who as yet are unable to afford the full cost of market rate housing because of their incipient position in the workforce and the wages that the positions that they hold now pay.
It is clear from even a cursory reading of the data that there is a drastic need for construction of affordable units and the CHT initiative will play an essential role in solving this housing problem.
(see related census data and other information from City's Community Needs Assessment, 199X, attached in Appendix A) |
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3. Program Cost
The bulk of the Department of Neighborhood Preservation grant funds will be used for the Non-Housing component of the program. We estimate that between 220 to 260 people will be served in the year long program. The program's Administrative cost will be be about 14 percent of the grant budget.
Abbreviated Department of Neighborhood Preservation grant cost breakdown is as follows:
Non-Housing Component - $600,000.00
Administrative Cost - $100,000.00
Total Grant Budget - $700,000.00
The Non-Housing Component costs include salaries, staff, trainee stipends and wages, liability insurance, job placement, legal expenses, recruitment, and tools and materials for training and education and construction work.
Administrative costs include all of the appropriate financial and program reporting requirements, accounting and auditing costs, payroll and secretarial work and other standard administrative costs.
The Housing Component program costs will be funded through other sources including but not limited to State Housing Fund, Federal low-income tax credits and Section A subsidy, State Housing Trust Fund, City funds, conventional lending, and public and private matching funds.
(see detailed Program Budget attached in Appendix A) |
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4. Program Goals and Objectives
This proposal is for a Department of Neighborhood Preservation grant for the Community Housing and Training (CHT) initiative administered by the CBO and LNO in the neighborhood. The goal of the program is to provide occupational training construction skills and on-the-job-experience as well as basic educational services and leadership development counseling.
Participants in the program will improve their proficiency in English and will prepare for the General Educational Development examination leading to a State High School Equivalency Diploma. |
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5. Target Population
The target population for CHT is the community's most economically, occupationally, and educationally disadvantaged young men and women. The grant administrators will utilize the resources of the community, along with those of experts in educational planning and administration, to implement the program.
Outreach, recruitment, and selection are critical components of this CHT program. It is essential that the program administrators reach, recruit, and select those young men and women who are most in need of the resources offered. The following will be utilized by the program planners and administrators to reach and recruit program participants:
community newspapers and radio stations, using both community service announcements and advertisements
community agencies (such as the Police Athletic League, Boys and Girls Clubs, Children's Aid Society, and local social service agencies and public and privately-run homeless shelters) to identify potential program participants who are currently in or have dropped out of social service programs.
court officers and probation officers who can identify participants who have recently been discharged from youth correctional institutions or city or state prisons
local religious institutions and their affiliated youth groups
local agencies that work with physically disabled clients or those recovering from alcohol or other substance abuse problems who might be able to utilize the services of the program
high school guidance counselors, who could identify those students who are about to leave high school or those who have very recently dropped out
community office of local political leaders, ranging from district leaders, to members of the City Council, State Legislature, or Congress
individuals who refer themselves or others
All recruitment efforts are to be conducted without consideration of a participant's race, ethnicity, sex, disability, or sexual orientation, and a statement to this effect will accompany all public service announcements, advertisements, and locally-placed flyers or posters.
As part of the effort to recruit and retain participants with dependent children, it will be necessary for the program planners to study the feasibility of providing child care services for those hours during which program participants are on job sites and in the classroom. CHT participants will be selected according to the following criteria:
Participants must be between the ages of 16-24
They must have left high school or be in serious risk of dropping out of high school. 75% of program participants will have already left high school.
They must be very low income or come from very low income families.
They should express an interest in learning about the construction trades and in completing a State High School Equivalency Diploma by preparing for the General Educational Development examination through the CHT program
Twenty-five participants will be selected on the basis of recommendations of local community agencies and leaders and on the basis on an interview discussion with a CHT program administrator. Students should be counseled prior to their acceptance into the program regarding its length (1 year) and the daily time commitment (9am-6pm, Monday through Friday) involved. |
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6. Program Activities
Reasonable Costs
The planning process has taken into account all reasonable and legitimate expenses related to the implementation of the CHT program. The CBO has had extensive experience in managing, implementing and administering training and counseling programs and this knowledge has been put to use to devise both the program and the budget.
Cost estimates have been based on a detailed program design which takes into account all of the criteria, clients and other aspects of the CHT program, which include staffing, wages, stipends, educational costs, cultural activities, liability insurance and uniforms, tools and equipment. Other costs that will be incurred will include counseling and support services, leadership development and job placement.
The program is based on a year long schedule which takes into account the difficulty, hazard and liability that training young people for the construction trades entail. Safety will be emphasized and all progress through the program will be based on capability, ability, attentiveness and responsibility.
The instruction for each of the trades that is covered (carpentry, electrical, plumbing and pipe fitting, and masonry) will be conducted by trainers who have practiced the trade that they will teach. In this way the students will learn a great deal more than just how to perform the tasks that each of the trades require. They will also be involved in the actual practice of construction as laborers on the site and will acquire necessary understanding of the actual process of construction and the folkways that govern behavior at construction sites.
Each of the students will be paid a small stipend for both work and the attending of classes. We have figured this stipend on the basis of the 10 months that the students will be in the actual schooling of the program. The remaining period will be spent in outreach and job placement activities. Each of the trainees will likewise be provided appropriate safety equipment, tools and clothing such as steel-toe work boots, Carhardts, work gloves, hammers, etc. Classroom supplies will also be provided in whatever manner is deemed advisable by the instructors.
We have estimated these cost as follows:
Outreach and recruitment activities will be extensive and the pool of applicants will be large those not selected will be placed on a waiting list for other training activities.
Educational and job training services will require one full time supervisor/counselor, 4 part time classroom instructors and 4 part time trade instructors. The cost of staffing will be $10,000 per student.
Trainee wages stipends and fringe benefits for the 10 month period will be $9,600.00 per student.
Supplies and materials for each of the trainees, which will enable them to pursue instant outside employment once the program is over will be $1,500.00 per trainee.
All other costs of the program are reasonable and customary and are illustrate in the budget worksheets.
Program Planning
The CHT program described in this exhibit comprises recruitment, training, education, professional and peer counseling, leadership development, and job placement for young men and women from the neighborhood who have not finished high school, qualify as very low income community residents, and have very limited training, educational, or job placement resources available to them. The grant will include feasibility studies on recruiting students to the program; utilizing and supporting existing community counseling, child care, health care, and job counseling services and developing new services where these do not already exist; retaining students in the program once they have begun their on-site training and educational activities; providing comprehensive English as a Second Language training and instruction toward successful completion of a State High School Equivalency Diploma (through the GED examination); and follow-up with students once they have completed the program and are working in their communities.
Wherever possible, community resources will be put to effective use. In some instances, it will be necessary to work with educational consultants to develop the comprehensive educational component of this CHT program. The Partners have already injected significant energy into planning, course and program development in order to implement CHT at as early a date as possible. Careful planning at the early stages of the proposed CHT program has enable the Partners to address the diverse educational and job training needs of the participating communities.
Potential problems and Solutions
The planning process will be focused on the recruitment and retention of students in the CHT program. The planners will need to study the availability of local resources for recruiting students: community newspapers, local popular radio stations, community centers, police precinct community relations staffs and the Police Athletic League, local Boys and Girls Clubs, the Children's Aid Society, churches, mosques, synagogues and other religious institutions and their related youth groups, alcohol and drug rehabilitation centers, high school guidance counselors (to identify students at risk of dropping out of school who may be appropriate participants), community service agencies that work with disabled young people, and individual referrals will be useful sources for locating potential CHT program participants. The program planners and administrators need to make connections with these sources and establish working relationships with them in order to compliment existing community services while providing a unique educational and job training opportunity for the target population. Specifically, the planning process will be targeted at working closely with the community to establish CHT as a viable community program.
During the implementation stage, it will be necessary to work closely with participants before they begin their on-site construction training or classroom education. It will be necessary to provide intensive and extensive pre-program counseling that will help participants to understand the scope of the CHT program; the education, counseling, and training opportunities it provides; the importance of personal commitment to changing earlier patterns of attendance, punctuality, and responsibility in a job or school setting; and the potential to use the training to make significant changes in a participant's life. Where appropriate, participants who require ongoing assistance with psychiatric or drug-related problems will be referred to outside agencies for counseling. Such counseling in the earliest stages will help program participants to set and achieve reasonable goals, develop their potential as students and working men and women, and remaining in the program.
Many community residents who wish to take advantage of CHT may be prevented from doing so because of the need to care for their dependent children. As part of the effort to recruit and retain these program participants, program planners will study the feasibility of providing child care for those hours during which program participants are on the job as well as the time when they are in class. It will be necessary to consider issues such as on-site day care versus hiring local residents to care for children in their homes. In addition, it is critical that program planners take into account the insurance, licensing, and the health care, nutritional, and educational requirements of any program that cares for pre-school children. All of these issues need to be studied and specific provisions for child care will have to be formulated.
In many construction jobs, the ability to drive can be an asset for a worker. However, many potential workers from very low income families may never have had the opportunity to acquire this important skill. CHT participants who have not acquired a State driver's license will be able to study for the written test through the counseling component of the CHT program. It is expected that those students who require practical driving instruction may benefit from a contractual arrangement with a local driving school.
In-House Staff Training
Staff members recruited for the CHT program will be required to work effectively as a team. Many will work with participants in more than one content area and all will be expected to assume counseling and leadership-building tasks with the group as well as a traditional classroom teaching roles. All staff members will need to spend considerable individual time developing lessons and curricular materials outside of required class time. In order to facilitate the team-building process, all CHT staff members will participate in a one-week retreat comprised of workshops and discussions focused on the community, the construction trades, the program's population, and the mission and goals of the project. The five-day retreat will be held at the CHT site and will consist of the following activities:
Monday Morning: Team Building Workshop (outside consultant) role-playing, discussions, and exercises to help staff members develop a closer acquaintance with each other's individual expertise
Monday Afternoon: CHT's Mission and goals presentations by program administrators and discussion
Tuesday Morning: Introduction to Construction I field trip to a construction site that will help staff members to become more familiar with the environment in which CHT participants will be spending an important part of their working day
Tuesday Afternoon: Introduction to Construction II lectures by representatives of the construction trades to help staff members understand basic terminology and work processes on the job
Wednesday Morning: ESL I presentation by the ESL staff on the basic clients of teaching to a non-native speakers of English
Wednesday Afternoon: ESL II practice lessons and discussions presented as if the class were comprised of non-native speakers of English
Thursday Morning: Computer Lab presentation by the staff member in charge of the computer lab to familiarize staff members with its resources discussion of computer-assisted instruction
Thursday Afternoon: Computer Lab II further discussion of computer-assisted instruction and software programs to which participants with particular difficulties can be referred
Friday Morning: Counseling I discussion of community and CHT program resources to assist participants with problems related to health, housing, child care, and family or legal emergencies
Friday Afternoon: Counseling II workshop on recognition and assistance with learning disabilities; drug, alcohol, or other substance abuse; physical abuse in a family or relationship; or personal psychological difficulties.
Housing Plans
The site of both the housing program and the training activities will be conducted at the Avenue in the neighborhood. The CBO has an option on the property and may use it for both instructional and construction purposes. 36 housing units will be rehabilitated to be used as assisted rental housing with a portion devoted to transitional housing for homeless victims of disaster. The CBO will be the general contractor and developer of the project as well as the director of the program. At the end of the construction period CBO will be the property manager of the site.
The scope of work will be determined on an individual basis considering the condition of each of the individual units as recommended by the architectural and engineering study. It is anticipated that bath and kitchen remodeling will take place along with electrical and plumbing upgrades so as to bring the units into line with current housing standards. The work will take place in concert with the training activities. The students will be actively engaged in learning the relevant construction trades on the site. The construction items identified in the grant amount will be used to construct the classrooms on the lower floors of the building where there is vacant commercial space.
The costs for acquisition, rehabilitation and rental subsidy, planning, predevelopment and development are being funded through a variety of assisted housing programs sponsored by the City, State and Federal government, including housing tax credits, and private grants and loans.
Site
a. The site of both the housing program and the training activities is located at the Avenue in the neighborhood.
b. The number of units that will rehabilitated will be 40, including 36 units of assisted rental housing with a portion devoted to transitional housing for homeless victims of disaster, and 4 units of vacant commercial space on the lower floors of the building that will be used as classrooms.
c. (see attached Deed and Site control documents.)
Construction and Property management
The CBO will be the construction and property manager for the project. The experience of the applicant is detailed on Exhibit 2.
Housing for the Homeless
The CBO is the initial phases of negotiation with the City, the American Red Cross and other community groups identifying homeless families and individuals, who have become homeless as a result of a loss of their permanent housing through fire. We have done substantial research and have produced a program and documentation for financing and administering this project.
Besides the transitional sheltering there will be a complete social service and housing component involved in the program. The CHT initiative will be a part of this innovative program.
Rehabilitation
The housing units will require new kitchens and bathrooms and also interior painting. Contractors will be hired to handle these tasks and will be selected by competitive bid open to qualified contractors. The work will be supervised by the CBO staff and the architectural and engineering firm selected. The tasks in this assignment will take approximately four months from 6/1/0X to 9/30/0X. A summary cost breakdown for the rehabilitation is as follows:
Cost of Kitchen Cabinets - $300,000.00
Cost of Bath Fixtures - $150,000.00
Carpentry Costs - $120,000.00
Plumbing - $80,000.00
Electrical Work - $120,000.00
Appliances - $150,000.00
Tile Work - $60,000.00
Miscellaneous - $20,000.00
Painting - $40,000.00
Cleaning, Disposal and Finishing - $10,000.00
Total Cost of Rehabilitation - $1,050,000.00
Coordination:
a. The CBO has ongoing relationships with faculty at various colleges and universities in the City's metropolitan area as well as relationships with various other social service agencies. It is anticipated that several of those completing the program will continue their education at one of the two sites of the State College in the neighborhood. The college has run classes in the target area in the past and is expected to offer others in the future. Currently, CBO has a working relationship with the Neighborhood Community Center which has set a referral service for those seeking jobs in the community. Job training programs and other educational services are available in the community from the Worker's Union. The CBO has donated office space to that union so that greater outreach could take place. The expectation is that more than a few would be ready to obtain services from that program after one year in the CHT program. Currently, CBO itself offers assistance to the community in referring residents to needed child care and counseling programs. All participating in the program would, of course, be able to use those services. Currently, the CBO has on its staff a social worker who provides or refers residents to needed social services. When unable to provide the necessary counseling herself, the social worker does make refers the client to other agencies.
b. In the past CBO has served as a center for the State's Homeless Housing Program. The staff of that program are currently employed at the CBO and have extensive contacts with those in the program as well as the various city agencies that serve the homeless. The staff itself is now in a housing program funded by the city to assist those tenants in need of services (Community Improvement Contract funded by the City). These contacts and skills will be further developed and provided to the staff of the CHT program both in the Planning phase as well as during the training period of that program.
c. During the planning phase of the CHT program all of the Joint Boards as well as the unions of the construction industry will be contacted for exact information concerning their apprenticeship programs. The CBO's contacts with the various unions as well as their personal contacts with the educational directors of the unions should provide the CHT program with the contacts necessary to facilitate the transition between the CHT program and those of the unions in the construction industry.
Counseling, Leadership Development, and Social Services
Although the Counseling and Leadership Development class component is integral to CHT's success, it is also the case that every class, group activity, and on-the-job experience presents an opportunity for leadership development. Staff members will be trained in essential team building skills not only to form a cohesive cooperative learning group but also to work closely with CHT participants to facilitate and encourage the development of both individual and group skills. Speaking in large and small groups; presenting an argument; negotiating; and mediating among conflicting points of view will all be developed through solving real problems presented to the group; role playing; and simulation games.
Participants may come to CHT with myriad personal and social problems for which they may need advice and counseling. The program plans a feasibility study of child care as part of the grant process; students who require counseling for substance abuse, marital, legal, or other family problems will be referred to local community social service agencies.
Educational and Job Training Services
Activities
The schedule below indicates the various educational and job training activities of the CHT program.
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
9am Construction Skills and On-the-Job Training
10am Construction Skills and On-the-Job Training
11am Construction Skills and On-the-Job Training
12pm -------- LUNCH -------
1pm -------- ESL -------
2pm Reading, Speech, Reading, Computer Lab, Reading
3pm Writing, Math, Writing, Math, Leadership Counseling
4pm Analytical Thinking, Math, Analytical Thinking, Leadership Counseling
Construction Skills and On-the-Job-Training
This component of the participants' training will be developed with the advice of an expert in apprenticeship training from one or more of The City's construction unions. The consultant will be employed mainly to provide assistance in developing specific program modules to teach specific job-related skills. CHT program participants will work on construction and rehabilitation projects in their communities.
CHT program Course Descriptions:
Construction Skills: this course consists of closely-supervised on-the-job work experience at a local construction site. Students will become familiar with construction terminology; common work procedures in different construction trades; the importance of teamwork; and safety procedures. Supervisors will be men and women who have achieved journeyman status in their respective trades, and the ratio of students to supervisors will be no more than 7:1.
English as a Second Language I: this course will provide English language instruction to those CHT participants who require rudimentary instruction in English. It will meet at the same time as ESL II and will share the same cultural events such as field trips and guest speakers. Topics to be studied include basic grammar; simple sentence structure; speaking; reading comprehension; and writing.
English as a Second Language II: this course will provide English language instruction to those CHT participants who require more advanced instruction in English. It will meet at the same time as ESL I and will share the same cultural events such as field trips and guest speakers. Topics to be studied include grammar and syntax; simple and complex sentence structures; idiomatic expressions and humor; speaking, reading comprehension; and writing.
ESL training is a critical component of the CHT program, as many participants will not have sufficient proficiency in English to allow them to compete successfully in the job market, perform complex tasks on a construction site, or earn their State General Education Diploma. Participants will receive five hours per week of ESL instruction. The twenty-five students in the program will be grouped according to their English proficiency, with class size ranging from 10-15 students. The program will employ two ESL instructors, each on a part-time basis. They will work together to coordinate classroom instruction, lectures, and trips that relate to the history of the City and its various working and immigrant populations. These lectures and trips will compliment ESL class work and assignments. Reading, Writing, and Speech will also be taught by the ESL instructors in order to maintain a focus on language learning. Examples of culture-focused lectures and trips that can form the basis of classroom assignments in ESL, Reading, Writing, and Speech, include:
Lectures and Trips
The City's Early History Museum of the American Indian; American Museum of Natural History; Museum of the City; The City's Immigrant Heritage Museum; Tenement Museum; The City's Hispanic Heritage Museum; The Chinese Worker's Museum; The Chinese Heritage Museum; City's Workers Transit Museum; The Area Waterfront; The City in Literature; The City Public Library; The City's Working Women Museum
The instructors who teach ESL, Reading, and Writing should make every effort to coordinate as much City urban and ethnic history and culture as possible into language and basic skill teaching. Where feasible, they should also coordinate trips with the counselor, who can accompany the group during the block of time usually scheduled for Counseling and Leadership Development.
Reading and Writing
Reading: this course provides practice in reading comprehension, fluency, and speed. Materials used in the course range from instructions for operating construction equipment to advertisements, stories, newspaper articles, driver education booklets, and compositions written by students. The course will also include practice in reading aloud.
Writing: Students in this course will improve their writing fluency, skill, and speed. Taught in conjunction with ESL I and II, Reading, and Speech, students will focus on sentence structure, paragraph development, and the presentation of a written argument. Subject matter can range from job experiences and personal entries in a journal to current events.
As described above, these courses are closely connected to the teaching of English as a Second Language. They should also be focused on teaching the skills necessary to work successfully in construction and to achieving a passing score on the City and State General Educational Development examination leading to a high school equivalency diploma. During the last quarter of the one-year program, instructors will develop and use test-taking exercises to help students become familiar with taking standardized tests. As in most GED programs, CHT participants will have the opportunity to take practice tests, both under exam conditions in class and on the computer during their Computer Lab time or after hours. Two hours each week will be dedicated to instruction in Reading and another two in Writing. Points of grammar, spelling, punctuation, sentence structure, and the formulation of a logical argument will all receive attention in these sessions that will dovetail with the participants' study of English language and structure in their ESL classes.
Speech
This course provides practice in a variety of forms of oral communication: reading a prepared text, conversation, group discussion, argumentation, and extemporaneous speaking. Students will be encouraged to share their own written work with colleagues as they improve their fluency and diction.
CHT participants will receive one hour each week in Speech instruction. this will consist of prepared and improvised conversations, reading aloud, extemporaneous discussions of topics important to the students, job interviewing practice, and informal group discussions of lectures, trips or recent classes. The Speech component of the curriculum is closely tied to the Reading, Writing, and Leadership Counseling components in that it seeks to improve the participants' self-image and self-confidence as well as specific cognitive skills.
Mathematics
Students will become familiar with basic mathematical operations such addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, number placement, and basic algebra. They will also become familiar with basic geometry. Learning materials introduce mathematical skills required in construction as well as everyday activities such as shopping or reading a chart or graph in a newspaper.
Practical mathematics in occupational and consumer settings will form an important component of the Mathematics curriculum. However, it will be necessary to insure that participants had a solid grounding in basic mathematical concepts and computational skills. The following topics will be among those covered in the Mathematics curriculum:
Basic operations: addition, subtraction, multiplication, division; Number placement, reading simple and complex numbers; Reading simple charts and graphs; Fractions; Decimals; Percents; Basic Algebra; Geometry; Introduction to Statistics
Computer Lab
Students will become familiar with the operation of a personal computer and with computer-assisted instruction for all of their courses. They will be encouraged to write on the computer, and typing tutorial programs will be available. Supervised group exercises and drills of basic PC functions (such as using the control, shift, and function keys) will lead to individualized and personalized learning on the PC.
The CHT program will provide computer-assisted instruction in Reading, Writing, and Mathematics. Participants will be able to reinforce concepts learned in their classes by using software that allows them to repeat operations and view screens with information at their own pace. The Lab will be available at a scheduled class time and during designated evening and weekend hours.
Analytical Thinking
This course provides an introduction to the social sciences through case studies of local neighborhood development, ethnic history, the construction industry and the economy of The City. Students will use community resources, newspapers, oral history interviews, and other resources to research and understand their own communities.
Principles of scientific inquiry, such as observation and experimentation, will provide tools for inquiry in various social science disciplines. Examples of topics to be studied in Analytical Thinking include:
What is an Urban Neighborhood? Providing Community Services in the Urban Environment. Health Care as a National and Community Policy Issue. The Contribution of Immigrants to the Economy of the City. History of the Construction Industry.
Where appropriate, local community political and government leaders will be invited to share their expertise on selected topics.
Leadership Counseling
This component of the CHT program transcends its allotted class time by being a component of all classroom and job site experiences. Students will work together to solve problems, negotiate solutions, and present divergent points of view. They will discuss issues of personal development, keep journals of their experiences in the CHT program, and encourage each other to seek solutions for such problems as substance abuse, marital difficulties, or legal problems. this component of the program will also be the locus of high school equivalency testing through the GED exam, driver education, job placement, college referral, and other services as needed.
Leadership Counseling offers CHT program participants an opportunity to learn how to find the resources to address personal, family, and community problems. During the course of the year, students will discuss their progress on the job site and in the classroom. The program counselor will integrate class activities, including lectures and trips, into the weekly discussions. Participants will also become familiar with job interviewing techniques and strategies through informational films, discussions, role-playing of interview situations. The Leadership Counseling component of the program will also serve as a job referral service with connection to those local community organizations that lent their support in recruiting participants for the CHT program. |
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7. Program Staff
Two ESL instructors will be required to accommodate differing levels of English language proficiency. These instructors will also teach Reading, Writing, and Speech. The teaching load will be eleven hours per week. During the weeks when Friday afternoon trips or lectures are scheduled, these instructors will teach hours.
One instructor to teach Math, Computer Lab, and Analytical Thinking. The typical teaching load for this instructor will be seven hours per week.
One Leadership Counselor. this instructor's actual classroom teaching load is two hours each Friday. It will be important for this person to be available every day for individual counseling and intervention and to participate, where appropriate, in late afternoon Math and Analytical Thinking classes, giving him/her a ten-hour per week load. The Counselor will also participate in scheduled lectures and trips.
Three program associates, most likely graduate students in Social Work, Urban Affairs, or Education. The Associates will attend classes with program participants, take part in scheduled lectures and trips, and arrange tutoring on a one-to-one basis in cooperation with instructors.
One Director/Program Administrator to handle all of the administrative, compliance, and educational needs of the program. |
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8. Program Results
Job Placement and Post-Graduation Follow-Up
The one-year CHT program will offer participants a solid cognitive, developmental, and experiential foundation for future life and work. However, training and education require substantive follow-up in the form of job placement and continuing counseling services for program graduates.
During the last month of the CHT program, as participants focus on interviewing and oral and written skills (development of a resume) in their Speech, Writing, and Leadership Counseling classes, they will become familiar with job listings posted by the State Department of Labor available in hard copy or on disk. Help wanted ads will offer an additional source of job leads, as will jobs posted with local community social service agencies. Applicants will receive support as they interview for jobs in the form of funds for transportation and counseling services as appropriate.
Participants will also receive counseling and information regarding additional job training and union apprenticeship programs for which they might be eligible. Those who wish to explore the possibility of attending college will be referred to Higher Education Opportunity Programs at the community colleges of the City University of the City. The resources of the Computer Laboratory will be available to program graduates, as will referrals to local social service agencies.
This component of the program will also be the focus of high school equivalency testing through the GED exam, driver education, job placement, college referral, and other services as needed.
Measurable objectives will be achieved by the number of youths who are recruited and who complete the application process. In addition for each class and the on the job training sessions, attendance will be taken, attendance will measure the degree of program success. No applicant will be permitted to graduate without attending 90% of the sessions in each area.
Upon acceptance into the program each student will be given a traditional placement exam the scores of which will be compared with the scores upon graduation.
Job and higher education placement will be recorded with follow-up after one year of the exiting of the individual students. Follow-Up counseling will be made available.
Completion rate of housing will be judged by unit occupancy after one year from the start of the program.
Program Linkages
The CBO and the LNO both have a history of dealing with other community groups and forming partnerships and alliances with other neighborhood organizations and a wide variety of groups and programs.
The CBO has performed these significant linkages over the past ten years with these results.
A co-venture with the Service Agency for transitional housing for battered women. The CBO is the owner and developer and the Service Agency is the tenant. The program houses and counsels battered women and provides them with appropriate legal and social services. Partnership with the Local Housing Development Corporation. for the development of low income housing. Linkage with the Senior Citizens Center of the neighborhood advocating for the construction of additional elderly and disabled housing. Alliance with the Neighborhood Legal Services for the protection of tenants' rights and requiring that landlords provide adequate services. Association with the Community Training Center for job training, counseling and placement services. Partnership with an Hispanic housing non-profit corporation for development of assisted housing, housing advocacy and tenants rights and the Home Improvement program. Affiliation with the Coalition of Neighborhood Women. Affiliation with the Home Improvement Coalition to provide updated Home Improvement services to the residents of the neighborhood.
The LNO has been in partnership with many groups and organizations in attempting to fulfill its mission.
Some of these activities are:
Affiliation with the Opportunity Improvement Corporation in various activities including the building of a community health center and the construction of the Gardens Apartments assisted housing development. At the present time the LNO is engaged with another local non-profit housing organization, in the joint development of a 20 unit housing project on another Street. The LNO is negotiating with the Economic Improvement organization to produce a study of the community. At the present time LNO is attempting to find sites that will attract a large supermarket into the area and is involved in the Neighborhood Housing Development Co. which is involved in purchasing, developing and constructing a mixed income, ownership and rental housing development in several buildings in the area. For the purposes of providing proper training and counseling for the CHT program the partnership has approached the Council for Training and Education for help in providing the appropriate specific and broader curriculum that will necessary for the progress of each of the program participants.
Matching Funds
The CHT program will be the beneficiary of Federal funds in the amount of $150,500.00 that will be designated by the CBO from a State Training Grant that was awarded to the CBO in Fiscal Year 200X for the purpose of promoting community development activities in the neighborhood.
The funds will be spent for the purposes of program planning, outreach and recruitment activities, materials and equipment, training and technical assistance for the staff, and job placement and follow-up services.
Outreach and recruitment efforts will benefit from $25,000.00 of the special program grant fund.
Private Support
The CBO and LNO will have pro-bono architectural and engineering work performed as a part of the program so as to support the CHT initiative and to provide for more affordable housing.
Housing Project Funding
Rent subsidies and homeless housing costs will be financed through the State Housing Fund, Federal low-income tax credits and Section A subsidy. $150,000 in planning, predevelopment and development, and acquisition costs will be financed through public and private matching funds. $1,050,000 in construction costs will be funded through the State Housing Trust Fund, City funds, conventional lending, and private matching funds. |
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Organization Background
Participants
The CBO has been instrumental in establishing programs for social services, housing and education and training for the entire area for the past 20 years. The CBO has been instrumental in its advocacy on housing issues as well as protesting the level of safe, decent, affordable housing provided throughout the city. In addition the CBO has built or rehabilitated and managed hundreds of units of low income housing in the past decade.
The LNO is a singular and primary source of essential services for residents of the community. The LNO is an umbrella organization which with its affiliates administer a comprehensive retinue of programs involving social services, health, educational, vocational and housing. The LNO itself provides fundamental social services involving counseling in a variety of governmental, social, health and family related programs.
The mission of the LNO is focused in three major areas. The first is the providing a range of direct hands-on constituent services including but not limited to counseling and referral on assisted housing, social security, employment and education services and health care. The second is fundamentally directed towards planning and development with an emphasis on housing development, business planning and job training. The third area of importance is community relations and advocacy for issues of importance for the community.
(see Joint Applicants Mememorandum of Understanding attached in Appendix A)
The CBO
The CBO's housing work can be roughly divided into three areas: tenant/landlord mediation, rights in court; housing management; and housing development. The CBO offers assistance to tenants and landlords regarding their housing rights and responsibilities. this assistance preserves more low income housing than could ever be developed. When mediation and negotiation do not settle housing problems, Housing Court cases follow. In order to work for better housing laws and to utilize volunteers in teaching tenant rights, CBO organized the Neighborhood Tenants League. The Tenants League has been in operation for more than six years, with regular monthly meetings and housing rights clinics. The CBO manages 25 buildings (City-owned), 222 residential units in all. management and rehabilitation of City-owned buildings, many previously abandoned, is through the City Program. The CBO has been under contract with the City since 19XX to manage housing.
Housing development projects include the moderate rehabilitation of a 50 unit residential building purchased from the City in 19XX. this project marked the beginning of CBO's bank mortgage-financed rehabilitation. After four years of organizing and pressure, a Federal new construction housing project was awarded in 19XX. this project brought 150 units of desperately needed low income housing to the Community. Facade Improvement Program funds from the City have stabilized and beautified the neighborhood's main commercial strip. Historic restoration of other residential properties, funded through the National Historic Fund, is also taking place. Several vacant buildings are being renovated under an area program, which provides up to $6,000 per building. All told, over 160 buildings on ten blocks are receiving assistance. The CBO also sponsors and provides technical assistance to local groups working to rehabilitate vacant City-owned multi-family buildings on the Street. The CBO sponsors, networks and facilitates the formation of housing advocacy groups.
The organizational structure of the CBO is typical of many local community organizations. It is a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit with a governing board comprised of local residents and community leaders.
The LNO
For nearly twenty years the LNO has been a primary resource for the people of the neighborhood. With other affiliated organizations, it has been involved with scores of programs mostly in the social service context, but increasingly involving urban development. The LNO has been active in housing and economic development both singly and through its affiliates and partners for a considerable period of time. It is currently involved in numerous commercial, civic and housing developments in the area. It is responsible for the local Women and Children program, the Home Improvement Program, a Health Care Center, Home Attendant and Housing Counseling programs and has been in charge of Federal, State and Programs. It has been responsible for ten civic, commercial and housing developments since 19XX all of which were privately funded.
The LNO with other local community groups sponsored the Gardens Housing project, six buildings involving 500 units of affordable housing in the neighborhood. At the present time the LNO is attempting to find sites that will attract a large supermarket into the area and is involved in the Neighborhood Housing Development Project which is involved in purchasing, developing and constructing a mixed income, ownership and rental housing development in several buildings in the area. The LNO is examining the possibilities of new enterprises based on the existing skill levels of the working population to effect a positive change in halting business flight and attracting additional sophisticated industries.
Other business development activities which are being pursued as a result of the LNO's mission are:
A Community Revolving Loan Fund
Community Re-Investment Proposal
Potential Food Cooperative
Health Care Agency Startup
Planning and Development Study
Vocational Training Program
CHT Consortium
The organizational structure of the LNO is the same as that of the CBO. It is a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit with a governing board comprised of local residents and community leaders.
Fiscal Responsibility
As evidence of our ability to handle, manage and adequately account for financial resources we have appended a "Schedule of Financial Resources Managed by CBO from 199X to 199X" in the 200X Audited Financial statement. For evidence of ability to use acceptable financial control procedures, please see the appended "Fiscal Internal Control Procedures and Regulations" in the 200X Audited Financial statement. The 200X Audited Financial statement is attached in Appendix A.
Training Program Experience
Since 19XX, the CBO has been providing training and supportive services to high school drop-outs through the Department of employment Housing-Related Work Experience Training Program. 160 participants have already obtained full-time, unsubsidized jobs, but actually, intense placement has not yet started due to this agency's desire to provide a full training cycle to as many of the participants as possible. By so doing, we believe that higher quality placements can be achieved. The training has included full participation in the gut rehabilitation of more than 100 units. this experience is being reinforced through related field trips, lectures, and demonstrations. Remedial education is improving the participants job readiness by improving math and reading skills. Supportive services being provided include help obtaining day care, housing, medical and legal help, etc., as well as intensive work education and counseling.
For the past 10 years, this agency has worked with the Neighborhood Vocational High School training 30-50 students a year from the school. The students are chosen to work along with our rehabilitation and maintenance crews in order to receive work experience training. Classroom training is provided on alternate weeks by the high school. this program has resulted in 3000 students obtaining valuable rehab skills and hundreds of repairs/rehabilitation of low-income tenants' apartments made possible due to the assistance of the trainees. this agency's Community Program actively follows the policy of hiring unemployed local residents and training them on-the-job for maintenance and clerical positions. this policy has resulted in numerous local residents obtaining skills; some of these employees have moved on to private-sector jobs. Since 19XX, this agency hosted Summer Training employment Program workers. We have provided on-the-job training and limited counseling for approximately 100 trainees. The trainees have received experience both in clerical and maintenance work. For many years, this agency has provided architectural drafting training to students from the Neighborhood Vocational School. These students have participated in drafting rehabilitation plans and specifications for the building trades.
Since 19XX, training has been provided to the neighborhood school students in computer work. The students are assisting this agency with a heavy workload of inputting, and at the same time are receiving valuable on-the-job experience. In a previous program, this agency trained unemployed local youths in its Recycling Program. Professional quality recycled products were sold to local businesses and other establishments. Not only did the students obtain professional skills, but the re-use and conservation ethic was instilled and the businesses have benefited from the end products with cost savings and more customers. Also previously, this agency participated with other local community based agencies with the local Training Center on a job placement and training program. Neighborhood people were recruited to come to the office and be interviewed by the Training Center personnel. Those who were ready were matched with available jobs in the community; those who were not job-ready were referred to the appropriate training program. |
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| Program and Operating Budgets: See Sample Budget |
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Appendices (Attachments)
Certificate of Incorporation and By-Laws
IRS 501(c)(3) determination letter
List of officers and Board of Directors
Staff Biographies and Key Staff Resumes
General Operating Budget
Program Budget
200X Audited Financial statement (fiscal year ending December 31, 200X, prepared by Arnie Accountant, CPA, 888-999-7777)
List of other current funding sources and uses (5 years)
200X Annual Report
Related census data and other information from City's Community Needs Assessment, 199X
Joint Applicants Memorandum of Understanding
One subcontractor commitment letter
Three support letters |
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Legal Notices 
