SSUSA Bay Area received big news this month from Department of Children, Youth and Their Families (DCYF) with the announcement of $1.125million in funding focused on, “Leadership and Skill Building – Sports and Physical Activity” over the next 5 years. This a huge step in the growth of the Bay Area Chapter, matching funding from similar city entities in New York and Los Angeles for Street Soccer USA.
This grant opens doors to expand programming in San Francisco to new communities, as we continue to use the power of soccer to break down barriers, bring people together and helping communities realize their own promise.
“Street Soccer USA is proud to be a part of DCYF’s mission to make San Francisco a great place to grow up. We believe every youth should have a safe place to play and the opportunity to be a part of a successful team. Thanks to the leadership of Mayor Mark Farrell and DCYF Director Maria Su, we are able to bring our vision to life.” said Rob Cann, Street Soccer USA’s Chief Impact Officer.
Read below for the full Press Release from DCYF:
“San Francisco, CA – Mayor Mark Farrell and the Department of Children, Youth and Their Families (DCYF) today announced that the City will provide $377 million in new funding support for youth programs over the next five years.
As families in the city increasingly cite affordability as an issue, this investment will support hundreds of youth initiatives, including afterschool programs, employment opportunities and resources for underserved populations, such as transitional age youth.
“These investments continue this city’s longstanding tradition of supporting every one of our residents. Mayor Ed Lee believed it was our responsibility to stay true to our values of inclusiveness and hope, especially for the children of our city. Together, DCYF and our partners remain committed to that legacy,” said Mayor Farrell. “Every child in San Francisco has the ability to reach great heights, but they need the right support and resources to succeed.”
The new funding is made possible by Proposition C, a voter-approved initiative which increased the Children and Youth Fund to 4 cents of every $100 of assessed property tax revenue. DCYF administers the fund to community based organizations that provide services to children, youth, transitional age youth and their families. DCYF issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to determine which programs would receive funding.
DCYF prioritized the lowest income neighborhoods where children and youth are likely to have the greatest level of need for services as well as specific populations that would benefit from targeted programming.
Investment highlights include:
• Increased investment in the Beacon Community School strategy, which provides comprehensive out of school time programming at every San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) middle school and at high-need elementary schools. The new investment of $10.5 million will increase the number of Beacon Community Schools from nine to 27. The Beacon Community Schools will provide powerful learning, integrated health and social supports, and authentic family and community engagement to develop students’ cognitive, social, emotional and civic capacities to more than 8,300 SFUSD elementary and middle school students.
• Increased employment opportunities for youth through High School Partnership Programs. This investment, in the amount of $2 million is projected to serve 1,210 SFUSD students and is designed to provide work-based learning, career exposure, and college readiness programming that is embedded in and intentionally connected to the school day.
• Inclusion of Transitional Age Youth (TAY) funding in 58 proposals in the amount of $16 million for support across all service areas with special focus on education, workforce and justice services.
• $800,000 in funding for case management and supportive services in alignment with the Young Adult Court, a collaborative court model that offers an alternative to detention for justice-involved youth. The program is projected to serve 125 young people, and aims to reduce recidivism and create positive legal and personal outcomes for participants. The model is directed by the Young Adult Court administrative collaborative team, which is comprised of the Young Adult Court Judge, the Superior Court, the District Attorney’s Office, the Public Defender’s Office, and the Adult Probation Department.
“We have reached the culmination of an exciting multi-year planning cycle, and I am proud of the new grant portfolio that resulted from the process,” said Executive Director Maria Su. “Our funding decisions were guided by the population-level data that we track regularly, and by intentionally listening to community members’ needs. DCYF’s new investment in programming ranges from academic support to emotional wellbeing; from arts and music to workforce development and everything in between, and also includes funding committed to building the capacity of the agencies that we fund. The programs we are funding will support and strengthen San Francisco’s children, youth, TAY and families with greatest need. We believe that the continuum of services that our grantees will provide for our children and youth through their development will make San Francisco an even greater place to grow up.”
“Working together, the school district, City and community partners can eliminate the opportunity gap facing our City’s youth,” said SFUSD Superintendent Dr. Vincent Matthews. “The City’s investment and partnership will help provide the wraparound services to support our students’ success. All students can and want to learn and we as the adults have the responsibility for making that happen. “
Kids play at the Street Soccer USA Court in the Tenderloin
SSUSA Volunteers Pictured with Mayor Mark Farrell
