Oakland Planning and Development Corporation: Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board Grant to Reduce Underage and Dangerous Drinking Request for Proposals: Evaluator Services INTRODUCTION Oakland is a neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with a diverse residential population and a high concentration of undergraduate students in rental properties. Oakland Planning and Development (OPDC) has served Oakland since 1980 with a wide range of community development services. OPDC strategizes with university and community leaders to combat the issue of underage and disruptive drinking in the Oakland community. The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) recently awarded OPDC a two-year grant to bolster its efforts to effectively address these issues. Utilizing canvassing campaigns, block parties, outreach, and targeted law enforcement, OPDC seeks to educate young people on the effects of irresponsible drinking, help to enforce existing laws on drinking constraints, reduce the amount of disruptive parties in Oakland, and improve residents’ quality of life. OPDC seeks the services of an evaluator to assess and report on the quantifiable impact of the activities funded by the grant.
SCOPE OF SERVICES AND DELIVERABLES From March through July, the evaluator will work directly with OPDC, community residents, university officials, and enforcement partners to complete the activities and produce the deliverables as follows:
Complete and review preliminary evaluations on the canvassing campaign, block parties, and targeted law enforcement. Assess each grant activity and measure its effectiveness against set goals. Analyze City of Pittsburgh 311 reports, compiled Pittsburgh Police blotters, and university judicial board disciplinary reports to track data over time. Produce a clear report for submission to the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board.
QUALIFICATIONS We seek a candidate with the following skills: Research expertise Analytical skills Ability to collect and report on both qualitative and quantitative data Technical writing skills Ability to communicate effectively
To apply, please submit a 1-2 page proposal summarizing your interest in the assignment, your understanding of the project, and planned approach. Questions are also welcome. The proposal should be in the form of one pdf document submitted electronically to Alicia Carberry, OPDC’s Oakwatch Coordinator, acarberry@opdc.org by Tuesday, February 18, 2014. The grant has earmarked in $1,500 for this evaluation with the potential of renewal for a second year.
TIMEFRAME RFP release February 4, 2014 Applications due February 18, 2014, 5 PM Applicant interviews February 21 - 25, 2014 Evaluator selection February 26, 2014 Signed evaluator agreement/notice to proceed, February 28, 2014 We hope to complete the scope of services by July 15, 2014.
CUMULATIVE GRANT EVALUATION REPORT INFORMATION Program/Activity name: Neighborhood canvassing to distribute social norm/ educational materials Goals/Objectives: Year One:
Increase awareness of dangers of underage and binge drinking Alert young people to consequences of breaking the law Reduce neighborhood disruptions, reduce image of Oakland as destination for large unpoliced parties
Measurement(s) of effectiveness:
Distribute 1,850 packets of educational material to the community Reduction in large scale parties thrown by 10% in year 1; 15% in year 2
Program/Activity name: Community block parties Goals/Objectives:
Connect the young renter population with permanent residents and families to promote communication between neighbors and increase responsible behavior in the neighborhood. Distribute information about the dangers and consequences of underage drinking Reduce number of large house-parties that take place in locations near community block parties Measurement(s) of effectiveness:
75 Oakland stakeholders attend each event, 50% of which are between the ages of 18-24 years of age; 150 pieces of literature distributed to target audience; 50 exchanges of contact information between owner-occupants and residents between the age of 18-24; Reduction in large scale parties thrown by 10% in year 1; 15% in year 2
Program/Activity name: Enforcement by off-duty police officers Goals/Objectives:
Increase police presence at dangerous events where underage and excessive drinking is occurring;
Reduction in locations for teens and young adults to have easy access to alcohol making it harder for underage drinkers to access alcohol Send a strong message that out of control drinking and behavior is not acceptable behavior in the Oakland community
Measurement(s) of effectiveness: Year one:
Police make/issue 50 arrests/citations involving large house parties where underage and excessive drinking is occurs Decrease the number of dangerous house parties by 10% from previous years data Year two:
Increase citations written at these events by 15% from the preceding year Decrease the number of dangerous house parties by 15% from previous years data (25% from base year) Close down 2 – 4 problem locations through targeted enforcement so parties no longer occur there
Program/Activity name: Data Gathering Goals/Objectives:
Create database of problem properties; Document the offending property’s address, property owners contact information, size of party, and date(s) parties were held. Provide an effective tool to track residences where underage and dangerous drinking occurs. This will provide accurate data to position law enforcement in optimal areas to decrease the response time to enforce out of control parties and dangerous behavior.
Measurement(s) of effectiveness: Year one:
Compile data to provide a baseline of the arrests made and citations written to party houses A 10 minute decrease police response time to 911 calls on disruptive Find contact information and reach out to 80% of the owners of the offending properties, alerting them to the problem and educating them on their rights as the property owner.
Year Two:
Use previous year’s data to use as a baseline of the arrests made and citations written to party houses
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A 5 minute decrease police response time to 911 calls on disruptive properties from year one (15 minutes from base year) Find contact information and reach out to 90% of the owners of the offending properties, alerting them to the problem and educating them on their rights as the property owner.
3. How will information/data be collected? This should include the types of tools, instruments, programs, and/or resources that will be utilized to collect the information/data that will assist in the evaluation of the grant efforts. Data to be collected: We will collect data about already reported nuisance properties, specific violations that have occurred at these properties, who the landlords are of these properties, and the landlord contact information. We will document feedback after outreach to landlords and any actions they take with their tenants. During the neighborhood canvassing campaign and the community block parties, we will document direct feedback from face-to-face interactions, needs and requests for education and resources, how many pieces of literature were distributed, community reactions and feedback and how many people in total attended/volunteered at the events. During the targeted law enforcement component of the program, we will use police reports to document arrests made and citations issued in relation to dangerous drinking, the size of parties and when parties took place, cross-reference this data with our evolving database and after outreach to landlords, document futher actions taken by landlords. Finally, we will consult university judicial boards to see how many of these arrests/citations received further attention through their disciplinary procedures. At the end of the grant year, we will survey community leaders about the impact they experienced throughout the year as a result of the whole year’s grant activities, especially pertaining to a decrease in overall number of disruptive, large house parties.
Tools/instruments/programs/resources: Staff will monthly utilize City of Pittsburgh 911 reports, City of Pittsburgh 311 Response Line reports, resident observations and reports of dangerous and disruptive drinking and large house parties, university law enforcement crime reports, university judicial board disciplinary reports, City of Pittsburgh police citation and arrest reports.