Board Approves $20.6M Head Start Grant, Hears Alarming LGBTQ Service Gaps

The Contra Costa Board of Supervisors marked its March 17 meeting with a historic first — an inaugural International Women's Day celebration spanning decades of county history — while confronting a sobering new report that found just one dedicated LGBTQIA service provider countywide, with others too afraid of federal retaliation to even be named publicly. The board also unanimously approved a $20.6 million Head Start continuation grant after the program passed its federal review with zero deficiencies.

• LGBTQ service assessment finds only one dedicated provider in Contra Costa; some organizations refuse to be publicly identified due to federal funding fears

• $20.6 million Head Start grant approved unanimously for 1,201 childcare slots across 26 centers after program hits 100% federal enrollment

• Inaugural International Women's Day celebration honors five district women leaders and features keynote by former Supervisor Sunny Wright McPeak

• Teen dating violence awareness proclaimed as El Cerrito High School students share personal stories about the YES program's impact

• Red Cross Month recognized with over 1,000 volunteers, 101 disaster responses, and 700+ smoke alarms installed locally last year

• GEMMA Project advocate urges continued Measure X funding for gender-responsive reentry services for incarcerated women

Supervisor Ken Carlson funded a $50,000 assessment by La Piana Consulting to map LGBTQIA+ services across Contra Costa County. The findings, presented to the board as an informational item, painted a stark picture of scarcity, fear, and workarounds.