CSB Consulting

A collaborative of Bay Area foundations - the William and Flora Hewlett, James Irvine, Charles and Helen Schwab, and Sobrato Family Foundations - retainedto design and implement an initiative to increase housing opportunities for emancipating foster youth.  We managed all aspects of the $2 million program, which included funding and technical assistance for direct services, capacity building, and policy change projects.  Outcomes included: more than 200 young adults housed; 90 new housing units open or in development; and an increase of more than $33 million in the State’s budget allocation for foster youth housing through advocacy by Initiative-funded organizations.

Seeking a consultant with expertise in planning to end, rather than manage, homelessness, the City of San Jose selected Cassandra Benjamin because of her previous role advising San Francisco, the City of Oakland, and Alameda County on similar efforts.was hired to research legal, governance, fundraising, and staffing structures for the City’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Affordable Housing and Homelessness.  We developed a report with best practice recommendations, and findings were used to design ongoing governance and implementation structures. One of the report recommendations was implementation of one-stop resource centers in San Jose, for which we researched best practices, compiled data, and visited centers around the country to develop specific implementation strategies for the City of San Jose.

Seeking to improve long-term organizational sustainability and effectiveness, the volunteer-run DAAA engaged to lead a strategic planning process. We completed a comprehensive organizational assessment, conducted board development activities, and designed and facilitated a two-day strategic planning retreat. The result was a one-year operating plan incorporating several new organizational strategies to enable the DAAA to become a more sustainable organization. Currently, we assist the DAAA with board governance, development, recruitment, and training.

Intent on addressing the problem of housing affordability in Marin County, the Marin Community Foundation convened a coalition of service providers from their Thriving Families Initiative. was asked to facilitate the collaborative’s efforts to build on their service provision success to promote longer-term system change, working with the fifty-member group to determine specific policy goals and strategies. Results included identification of the collaborative’s advocacy strengths and limitations, and prioritization of three key mobilization actions, with detailed objectives for each.