DATE: March 9, 2021
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Delfino E. Neira, Director, Department of Social Services
SUBJECT: Ratification of Retroactive Agreements for Emergency Shelter Services with RH Community Builders and Poverello House
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
1. Approve and authorize the Chairman to ratify retroactive Agreement with RH Community Builders for Emergency Shelter Services in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, previously executed on February 25, 2021 by the County Administrative Officer acting as the Emergency Services Director, which includes a six-month contract and three optional month-to-month extensions, total not to exceed $2,089,485; and
2. Approve and authorize the Chairman to ratify retroactive Agreement with Poverello House for Emergency Shelter Services in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, previously executed on February 25, 2021 by the County Administrative Officer acting as the Emergency Services Director, which includes a six-month contract and three optional month-to-month extensions, total not to exceed $570,160.
REPORT
There is no additional Net County Cost associated with the recommended actions, which will allow the Department of Social Services to continue providing emergency shelter beds and wrap services in response to COVID-19. The agreements include navigation staff and services to assist sheltered individuals to move toward permanent housing strategies. This item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
Should your Board elect not to approve the recommended actions, the COVID-19 emergency shelter beds and ancillary services provided by RH Community Builders (RHCB) and Poverello House (Poverello) will stop and an estimated 269 homeless individuals will be required to find alternative shelter and food amid the ongoing pandemic. Additionally, the County will be out of compliance with its plan, submitted to the California Department of Social Services (CDSS), for Project Roomkey funding.
RETROACTIVE AGREEMENT:
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic created an urgent need to continue to provide emergency shelter services to the unsheltered homeless population in Fresno. The recommended agreement is retroactive to December 31, 2020, when both the past RHCB and Poverello House COVID emergency shelter service agreements expired.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no increase in Net County Cost associated with the recommended actions. The maximum contract amount for the RHCB Agreement ($2,089,485) and Poverello ($570,160) will be fully offset with CDSS Project Roomkey and Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding. Sufficient appropriations and estimated revenues are included in the Department’s Org 5610 FY 2020-21 Adopted Budget and will be included in subsequent budget requests. Expenditures to date are approximately $179,000 and will be paid upon approval of the Agreement.
DISCUSSION:
As part of the emergency response effort to provide shelter to persons experiencing homelessness during the pandemic, the County entered into a retroactive agreement with RHCB on March 24, 2020, effective March 16, 2020 and a retroactive agreement with Poverello House on April 14, 2020, effective March 26, 2020 for Emergency Shelter Services. Amendments for both agreements were executed by the County Administrative Officer on September 9, 2020 and ratified by your Board on September 22, 2020 to extend services through December 30, 2020.
In early November 2020, the Department was informed of $1.7 million in Project Roomkey funding available from CDSS to allow COVID emergency shelter operations to continue while transitioning participants to permanent housing. Funding was awarded on December 1, 2020, allowing RHCB and Poverello to continue providing services beyond December 30, 2020. The new agreements for services are retroactive to December 31, 2020. Due to the emergency nature of the agreements and to ensure there was no break in services, the County Administrative Officer, acting as the Emergency Services Director, executed the agreements, to be ratified at the earliest date an agenda item could be prepared for your Board.
RHCB currently operates 201 shelter beds at two sites in Fresno County. Beginning March 31, 2021, RHCB will begin closing beds as people exit to permanent housing, decreasing the bed count from 211 to 105.
Both vendors added two housing navigators to provide navigation services directly to clients at the COVID-19 emergency shelters to assist with moving to permanent housing. The shelters are expected to be closed by June 30, 2021. However, optional renewal language was added to the agreements to allow for more time should the need to extend arise and additional funding become available and the beds are still necessary.
In March 2020, your Board approved the COVID emergency shelter contract with RHCB that included indemnification language, as RHCB was unable to secure standard boilerplate insurance coverage amounts amid the pandemic. The recommended agreement retains that previously approved language. If approved, the recommended actions will enable the Department to continue offering emergency shelter and ancillary services with the addition of navigation services during the COVID-19 state of emergency and mitigate the risks of transmission among the unsheltered homeless population. The agreements may be terminated without cause by either party upon providing 30-day advance written notice.
REFERENCE MATERIAL:
BAI #68, September 22, 2020
BAI #40, April 14, 2020
BAI #10.2, March 24, 2020
BAI #2, Match 17, 2020
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
On file with Clerk - Agreement with RH Community Builders
On file with Clerk - Agreement with Poverello House
CAO ANALYST:
Sonia M. De La Rosa