DATE: February 1, 2022
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Maria I. Aguirre, Interim Director, Department of Social Services
SUBJECT: Reallocation and Initial Disbursement Agreement for Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention Program Round 3 Funding
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
1. Accept the reallocated Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention Program Round 3 Grant funding awarded to the Fresno Madera Continuum of Care ($3,753,702); and,
2. Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute an Initial Disbursement Agreement with the California Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency for the Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention grant (#22-HHAP-10015) effective upon execution by the California Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency through October 1, 2026 ($1,682,631).
REPORT
There is no additional Net County Cost associated with the recommended actions which will allow the Department of Social Services to accept the reallocated Housing, Assistance and Prevention Program Round 3 (HHAP-3) funding awarded to the Fresno Madera Continuum of Care (FMCoC) and to receive the initial 25% disbursement from the California Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency (BCSH) on behalf of the County of Fresno and the FMCoC. The Department will serve as the Administrative Entity for the combined funding allocation. The funding will be used to support regional coordination and provide homeless services in Fresno County and the FMCoC service area (Fresno and Madera counties). This item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
Should your Board elect not to approve the recommended actions, the County would be out of compliance with the HHAP-3 Standard Agreement to Apply with BCSH executed by your Board on October 5, 2021 and would forfeit $6,730,522 in HHAP-3 funding available to assist people experiencing homelessness in the community.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no increase in Net County Cost associated with the recommended actions. The total FMCoC and County HHAP-3 allocations ($6,730,522) are $3,753,702 and $2,976,820, respectively. If the recommended actions are approved, the Department will receive an initial disbursement of $1,682,631 in HHAP-3 funding allocated to the County of Fresno ($744,205) and the FMCoC ($938,426) to provide homeless services throughout the County and in the FMCoC service area. The maximum of 7% ($117,784) from the combined initial disbursement, will be retained by the County for the Department’s administrative costs. A required minimum of 10% ($168,263) from the initial disbursement must be set aside for youth homeless services. The remaining 75% ($5,047,891) of the combined allocations will be disbursed upon approval of the final HHAP-3 application anticipated in FY 2022-23. Sufficient appropriations and estimated revenues are included in the Department’s Org 5610 FY 2021-22 Adopted Budget and will be included in subsequent budget requests.
DISCUSSION:
HHAP-3, authorized by Assembly Bill 140 (Committee on Budget, Chapter 111, Statutes of 2021), is a $1 billion block grant program designed to develop a unified regional response to homelessness and to provide support to local jurisdictions to continue to build on regional collaboration developed through previous rounds of BCSH funding. The funding is available to continuums of care, counties, tribal governments, and cities with populations over 300,000. HHAP-3 funding recipients from overlapping jurisdictions (i.e. CoC, large city, and/or county) are required to collaborate in addressing regional homelessness needs.
On October 5, 2021, your Board executed an Agreement to Apply with BCSH, affirming the County’s intent to submit a joint application for HHAP-3 grant funding allocated to the County and the FMCoC. By submitting a joint application, the County will receive an initial distribution of 25% ($1,682,631) of the combined HHAP-3 allocations ($6,730,522) and may use a combined application and reporting process for County and FMCoC HHAP-3 funds, thereby reducing the County’s administrative burden.
The Department will serve as the Administrative Entity for the FMCoC’s HHAP-3 grant allocation. Although the FMCoC’s HHAP-3 allocation will be administered by the Department, services provided with HHAP-3 funds must be implemented in alignment with the joint service plan developed in cooperation with the FMCoC and the other regional HHAP-3 recipients. The Department will coordinate with FMCoC leadership on implementation of HHAP-3 funded programs. The Department will also coordinate planning with the City of Fresno and County of Madera as overlapping jurisdictional recipients.
HHAP-3 funding is intended to reduce barriers for entry to the homeless services system and to increase access to permanent housing. The initial disbursement of HHAP-3 funding is prioritized for the development of a local homelessness action plan required by the HHAP-3 application process, capacity building for the homeless response system, and support for existing evidence-based homeless services programs.
With your Board’s approval of the recommended actions, the County and FMCoC combined $1,682,631 in HHAP-3 funding will be available to provide emergency assistance to people experiencing homelessness in the community and support the HHAP-3 homeless services planning process. The full HHAP-3 application must be submitted with the completed homelessness action plan to BSCH by June 30, 2022. Agreements or amendments for services supported by the HHAP-3 grant will be brought before your Board for approval at a future date, as appropriate.
REFERENCE MATERIAL
BAI #36, October 5, 2021
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
On file with Clerk - Initial Disbursement Agreement
CAO ANALYST:
Sonia M. De La Rosa