DATE: May 21, 2024
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Sanja Bugay, Director, Department of Social Services
SUBJECT: Homeless Services Agreements
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
1. Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute an Agreement with Turning Point of Central California, Inc. for emergency shelter triage center services, effective July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2029 which includes a two-year base contract and three optional one-year extensions, total not to exceed $6,217,146; and
2. Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute an Agreement with Poverello House for emergency shelter triage center services, effective July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2029 which includes a two-year base contract and three optional one-year extensions, total not to exceed $1,460,846; and
3. Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute an Agreement with Marjaree Mason Center for emergency shelter triage center services, effective July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2029 which includes a two-year base contract and three optional one-year extensions, total not to exceed $1,460,845; and
4. Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute an Agreement with Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission for youth emergency shelter bridge housing, effective July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2029 which includes a two-year base contract and three optional one-year extensions, total not to exceed $1,671,677; and
5. Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute an Agreement with Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission for youth rapid rehousing, effective July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2029 which includes a two-year base contract and three optional one-year extensions, total not to exceed $2,696,657; and
6. Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute an Agreement with WestCare, California, Inc. for rapid rehousing services, effective July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2029 which includes a two-year base contract and three optional one-year extensions, total not to exceed $3,436,263; and
7. Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute an Agreement with Selma Community Outreach Ministries for rapid rehousing services, effective July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2027 which includes a two-year base contract and one optional one-year extension, total not to exceed $1,495,579; and
8. Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute an Agreement with WestCare, California, Inc. for diversion services, effective July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2029 which includes a two-year base contract and three optional one-year extensions, total not to exceed $2,565,610; and
9. Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute an Agreement with Selma Community Outreach Ministries for diversion services, effective July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2027 which includes a two-year base contract and one optional one-year extension, total not to exceed $471,440.
REPORT
There is no additional Net County Cost associated with the recommended actions. Approval of the recommended actions will allow the Department of Social Services (Department) to continue providing emergency shelter, rapid rehousing, youth-specific services, and diversion to persons experiencing homelessness in Fresno and Madera Counties. This item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
Should your Board elect not to approve the recommended actions, there will be a disruption of homeless services and the County will be at risk of not meeting the Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) Grant Program round three (HHAP-3) funding obligation deadline.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no increase in Net County Cost associated with the recommended actions. The maximum cost of the recommended agreements is $21,476,063 and will be entirely offset with existing rounds 1 and 2 of HHAP (youth services only), HHAP-3, HHAP-4, and prospective rounds of HHAP funding (including round 5). Sufficient appropriations and estimated revenues are included in the Department’s Org 5610 FY 2024-25 Recommended Budget and will be included in subsequent budget requests. Should anticipated rounds of funding not be realized, the Department would re-negotiate the terms of the recommended agreements to align with available funding. This would not occur until year three of the recommended agreements.
DISCUSSION:
The County has served as the Administrative Entity for HHAP funding allocated to the Fresno Madera Continuum of Care (FMCoC) since round 1, with the FMCoC formally redirecting its allocation to the County beginning with round 3. The Department has administered both the FMCoC and County allocations since round 1, ensuring all funding is planned, applied for, obligated, and expended according to HHAP requirements. HHAP-5, the most recent round, is a $1 billion grant program authorized by Section 17 of AB 129 (Chapter 40 Statues of 2023; Health and Safety Code) signed into law by Governor Newsom on July 10, 2023. The program is designed to develop a unified response to homelessness and provide support to local jurisdictions to continue to build on regional collaboration developed through previous rounds of state funding through the Business Consumer Service and Housing Agency (BCSH). The non-competitive funding was available to continuums of care (CoC), counties, tribal governments, and cities with populations over 300,000. Recipients from overlapping jurisdictions (i.e., CoC, large city, and/or county) were required to collaborate in addressing regional homelessness needs as summarized in the Partner Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) executed by your Board on March 19, 2024.
On December 1, 2023, the Department issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for homeless services including triage center emergency shelter services (triage), bridge housing (transitional shelter), diversion, rapid rehousing, youth emergency shelter and bridge housing (transitional shelter), and youth rapid rehousing. According to Homeless Point-In-Time Count data for the FMCoC area, 63% of those experiencing homelessness were male, 36% were female and 1% were transgender. Based on this demographic information and the intent to fund a continuum of services, not limited to one specialized population, the triage portion of the RFP specified a 15% limitation on the number of beds to be awarded to a specialized population. A total of 44 vendors were notified via Public Purchase, including all members of the FMCoC. The RFP closed on January 9, 2024.
Due to the number of anticipated proposals, two review panels were convened. The review panels met separately to review and rank designated proposals. The first review panel consisted of representatives from the Department, the County Administrative Office, the County of Madera, the FMCoC Lived Experience Advisory Board, and an FMCoC representative; they reviewed proposals for triage, youth emergency shelter and bridge housing, and youth rapid rehousing services.
The second review panel consisted of two representatives from the Department, a representative from the Housing Authority of the City of Fresno, the FMCoC Lived Experience Advisory Board, and the City of Fresno. The second panel reviewed proposals for rapid rehousing and diversion services.
Triage
Three proposals were received for triage services, from Turning Point of Central California, Inc (TPOCC), Poverello House, and Marjaree Mason Center (MMC), for a total of 56 beds. TPOCC demonstrated their experience with providing access site and shelter services and was the only vendor that proposed triage emergency shelter services that were not for a specialized population. Poverello House proposed triage emergency shelter services for women and provided descriptions on how they would leverage other resources to fully fund the program. MMC demonstrated extensive experience providing services to victims of domestic violence and specialized wraparound services for those within the specialized population. All three vendors are currently providing the proposed services, eliminating the need for start-up time. The triage agreements will support access site services on-site as well as 30 beds at TPOCC, 11 beds at Poverello House, and 15 beds at MMC.
Following the review and evaluation of all proposals, the review committee recommended awarding the full amount requested for all triage emergency shelter applications for a total of 56 beds with 26 (46%) of those beds to special populations. As there was sufficient funding in the budget to support all proposals and the beds would serve a variety of populations, the Department approved this recommendation. Although the final recommendations exceed the 15% limitation specified in the RFP, the intent of the limitation was met, as the resulting awards will fund beds for adult men and women, including couples; single women; and survivors of domestic violence.
Youth Bridge Housing and Youth Rapid Rehousing
A single proposal was received for youth bridge housing (transitional shelter) which came from Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission (Fresno EOC). Two proposals were received for youth rapid rehousing (case management and rental assistance) and one proposal, from Fresno EOC was recommended for funding. The review committee recommended funding Fresno EOC for both youth bridge housing and rapid rehousing as they provided clear youth-tailored program designs along with a detailed racial equity and inclusion plan. Fresno EOC also included details on how they would leverage other resources to provide youth with a successful transition to permanent housing. Fresno EOC will provide 12 bridge housing beds for youth ages 18-24 and rapid rehousing services to approximately 17 youth households per year.
Rapid Rehousing
Three proposals were received for rapid rehousing (case management and rental assistance) and two were recommended for funding. The Selma Community Outreach Ministries (Selma COM) and WestCare California, Inc. (WestCare) proposals were recommended as both proposals indicated how they would leverage other resources in the community to supplement their programs. Selma COM included a relationship-centered approach to their program with a rural focus to serve east Fresno County. WestCare included a master leased project to allow those experiencing homelessness to move into housing immediately. Both vendors are currently providing rapid rehousing services, with no start-up time required. Selma COM will provide rapid rehousing in east Fresno County to 15 households annually and WestCare will provide rapid rehousing in metro Fresno to 23 households annually.
Diversion
Three proposals were received for diversion (prevention and rapid exit) services and two were recommended for funding. WestCare was recommended due to their extensive experience in providing these services throughout the community. Selma COM was recommended for funding as their program would leverage other resources in the community to supplement their program and would serve households in rural East Fresno County. Selma COM will provide diversion services to 300 clients annually in east Fresno County and WestCare will provide diversion Services to 300 clients annually in metro Fresno with services to those in Madera County as needed.
The recommended agreements allow for changes to the budget line items up to 10% of the total maximum compensation with the written approval of the Department Director, or designee, and the subrecipient without resulting in the changes to the maximum compensation. The recommended agreements also include language enabling contract budgets to be reduced in the event of a reduction in funding from the state. As a new subrecipient of HHAP funding, Selma COM is recommended for two three-year agreements; each with a two-year base and one optional extension, in alignment with their proposals. Due to expending existing HHAP-3 funding first, the Department anticipates no disruption in service delivery in the recommended agreements due to potential funding delays for round 5 of HHAP in the Governor’s proposed FY 24-25 State budget.
REFERENCE MATERIAL:
BAI #8, March 19, 2024
BAI #44, January 24, 2023
BAI #31, February 1, 2022
BAI #36, October 5, 2021
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
On file with Clerk - Agreement with TPOCC
On file with Clerk - Agreement with Poverello House
On file with Clerk - Agreement with MMC
On file with Clerk - Agreement with Fresno EOC (youth bridge housing)
On file with Clerk - Agreement with Fresno EOC (rapid rehousing)
On file with Clerk - Agreement with WestCare (rapid rehousing)
On file with Clerk - Agreement with Selma COM (rapid rehousing)
On file with Clerk - Agreement with WestCare (diversion)
On file with Clerk - Agreement with Selma COM (diversion)
CAO ANALYST:
Amina Flores-Becker