DATE: May 9, 2023
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Susan Holt, Director, Department of Behavioral Health
SUBJECT: Amendment to PATH Agreement with Kings View and Project for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness Program Agreements
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
1. Approve and authorize the chairman to execute a retroactive Amendment I to Agreement with Kings View to add funding for rural outreach services, effective July 1, 2022 with no change to the term of July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2026 and increasing the maximum compensation by $992,451 to a total of $5,474,701;
2. Retroactively approve and authorize the Director of the Department of Behavioral Health’s previous application submission with the California Department of Health Care Services for the Federal Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Grant effective July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024 ($439,203);
3. Approve and authorize the Director of the Department of Behavioral Health, or designee, to be the signatory on behalf of the Board of Supervisors on associated grant agreement documents, expenditure forms, and reports.
REPORT
Approval of the first recommended action will incorporate the Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) grant funding to the Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (PATH) program’s Street-outreach Team and Rural Support (STARS) component, which provides outreach, engagement, and linkage services to rural and unincorporated communities in the County. These funds will extend the rural outreach service component through June 30, 2026.
The second recommended action will approve the Director’s previous application submission. The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) released an application / agreement for the PATH grant on February 8, 2023. To meet the application deadline of March 15, 2023, the Department submitted the application on March 3, 2023, contingent upon your Board’s approval.
Approval of the third recommended action will allow the Department of Behavioral Health Director to sign all necessary reports and forms due to the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) for administration of the grant.
There is no increase in Net County Cost associated with the recommended actions. This item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
If the recommended actions are not approved, funding for the dedicated rural outreach team would end in FY 2023-24, impacting services to individuals experiencing homelessness and serious mental illness and/or co-occurring disorders, which may result in a higher cost for services for the County. Furthermore, services to adults experiencing homelessness and serious mental illness and/or co-occurring disorders would be impacted and may result in a higher cost to the County, PATH grant funds would be forfeited, and the Department would bring all necessary reports and forms due to DHCS to your Board.
RETROACTIVE AGREEMENT:
The recommended amendment is retroactive to July 1, 2022 because the allocation for the HHAP funding opportunity to extend PATH-STARS was not received until November 2022 from DSS. In addition, there were internal budget concerns that caused a further delay in competing this amendment.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no increase in Net County Cost associated with the recommended actions. The maximum compensation for the term will increase by $992,451 to $5,474,701. The recommended Agreement is funded with Medi-Cal Federal Financial Participation, HHAP grant, Federal Path grant, American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), and Mental Health Services Act - Community Services Supports (MHSA - CSS) funds. Sufficient appropriations and estimated revenues are included in the Department’s Org 5630 FY 2022-23 Adopted Budget and will be included in future budget requests.
The PATH grant allocation for FY 2023-24 is $329,402 and requires a minimum county match of 33% ($109,801), which will be funded with MHSA-CSS funds, for a total amount of $439,203. PATH funds are utilized for county costs ($21,402) and the County’s PATH program contracted and operated by Kings View utilize the grant amount of $308,000.
DISCUSSION:
HHAP Grant Funds
The California Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency (BCSH) has awarded the County $3,388,790 of HHAP Round 1 and 2 grant funding to develop and build on a unified regional response to homelessness. On May 26, 2020 and August 10, 2021, your Board approved Agreement Nos. 20-196 and 21-306, respectively, with BCSH to accept these awards. A portion of these funds were allocated to provide rural outreach services in the County.
On October 5, 2021, your Board executed an Agreement to apply with BCSH for HHAP Round 3 funding. On February 1, 2022, your Board executed an Initial Disbursement Agreement with BCSH for 25% ($1,682,631) of the HHAP Round 3 allocation ($6,730,522). On June 21, 2022, your Board conducted a public hearing on the proposed Local Homelessness Action Plan, including the use of the remaining HHAP Round 3 funds. While the remaining funds have been awarded, a BCSH Standard Agreement has not been approved by your Board at this time.
PATH Agreement with Kings View
On June 22, 2021, your Board approved Agreement No. 21-214 with Kings View to deliver integrated mental and supportive housing services to adults who are homeless, or who are at imminent risk of becoming homeless, and have a serious mental illness and/or co-occurring disorder, to enable this population to live in the community and to avoid homelessness, hospitalization, and/or jail detention.
On August 24, 2021, your Board approved Amendment I (No. 21-214-1) to utilize Community Development Block Grant-Coronavirus (CDBG-CV) and Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funds to fund the Mobile Outreach Project (Project) through FY 2021-22. The Project is comprised of a dedicated mobile outreach team that implements COVID-19 screening, education, assessment, and linkage capabilities in rural and unincorporated areas of the County.
On May 17, 2022, your Board approved a Superseding Agreement (No. 22-208) to replace Agreement No. 21-214-1 due to an error in Kings View’s legal entity name, as well as expand a dedicated mobile outreach team (PATH-STARS) through June 31, 2024 using ARPA funding.
With your Board’s approval of the first recommended action, the amendment will further extend the STARS component through June 31, 2026, using HHAP Round 1, 2, and 3 allocated funds and ARPA funding. As the BCSH Standard Agreement for the HHAP Round 3 award has not yet been received from the State, the amendment includes language that requires the Department to amend the agreement to remove the funding should your Board choose not to execute the BCSH Standard Agreement.
PATH Grant
The Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Amendments Act of 1990 established the Federal PATH grants administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). DHCS functions as a pass-through entity and direct services are administered through the Department. Since 1990, the Department has applied for the grant funding annually to address the needs of individuals with serious mental illness (SMI) and/or co-occurring SMI and substance use disorders who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
The Department received notice of the PATH grant application / agreement from DHCS on February 8, 2023, with a submittal deadline of March 15, 2023. Due the to a short turnaround time, the Department completed an application executed by the Departments Director. Your Board’s approval of the recommended actions will approve the application submitted to DHCS on March 3, 2023.
OTHER REVIEWING AGENCIES:
The Behavioral Health Board was notified of this amendment at the November 2022 meeting.
REFERENCE MATERIAL:
BAI #10, June 21, 2022
BAI #40, May 17, 2022
BAI #31, February 1, 2022
BAI #36, October 5, 2021
BAI #30, August 24, 2021
BAI #49, August 10, 2021
BAI #39, June 22, 2021
BAI #56, May 26, 2020
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
On file with Clerk - Amendment I to Agreement with Kings View
On file with Clerk - PATH Grant Application FY 2023-24
CAO ANALYST:
Ron Alexander