DATE: May 23, 2023
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Sanja Bugay, Director, Department of Social Services
SUBJECT: Amendments to Homeless Services Agreements
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
1. Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute Amendment No. 2 to Agreement with Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission for youth bridge housing services extending the term by one year from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024 and increasing the maximum by $204,269 to a total of $860,037;
2. Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute Amendment No. 3 to Agreement with Turning Point of Central California, Inc. for triage emergency shelter services, extending the term by eleven months and amending the final term to align with the Fiscal Year beginning July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024 and increasing the maximum by $1,092,520 to a total of $4,542,058;
3. Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute Amendment No. 2 to Agreement with WestCare California, Inc., for rapid rehousing case management services, extending the term by one year from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024 and increasing the maximum by $706,512 to a total of $4,090,421.
REPORT
There is no additional Net County Cost associated with the recommended actions. Approval of the recommended actions will enable the Department of Social Services to add Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) funding to extend youth bridge housing services (youth bridge), triage emergency shelter services (triage), and rapid rehousing case management services (rapid rehousing) in Fresno and Madera counties. This item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
Should your Board elect not to approve the recommended actions, the County will be out of compliance with the HHAP joint service plan developed in coordination with the regional HHAP recipient jurisdictions and submitted to the State as part of the HHAP applications. In addition, HHAP-1 and HHAP-2 obligation deadlines will not be met and the County and the FMCoC would be at risk of having unobligated HHAP funding recaptured by the California Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency (BCSH).
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no increase in Net County Cost associated with the recommended actions. The maximum amount of the agreement with Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission (Fresno EOC) for youth bridge ($860,037) will be fully offset with Homeless Emergency Aid Program (HEAP) and HHAP funding. The maximum amount of the agreement with Turning Point of Central California, Inc. (Turning Point) for triage ($4,542,058) will be fully offset with HEAP, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG-CV), and HHAP funding. The maximum amount of the agreement with WestCare for rapid rehousing ($4,090,421) will be fully offset with HEAP, CESH, California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) ESG-CV, and HHAP funding. Sufficient appropriations and estimated revenues will be included in the Department’s Org 5610 FY 2023-24 Recommended Budget and subsequent budget requests.
DISCUSSION:
On June 4, 2019, your Board approved Agreement No. 19-257 with Turning Point for triage services. On July 9, 2019, your Board approved Agreement No. 19-336 with WestCare for rapid rehousing services and Agreement No. 19-337 with Fresno EOC for youth bridge services. These services were part of the joint City of Fresno, County and Fresno Madera Continuum of Care (FMCoC) HEAP and CESH plans submitted to the State in the funding applications in December 2018 and October 2018 respectively.
On May 11, 2021, your Board approved Amendment 1 with Fresno EOC to extend youth bridge services through June 30, 2023, to continue to provide opportunities to assist homeless youth move from emergency shelter to a permanent housing intervention, and Amendment 1 with Turning Point to augment triage services through the addition of four staff members (two case managers and two access coordinators) to accommodate an influx of clients from the COVID-19 emergency shelters and more quickly transition clients to safe exits from shelter. In addition, Amendment 1 with Turning Point extended triage services through October 31, 2022.
On June 21, 2022, your Board approved Amendment 1 with WestCare to extend rapid rehousing services through June 30, 2023 and to decrease funding due to the evaluation of program costs, enabling the Department to repurpose the savings to fund additional rapid rehousing services in the community. On June 21, 2022, your Board also approved Amendment 2 with Turning Point to include federal provisions required for ESG-CV, increase personnel costs attributed to increased full time staff and wages, include a conversion of part-time staff to full time positions and wage increases for staff to foster staff retention and meet the ongoing demands of this work, and extend triage services through July 31, 2023.
On June 21, 2022, your Board approved the local homelessness action plan which included the use of HHAP-3 funds to address homelessness in the FMCoC service area. On January 24, 2023 your Board approved and authorized the Chairman to execute an Agreement with the California Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency (BCSH) on behalf of the County of Fresno and the FMCoC to receive HHAP-3 funding. The combined HHAP-3 allocation is intended to support various homeless services, including triage centers to provide emergency shelter and intensive case management, for those experiencing or at-risk of homelessness across the region.
Fresno EOC operates a 12-bed bridge emergency shelter for homeless youth, between the ages of 18 and 24 years at point of entry into services. From program implementation on July 9, 2019 through February 28, 2023, Fresno EOC has assisted 124 participants with youth bridge housing services; maintained a 100% utilization rate; connected 64 (52%) youth bridge housing participants to a safe exit; and provided 173 health and safety education classes. If your Board approves the first recommended action, the existing agreement with Fresno EOC will be extended through June 30, 2024.
The Turning Point triage center, named The Welcome Center, is a 30-bed shelter that also serves as an FMCoC coordinated entry access site, serving all individuals who present, 24-hours a day, 7-days a week and provides assessment, diversion, and referral to shelter as appropriate. From program implementation on June 4, 2019 through February 28, 2023, Turning Point has maintained a 90% utilization rate. If your Board approves the third recommended action, the existing agreement with Turning Point will be extended through June 30, 2024.
WestCare rapid rehousing provides project-based housing and case management services in Metro-Fresno at 2550 W. Clinton Avenue in Fresno through 24 units which can accommodate individuals and families. The project-based model allows WestCare to house clients directly into master-leased housing, ensuring a quick transition from homelessness to stable housing while receiving case management while transitioning to permanent housing. Additionally, WestCare subcontracts with Selma Community Outreach Ministries (Selma COM) to provide tenant-based rapid rehousing services in rural Fresno County including Selma and surrounding cities. From program implementation on July 9, 2019 through February 28, 2023, WestCare has assisted 57 households with rapid rehousing, of which 32 households (56%) exited to permanent housing. From program implementation through February 28, 2023, Selma COM has assisted 34 households with rapid rehousing, of which 31 households (91%) exited to permanent housing. Approval of the fifth recommended action will allow project-based rapid rehousing to continue in Metro-Fresno for 30 households and tenant-based rapid rehousing to continue in rural Fresno County for 15 households through June 30, 2024. The recommended amendment includes federal provisions required for ESG-CV funding.
As the service agreements funded for HHAP were originally awarded through a Request for Proposal (RFP) process in 2019, a new RFP will be released in the fall of this year to select vendors for services effective July 1, 2024. These agreements will be brought before your Board for approval at a future date, as appropriate.
REFERENCE MATERIAL:
BAI #44, January 24, 2023
BAI #79, June 21, 2022
BAI #10, June 21, 2022
BAI #48, May 11, 2021
BAI #17, June 4, 2019
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
On file with Clerk - Amendment to Agreement with Fresno EOC
On file with Clerk - Amendment to Agreement with Turning Point
On file with Clerk - Amendment to Agreement with WestCare (Rapid Rehousing)
CAO ANALYST:
Ronald Alexander