DATE: September 11, 2018
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Dawan Utecht, Director, Department of Behavioral Health
SUBJECT: Resolution, Primary Contact Designation, and Letter of Intent related to the Homeless Mentally Ill Outreach and Treatment Program
RECOMMENDED ACTIONs:
TITLE
1. Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute a Resolution with the California Department of Health Care Services, for one-time funding related to a Homeless Mentally Ill Outreach and Treatment Program, in the amount of $729,000.
2. Approve and authorize the County Administrative Officer to serve as the primary contact for Fresno County related to the one-time funding opportunity, and to submit a Letter of Interest to the Department of Health Care Services related to a Homeless Mentally Ill Outreach and Treatment Program.
REPORT
Approval of the recommended actions will allow the Department of Behavioral Health to apply to the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) for Homeless Mentally Ill Outreach and Treatment Program funding. California Senate Bill 840 (SB 840) enacted a funding opportunity to provide all California counties with one-time funding for local activities involving individuals living with a serious mental illness who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. Counties were notified of the funding opportunity on August 1, 2018. To receive the funding, the County must submit a Letter of Interest and a Resolution to DHCS no later than September 25, 2018. The Department’s specific utilization of the funding opportunity has yet to be determined but, the Department is currently engaging with key stakeholders in planning for use of the funds; these one-time funds will be directed towards increasing capacity of housing inventory, housing options and/or supportive services for the targeted population. This item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION:
There is no viable alternative action. Should your Board opt not to approve the recommended actions, the Department would not pursue the funding opportunity.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no increase in Net County Cost associated with the recommended actions. The one-time funding made available by SB 840 will be in the amount of $729,000 for the County. DHCS will notify counties on October 2, 2018 of funding awards, and the funds will be fully processed and released by DHCS to approved counties no later than December 31, 2018. The final date of funding availability for encumbrance or expenditure is June 30, 2020, and the Department will be required to submit a final report to DHCS within 90 days after the full expenditure of funding (September 30, 2020). Sufficient appropriations and estimated revenues related to the one-time funding are included in the Department’s Org 5630 FY 2018-19 Recommended Budget and will be included in future budget requests for the duration of this program.
DISCUSSION:
The approved Fresno County Mental Health Services Act FY 2017-18 through FY 2019-20 Three-Year Expenditure Plan clearly demonstrates the need for increased housing inventory and housing options for individuals who have a serious mental illness who are also homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. Further, the Department’s Housing Inventory and Needs Assessment, finalized in February of 2017 and shared with community stakeholders, identified recommendations to increase capacity of safe, stable affordable housing for this target population. The recommended actions align with the Housing Inventory and Needs Assessment, and the one-time funding opportunity has been purposely designed for maximum flexibility for counties to utilize the funds based upon local needs. The activities that will be developed by the Department will comply with the intent of SB 840 by increasing housing capacity, housing options, and/or supportive services for the target population.
SB 840 made $50 million available to DHCS for one-time allocations to California counties. DHCS derived county allocations using 2017 United States Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Point-In-Time Count data, the No Place Like Home county allocation groupings (Small, Medium, Large), and county homeless population data from the California Department of Finance.
In order to receive the one-time funds, the County must delegate a single organization that will serve as the primary contact for the County. This entity must submit a Letter of Interest to DHCS indicating the County intends to use the funds for the purposes outlined in the provisions of SB 840. A resolution from your Board is also required, which approves the County’s participation in the one-time funding opportunity.
With your Board’s approval, the recommended actions will adopt the resolution approving the County’s participation in the funding opportunity and authorize the County Administrative Officer to serve as the primary contact for the County, as well as the entity to submit the requisite Letter of Interest to confirm the County’s intention of using the funds appropriately as per SB 840.
OTHER REVIEWING AGENCIES:
Due to the accelerated deadline to submit the required letter and resolution, the Behavioral Health Board will be made aware of the DHCS one-time funding opportunity during the September 2018 meeting.
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
Resolution
Letter of Intent
CAO ANALYST:
Ronald Alexander