DATE: June 4, 2019
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Delfino E. Neira, Director, Department of Social Services
SUBJECT: Homeless Emergency Aid Program and California Emergency Solutions and Housing Agreements
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
1. Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute an Agreement with Mental Health Systems, Inc. for Triage Center Emergency Shelter Services, effective upon execution through May 31, 2021, total not to exceed $2,169,221.
2. Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute an Agreement with Poverello House for Triage Center Emergency Shelter Services, effective upon execution through May 31, 2021, total not to exceed $382,547.
3. Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute an Agreement with Turning Point of Central California, Inc. for Triage Center Emergency Shelter Services, effective upon execution through May 31, 2021, total not to exceed $1,576,357.
4. Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute an Agreement with Mental Health Systems, Inc. for Bridge Emergency Housing Services, effective upon execution through November 30, 2021, total not to exceed $1,596,875.
5. Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute an Agreement with WestCare California, Inc. for Diversion Services, effective upon execution through November 30, 2021, total not to exceed $1,200,000.
REPORT
Approval of the recommended actions will allow the Department to provide Triage Center Emergency Shelter (Triage Center), Bridge Emergency Housing (Bridge Housing), and Diversion services to the homeless in Fresno and Madera Counties, with no Net County Cost. This item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
There are no viable alternative actions. Should your Board not approve the recommended actions, the Department would be out of compliance with the spending plans submitted to the State for the Homeless Emergency Aid Program (HEAP) and the California Emergency Solutions and Housing (CESH) program.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no Net County Cost associated with the recommended actions. The maximum cost of the recommended agreements is $6,925,000 and will be entirely offset with HEAP and CESH funds. There is no matching contribution requirement for either funding source. The Department will return to your Board on June 18, 2019 with the related budget resolutions to increase appropriations and estimated revenues in the Department’s Homeless Services Special Revenue Fund Org 1132 and in the Department’s Org 5610 FY 2018-19 budget. Sufficient appropriations and estimated revenues will be included in the FY 2019-20 Recommended Budget for the Department of Social Services Org 5610 and will be included in subsequent budget requests.
DISCUSSION:
Funding Allocations to FMCoC
The Homeless Emergency Aid Program (HEAP), authorized by Senate Bill (SB) 850 (Chapter 48, Statutes of 2018), is a $500 million block grant program designed to address the homelessness crisis throughout California and is available to Continuums of Care and cities with populations over 330,000. The FMCoC was allocated $9,501,363 in HEAP funding with a minimum of 5% ($475,068) set aside for youth homeless services.
The California Emergency Solutions and Housing (CESH) Program was also established by SB 850 and is funded with a portion of SB 2 Building Homes and Jobs Act (Chapter 364, Statutes of 2017) and approximately $25,000,000 in unallocated California Emergency Solutions Grant funds. The FMCoC was allocated $1,563,085 in CESH funding with a maximum of 40% allowable for emergency housing interventions such as emergency shelters and bridge housing.
At the request of the FMCoC, the County, through the Department, agreed to serve as the Administrative Entity for both HEAP and CESH programs. Administrative costs are offset with a percentage of funding retained by the Department from each program.
Spending Plan
Following the announcement of the HEAP and CESH programs in August of 2018, an ad hoc committee comprised of 13 FMCoC members, which included a Department representative, was formed to develop a spending plan utilizing the strategies from Barbara Poppe and Associates in the A Framework for Action report (September 2018). On October 6, 2018, the Board adopted Resolution No. 18-396, followed by revised Resolution No. 19-147 on April 23, 2019, allowing the County through the Department to serve as the AE, as required for CESH funding. On December 4, 2018, the Board proclaimed a shelter crisis pursuant to SB 850 and Government Code, section 8698.2 as required for HEAP funding. In late 2018, the Department submitted applications for both programs in alignment with the spending plan, before the prescribed deadlines. Both applications were approved, awarding the FMCoC $9,501,363 in HEAP and $1,563,085 in CESH funding.
The FMCoC’s approved spending plan established comprehensive continuum of services with components to ensure individuals and families receive appropriate interventions; seeking to prevent people from experiencing homelessness, divert people from entering the homeless system, quickly connect people experiencing homelessness to shelter, bridge housing, and stable permanent housing. The services also include strategies for increasing housing inventory, improving crisis response, and building capacity in the existing homeless response system.
Continuum of Services
The Diversion services, Triage Center, and Bridge Housing provided through the recommended agreements will function as part of a continuum of services available to homeless individuals and families in the jurisdiction of the FMCoC, which includes Fresno and Madera Counties.
• Diversion services will engage households at the front door of Triage Centers and across the entire homeless response system. The system will in turn be able to serve more households in need because those able to attain housing through the Diversion program will move through the system quickly and at less expense than with deeper interventions.
• Triage Centers will provide low-barrier access to emergency shelters coupled with intensive housing-focused services to set households on the path to attain permanent housing.
• Through referrals from Triage Centers and the FMCoC Coordinated Entry System, Bridge Housing will provide a safe space for households that have been offered a permanent housing intervention to prepare for placement into permanent housing. Bridge Housing programs will work closely with permanent housing providers to ensure that households are quickly placed into permanent housing and connected to community resources that enable them to achieve long-term housing stability. Services will be offered in coordination with other complementary services, as part of the path from homelessness to permanent housing stability.
The recommended agreements are the first in a series of homeless service agreements that will expand upon a continuum of services to connect those experiencing homelessness with the resources and services necessary to achieve permanent housing stability and build the capacity of the community homeless response system. Additional agreements funded with HEAP and CESH funding will be brought before your Board in the coming months.
Requests for Proposals
Although HEAP and CESH funds are allocated to the FMCoC and are under its jurisdiction, as the Administrative Entity, the County, through the Department, is responsible for overseeing procurement, contract monitoring, and reporting requirements. On February 12, 2019, the Department issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for Triage Center, Bridge Housing, and Diversion services, with 32 FMCoC member agencies notified, along with those registered on Public Purchase. Agencies bidding for these services were allowed the flexibility to submit proposals for one, two, or all requested services. Six agencies submitted bids for Triage Center services, four agencies submitted bids for Bridge Housing services, and four agencies submitted bids for Diversion services. A review panel consisting of representatives from the Department, Fresno County Administrative Office, Madera County Department of Social Services, City of Madera, and the Bishops’ Homeless Advocacy Committee.
Mental Health Systems, Inc., Poverello House, and Turning Point of Central California, Inc. were unanimously selected to provide Triage Center Emergency Shelter services due to each agency’s demonstrated experience with the services requested and the target population. The Mental Health Systems proposal offered the greatest flexibility in accommodating different household configurations as their Triage Center facility has dormitory spaces of varying capacity. The Poverello House proposal demonstrated considerable experience in providing emergency shelter services through its women’s shelter, serving the homeless population, and receiving referrals from the FMCoC Coordinated Entry System. The Turning Point proposal confirmed a strong history of housing services, including case management and linkages to community resources. The proposal demonstrated the agency’s capacity to quickly implement the program as Turning Point currently operates programs offering similar services, and has a long-term lease for the facility to be used as a Triage Center.
The Triage Center agreement with Mental Health Systems will provide 50 emergency shelter beds; Poverello House will provide 10 emergency shelter beds; and Turning Point will provide 30 emergency shelter beds. The goal of these programs is to provide a safe, supportive environment where residents will be provided with wraparound services to attain permanent housing by rebuilding their support network and addressing the issues that led to homelessness.
Mental Health Systems was unanimously selected to provide Bridge Housing services due to demonstrated experience in providing emergency housing services and working with various homeless populations, as well as providing mental health and substance abuse treatment services. The Bridge Housing agreement with Mental Health Systems will provide 33 beds to homeless individuals in Fresno County who have a housing plan. The goal of the program is to place households into safe and secure shelter while making the necessary preparations for the household to enter into permanent housing.
WestCare California, Inc. was unanimously selected to provide Diversion services due to demonstrated experience in providing similar services to the target population and existing infrastructure for outreach, and services to both metropolitan and rural areas within the FMCoC’s jurisdiction. The Diversion services agreement with WestCare will provide services to approximately 750 people who present for homeless services at Triage Center locations and other service locations across the continuum. Additionally, WestCare will provide training on Diversion strategies to all providers in the FMCoC to ensure Diversion is practiced at all points across the continuum.
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 changes to the maximum compensation. As the CESH Standard Agreement has not yet been received from the State, the Bridge Housing and Diversion services agreements, which include CESH funding, include language that requires the Department to amend the agreements to remove the funding should your Board choose not to execute the CESH Standard Agreement.
REFERENCE MATERIAL:
BAI #39, February 12, 2019
BAI #8, December 4, 2018
BAI #55, November 6, 2018
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
On file with Clerk - Agreement with Mental Health Systems, Inc. for Triage Center
On file with Clerk - Agreement with Poverello House for Triage Center
On file with Clerk - Agreement with Turning Point of Central California, Inc. for Triage Center
On file with Clerk - Agreement with Mental Health Systems, Inc. for Bridge Housing
On file with Clerk - Agreement with WestCare California, Inc. for Diversion
CAO ANALYST:
Sonia De La Rosa