DATE: November 16, 2021
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Delfino E. Neira, Director, Department of Social Services
SUBJECT: Ratification of Amendment I to Agreement D-20-530
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
Approve and authorize the Chairman to ratify Amendment I to Agreement No. D-20-530 with RH Community Builders for Emergency Shelter Services in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, previously executed on September 30, 2021 by the County Administrative Officer acting as the Emergency Services Director, to extend the term by six months from September 30, 2021 to March 31, 2022 with one optional six-month renewal through September 30, 2022 and increasing the maximum by $2,872,866 to a total of $4,962,351.
REPORT
There is no additional Net County Cost associated with the recommended action, which will allow the Department of Social Services to continue providing emergency shelter beds, wrap services, intensive housing case management, rapid rehousing financial assistance, and temporary isolation shelter in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
Should your Board elect not to approve the recommended action, the County will be out of compliance with its plan submitted to the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) for Project Roomkey funding. Additionally, dedicated COVID-19 shelter services provided by RH Community Builders (RHCB) will likely end and Fresno County will lose sixty emergency shelter beds to house the most vulnerable households in our community amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no increase in Net County Cost associated with the recommended action. The maximum amount of the agreement ($4,962,351) will be fully offset with CDSS Project Roomkey and Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding. Sufficient appropriations and estimated revenues are included in the Department’s Org 5610 FY 2021-22 Adopted Budget and will be included in future budget requests. Expenditures to date are approximately $173,000 and will be paid upon approval of the Amendment.
DISCUSSION:
On March 24, 2020, your Board entered into a retroactive agreement with RHCB to provide shelter to persons experiencing homelessness during the pandemic. This agreement was retroactive to March 16, 2020 and was amended by the County Administrative Officer (CAO) and ratified by your Board on September 22, 2020, to extend services through December 30, 2020.
In early November 2020, the Department was informed of $1.7 million in Project Roomkey funding available to continue emergency shelter operations while transitioning participants to permanent housing. On March 9, 2021, your Board ratified Agreement No. D-20-530 with RHCB, signed by the County Administrative Officer acting as the Emergency Services Director, effective December 31, 2020. This Agreement extended services as part of the emergency response effort through September 30, 2021. Since December 31 of 2020, RHCB has sheltered 280 individuals in 221 households with 48 exiting to permanent housing destinations and 166 exiting within 90 days. Those exiting to other than permanent housing situations were provided opportunities to shelter at local triage shelters to receive ongoing support toward obtaining housing. All previous households not in isolation exited prior to September 30, 2021. The new program will serve newly referred homeless households, with priority to high-risk households in rural areas of the County.
On July 29, 2021, the Department was informed of an additional $1.6 million in Project Roomkey funding available to extend Project Roomkey emergency shelter operations and to offer support to rehousing activities. The Department submitted a Director’s Certification to accept the allocated Project Roomkey funding with an option for up to $415,576 in additional funds, should they become available.
On September 30, 2021, the CAO acting as the Emergency Services Director, executed Amendment I to Agreement D-20-530, to extend emergency shelter services during the pandemic. If approved, the recommended action will enable the Department to continue offering low-barrier, intensive emergency shelter services in metro Fresno with a new emphasis on homeless households in the rural areas of the County, offering intensive housing case management, roommate match assistance, and rapid rehousing financial assistance to quickly transition to permanent housing. Additionally, as of October 1, 2021, temporary isolation services for COVID-19 positive individuals experiencing homelessness referred by medical and COVID-19 testing sites, previously provided at a local motel, but supported by RHCB, are also provided on-site in designated isolation quarters. The County continues to work with RHCB and other Fresno Madera Continuum of Care (FMCoC) partners to transition clients from temporary housing to permanent housing solutions.
In March 2021, your Board ratified the emergency shelter services agreement with RHCB that included indemnification language, as RHCB was unable to secure standard boilerplate insurance coverage amounts due to the pandemic. In September 2021, RHCB secured the County mandated insurance coverage to continue emergency shelter services past September 30, 2021. The recommended amendment reverts to traditional insurance coverage and hold harmless boilerplate language. The agreements may be terminated without cause by either party upon providing 30-day advance written notice.
REFERENCE MATERIAL:
BAI #39, March 9, 2021
BAI #68, September 22, 2020
BAI#10.2, March 24, 2020
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
On file with Clerk - Amendment I to Agreement D-20-530
CAO ANALYST:
Sonia M. De La Rosa