REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
February 25, 2025
FROM
MARCUS DILLARD, Chief of Homeless Services, Office of Homeless Services
SUBJECT
Title
Contracts for Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention Round 4 Program Services on Behalf of the San Bernardino City and County Continuum of Care
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
1. Approve the following contracts for the provision of Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention Round 4 program services on behalf of the San Bernardino City and County Continuum of Care, in an aggregate amount not to exceed $1,266,349 for the contract period of February 25, 2025, through June 30, 2027:
a. City of Montclair, in the amount not to exceed $153,929.
b. City of Redlands, in the amount not to exceed $300,000.
c. Family Assistance Program, in the amount not to exceed $334,050.
d. Morongo Unified School District, in the amount not to exceed $98,524.
e. Symba Center, in the amount not to exceed $379,846.
2. Authorize the Chief Executive Officer, Assistant Executive Officer, or Chief of Homeless Services to approve and execute any subsequent non-substantive amendments to the contracts in Recommendation No. 1 for the provision of Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention Round 4 program services on behalf of the San Bernardino City and County Continuum of Care, subject to County Counsel review.
3. Direct the Chief of Homeless Services to transmit all non-substantive amendments to the contracts in Recommendation No. 1 to the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors within 30 days of execution.
4. Authorize Auditor-Controller/Treasurer/Tax Collector to post the necessary 2024-25 budget adjustment to the Office of Homeless Services budget, as detailed in the Financial Impact section (Four votes required).
(Presenter: Marcus Dillard, Chief of Homeless Services, 501-0644)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Operate in a Fiscally-Responsible and Business-Like Manner.
Provide for the Safety, Health and Social Service Needs of County Residents.
Pursue County Goals and Objectives by Working with Other Agencies and Stakeholders.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
This item will not result in the use of Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The total cost of these contracts, not to exceed $1,266,349, will be funded from the State of California Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention Round 4 (HHAP-4) program block grant awarded to the San Bernardino City and County Continuum of Care (SB CoC).
The Office of Homeless Services (OHS) requests the following adjustments to its 2024-25 budget:
|
Fund Center |
Commitment Item |
Description |
Action |
Amount |
|
6210002487 |
53003205 |
Public Assistance |
Increase |
$266,349 |
|
6210002487 |
37008880 |
Fund Balance-Reserved-Available Reserve |
Decrease |
$266,349 |
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Approval of the contracts listed in Recommendation No. 1 will allow for the CoC’s allocation of HHAP-4 funds to be distributed to homeless services providers to prevent and alleviate the impact of homelessness on individuals and families throughout the county.
On September 30, 2022, the California Interagency Council on Homelessness (Cal ICH) released a Notice of Funding Availability for HHAP-4 grant funding. HHAP-4 funding was made available as non-competitive allocations to eligible grantees, including California’s CoCs, large cities (with a population of 300,000 or more as of January 1, 2020), counties, and federally recognized tribal governments. Funding allocations are based on the eligible applicant’s proportionate share of the state’s homeless population as reported by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development 2019 Point-In-Time Count.
On November 15, 2022 (Item No. 28), the Board of Supervisors (Board) approved and authorized the submission of the HHAP-4 grant application to the State for the CoC in the estimated amount of $3,901,874, and for the County in the estimated amount of $3,641,749.
On May 9, 2023 (Item No. 21), the Board accepted and approved Agreement No. 23-324 for HHAP-4 grant award funds from Cal ICH to support regional coordination and expand or develop local capacity to address immediate homelessness challenges, in the amount of $4,430,501.22, for the term of July 11, 2023, through December 31, 2027.
On September 27, 2023, the Interagency Council on Homelessness (ICH), the SB CoC’s governing Board, allocated $4,430,501.22 to aid regional service projects for homeless individuals and families. ICH recommended HHAP-4 funding be utilized in support of these efforts to help homeless individuals and families exit homelessness and achieve permanent housing stability through outreach, case management, rapid rehousing, assistance with housing identification and placement services. Service providers will also work toward preventing homelessness through diversion and eviction prevention activities such as utility, rent, and food assistance.
On December 3, 2024, the Board approved $1,840,394 for contracts approved by the ICH to eight agencies. Five agencies approved for HHAP-4 grant funding, totaling $1,266,349 are listed in Recommendation No. 1.
The recommended contracts support the goals and objectives of the Homeless Strategic Action Plan by serving those most at risk of homelessness, adding shelter capacity, and increasing the impact on homelessness through combined efforts of the County and the CoC. Approximately $34,000 will be utilized towards Rapid Rehousing in the Desert and Morongo Basin (East) regions. Approximately $379,846 will go towards providing interim shelter in the Desert Region. $32,000 will be utilized to support households with rental assistance for permanent supportive housing. $334,050 will focus on serving homeless youth in the Desert Region. $153,929 is allocated by awarded agencies towards street outreach. The remaining funds of $332,524 will be utilized toward operating subsidies, services coordination, prevention and shelter diversion that provides individuals and households with the necessary support to achieve housing stability.
The ICH has recommended seven agencies for $1,266,349 of HHAP-4 funds from the county’s Central Region, Morongo Basin Region, Desert Region, West Region and Homeless Youth populations to serve in the following capacities, as detailed in the table below:
|
Agency |
Service(s) To Be Provided |
Number of Individuals/ Households to be Served |
Funding Amount |
|
City of Montclair |
• Rapid Rehousing • Street Outreach |
31 Individuals |
$153,929 |
|
City of Redlands |
• Operating Subsidies: utilities, supplies, equipment, software |
120 Individuals |
$300,000 |
|
Family Assistance Program |
• Homeless Youth: Program includes a 20-bed capacity and service output of 7,423 bed-nights at a rate of $45 per bed-night |
30 Individuals |
$334,050 |
|
Morongo Unified School District |
• Rapid Rehousing • Delivery of Permanent Housing and Innovative Housing Solutions Services through rental assistance • Interim Sheltering • Services Coordination |
16 Households |
$98,524 |
|
Symba Center |
• Interim Sheltering • Street Outreach • Services Coordination |
46 Individuals |
$379,846 |
OHS will review contractor performance, referrals to other agencies, and services provided. Individual contractor performance will be monitored by the review of monthly reports and an annual visit to ensure compliance with the administrative, program, and fiscal terms and conditions of each contract. OHS will review invoices and attachments remitted by the contractors to ensure funds are expended on eligible activities.
Additional regional service contract(s) for remaining HHAP-4 funds in the amount of $1,013,622 will be presented to the Board for approval at a later date, upon completion of contract negotiations.
PROCUREMENT
On January 18, 2024, OHS, acting as the Administrative Entity for the CoC, released Request for Applications No. OHS 24-01 (RFA) to provide HHAP-4 services with the funding allocated to support regional service projects. Notice of the RFA was sent to an email distribution list of over 1,100 entities that included members of the local ICH, the Homeless Provider Network, city managers within San Bernardino County, and subscribed providers. The RFA was also posted on the San Bernardino County Homeless Partnership website.
A total of 43 agencies submitted applications in response to the RFA with six agencies applying in multiple regions. Applications for 41 agencies met the minimum qualifications set forth in RFA and the application for each agency was evaluated and scored by evaluation panels comprised of non-conflicted members representing each of the ICH regions.
Based on evaluations, ICH recommends the agencies listed in Recommendation No. 1 from the Central Region, Morongo Basin Region, Desert Region, West Region and services for Homeless Youth populations receive HHAP-4 funding.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Suzanne Bryant, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on January 29, 2025; Purchasing (Ariel Gill, Supervising Buyer, 387-2070) on February 5, 2025; Auditor-Controller/Treasurer/Tax Collector (Charlene Huang, Auditor-Controller Manager, 382-7022) on February 11, 2025; Finance (Paul Garcia, Administrative Analyst, 386-8392) on February 11, 2025; and County Finance and Administration (Cheryl Adams, Deputy Executive Officer, 387-0238) on February 13, 2025.