REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF THE COUNTY OF SAN BERNARDINO
AND RECORD OF ACTION
May 19, 2020
FROM
DENA FUENTES, Deputy Executive Officer, Community Development and Housing Agency
SUBJECT
Title v
Accept the Grant from the State of California Homeless Coordinating and Financing Council for the Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention Program Funding
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
1. Accept and approve the following grants awards for the Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention Program from the State of California Homeless Coordinating and Finance Council, for a period of five years upon execution by the State of California:
a. San Bernardino County Continuum of Care (Standard Agreement No. 20-HHAP-00088) in the amount of $3,071,060, to support regional coordination and provide immediate assistance to people experiencing homelessness in the region.
b. San Bernardino County (Standard Agreement No. 20-HHAP-00081) in the amount of $2,845,118, for funding to support regional coordination and provide immediate assistance to people experiencing homelessness in the region.
2. Designate the Chief Executive Officer or Office of Homeless Services Chief of Homeless Services, as authorized to execute ancillary supporting documents and make any subsequent non-substantive amendments necessary on behalf of the San Bernardino Continuum of Care, subject to review by County Counsel
3. Designate the Chief Executive Officer or the Community Development and Housing Agency Deputy Executive Officer, as authorized to execute ancillary supporting documents and make any subsequent non-substantive amendments necessary on behalf of the County, subject to review by County Counsel.
4. Direct the Community Development and Housing Agency Deputy Executive Officer or the Office of Homeless Services Chief of Homeless Services to transmit all grant documents and amendments in relation to Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention Program to the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors within 30 days of execution.
(Presenter: Dena Fuentes, Deputy Executive Officer, 387-4411)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Provide for the Safety, Health and Social Service Needs of County Residents.
Pursue County Goals and Objectives by Working with Other Agencies.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
This item will not result in the use of any Discretional General Funding (Net County Cost). The proposed total allocation amount of $5,916,178, $3,071,060 for San Bernardino region Continuum of Care and $2,845,118 for San Bernardino County (County), is administered by the State of California Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency (BCSH) as authorized by Assembly Bill (AB) 101, which was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom on July 31, 2019, and does not require a match. Necessary appropriation and revenue adjustment is not requested at this time, but will be included in a future quarterly budget report presented to the Board of Supervisors (Board) for approval.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
On December 6, 2019, the State of California Homeless Coordinating and Financing Council (HCFC) released the Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for the Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) program. HHAP is a $650 million block grant program authorized by AB 101 (Committee on Budget, Chapter 159, Statutes of 2019) and is designed to provide jurisdictions with one-time grant funds to support regional coordination and expand or develop local capacity to address immediate homelessness challenges throughout the State.
On February 11, 2020 (Item No.26), the Board approved the submission of an application allowing the County to apply for both the San Bernardino County grant allocation of up to $2,865,015, and the San Bernardino County Continuum of Care (CoC) grant allocation of up to $3,071,060. The County and the CoC applications were approved for total allocation amount of up to $5,936,075. The action before the Board is for acceptance of the grant award and delegates authority to execute ancillary supporting documents, including non-substantive amendments necessary on behalf of the County, in relation to the Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention Program, subject to review by County Counsel. The grant term is for five years and commences upon execution by the State of California.
HHAP is intended to provide funding to Continuums of Care (CoC), counties, and large cities (population of 300,000 or more) to provide assistance to continue moving homeless individuals and families or individuals and families at-risk of homelessness into permanent housing and supporting the efforts of those individuals and families to maintain their permanent housing using a best practices framework. Eligible uses of HHAP include but are not limited to the following: rental assistance and rapid rehousing, operating subsidies including reserves, landlord incentives, homeless outreach and coordination, job programs, promoting housing stability, systems support for regional partnerships and maintaining a homeless services and housing delivery system, delivery of innovative housing solutions such as hotel and motel conversions, prevention and shelter diversion, and navigation centers and emergency shelters where the region can justify demonstrated need.
A minimum of eight percent of HHAP funds must be used to provide services specific to the needs of homeless youth. Up to five percent of an applicant’s program allocation may be expended on administration, such as a strategic homelessness plan and/or infrastructure development to support Coordinated Entry Systems and Homeless Management Information Systems. Administrative costs are capped at seven percent of program funds (estimated up to $214,974 for the San Bernardino County CoC and an additional $199,159 for San Bernardino County). Unlike with Homeless Emergency Aid Program funding, cities and counties are not required to issue a shelter crisis declaration to receive HHAP funds.
The HCFC has approved the CoC grant totaling $3,071,060 (CoC Allocation) and the County grant of $2,845,118 (County Allocation) based on the total number of homeless counted during the 2019 Point-In-Time Count. HHAP funds will benefit individuals and families of the County who are experiencing homelessness or at imminent risk of homelessness. HHAP will continue to expand current efforts that the CoC is undertaking to solve the regional homelessness problem.
As AEs of HHAP program funds, County OHS and CDHA will be able to enter into subrecipient contracts with service providers to provide homeless services as described under the HHAP Program, at a later date upon award. The HHAP funds totaling an estimated $5,916,178 will be administered accordingly by the respective awardees:
• CoC Allocation - up to $3,071,060 of the award will be allocated to programs and projects and the remaining balance, or up to $214,974 will be retained by the County OHS to perform the administration of the state grant; and,
• County Allocation - up to $2,845,118 will be allocated to programs and projects and the remaining balance, or up to $199,159 will be retained by the County to perform the administration of the state grant by the CDHA.
The AEs will also be responsible for identifying measurable goals, monitoring subsequent contracts and abiding by the reporting requirements of the funding source, HCFC. Unlike many state grants, HHAP funds do not require a match; however, the County will have the fiduciary responsibility and liability for grant compliance to the State of California.
Funds are anticipated to be allocated towards the following eligible use categories:
a) Youth Set-Aside
b) Administration
c) Innovative Solutions
d) Delivery of Permanent Housing
e) New Navigation Centers and Emergency Shelters
PROCUREMENT
Not applicable.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Suzanne Bryant, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on April 27, 2020; Finance (Kathleen Gonzalez, Administrative Analyst, 387-5412) on May 1, 2020; and County Finance and Administration (Robert Saldana, Deputy Executive Officer, 387-5423) on May 3, 2020.