REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
May 24, 2022
FROM
GEORGINA YOSHIOKA, Interim Director, Department of Behavioral Health
SUBJECT
Title
Emergency Shelter Services Revised Standard Template Agreement and Program Funding
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
1. Authorize funding for emergency shelter services utilized for individual shelter service agencies for an additional year, increasing the total aggregate amount by $6,306,254 from $15,604,083 to $21,910,337, for the funding period of July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2023.
2. Approve standard agreement template for emergency shelter services, for the period of July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2023.
3. Authorize the Assistant Executive Officer of Department Operations, Deputy Executive Officer of Human Services, or Director of the Department of Behavioral Health to execute the standard agreement template with the individual emergency shelter service agencies, for the period of July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2023, on behalf of the County.
(Presenter: Georgina Yoshioka, Interim Director, 388-0801)
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 and Stakeholders.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
This item does not impact Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The increase of $6,306,254 for emergency shelter services for the period of July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2023, will be funded by Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) Expansion funding. Adequate appropriation and revenue will be included in the Department of Behavioral Health’s (DBH) 2022-23 recommended budget.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
DBH is responsible for providing mental health and/or substance use disorder services to San Bernardino County residents who are experiencing major mental illness and/or a substance use disorder and are homeless or are at risk of becoming homeless. An integral part of the service delivery system consists of County operated and contracted service providers delivering a variety of behavioral health treatment services, including emergency shelter services.
Emergency shelter services are provided through a total of 15 contract agencies for San Bernardino County residents in need of a temporary residence while participating in comprehensive mental health and substance use disorder treatment as they work towards recovery and permanent housing. DBH utilizes a Board of Supervisors (Board) approved standard agreement template for the provision of emergency shelter services in order to maintain a pool of qualified agencies that provide these critical services. The recommended standard agreement template will replace the existing contracts, which will expire on June 30, 2022.
To be a part of DBH’s qualified emergency shelter services vendor pool, shelters must accept individuals with a primary diagnosis of moderate to severe mental illness and may have a secondary diagnosis of substance use disorder who are chronically homeless or at risk of becoming homeless due to mental illness. The target population includes transitional age youth, including pregnant and/or mothering youth; adults and older adults; and individuals supervised through the criminal justice system and/or presenting with a history of involvement in the criminal justice system and/or psychiatric hospital system of care.
Emergency shelter services are initially approved for up to six months and can be reduced or increased based on the ability of each consumer to find long-term stable housing. The daily bed rate for providers will remain at the current rate of $44 per individual, per bed day. The total cost per consumer varies based on the individual need of each consumer.
Currently, countywide emergency shelter services are provided to consumers receiving behavioral health services through the Adult Forensic Services, Regional Outpatient Services, Homeless Outreach Support Team, Transitional Age Youth, and 24-Hour and Emergency Services programs.
Approval of this item will continue emergency shelter services through June 30, 2023. In addition, DBH is requesting the Assistant Executive Officer of Department Operations, Deputy Executive Officer of Human Services, or DBH Director be authorized to execute the individual standard agreement templates due to the large number of contracts and the ongoing need to add more facilities to the existing qualified agency pool.
PROCUREMENT
Procurements for emergency shelter services are performed as needed due to changes in law, regulations, program requirements, and attrition of County shelter services agreements. The initial procurement was approved by the County Administrative Office and was released on January 10, 2017, for services to be provided for the period of July 1, 2017 through June 30, 2022. A new procurement for the provision of emergency shelter services will be conducted in 2022-23.
On May 23, 2017 (Item No. 36), the Board approved a standard template agreement for emergency shelter services, in an aggregate amount of $8,577,685, for the funding period of July 1, 2017 through June 30, 2022. In addition, this item authorized the Assistant Executive Officer of Human Services, Deputy Executive Officer of Human Services, or DBH Director to execute the standard agreement template with the individual emergency shelter services agencies to provide these services.
On March 10, 2020 (Item No. 24), the Board approved increased funding for emergency shelter services to expand client access, increasing the total aggregate amount by $6,665,048, from $8,577,685 to $15,242,733, for the funding period of July 1, 2017 through June 30, 2022.
On May 18, 2021 (Item No. 22), the Board approved increased funding for emergency shelter services to include the Diversion Opportunity for Outpatient Recovery Services (DOORS) program, increasing the total aggregate amount by $361,350, from $15,242,733 to $15,604,083, for the funding period of July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2022.
Contractor performance will continue to be monitored on a regular basis to ensure compliance and contractual standards are met. Coordinated visits for each site as well as vendor meetings will continue being held quarterly to discuss recent legislation changes, compliance concerns, and provide contractual updates. Invoices will be reviewed against authorized vouchers and the contracted rate to ensure appropriate payment is issued.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by Behavioral Health (Ellayna Hoatson, Contracts Supervisor, 388-0858) on April 12, 2022; County Counsel (Dawn Martin, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on May 3, 2022; Finance (Christopher Lange, Administrative Analyst, 386-8393) on May 4, 2022; and County Finance and Administration (Cheryl Adams, Deputy Executive Officer, 388-0238) on May 10, 2022.