REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
June 25, 2024
FROM
GEORGINA YOSHIOKA, Director, Department of Behavioral Health
SUBJECT
Title
Memoranda of Understanding with the Housing Authority of the County of San Bernardino for the Continuum of Care In-Kind Service Value Match
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve Memoranda of Understanding with the Housing Authority of the County of San Bernardino for the Continuum of Care in-kind service value match for participants in the following programs:
1. Project Gateway Program for the in-kind service value of $69,866, effective March 1, 2024 through February 28, 2025.
2. Laurelbrook Estates Program for the in-kind service value of $135,212, effective May 1, 2024 through April 30, 2025.
(Presenter: Georgina Yoshioka, Director, 252-5142)
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 does not impact Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) for the total in-kind service value of $205,078 will be used to satisfy the match requirement of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Continuum of Care (CoC) grant program. These in-kind supportive services, provided by the Department of Behavioral Health (DBH), are funded by Mental Health Services Act and Federal Financial Participation Medi-Cal revenue. Adequate appropriation and revenue have been included in DBH’s 2023-24 and 2024-25 budgets.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
DBH is responsible for providing mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) services to San Bernardino County (County) residents experiencing severe mental illness and/or SUD. The programs identified in the Recommendation provide rental assistance to the most vulnerable chronically homeless individuals and families residing in the County. As part of these programs, the Housing Authority of the County of San Bernardino (HACSB) as the awardee of the HUD CoC grant program, is required to have an in-kind services provider, providing supportive services to individuals and families participating in the programs.
The MOUs outline the collaborative efforts between HACSB and DBH regarding the CoC grant program. HACSB entered into these MOUs with DBH in order to provide in-kind supportive services to meet the CoC grant program match requirement. HACSB accepts referrals from the County’s Coordinated Entry System, which is a centralized and streamlined process for identifying those who are homeless and screening them to ensure individuals and families meet HUD requirements. HACSB then refers the identified individuals and families to the appropriate grant program, which provides funding for rental assistance. The rental assistance is funded by HUD and HACSB is the grantee. As such, it is HACSB’s responsibility to determine if the household meets program eligibility.
DBH provides in-kind supportive services that include case management, employment assistance, housing/counseling, life skills, mental health services, substance use disorder treatment, and transportation for those individuals and families who qualify for the program. DBH tracks the services provided to homeless individuals and families and reports the cost of these services to HACSB. DBH has been providing these services since May 2003.
For both MOU periods, rental assistance for a combination of 39 families or 231 individuals is available. The case management and supportive services are provided through an in-kind service to match the rental assistance provided by HACSB. DBH tracks the services provided to homeless individuals and families and reports these services to HACSB. Approval of this item will allow DBH to continue to provide in-kind services for participants in the programs.
DBH is requesting retroactive approval of the recommended MOUs with HACSB. The item is being presented at this time as HUD notified HACSB of the new in-kind value match rates in March 2024. This is the first available date following the required operational, administrative, and legal reviews for presentation to the Board of Supervisors. Approval at this time will have no impact on DBH services.
PROCUREMENT
N/A
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by Behavioral Health Contracts (Lisa Rivas-Ordaz, Contracts Supervisor, 386-8264) on May 13, 2024; County Counsel (Dawn Martin, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on May 22, 2024; Finance (Paul Garcia, Administrative Analyst, 386-8392) on May 31, 2024; and County Finance and Administration (Cheryl Adams, Deputy Executive Officer, 388-0238) June 6, 2024.