REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
December 16, 2025
FROM
MARCUS DILLARD, Chief of Homeless Services, Office of Homeless Services
SUBJECT
Title
Contract and Contract Template for Housing and Homelessness Incentive Program Services
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
1. Approve contract with Water of Life Community Church for Housing and Homelessness Incentive Program services, on behalf of the San Bernardino City and County Continuum of Care, in an amount not to exceed $500,000, for the contract period of December 16, 2025, through December 31, 2027.
2. Approve the contract template for the provision of the Housing and Homelessness Incentive Program services, on behalf of the San Bernardino City and County Continuum of Care, in an aggregate amount not to exceed $6,061,244, for the contract period of December 16, 2025, through December 31, 2027, for the following agencies:
a. Children’s Fund Incorporated, in the amount not to exceed $100,000
b. City of Fontana, in the amount not to exceed $1,700,000
c. City of Victorville, in the amount not to exceed $500,000
d. Community Action Partnership of San Bernardino County, in the amount not to exceed $950,000
e. Growing Outreach Growing Opportunities, in the amount not to exceed $350,000
f. Healthcare in Action, Inc., in the amount not to exceed $1,000,000
g. Mountain Homeless Coalition, in the amount not to exceed $115,000
h. St. John’s Community Health, in the amount not to exceed $211,244
i. Step Up On Second Street Inc, in the amount not to exceed $442,500
j. Symba Center, in the amount not to exceed $442,500
k. Young Scholars for Academic Empowerment, dba TruEvolution, Inc., in the amount not to exceed $250,000
3. Authorize the Chief Executive Officer, Assistant Executive Officer, or the Chief of Homeless Services, to execute the contract template with the individual entities, any subsequent non-substantive amendments, and all other ancillary supporting documents necessary for amendments to the executed contracts in Recommendation No. 2, for the provision of Housing and Homelessness Incentive Program services, on behalf of the San Bernardino City and County Continuum of Care, subject to review by County Counsel.
4. Authorize the Auditor-Controller/Treasurer/Tax Collector to post the necessary budget adjustments to the Office of Homeless Services budget, as detailed in the Financial Impact section (Four votes required).
(Presenter: Marcus Dillard, Chief of Homeless Services, 501-0610)
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
Approval of this item will not result in the use of Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The total cost not to exceed $6,561,244 will be funded by Housing and Homelessness Incentive Program (HHIP) funds administered by the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS). Funding totaling $17,560,000 has been allocated for 2025-26 to San Bernardino County (County) and the San Bernardino City and County Continuum of Care (SBC CoC) through agreements with Managed Care Plans and a Memorandum of Understanding between the Community Development and Housing Department (CDH) and the Office of Homeless Services (OHS).
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
OHS is the Lead Agency for the SBC CoC. As the Administrative Entity for the SBC CoC, OHS coordinates grant submissions and administers funding to service providers in the County to support people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. OHS coordinates services on behalf of the County and oversees service provider performance, compliance, and reporting.
The HHIP funding is administered by the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) and awarded to Managed Care Plans throughout the state. HHIP is a $1.288 billion statewide voluntary incentive program that enables health plans to earn one-time incentive funds for improving health outcomes and access to whole person care services by addressing homelessness and housing insecurity as social drivers of health and health disparities. Locally, the Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP) has pledged up to $11,500,000 to the SBC CoC.
HHIP funding aligns with OHS and the SBC CoC’s efforts to prevent and end homelessness in the county by coordinating services, reducing homelessness, and ensuring funds are used effectively. HHIP funds ensure Managed Care Plans develop the necessary capacity and partnerships in collaboration with their county counterparts to connect their members to housing services needed. IEHP partnered with CDH to provide significant investments using HHIP funds in five IEHP Investment Areas to fund SBC CoC agencies.
IEHP, in collaboration with the County and the SBC CoC, established a HHIP Investment Plan that identifies Investment Areas in which HHIP funds are to be invested. Per the Investment Plan, the following Investment Areas will be funded:
1) CoC Support - supplement existing Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention financial plans;
2) CoC Collaboration and Partnerships - support expansion of data sharing agreements with agencies who provide interim housing, rental assistance, supportive housing, outreach and diversion services;
3) Disparities & Equity Services Support - support to entities that provide services to LBGTQ+: individuals who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, and other sexual orientations or gender identities not specifically listed and HIV populations;
4) Street Medicine - develop street medicine teams; and,
5) Permanent Supportive Housing - housing related service providers to expand capacity.
On February 6, 2024 (Item No. 16), the Board of Supervisors (Board) approved agreements with IEHP and Molina to accept a combined amount of up to $44,830,000 in HHIP funding, consisting of up to $11,500,000 that was allocated to and earnable by the SBC CoC.
To administer these funds, OHS entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with CDH, under which OHS will administer up to $17,560,000 in HHIP funds, which includes $11,500,000 in HHIP funding allocated to and earnable by the SBC CoC, and $6,060,000 in HHIP funding allocated to and earnable by the County. As a result, OHS released Request for Applications (RFA) No. OHS 24-05, Housing and Homelessness Incentive Program Continuum of Care on October 31, 2024. The deadline for submissions was December 4, 2024.
On August 27, 2025, the SBC CoC governing board approved project recommendations in the amount of $6,561,244 for five Investment Areas to the 12 agencies listed in Recommendation No. 1 and Recommendation No. 2.
The recommended contracts support the goals and objectives of HHIP. The recommended 12 agencies will serve in the following Investment Areas as detailed in the table below:
|
Investment Area |
Applicant |
CoC Region |
Recommended Award Amount |
|
#1 - CoC Support |
Children's Fund Incorporated |
Central Valley, West Valley, High Desert, and Mountains |
$100,000 |
|
#1 - CoC Support |
Community Action Partnership of San Bernardino County |
All (Countywide) |
$250,000 |
|
#1 - CoC Support |
St. John's Community Health |
Desert |
$211,244 |
|
#2 - CoC Collaboration & Partnerships |
Water of Life Community Church/CityLink |
Central Valley |
$500,000 |
|
#2 - CoC Collaboration & Partnerships |
City of Victorville |
Desert |
$500,000 |
|
#2 - CoC Collaboration & Partnerships |
Mountain Homeless Coalition |
Mountains |
$115,000 |
|
#2 - CoC Collaboration & Partnerships |
Step Up on Second Street, Inc. |
Central Valley |
$442,500 |
|
#2 - CoC Collaboration & Partnerships |
Symba Center |
Central Valley |
$442,500 |
|
#3 - Disparities & Equity Services Support |
Community Action Partnership of San Bernardino County |
All (Countywide) |
$400,000 |
|
#3 - Disparities & Equity Services Support |
Growing Outreach Growing Opportunities |
Desert |
$350,000 |
|
#3 - Disparities & Equity Services Support |
Young Scholars for Academic Empowerment, dba TruEvolution, Inc. |
All (Countywide) |
$250,000 |
|
#4 - Street Medicine |
Healthcare in Action, Inc. |
Central Valley |
$1,000,000 |
|
#5 - Permanent Supportive Housing |
City of Fontana |
Central Valley |
$1,700,000 |
|
#5 - Permanent Supportive Housing |
Community Action Partnership of San Bernardino County |
All (Countywide) |
$300,000 |
To expedite contract executions and the initiation of projects/services of recommended agencies, OHS is requesting approval of the contract for Water of Life Community Church and a contract template for the remaining 11 agencies. This will allow HHIP funds to be used in an expeditious manner. OHS will establish benchmarks, provide technical support, and monitor performance to ensure funds are used effectively.
Additional service contracts for Investment Area one, CoC Support, and Investment Area five, Permanent Supportive Housing, for the remaining HHIP funds of $3,438,756 will be presented for Board approval at a later date.
PROCUREMENT
On October 31, 2024, to implement HHIP funding, OHS released RFA No. OHS 24-05, Housing and Homelessness Incentive Program Continuum of Care. Notice of the RFA was sent to an email distribution list of over 1,100 entities that included members of the SBC CoC, the Homeless Providers Network, city managers within the county, and subscribed providers. The RFA was also posted on the County’s Homeless Partnership website.
A total of 21 agencies submitted applications in response to the RFA with one agency applying in multiple Investment Areas. All agencies met the minimum qualifications set forth in the RFA. Each application was evaluated and scored by a four-member evaluation committee using the established criteria, including: submission of a complete application, ability to meet the requirements of the RFA, agency experience and capacity, project focus, alignment with the Investment Area, coordination and collaboration efforts outlined in application, and the proposed budget. Following the scoring process, financial reviews were conducted for all agencies.
Five applications from three agencies were removed due to unfavorable financial assessments. One agency appealed and was reinstated.
Based on evaluations, the SBC CoC governing board recommended the agencies listed in Recommendation Nos. 1 and 2.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Suzanne Bryant, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on November 24, 2025; Purchasing (Ariel Gill, Supervising Buyer, 387-2070) on November 26, 2025; Risk Management (Stephanie Mead, Staff Analyst, 386-9044) on December 1, 2025; and County Finance and Administration (Paul Garcia, Administrative Analyst, 386-8392) on December 2, 2025.