REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
September 24, 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. Cornerstone Program for the in-kind service value of $1,108,891, effective November 1, 2024 through October 31, 2025.
2. Lantern Woods Program for the in-kind service value of $56,809, effective December 1, 2024 through November 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 (MOUs) for the total in-kind service value of $1,165,700 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 funds. Adequate appropriation and revenue have been included in DBH’s 2024-25 budget and will be included in the 2025-26 recommended budget.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
DBH is responsible for providing mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) services to 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 a provider of in-kind 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 these MOUs with DBH 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 homeless individuals and families then screening them to ensure they meet HUD requirements. HACSB then prepares referrals to the appropriate grant program, which provides funding for rental assistance. The rental assistance is funded by HUD. HACSB is the grantee; as such, it is HACSB’s responsibility to determine if the individuals and families meet program eligibility.
DBH provides in-kind supportive services that include case management, employment assistance, housing assistance, life skills, mental health services, SUD treatment, and transportation for those individuals and families who qualify for the programs. 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 periods of the MOUs, rental assistance for a combination of 16 households and 231 individuals is available. Approval of this item will allow DBH to continue to provide in-kind services for participants in the programs.
PROCUREMENT
N/A
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by Behavioral Health Contracts (Lisa Rivas-Ordaz, Contracts Supervisor, 383-3940) on August 14, 2024; County Counsel (Dawn Martin, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on August 15, 2024; Finance (Paul Garcia, Administrative Analyst, 386-8392) on September 6, 2024; and County Finance and Administration (Cheryl Adams, Deputy Executive Officer, 388-0238) on September 9, 2024.