REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
August 19, 2025
FROM
MARCUS DILLARD, Chief of Homeless Services, Office of Homeless Services
SUBJECT
Title
Grant Application to the State of California Department of Housing and Community Development for the Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention Program Round 6 Funding
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
1. Approve and authorize the submission of the Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention Program Round 6 grant application to the California Department of Housing and Community Development by:
a. The San Bernardino City and County Continuum of Care for funding, in the estimated amount of up to $5,185,585.08, to support regional coordination and provide immediate assistance to people experiencing homelessness in the region.
b. San Bernardino County for funding, in the estimated amount of up to $4,855,338.58, to support regional coordination and provide immediate assistance to people experiencing homelessness in the region.
2. Approve the non-financial Memorandum of Understanding with the San Bernardino City and County Continuum of Care, as required for the Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention Program Round 6 grant application, to affirm mutual participation and compliance with the Regionally Coordinated Homelessness Action Plan.
3. Authorize the Chief of Homeless Services to sign the non-financial Memorandum of Understanding with the San Bernardino City and County Continuum of Care, as required for the Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention Program Round 6 grant application, to affirm mutual participation and compliance with the Regionally Coordinated Homelessness Action Plan.
4. Authorize and designate the San Bernardino County Office of Homeless Services to act as the Administrative Entity for San Bernardino County and the San Bernardino City and County Continuum of Care for the Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention Program Round 6 grant.
5. Authorize the Chief Executive Officer, Assistant Executive Officer, or Chief of Homeless Services to execute and electronically submit the grant application and any required subsequent non-substantive amendments to the application, supporting materials, and all other ancillary documents on behalf of San Bernardino County and the San Bernardino City and County Continuum of Care, subject to County Counsel review.
6. Direct the Chief of Homeless Services to transmit the grant application and non-substantive amendments in relation to the Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention Program Round 6 grant to the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors within 30 days of execution.
(Presenter: Marcus Dillard, Chief of Homeless Services, 501-0644)
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 proposed Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) Program grant application amount of up to $10,040,923.66 includes $5,185,585.08 for the San Bernardino City and County Continuum of Care (CoC) and $4,855,338.58 for San Bernardino County (County). HHAP Program Round 6 grant is administered by the California (State) Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). This grant does not require a local match. Should funds be awarded, the Office of Homeless Services (OHS) will return to the Board of Supervisors (Board) for grant acceptance and any necessary budget adjustments.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
In February 2025, HCD released the Notice of Funding Availability and application template for the HHAP Round 6 grant. The HHAP Program is a block grant program designed to provide jurisdictions with one-time grant funds to support regional coordination and expand or develop local capacity to address immediate homelessness challenges. The HHAP Program Round 6 grant will support the expansion of current efforts that the County and CoC are undertaking to solve the regional homelessness problem.
The HHAP Program is intended to provide funding to CoCs, counties, and large cities (population of 300,000 or more) to help 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 permanent housing. Eligible uses of HHAP Program grant funding include, but are not limited to, the following: rapid rehousing, rental subsidies, landlord incentives, delivery of innovative housing solutions such as hotel and motel conversions, prevention and shelter diversion, operating subsidies for existing interim housing, improvements to existing interim housing, street outreach, and services coordination, to include access to workforce, education and training programs, and other services needed to promote housing stability in supportive housing.
A minimum of 10% of HHAP Program grant funds must be used to provide services specific to the needs of homeless youth. Administrative costs are capped at 8% of the total grant amount, which includes 7% for administration and 1% for the Homeless Management Information System. The terms included in the application are legally binding, therefore Board approval is required per County Policy No. 05-13. The HHAP Program Round 6 grant application is due to the State on or before August 29, 2025, and will be submitted electronically after Board approval of this item.
Per Health and Safety Code section 50240(f), as part of the HHAP Program Round 6 grant application, a Regionally Coordinated Homelessness Action Plan and a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between participating applicants are required. Under the terms of the recommended MOU, OHS and the CoC will commit to uphold, participate in, and comply with the actions, roles, and responsibilities as described in the Regionally Coordinated Homelessness Action Plan (Plan). The Plan is a required component of the HHAP Program Round 6 grant application and describes a strategic approach to address homelessness within the region, emphasizing collaborative efforts among participating applicants.
Actions of OHS and the CoC, as described in the Plan, include improving system performance measures, reducing exits to homelessness from institutional settings, and utilizing federal, State, and local funding programs to reduce homelessness. Roles and responsibilities include those that pertain to outreach and site coordination, siting and use of available public land, the development of interim and permanent housing options, and coordinating, connecting, and delivering prevention and wraparound services from all eligible federal, State, and local benefit programs to individuals experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness.
The Interagency Council on Homelessness, the CoC’s governing board, recommends that OHS serve as the Administrative Entity (AE) to submit the grant application for the CoC allocation amount. If the Board approves Recommendation No. 4, then the County will serve as the AE and have the responsibility to ensure the funds are spent in accordance with the grant agreement. As the AE of the HHAP Program Round 6 grant funds, the County, through OHS, will be able to enter into contracts with service providers to provide homeless services as described under the HHAP Program, upon award.
The AE will also be responsible for ensuring the measurable goals, objectives, and activities are in alignment with the County Homeless Strategic Action Plan and required HHAP Local Homeless Action Plans on file with the State for both the County and the CoC.
OHS will develop a spending plan for the CoC allocation based on HHAP Program Round 6 priorities, which will be driven by local data, housing capacity, system needs, and best practices.
The Board has accepted the receipt of HHAP Program grants since 2020. On February 11, 2020 (Item No. 26), the Board approved and authorized the submission of the HHAP Program grant application for the CoC in the amount of $3,071,060 and for the County in the amount of $2,865,015. On May 19, 2020 (Item No. 36), the Board accepted the HHAP Program grant awards in the amount of $3,071,060 for the CoC and $2,845,118 for the County.
Subsequent years of Board action for HHAP grants are as follows:
|
HHAP Grant |
Action |
Board Date |
Item No. |
|
Round 2 |
Grant Applications |
January 5, 2021 |
22 |
|
|
Grant Acceptance |
June 8, 2021 |
44 |
|
Round 3 |
Submittal of Initial Disbursement |
March 1, 2022 |
22 |
|
|
Grant Applications |
June 28, 2022 |
43 |
|
|
Remainder Disbursement Contract* |
|
- |
|
Round 4 |
Grant Applications |
November 15, 2022 |
28 |
|
|
Grant Acceptance |
May 9, 2023 |
21 |
|
Round 5 |
Grant Applications |
March 12, 2024 |
19 |
|
|
Grant Acceptance |
March 11, 2025 |
29 |
*This contract was authorized by the Chief Executive Officer on December 29, 2022.
When funding is awarded, a future item will be presented to the Board to accept the grant awards, execute the grant agreements, and make necessary budget adjustments.
PROCUREMENT
N/A
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Suzanne Bryant, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on August 12, 2025; and County Finance and Administration (Allegra Pajot, Administrative Analyst, 388-0218) on August 5, 2025.