REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
June 11, 2024
FROM
CARRIE HARMON, Director, Community Development and Housing Department
SUBJECT
Title
Amendment to Contract with the City of Victorville for the Provision of Homeless Services and Supports
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve Amendment No. 1 to Contract No. 24-107 with the City of Victorville for the provision of homeless services and support for homeless individuals residing in encampments in the Mojave Riverbed, through the City’s Wellness Center Campus, increasing the contract amount by $289,399, from $691,092 to a total contract amount not to exceed $980,491, with no change to the contract term of January 23, 2024 through June 30, 2024.
(Presenter: Carrie Harmon, Director, 382-3983)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Promote the Countywide Vision.
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 will not impact Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The total cost of this contract will not exceed $980,491 and will be funded through the Encampment Resolution Funding (ERF) Program grant administered through the State of California Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency. The grant does not require a local share of cost. Approximately $920,000 to $940,000 will be used to provide services and support to homeless individuals currently residing in encampments situated along the Mojave Riverbed. Approximately $40,000 to $60,000 will be used for cleanup and rehabilitation expenses related to the former encampment sites in the Mojave Riverbed. Adequate appropriation and revenue have been included in the Community Development and Housing Department’s (CDH) 2023-24 budget.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Approval of the recommended Amendment No. 1 to Contract No. 24-107 will provide services and support, which will now include the expanded services of transportation and additional housing services, to homeless individuals currently residing in encampments situated along the Mojave Riverbed, as well as the dedication of at least 26 beds at the City of Victorville’s (City) Wellness Center Campus (Wellness Center) each night for encampment individuals through the contract term. Individuals will be provided with a variety of services and resources to assist with obtaining stability and permanent housing, including case management, medical, mental health, and dental care coordination, and access to job training and placement, legal services, and housing navigation. Individuals who are eligible for Medi-Cal and/or Medicare benefits will also have access to a recuperative care facility and on-site medical clinic. Former riverbed encampment sites in which individuals were residing will be cleaned and restored to their natural state.
The City has contracted with two professional service organizations to operate the Wellness Center. Hope the Mission, a shelter provider that currently manages over 1,000 shelter beds throughout Southern California, is serving as the shelter operator and provides services that include client intake coordination, hygiene services, laundry, meals, security, janitorial services, and transportation. Symba Center, a medical service provider based in the City, is providing wraparound services, including recuperative care, medical and behavioral health services, job readiness and placement, financial literacy, case management, housing navigation, and substance abuse disorder counseling. In conjunction with the ERF Program funding, City resources are being used to clean up former encampment sites and restore the habitat to its natural state.
The City will provide monthly reports to CDH detailing the number of people in Mojave Riverbed encampment sites who have been provided with services, support, and shelter at the Wellness Center, and have exited from the shelter into safe and stable housing or other housing destinations. Approximately 100 unduplicated individuals are targeted to receive services over the term of the contract.
The ERF Program was launched by Governor Newsom in October 2021 to assist local jurisdictions in ensuring the wellness and safety of individuals experiencing homelessness in encampments by providing services and support that address immediate physical and mental wellness and result in meaningful paths to obtaining safe and stable housing.
On December 29, 2021, upon approval of the Deputy Executive Officer of Community Revitalization, the Office of Homeless Services submitted a non-binding application for the ERF Program. The application identified two prioritized encampment sites, the Santa Ana Riverbed, within the cities of Redlands and San Bernardino, and the Mojave Riverbed in Hesperia and Victorville. These encampment areas have been identified as having posed a safety, health, and environmental concern and are subject to flash flooding, extreme weather, fires, agricultural runoff, and human waste.
On February 24, 2022, Governor Newsom announced the award of ERF to 19 communities, including San Bernardino County. On April 26, 2022 (Item No. 25), the Board of Supervisors (Board) accepted the ERF Program grant in the amount of $1,787,998 to expand activities that address the needs of homeless individuals, such as outreach and engagement, mainstream supportive services, and case management, with a focus on permanent housing.
On December 19, 2023 (Item No. 37), the Board approved a contract with SB Express One, LLC dba Super 8 Motel San Bernardino for the provision of non-congregate shelter for homeless individuals residing in encampments in the Santa Ana Riverbed, in an amount not to exceed $807,507, utilizing ERF Program funding.
On January 23, 2024 (Item No. 23), the Board approved Contract No. 24-107 with the City of Victorville for the provision of services and support through the City’s Wellness Center Campus to homeless individuals residing in encampments in the Mojave Riverbed in an amount not to exceed $691,092 utilizing ERF Program funding. The partnership with the Wellness Center is another effort to utilize ERF Program Funds to provide services to the homeless individuals residing in Mojave Riverbed encampments.
Existing partnerships with external outreach and shelter providers will also be utilized to ensure encampment individuals are seamlessly transitioned to interim housing, while being provided with the necessary services for stabilization.
PROCUREMENT
County Procurement Policy No. 11-04 requires competitive and non-competitive services that exceed $200,000 during a single annual period be approved by the Board of Supervisors. Due to the specific on-site case management, treatment, and service needs of those entering interim shelter, the Purchasing Department continues to support the non-competitive justification.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Suzanne Bryant, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on May 3, 2024; Purchasing (Alba Cortez, Buyer II, 387-3372) on May 8, 2024; Finance (Christopher Lange, Deputy Director, 386-8393) on May 17, 2024; County Finance and Administration (Cheryl Adams, Deputy Executive Officer, 388-0238) on May 28, 2024.