REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
November 19, 2024
FROM
MARCUS DILLARD, Chief of Homeless Services, Office of Homeless Services
SUBJECT
Title
Grant Application to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development for the Continuum of Care Builds Program Competition
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
1. Approve and authorize the submission of the Continuum of Care Builds Program grant application to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development by the Office of Homeless Services on behalf of the San Bernardino City and County Continuum of Care.
2. Authorize the Chief Executive Officer, Assistant Executive Officer, Director of the Community Development and Housing Department, or Chief of Homeless Services as the signatory for the grant application and any required subsequent non-substantive amendments, supporting materials, and other ancillary documents on behalf of the San Bernardino City and County Continuum of Care, subject to County Counsel review.
3. Authorize the Chief of Homeless Services to electronically submit the grant application, supporting materials, non-substantive amendments, and ancillary documents on behalf the San Bernardino City and County Continuum of Care.
4. Direct the Chief of Homeless Services to transmit the grant application, supporting materials, non-substantive amendments, and ancillary documents in relation to the Continuum of Care Builds program competition 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
Promote the Countywide Vision.
Create, Maintain and Grow Jobs and Economic Value in the County.
Ensure Development of a Well-Planned, Balanced, and Sustainable County.
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 $7,500,000 application for the Continuum of Care (CoC) Builds Program grant from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) includes a 25% local match requirement. The local match requirement will be met with $1,875,000 of Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) Program grant funds from the State. The Office of Homeless Services (OHS) will return to the Board of Supervisors (Board) to request acceptance of the CoC Builds Program grant and any necessary budget adjustments.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
OHS, on behalf of and as the designated Collaborative Applicant for the San Bernardino City and County CoC (SB CoC), is seeking approval and authorization to submit an application for HUD’s CoC Builds Program grant to support the development of new Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) units to address homelessness in the county.
On July 22, 2024, HUD released the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the CoC Builds Program grant. The CoC Builds Program is a competitive grant program that targets efforts within CoC geographic areas to address and reduce persons experiencing homelessness by adding new units of PSH through awards for new construction, acquisition, or rehabilitation projects. PSH provides stable housing and voluntary support services for homeless individuals with high needs who are facing barriers to housing stability, with the goal of reducing the use of emergency services, such as hospitals, shelters, and law enforcement. HUD is encouraging CoCs to leverage funds provided for construction, acquisition, or rehabilitation of new PSH units with other funding sources to maximize the amount of housing that can be directed to meet the needs of individuals and families experiencing homelessness, where at least one individual in the household has a disability.
HUD is only accepting CoC Builds Program grant applications submitted by CoC Collaborative Applicants. OHS is coordinating the submission of the CoC Builds Program grant application on behalf of the SB CoC and will administer grant funds awarded on its behalf. Only one project within the CoC geographic area may be selected for submission to HUD for the CoC Builds Program grant competition, unless a second application is submitted by a Tribe or Tribally Designated Housing Entity. To submit a strong and viable project in response to the CoC Builds Program NOFO, OHS issued a Request for Applications (RFA) for new PSH projects within the County’s geographic area. Three applications were received and thoroughly reviewed and scored by an impartial evaluation panel. The panel recommended, and the CoC’s Interagency Council on Homelessness (ICH) subsequently approved, the Community Development and Housing Department’s (CDH) Pacific Village Campus Expansion (PVE) Project as the project that will be submitted by OHS.
The Pacific Village Campus, located at 2626 Pacific Street in the City of San Bernardino, is designed to be a model continuum of care campus that will offer housing and social services to county residents experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Unlike traditional homeless projects of large-scale congregate shelters, this development will include innovative features to address common barriers in engaging homeless individuals, such as outdoor community activity leisure areas, a pet park, secure storage for personal belongings, family and single/co-ed housing options, and on-site supportive services. The Pacific Village Campus is part of a multi-use collective partnership between the Department of Aging and Adult Services (DAAS), Department of Behavioral Health (DBH), CDH, and third-party management providers to increase access to a safe home environment and resources for overall wellness and self-sufficiency. The expansion project includes three distinct components: 1) DAAS’ Pacific Village Platinum Campus (PC) Project, which will include the development of 30 PSH units and a 28-bed recuperative care center; 2) DBH’s Pacific Village Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Program Project, which will create a 16-bed residential treatment facility that will provide services to individuals with severe mental health illness and/or substance use disorders; and 3) CDH’s PVE Project, which will create 28 PSH units and common areas. Any funds awarded through the CoC Builds Program will be dedicated solely to the development of the 28 PSH units in the CDH PVE Project.
HUD may require updates or additional information to the grant form/application package after the initial submission. The supporting materials and ancillary documents included in this application package are required to meet HUD's requirements and include, but are not limited to, the Certification of Consistency with the Consolidated Plan, program narratives, the budget, and the cover letter signed by the CoC Chair.
The CoC Builds Program grant application is due to HUD on or before November 21, 2024. It is anticipated that HUD will award approximately 25 projects nationwide. After the awardees have been determined, HUD will finalize specific terms of the award and budget in consultation with the selected applicant. HUD will require recordation of a HUD-approved use and repayment covenant before funds can be drawn down. The funding source also restricts the use of the property for 15 years from the date of initial occupancy by a program participant or the date of initial service provision by the recipient or subrecipient. If awarded, OHS will return to the Board to accept the grant funds from HUD. An award, pursuant to the RFA, will subsequently be issued to CDH via an interdepartmental transfer.
PROCUREMENT
On September 19, 2024, acting as the Collaborative Applicant for the local CoC, OHS released an RFA to solicit PSH projects from interested and qualified applicants to be considered for inclusion in the CoC Builds Program grant application to HUD. Notice of the RFA was sent to an email distribution list of over 1,100 entities that included members of the local ICH, which serves as the CoC’s governing board, the Homeless Provider Network, city managers within San Bernardino County, and subscribed partnership providers. The RFA was also posted on the San Bernardino County Homeless Partnership website.
The following three applications were received by OHS and reviewed by an impartial evaluation panel consisting of four voting members of the CoC.
|
Vendor |
Organization Location |
Project Location |
|
Community Development and Housing |
San Bernardino, CA |
San Bernardino, CA |
|
Desert Manna |
Barstow, CA |
Barstow, CA |
|
Second Chance Beginnings |
Orange, CA |
Trona, CA |
The evaluation panel determined CDH as the successful applicant for its PVE Project application.
The recommended project was presented to and approved by the ICH Board on November 7, 2024. An award pursuant to this RFA is contingent upon an award from HUD.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Suzanne Bryant, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on November 13, 2024; Purchasing (Jessica Barajas Supervising Buyer, 387-2065) on November 13, 2024; Finance (Paul Garcia, Administrative Analyst, 386-8392) on November 13, 2024; and County Finance and Administration (Cheryl Adams, Deputy Executive Officer, 387-0238) on November 13, 2024.