REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
March 12, 2024
FROM
DIANE RUNDLES, Assistant Executive Officer, Community Revitalization
SUBJECT
Title
Grant Application to the State of California Interagency Council on Homelessness for the Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention Program Round 5 Funding
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
1. Approve and authorize the submission of the Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention Program Round 5 grant application to the State of California Interagency Council on Homelessness by:
a. The San Bernardino City and County Continuum of Care for funding, in the estimated amount of up to $6,032,369, 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 $5,787,524, to support regional coordination and provide immediate assistance to people experiencing homelessness in the region.
2. Authorize the Chief Executive Officer or Assistant Executive Officer as the signatory for the grant application and any required subsequent non-substantive amendments, supporting materials, as well as 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.
3. 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 5 grant.
4. Authorize the Chief of Homeless Services to electronically submit the grant application, supporting materials, non-substantive amendments, and ancillary documents on behalf of San Bernardino County and the San Bernardino City and County Continuum of Care.
5. 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 5 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 grant application amount of up to $11,819,893 includes $6,032,369 for the San Bernardino City and County Continuum of Care (CoC) and $5,787,524 for San Bernardino County (County), and is administered by the State of California (State) Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency (BCSH) through the California Interagency Council on Homelessness (Cal ICH). 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 award acceptance and any necessary budget adjustments.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
On September 29, 2023, Cal ICH released the Notice of Funding Availability and application template for the Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) Program Round 5 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 5 grant will support 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, 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 (HMIS). The terms included in the application are legally binding, therefore Board approval is required per County Policy No. 05-13. The HHAP Program Round 5 grant application is due to the State on or before March 27, 2024, and will be submitted electronically after Board approval of this item.
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. 3, 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 5 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. It is proposed that the HHAP Program Round 5 grant funds totaling an estimated $11,819,893 be administered accordingly by the respective awardees:
• CoC allocation - up to $5,549,779 of the award will be allocated to programs and projects, including youth services, and the remaining balance, or up to $482,590 will be retained by OHS to perform the administration of the State grant.
• County allocation - up to $5,324,522 will be allocated to programs and projects, with input from the Board, and includes a minimum of 10% allocation for youth services, with the remaining balance, or up to $463,002 retained by OHS to perform the administration of the State grant.
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 CoC.
OHS will develop a spending plan for the CoC allocation based on HHAP Program Round 5 priorities, which will be driven by local data, housing capacity, system needs, and best practices.
The Board has been accepting 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 is 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 |
*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
Nott applicable.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Suzanne Bryant, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on March 5, 2024; Finance (Paul Garcia, Administrative Analyst, 386-8392) on February 22, 2024; and County Finance and Administration (Cheryl Adams, Deputy Executive Officer, 388-0238) on February 22, 2024.