REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
March 25, 2025
FROM
GEORGINA YOSHIOKA, Director, Department of Behavioral Health
MARCUS DILLARD, Chief, Office of Homeless Services
SUBJECT
Title
Intra-County Position Action to Transfer Positions from the Department of Behavioral Health to the Office of Homeless Services
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
1. Authorize the transfer of the following 15 positions from the Department of Behavioral Health to the Office of Homeless Services:
a. One Office Assistant III, Position Number 03096
b. One Fiscal Assistant, Position Number 57124
c. One Clinical Therapist II, Position Number 88441
d. Four Social Worker II, Position Numbers 86948, 72112, 73319 and 12654
e. Two Alcohol and Drug Counselors, Position Numbers 73347 and 50617
f. Four Mental Health Specialist, Position Numbers 82335, 04190, 74220 and 82662
g. Two Peer and Family Advocate, Position Numbers 55862 and 89990
2. Authorize the transfer of the following two vehicles from the Department of Behavioral Health to the Office of Homeless Services:
a. Vehicle No. 1755 Ford Fusion
b. Vehicle No. 20714 Chevy Express Van
3. Authorize the Auditor-Controller/Treasurer/Tax Collector to post the necessary 2024-25 budget adjustments as indicated in the Financial Impact section (Four votes required).
(Presenter: Georgina Yoshioka, Director, 252-5142)
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
Approval of this item does not impact Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The cost of the 15 transferred positions is $1,334,754 and will be funded by California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM) funds for Community Support Services (CSS) through invoices submitted to the Inland Empire Health Plan. Approval of this item will also allow the Department of Behavioral Health (DBH) to provide Behavioral Health Bridge Housing (BHBH) funding to OHS for the use of 35 bridge housing beds, the cost for which is estimated at $378,000 for the remainder of 2024-25, throughout the county.
The following adjustments are requested to the OHS and DBH 2024-25 budgets:
|
Fund Center |
Commitment Item |
Description |
Action |
Amount |
|
9200002200 |
51001010 |
Regular Salary |
Decrease |
$1,334,754 |
|
9200002200 |
55305030 |
Operating Transfer Out |
Increase |
$1,334,754 |
|
9200511000 |
53003205 |
Public Assistance |
Decrease |
$378,000 |
|
9200511000 |
55305030 |
Operating Transfer Out |
Increase |
$378,000 |
|
6210001000 |
51001010 |
Regular Salary |
Increase |
$1,334,754 |
|
6210001000 |
53003205 |
Public Assistance |
Increase |
$378,000 |
|
6210001000 |
40909975 |
Operating Transfer In |
Increase |
$1,712,754 |
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
DBH is responsible for providing mental health and Substance Use Disorder (SUD) services to County residents experiencing severe mental illness (SMI) and/or SUD and are homeless or are at risk of becoming homeless.
The transfer of positions from DBH to OHS will support expanded countywide outreach, housing placement, and navigation services for individuals who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. These services are provided to individuals who are assessed as Tier 1, 2, or 3 based on their specific needs. Tiers 1 and 2 are designations for individuals with low or medium support needs, respectively. Tier 3 is a designation for individuals with high and complex behavioral health needs.
OHS focuses on providing outreach, engagement, and housing placement for individuals assessed as Tier 1 or Tier 2. Individuals assessed by OHS as Tier 3, including those with SMI and SUD, also will be referred to DBH for treatment services so that the outreach, engagement, and housing made available to those individuals are a collaborative effort more likely to result in a successful placement. With this allocation of duties, a transfer of positions from DBH to OHS allows each to focus on its relative strengths, consistent with the strategy promoted in the County’s Homeless Action Plan.
The County’s Homeless Action Plan is a multi-jurisdiction approach which addresses homelessness through the development of multidisciplinary teams managed by OHS. By utilizing a holistic approach including the CSS team, OHS and DBH will provide services focused on housing, health, stability, and independence, consistent with the CalAIM transformation efforts.
On December 5, 2023 (Item No. 21), the Board of Supervisors approved Subcontractor Agreement 23-1285 with Advocates for Human Potential, Inc., on behalf of the California Department of Health Care Services, for the BHBH Program, to address the immediate and sustainable housing needs of individuals experiencing homelessness who have severe mental illness and/or substance use disorders, in the amount of $27,375,170, for the period of June 23, 2023 through June 30, 2027.
DBH currently has BHBH funding available to pay for 35 beds which can be utilized to provide emergency shelter bridge housing to individuals with serious behavioral health conditions and who are homeless, at risk of homelessness, and/or receiving Community Assistance Recovery and Empowerment (CARE) Act services. The CARE Act provides community-based behavioral health services and housing support to Californians living with schizophrenia spectrum or other psychotic disorders who meet health and safety criteria. In alignment with the above-noted approach to address housing needs, these beds will transition to OHS management. In addition, to facilitate CSS staff site visits and client transfers, DBH grants to OHS, two vehicles dedicated to this program.
PROCUREMENT
Not applicable.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by Behavioral Health (Lisa Rivas-Ordaz, Contracts Supervisor, 383-3940) on February 24, 2025; County Counsel (Dawn Martin, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on February 26, 2025; Auditor-Controller/Treasurer/Tax Collector (Charlene Huang, Auditor-Controller Manager, 382-7022) on February 26, 2025; Human Resources (Gina King, Assistant Director, 387-5560) on February 25, 2025; Finance (Paul Garcia, Administrative Analyst, 386-8392) on March 7, 2025; and County Finance and Administration (Cheryl Adams, Deputy Executive Officer, 388-0332) on March 10, 2025.