REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
May 20, 2025
FROM
GEORGINA YOSHIOKA, Director, Department of Behavioral Health
SUBJECT
Title
Non-Financial Memorandum of Understanding with City of Fontana Police Department for Homeless Outreach Support Team
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve non-financial Memorandum of Understanding, with the City of Fontana Police Department, including a non-standard term, for office space for the Department of Behavioral Health staff to provide homeless outreach services, for the period of January 1, 2025, through December 31, 2029.
(Presenter: Georgina Yoshioka, Director, 252-5142)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Improve County Government Operations.
Provide for the Safety, Health and Social Service Needs of County Residents.
Pursue County Goals and Objectives by Working with Other Agencies.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
This item does not impact Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost), as this is a non-financial Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Department of Behavioral Health (DBH) is responsible for providing mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) services to County residents experiencing severe mental illness and/or SUD. This non-financial MOU reaffirms DBH’s commitment to provide access to outreach, engagement and support through the Homeless Outreach Support Team (HOST) program services for the homeless population with behavioral health problems in the City of Fontana (City).
HOST began as a pilot program in February 2020 designed to serve the hard-to-reach areas of San Bernardino County. HOST provides outreach and engagement to individuals with behavioral health challenges who are chronically homeless. The partnership between DBH and Fontana Police Department (FPD) is a joint effort to provide case management and linkage to mental health services to the City’s homeless community who are most in need of these services.
DBH HOST staff have been working alongside FPD as part of the Multiple Enforcement Team (MET) to conduct homeless outreach and engage individuals in riverbeds, abandoned buildings, fields, and homeless encampments. MET consists of a behavioral health specialist, police officer, and probation officer in order to engage and provide support to homeless individuals. The team engages homeless individuals in an effort to assist with wellness, linkage to available housing, and to provide screening, education, engagement, supportive case management, and consultation services based on the client’s needs. Through the pilot program, approximately 1,150 client contacts were made with 300 clients served in 2023-24. Temporary housing was provided to 67 individuals and 19 individuals were assisted in finding permanent housing. The DBH HOST program anticipates serving approximately 300 homeless individuals in the City annually going forward.
Approval of the recommended non-financial MOU will allow DBH to continue to utilize no-cost office space within the City, specifically at the FPD, to provide HOST services, upon execution, through December 31, 2029. The MOU may be terminated without cause upon 30 days written notice by either party. The recommended MOU with the City contains modifications to the standard contract language, which includes the following:
The MOU contains the following non-standard County term:
The County agrees to defend and indemnify the City from claims that result from the County’s negligence or willful misconduct, or any breach by the County of its representations, warranties, or covenants or obligations under the MOU.
• The County’s standard contract does not contractually obligate the County to indemnify the other party under any circumstance.
• Potential Impact: By agreeing to indemnify the City, the County could be contractually waiving the protection of sovereign immunity. Claims that may otherwise be barred against the County, time limited, or expense limited could be brought against the City without such limitations and the County would be responsible to defend and reimburse the City for costs, expenses, and damages, which could exceed the non-financial MOU costs. It should be noted that the City is similarly obligated to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless the County.
DBH recommends approval of this non-financial MOU, including the non-standard term, as it will allow DBH to continue to utilize space at FPD and be able to provide HOST services, and maintain the collaborative effort made to reach and serve the homeless population.
On February 28, 2023 (Item No. 20), the Board of Supervisors (Board) approved MOU 23-151 for DBH staff to utilize FPD office space to provide HOST services from February 1, 2020 through December 31, 2024. DBH became aware of the need to replace MOU 23-151 after it expired and are requesting a retroactive effective date of January 1, 2025 since the program has been continuously providing services to the homeless population in the county. This item is being presented at the first available date following the required operational, administrative, and legal reviews for presentation to the Board.
PROCUREMENT
N/A
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by Behavioral Health Contracts (Michael Shin, Administrative Manager, 388-0869) on January 17, 2025; County Counsel (Dawn Martin, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on April 22, 2025; Risk Management (Stephanie Pacheco, Staff Analyst II, 386-9039) on April 30, 2025; Finance (Paul Garcia, Administrative Analyst, 386-8392) on May 5, 2025; and County Finance and Administration (Cheryl Adams, Deputy Executive Officer, 388-0332) on May 5, 2025.