REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
September 24, 2024
FROM
GEORGINA YOSHIOKA, Director, Department of Behavioral Health
SUBJECT
Title
Amendment to Contract with Lighthouse Social Service Centers for Family Stabilization Rapid Re-Housing Services
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve Amendment No. 4 to Contract No. 19-326 with Lighthouse Social Service Centers, for the provision of Family Stabilization Rapid Re-Housing services, increasing the amount by $5,305,554 from $10,739,160 to $16,044,714, and extending the contract an additional year, for a total contract period of July 1, 2019 through September 30, 2025.
(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
This item does not impact Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The recommended increase of $5,305,554 is funded by the Behavioral Health Bridge Housing (BHBH) Program grant funding and the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) Family Stabilization (FS) Rapid Re-Housing (RRH) allocation through a Memorandum of Understanding between the Department of Behavioral Health (DBH) and the Transitional Assistance Department (TAD). Adequate appropriation and revenue have been included in DBH’s 2024-25 budget and will be included in the 2025-26 recommended budget.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
DBH is responsible for providing mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) services to county residents experiencing severe mental illness and/or SUD. RRH services provide assistance to both TAD and DBH clients in locating and securing housing as quickly as possible. Historically, FS RRH services were limited to clients identified by TAD as eligible for CalWORKs FS RRH services. However, with the newly added BHBH funding, DBH has been able to expand the client base to include those not receiving TAD assistance and identified by DBH as in need of RRH services due to domestic violence, and/or homeless, or at imminent risk of homelessness. FS RRH are now available for all eligible DBH clients. RRH services include: “Bridge Housing” (temporary, short-term housing); Housing Search and Placement; financial and rental assistance; Housing Stability Case Management; medication services; as well as referrals to legal services and credit repair services.
State Assembly Bill (AB) 74, passed in 2013, includes a provision for funding FS services to CalWORKs clients deemed eligible because they have encountered circumstances that impedes their ability to participate in Welfare-To-Work activities such as: a need for behavioral health (mental health and/or SUD treatment) services, lack of safety due to domestic violence, and/or homelessness or imminent risk of homelessness.
AB 74 requires TAD to identify CalWORKs clients in need of FS services and provide the necessary services to remove these barriers. TAD entered into a MOU with DBH to provide FS services, which include identification of client barriers, intensive case management, and referrals to necessary services to remove those barriers.
The BHBH Program was signed into law in September 2022 under AB 179, providing additional funding for RRH services. The BHBH Program is designed to provide operational and supportive services to expand bridge housing implementation. The primary focus of the BHBH Program is to help individuals experiencing homelessness who have severe mental illness and/or SUD that prevent them from accessing help and moving out of homelessness. Once long-term housing goals have been established, DBH will help these individuals identify housing options and other available resources, and secure housing with the assistance of Housing Navigation. This includes assisting with housing applications, obtaining proper paperwork, and utility startups.
Lighthouse Social Service Centers (LSSC) has been the provider for RRH services countywide since 2019. During 2022-23, 936 individuals were successfully housed, 79 were employed, $504,617 was provided in motel vouchers as part of bridge housing, $229,153 was provided in security deposits, and $184,523 was provided in rental assistance.
DBH anticipates that LSSC will provide RRH services to 1,150 individuals for a total of 84,577 service hours, at a rate of approximately $62.73 per service hour, for the period of October 1, 2024 and September 30, 2025. Because of the nature of this contract, service hours are used as a mechanism to track all housing assistance, mental health and SUD services provided to clients. The addition of BHBH funding to CalWORKs funding for the FS Rapid Re-Housing Program will allow DBH to address service gaps by further expanding crucial program services and serving additional clients.
On May 21, 2019 (Item No. 29), as a result of a formal procurement, the Board of Supervisors (Board) approved Contract No. 19-326 with LSSC to provide countywide RRH services, in the amount of $5,148,052, for 82,067 initial service hours, for the period of July 1, 2019, through September 30, 2022.
On February 11, 2020 (Item No. 22), the Board approved Amendment No. 1 to Contract No. 19-326 with LSSC, increasing the number of service hours by 23,912, to 105,979 service hours and the contract amount by $1,500,000, from $5,148,052 to $6,648,052. There was no change to the contract period of July 1, 2019 through September 30, 2022.
On September 27, 2022 (Item No. 20), the Board approved Amendment No. 2 to Contract No. 19-326 with LSSC, updating standard contract language, increasing the number of service hours by 32,608, to 138,588 service hours, and increasing the contract amount by $2,045,554, from $6,648,052 to $8,693,606. The contract was also extended by an additional year, for a total contract period of July 1, 2019 through September 30, 2023.
On September 26, 2023 (Item No. 23), the Board approved Amendment No. 3 to Contract No. 19-326 with LSSC, increasing the number of service hours by 32,608, to 171,196 service hours and increasing the contract amount by $2,045,554, from $8,693,606 to $10,739,160. The contract was also extended by an additional year, for a total contract period of July 1, 2019 through September 30, 2024.
DBH will implement mechanisms to regularly 1) review client service data and progress, conduct site visits and annual monitoring to ensure performance and compliance standards of the contract(s) are met; and 2) review provider invoices administratively and programmatically to ensure client and/or bed counts are accurate prior to payment processing.
PROCUREMENT
A new formal procurement for the provision of FS RRH services will be conducted and concluded by 2025-26 for services effective October 1, 2025. A request for a formal procurement was delayed when the Governor’s proposed California State budget for 2024-25 eliminated the FS program. DBH then sought alternative funding to continue RRH services within the county. Fortunately, BHBH funding was determined to be adequate to continue services for another year and a new procurement was initiated. When the State budget passed on June 29, 2024, and included restored California Work Opportunity for Kids (CalWORKs) funding for the FS program, DBH restarted the procurement process. The addition of BHBH funding, combined with CalWORKs funding for the FS Rapid Re-Housing Program, will allow DBH to address service gaps by further expanding crucial program services and serving additional clients.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by Behavioral Health Contracts (Lisa Rivas-Ordaz, Contracts Supervisor, 383-3940) on August 22, 2024; County Counsel (Dawn Martin, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on August 23, 2024; Finance (Paul Garcia, Administrative Analyst, 386-8392) on September 6, 2024; and County Finance and Administration (Cheryl Adams, Deputy Executive Officer, 388-0238) on September 9, 2024.