REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF THE COUNTY OF SAN BERNARDINO
AND RECORD OF ACTION
October 27, 2020
FROM
CASONYA THOMAS, Assistant Executive Officer, Human Services
SUBJECT
Title
Grant Award from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development for the Continuum of Care Homeless Management Information System
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
1. Accept the Grant Award (Grant Agreement No. CA0939L9D091910) from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development for the Continuum of Care Homeless Management Information System, in the amount of $250,158, for the period of November 1, 2020 through October 31, 2021.
2. Designate the Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, Assistant Executive Officer of Human Services, or Chief of Homeless Services, to execute and submit the grant agreement documents and any subsequent non-substantive amendments as required by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, on behalf of the County, subject to review by County Counsel.
3. Direct the Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, Assistant Executive Officer of Human Services, or Chief of Homeless Services, to transmit all documents and amendments in relation to this grant award agreement to the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors within 30 days of execution.
(Presenter: Tom Hernandez, Chief of Homeless Services, 501-0610)
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.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
This item does not impact Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The grant award agreement in the amount of $250,158 from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires a minimum 25 percent cash and/or in-kind match for the San Bernardino County Continuum of Care (CoC) Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) funds. The in-kind match of $62,540 will be provided in the form of salaries funded from non-federal resources. Adequate appropriation and revenue have been included in the Office of Homeless Services (OHS) 2020-21 budget.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
HMIS is the information system designated by the San Bernardino County CoC to comply with HUD’s data collection, management, and reporting standards. HMIS is utilized to collect client-level data and data on the provision of housing and services to homeless individuals and families and persons at risk of homelessness. OHS is the administrator of the HMIS for the San Bernardino County CoC and will use the grant funding for HMIS operating expenses, such as, staffing costs and software for the HMIS database. OHS has operated the web-enabled database system on behalf of the San Bernardino County CoC since 2013. Utilization of the HMIS is a requirement for agencies/entities to receive funding from HUD for the CoC Homeless program and the Emergency Solutions Grant, as well as a requirement for State grant programs, such as the Homeless Emergency Aid Program and the Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention Program.
Since 1994, HUD has encouraged communities to address the problems of housing and homelessness in a coordinated, comprehensive, and strategic approach. The HUD CoC Homeless program is designed to promote community-wide commitment to the goals of ending homelessness; to provide funding for efforts by nonprofit providers, states and local governments to quickly re-house homeless individuals and families while minimizing the trauma and dislocation caused to homeless individuals, families, and communities by homelessness; to promote access to and effective utilization of mainstream programs by homeless individuals and families; and to optimize self-sufficiency among those experiencing homelessness.
Starting in 2004, Congress required HUD to collect electronic data of the homeless served through HUD-funded programs. HUD and other planners and policymakers at the federal, state and local levels use aggregate HMIS data to obtain better information about the extent and nature of homelessness over time. Specifically, HMIS can be used to produce an unduplicated count of homeless persons, understand patterns of service use, and measure the effectiveness of homeless programs.
On September 23, 2019, the HMIS grant application was approved by the County Administrative Office and submitted to HUD on September 27, 2019 as part of the entire CoC collaborative grant process. OHS acts in the role of an administrative agent on behalf of the San Bernardino County CoC, which includes the submission of the annual HUD CoC Homeless Assistance program collaborative grant application.
On October 15, 2020, OHS received the grant award (Grant Agreement No. CA0939L9D091910) from HUD for the HMIS funds in the amount of $250,158, for the period of November 1, 2020 through October 31, 2021. Approval of this item will allow OHS to accept the grant award and authorizes the Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, Assistant Executive Officer of Human Services, or Chief of Homeless Services, to execute and submit the grant agreement documents and any non-substantive amendments and documents on behalf of the County, subject to review by County Counsel.
PROCUREMENT
N/A
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Suzanne Bryant, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on September 16, 2020; Finance (Chris Lange, Administrative Analyst, 386-8393) on September 21, 2020; and County Finance and Administration (Tanya Bratton, Deputy Executive Officer, 388-0332) on September 21, 2020.