REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
June 18, 2025
FROM
MARCUS DILLARD, Chief of Homeless Services, Office of Homeless Services
SUBJECT
Title
Contract with Inland Southern California 211+ for the Expansion of Coordinated Entry System Services
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
1. Approve Contract with Inland Southern California 211+, for the expansion of Coordinated Entry System services, in the amount not to exceed $3,584,750 for the period of June 18, 2025, through March 31, 2028.
2. Authorize the Chief Executive Officer, Assistant Executive Officer, or Chief of Homeless Services to approve and execute any subsequent non-substantive amendments to the contract in Recommendation No. 1 for the expansion of Coordinated Entry System services, subject to County Counsel review.
3. Direct the Chief of Homeless Services to transmit all non-substantive amendments to the contract in Recommendation No. 1 to the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors within 30 days of execution.
4. Authorize the Auditor-Controller/Treasurer/Tax Collector to post the necessary budget adjustments to the Office of Homeless Services budget, as detailed in the Financial Impact section (Four votes required).
(Presenter: Marcus Dillard, Chief of Homeless Services, 501-0610)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Operate in a Fiscally - Responsible and Business-Like Manner.
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 will not result in the use of Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The total cost of the not to exceed amount of $3,584,750 will be funded by Housing and Homeless Incentive Program (HHIP) funds administered by the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS). Funding has been allocated to San Bernardino County (County) through agreements with Managed Care Plans and through a Memorandum of Understanding between the Community Development and Housing Department (CDH) and the Office of Homeless Services (OHS).
Approval of this item authorizes the Auditor-Controller/Treasurer/Tax Collector to post the FY 2024-25 budget adjustments necessary to authorize expenditure:
|
Fund Center |
Commitment Item/GL |
Description |
Action |
Amount |
|
6210002493 |
53003205 |
Public Assistance |
Decrease |
$3,584,750 |
|
6210002493 |
55305030 |
Operating Transfer Out |
Increase |
$3,584,750 |
|
6210002503 |
53003205 |
Public Assistance |
Increase |
$3,584,750 |
|
6210002503 |
40909975 |
Operating In |
Increase |
$3,584,750 |
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Approval of this contract with Inland Southern California 211+ (ISC 211+) will allow OHS to implement the Coordinated Entry System (CES) Outreach and Response Expansion Project (Project CORE). This initiative will expand the outreach and supportive service capabilities of the current CES by establishing a Multidisciplinary Outreach Team and a Street Medicine Team through ISC 211+ to deliver medical services in the field. These teams will directly engage unsheltered individuals and families in areas within the county that are not currently covered by other street medicine or outreach teams.
The CES is the streamlined process by which people experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness can access housing assistance and supportive services. The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires all projects funded under the Continuum of Care (CoC) and Emergency Solutions Grant programs to utilize a CES to effectively assist those in need. Locally, the San Bernardino City and County Continuum of Care (SB CoC) is responsible for addressing homelessness through the CES by identifying needs and building a system of housing and services that meets those needs. The SB CoC has designated ISC 211+, formerly known as Inland Empire United Way, as the CoC’s CES Lead Agency.
ISC 211+ operates the 2-1-1 system as the entry point into the local CES. The 2-1-1 hotline provides 24/7 access to bilingual call specialists who connect individuals to local community support services. Entry into the CES begins when a homeless or at risk of homelessness individual or family engages with the system, either by calling the 2-1-1 hotline and speaking with a CES operator, or through contact with a homeless service provider. The CES operator or homeless service provider will enter the individual’s or family’s basic demographic and background information into the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) and conduct assessments to determine eligibility for services. A survey will also be conducted to assist with prioritizing services available to households based on vulnerability factors such as emergency services use, physical harm, mental health risk, incarceration, risk of continued homelessness, and likelihood of death on the streets. Households are then placed in a housing navigation queue within HMIS, with those most in need and at risk being prioritized for services.
Several cities across the County have outreach teams that engage with homeless individuals on the streets or in encampments to record them in CES. However, many cities and unincorporated communities in the County lack such dedicated street outreach teams. These areas include the cities of Chino, Chino Hills, Grand Terrace, Hesperia, Loma Linda, Montclair, Needles, Rancho Cucamonga, and Yucaipa, as well as other unincorporated communities. Project CORE will expand outreach coverage to these areas through the establishment of a Multidisciplinary Outreach Team and a Street Medicine Team.
The proposed Multidisciplinary Outreach Team will consist of six Outreach Specialists who will conduct field outreach, complete assessments, and enroll individuals into CES using HMIS. The Multidisciplinary Outreach Team will also assist individuals with obtaining personal documentation necessary for housing placement. For households that are reluctant or initially refuse services, Outreach Specialists will continue engagement efforts to build rapport and encourage acceptance of services over time.
The Street Medicine Team will enhance outreach efforts by providing medical care directly to unsheltered individuals, thus improving health outcomes for these individuals and helping prevent ongoing medical issues from continuing to fester. ISC 211+ will subcontract these services through a competitive procurement process. The team, composed of eight medical and support professionals, will deliver field-based care, manage referrals, offer behavioral health evaluations, and provide education regarding health and medical issues. Individuals receiving treatment will be referred to the Multidisciplinary Outreach Team for housing services.
Project CORE also includes the addition of two CES Operators and a part-time data analyst who will be employed by Inland Southern California 211+, to be stationed at the Riverside Call Center or working remotely. These operators and data analyst will support the Multidisciplinary Outreach Team’s housing placement efforts by processing submitted referrals and providing connections to appropriate resources.
The costs associated with establishing and maintaining Project CORE through March 2028 will be covered by HHIP. HHIP is a $1.288 billion statewide voluntary incentive program that enabled Managed Care Plans (MCPs) to earn one-time incentive funds for improving health outcomes and access to whole care services by addressing homelessness and housing insecurity as social drivers of health and health disparities.
As a part of this effort, the Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP) and Molina Healthcare of California, Inc. (Molina), in collaboration with the County and the SB CoC, have each established a HHIP Investment Plan that identifies 12 Investment Areas in which HHIP funds are to be invested, one of which is CES Support. Per this Investment Plan, a maximum of $2,000,000 in HHIP funding from IEHP is allocated to increase assessment capacity to serve more households, as well as contribute to administrative support for the CES. To sufficiently staff Project CORE over the term of this contract, the County requested and IEHP approved, the use of an additional $1,584,750 in HHIP funds from the HMIS Collaboration and Enhancement Investment Area in the IEHP Investment Plan.
On February 6, 2024 (Item #16), the Board approved agreements with IEHP and Molina Healthcare of California, Inc., to accept a combined amount of up to $44,830,000 in HHIP funding.
To administer these funds, CDH has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with OHS, under which OHS will administer up to $17,560,000 in HHIP funds. This total includes $11,500,000 in HHIP funding allocated to and earnable by the SB CoC, and $6,060,000 in HHIP funding allocated to and earnable by the County. Per the Investment Plan, the County’s $6,060,000 targets for Coordinated Entry System (CES) Support, Drug Medi-Cal Organized Delivery System Support and Collaboration, and HMIS Collaboration and Enhancement.
The County’s HHIP funding allocated to CES Support and HMIS Collaboration and Enhancement will be utilized in the proposed contract with ISC 211+. OHS is currently developing projects in which to invest funds for Drug Medi-Cal Organized Delivery System Support and the remaining HMIS Collaboration and Enhancement funds and will return to the Board of Supervisors (Board) for approval of these projects, as necessary. OHS, as the designated Administrative Entity for the SB CoC, is currently procuring projects to use the $11,500,000 in CoC HHIP funding.
PROCUREMENT
The Purchasing Department supports the non-competitive procurement for the expansion of CES services due to ISC 211+ specialized credentials. ISC 211+ operates the County’s 2-1-1 system and manages CES referral functions, including access, referral processing, and housing coordination services across the County.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Suzanne Bryant, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on May 16, 2025; Purchasing (Ariel Gill, Supervising Buyer, 387-2070) on May 19, 2025; Auditor-Controller/Treasurer/Tax Collector (Charlene Huang, Auditor-Controller Manager, 909-382-7022) on May 29, 2025; Finance (Paul Garcia, Administrative Analyst, 386-8392) on June 02, 2025; County Finance and Administration (Cheryl Adams, Deputy Executive Officer) on June 02, 2025.