REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF THE COUNTY OF SAN BERNARDINO
AND RECORD OF ACTION
February 11, 2020
FROM
DENA FUENTES, Deputy Executive Officer, Community Development and Housing Agency
SUBJECT
Title v
Grant Application to the State of California Homeless Coordinating and Financing Council for the Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention Program Funding
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
1. Approve and authorize the submission of the Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention grant application to the State of California Homeless Coordinating and Financing Council by:
a. San Bernardino County Continuum of Care for funding, in the estimated amount of up to $3,071,060, to support regional coordination and provide immediate assistance to people experiencing homelessness in the region.
b. San Bernardino County, in the estimated amount of up to $2,865,015, for funding to support regional coordination and provide immediate assistance to people experiencing homelessness in the region.
2. Authorize County Executive Officer, Gary McBride, or the alternative designee, Deputy Executive Officer, Dena Fuentes, as the signatory for the applications and the following required supporting materials, as well as all other ancillary documents:
a. Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention grant Application Narrative
b. Annual Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention Budget
c. Letters of Support
d. Homeless Management Information System Data Sharing Agreement
e. Redirection of Funds Documents (if applicable)
f. Authorized Signatory Form
g. Government Tax Identification Number (GovTIN) or Payee Data Record (STD 204)
3. Authorize and designate the County of San Bernardino Office of Homeless Services to act as the Administrative Entity for the San Bernardino County Continuum of Care.
4. Authorize and designate the San Bernardino County Community Development and Housing Agency to act as the Administrative Entity for the County of San Bernardino.
5. Authorize San Bernardino County Community Development and Housing Agency staff to prepare and submit the application and supporting materials on behalf of the County of San Bernardino.
6. Authorize San Bernardino Office of Homeless Services staff to prepare and submit the application and supporting materials on behalf of the San Bernardino County Continuum of Care.
7. Authorize the County Executive Officer, Gary McBride, or the alternative designee, Deputy Executive Officer, Dena Fuentes to execute the grant application documents and make any subsequent non-substantive amendments necessary on behalf of the County, subject to review by County Counsel.
8. Direct the Deputy Executive Officer or the Office of Homeless Services Chief of Homeless Services to transmit all grant application documents and amendments in relation to Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention to the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors within 30 days of execution.
(Presenter: Dena Fuentes, Deputy Executive Officer, 387-4411)
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 Discretional General Funding (Net County Cost). The proposed total allocation amount of up to $5,936,075, $3,071,060 for San Bernardino region Continuum of Care and $2,865,015 for San Bernardino County, is administered by the State of California Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency (BCSH) as authorized by Assembly Bill (AB) 101, which was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom on July 31, 2019. Should funds be awarded, the Community Development and Housing Agency will return to the Board for award acceptance and any necessary budget adjustments will be included in a future quarterly budget report.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
On December 6, 2019, the State of California Homeless Coordinating and Financing Council (HCFC) released the Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for the Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) program. HHAP is a $650 million block grant program authorized by AB 101 (Committee on Budget, Chapter 159, Statutes of 2019) and is designed to provide jurisdictions with one-time grant funds to support regional coordination and expand or develop local capacity to address immediate homelessness challenges throughout the State. This Board item would allow the County to apply for both the San Bernardino County grant allocation of up to $2,865,015, and the San Bernardino County Continuum of Care grant allocation of up to $3,071,060. The proposed total allocation amount of up to $5,936,075 is administered by the BCSH as authorized by Assembly Bill (AB) 101, which was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom on July 31, 2019.
HHAP is intended to provide funding to Continuums of Care (CoC), counties, and large cities (population of 300,000 or more) to provide assistance to continue moving homeless individuals and families or individuals and families at-risk of homelessness into permanent housing and supporting the efforts of those individuals and families to maintain their permanent housing using a best practices framework. Eligible uses of HHAP include but are not limited to the following: rental assistance and rapid rehousing, operating subsidies including reserves, landlord incentives, homeless outreach and coordination, job programs, promoting housing stability, systems support for regional partnerships and maintaining a homeless services and housing delivery system, delivery of innovative housing solutions such as hotel and motel conversions, prevention and shelter diversion, and navigation centers and emergency shelters where the region can justify demonstrated need.
A minimum of eight (8) percent of HHAP funds must be used to provide services specific to the needs of homeless youth. Up to five (5) percent of an applicant’s program allocation may be expended on administration such as a strategic homelessness plan and/or infrastructure development to support Coordinated Entry Systems and Homeless Management Information Systems. Administrative costs are capped at seven (7) percent of program funds (estimated up to $214,974 for the San Bernardino County CoC and an additional $200,551 for San Bernardino County). Unlike with Homeless Emergency Aid Program funding, cities and counties are not required to issue a shelter crisis declaration to receive HHAP funds. The terms included in the application are legally binding; therefore, per County Policy 5-13, Board approval is required. The HHAP application is due to the State on or before February 15, 2020, as part of its statutory requirement, and will be submitted electronically upon Board approval.
The HCFC has determined that the CoC is eligible for a total grant distribution amount estimated up to $3,071,060 (CoC Allocation) and the County is eligible for a total grant distribution amount estimated up to $2,865,015 (County Allocation) based on the total number of homeless counted during the 2019 Point-In-Time Count. HHAP funds will benefit individuals and families of the County who are experiencing homelessness or at imminent risk of homelessness. HHAP will continue to expand current efforts that the CoC is undertaking to solve the regional homelessness problem.
The San Bernardino County CoC governing board, the Interagency Council on Homelessness, designated the County of San Bernardino (Office of Homeless Services (OHS)) as the Administrative Entity (AE) to submit the grant application for the CoC Allocation amount. If the Board of Supervisors approves Recommendation No. 3 and is willing to become the AE on behalf of the San Bernardino County CoC, then the County has the fiduciary responsibility and liability to ensure that the funds are spent in accordance with the grant agreement. Recommendation No. 4 designates the County of San Bernardino’s Community Development and Housing Agency (CDHA) as the designated Administrative Entity to submit the grant application on behalf of the County for the San Bernardino County allocation amount.
As AEs of HHAP program funds, the County - OHS and CDHA -- will be able to enter at a later date into subrecipient contracts with service providers to provide homeless services as described under the HHAP Program, upon award. It is proposed that the HHAP funds totaling an estimated $5,936,075 will be administered accordingly by the respective awardees:
• CoC allocation - up to $3,071,060 of the award will be allocated to programs and projects and the remaining balance, or up to $214,974 will be retained by the San Bernardino OHS to perform the administration of the State grant; and,
• County allocation - up to $2,865,015 will be allocated to programs and projects and the remaining balance, or up to $200,551 will be retained by the County to perform the administration of the State grant by the CDHA.
The AEs will also be responsible for identifying measurable goals, monitoring subsequent contracts and abiding by the reporting requirements of the funding source, HCFC. Unlike many State grants, the HHAP funds do not require a match; however, the County of San Bernardino will have the fiduciary responsibility and liability for grant compliance to the State of California.
Funds are anticipated to be allocated towards the following eligible use categories:
a) Youth Set-Aside
b) Administration
c) Innovative Solutions
d) Delivery of Permanent Housing
e) New Navigation Centers and Emergency Shelters
PROCUREMENT
No procurement is required for this action. A NOFA was issued by HCFC on December 6, 2019 seeking qualified HHAP applications. HCFC is expecting to announce grant awards by April 2020. When funding is awarded, a future item will be presented to the Board to accept the grant award, execute the grant agreement and make necessary budget adjustments.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Suzanne Bryant, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on January 23, 2020; Finance (Kathleen Gonzalez, Administrative Analyst, 387-5412) on January 24, 2020; and County Finance and Administration (Robert Saldana, Deputy Executive Officer, 387-5423) on January 27, 2020.