REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
December 19, 2023
FROM
MARCUS DILLARD, Chief of Homeless Services, Office of Homeless Services
SUBJECT
Title
Contract with Family Assistance Program for Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention Round 3 Program Services on behalf of the San Bernardino City and County Continuum of Care
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve contract with Family Assistance Program on behalf of the San Bernardino City and County Continuum of Care, for the provision of Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention Round 3 Program services, in an amount not to exceed $78,038 for the period of July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2026.
(Presenter: Marcus Dillard, 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 and Stakeholders.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this item does not impact Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The total cost for services will not exceed $78,038 and will be funded by the State of California Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) Round 3 Program block grant funding awarded to the San Bernardino City and County Continuum of Care (SBC CoC). The SBC CoC determines how these funds will be expended, and the Office of Homeless Services (OHS) acts as the Administrative Entity, administering the grant on behalf of the SBC CoC. Adequate appropriation and revenue have been included in the OHS 2023-24 budget and will be included in future recommended budgets.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The contract with Family Assistance Program (FAP) will benefit homeless youth throughout San Bernardino County by allocating HHAP Round 3 Program funds towards systems enhancement activities that will provide direct aid to homeless youth through stipends and empowerment trainings for those participating in advocacy activities. The contract budget was developed in partnership with youth participating on the SBC CoC’s Youth Advisory Board (YAB).
FAP will serve as the fiscal sponsor responsible for maintaining the budget and reporting outcomes for the HHAP Round 3 Program funds awarded to the YAB. FAP currently hosts YAB meetings and oversees the group’s advocacy and training activities, which promote the creation of targeted housing options for unsheltered youth.
YAB membership consists of homeless and formerly homeless youth who advocate for targeted youth services to address and reduce youth homelessness. YAB involvement in developing the program budget ensures that services provided under this contract are targeted toward preventing homelessness among youth and addressing the unique needs of youth currently experiencing homelessness.
FAP expects to prevent 10 youths from becoming homeless through rental assistance; increase the income of 20 youths through stipends for participation in systems enhancement activities meant to help streamline access to services and resources; provide educational opportunities to 40 youths through empowerment trainings to help youth advocate for targeted, youth-related services; and increase access to resources for 50 youths through a liaison who will manage the youth Coordinated Entry System (CES) and help identify alternative housing options for youth. These activities support the HHAP program goal of connecting individuals to permanent housing options.
|
Eligible Use Category: Homeless Youth |
Allocation |
Number Expected to be Served |
|
|
|
Rental Assistance |
$20,000 |
10 |
|
|
|
Youth Stipends |
$20,000 |
20 |
|
|
|
Youth Empowerment Trainings |
$20,000 |
40 |
|
|
|
Youth CES Coordination |
$18,038 |
50 |
|
|
|
Total Award |
$78,038 |
|
|
|
FAP has been a recipient of prior rounds of HHAP grant funds, awarded for the provision of transitional housing to youth. Through HHAP Round 1 and HHAP Round 2, FAP provided transitional housing to 112 unduplicated youths. FAP has demonstrated the capacity to fully expend funds in a timely manner and in accordance with program expectations.
On December 17, 2021, the State of California Homeless Coordinating and Financing Council, now known as the California Interagency Council on Homelessness, released a Notice of Funding Availability for HHAP Round 3 Program grant funding. HHAP Round 3 Program funding is made available as non-competitive allocations to eligible grantees, including California’s Continuums of Care, as identified by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), large cities (with a population of 300,000 or more as of January 1, 2020), counties, and federally recognized tribal governments. Individual allocations for each of the eligible applicants are based on their proportionate share of the state’s homeless population as reported by HUD in the 2019 Point-in-Time count.
Grantees are required to use at least 10% of the program allocation for services that meet the specific needs of homeless youth populations. The Initial Disbursement of HHAP Round 3 funds may be used to improve or create a youth-specific CES and systems improvement activities, which may include capacity building, workforce development, and strengthening data systems to monitor and enhance service provision.
On March 1, 2022 (Item No. 22), the Board of Supervisors approved the submission of the HHAP Round 3 Initial Disbursement for Funds and authorized the Chief Executive Officer or Deputy Executive Officer of Community Revitalization to execute the Remainder Disbursement Contract for Funds on behalf of the SBC CoC.
On June 22, 2022, the SBC CoC Interagency Council on Homelessness Board (ICH) Board voted to allocate 10% of the initial disbursement for YAB member stipends and youth CES development. On March 22, 2023, the SBC CoC ICH Board approved recommendations from the HHAP Round 3 Implementation and Oversight Committee to award the allocation to FAP for the provision of these youth-related, systems enhancement services. Having confirmed that the proposed activities are eligible and in alignment with HHAP program objectives, OHS is recommending that the contract be retroactively effective, allowing reimbursement of the aforementioned activities dating back to July 1, 2023.
OHS, as the Administrative Entity, acts on behalf of the County to administer HHAP Round 3 Program grant funding as designated by the SBC CoC. As such, OHS will conduct program monitoring to ensure performance and compliance standards are met.
PROCUREMENT
Recognizing that FAP is the only homeless youth service provider and YAB's only sponsor, the ICH Board unanimously approved the recommendation of the Implementation and Oversight Committee to award the funds allocated for the YAB to FAP.
Additionally, FAP was the only provider who submitted an application for the Request for Applications released in April 2023 for HHAP Round 3 Remainder Disbursement funds allocated specifically for homeless youth services. Through that award, FAP will provide transitional housing to homeless youth. The provider has multiple programs and centers throughout the county geared at mitigating youth homelessness and is a qualified fiscal sponsor due to its closely aligned efforts with the YAB and prior competitive HHAP awards.
OHS recommends the non-competitive contract with FAP for its unique role in guiding YAB members and hosting the group’s meetings and activities. The Purchasing Department concurs with and supports the recommendation based on FAP’s specialized experience and expertise providing youth-related services to the target population.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Suzanne Bryant, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on November 27, 2023; Purchasing (Ariel Gill, Supervising Buyer, 387-2070) on November 30, 2023; Finance (Chris Lange, Administrative Analyst, 386-8392) on November 30, 2023; and County Finance and Administration (Cheryl Adams, Deputy Executive Officer, 388-0238) on December 5, 2023.