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
GARY HALLEN, Director, Community Development and Housing
SUBJECT
Title
Service Contract with The Chance Project for The Moving Forward Project
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Award contract to The Chance Project in the amount totaling $1,230,000, to provide Project RoomKey residents homeless services and housing solutions through The Moving Forward Project from November 1, 2020 to September 30, 2022, as part of the County’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
(Presenter: Gary Hallen, Director, 387-4411)
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.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
This item will not result in the use of Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The programs will be funded using Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding, known as ESG CV and Housing Emergency Aid Program (HEAP) funds. Adequate appropriation and revenue have been included in the Community Development and Housing Department (CDH) 2020-21 budget for the ESG CV funds and in Office of Homeless Services (OHS) 2020-21 budget for HEAP funding.
The program will be funded, thusly:
|
Program |
Funding Source |
Amount |
Cost Center |
|
The Moving Forward Project (Moving Forward) |
ESG-CV2 |
$1,200,000 |
6210002483 |
|
|
HEAP |
$ 30,000 |
6210002500 |
|
Moving Forward Total |
|
$1.230,000 |
|
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
In response to COVID-19 pandemic, Moving Forward is one of County of San Bernardino’s (County) many concerted efforts to provide housing solutions to the homeless population most impacted by COVID-19. The County has selected and is requesting to award a contract in the amount of $1,230,000 to The Chance Project, a local provider, to implement the program. Moving Forward will provide a variety of homeless services to the clients who were temporarily housed in motels and temporary trailers as part of the statewide Project Room Key pandemic-isolation efforts and focusing on transitioning them to permanent housing solutions. Moving Forward is the next phase of the Project Room Key program.
Congress enacted the CARES Act to provide financial relief. As a result, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awarded the County, CDH with second round of ESG funding (ESG-CV2) in the amount of $6,401,870 to provide a variety of homeless services. On May 19, 2020 (Item No. 109), the Board of Supervisors (Board) approved CDH’s first Substantial Amendment (SA) to its annual HUD Action plan which identified the planned use of the ESG-CV1 funds. On August 25, 2020 (Item No. 75), the Board approved the second SA, which identified the planned uses for the ESG-CV funds as emergency shelter, homelessness prevention, Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), street outreach, rapid rehousing and administration. ESG-CV2 funds will be used to fund Moving Forward.
Moving Forward is a program that will be spearheaded by the Office of Homeless Services (OHS) using ESG-CV2 ($1,780,000) and HEAP ($30,000 provided by OHS) funding. The project will consist of engaging County homeless residents in outreach services, housing access and navigation services while providing comprehensive case management. Moving Forward will target clients who have been served under the Project Room Key program. Project Room Key is a statewide initiative premised to provide safe isolation for the homeless population to protect them from the spread of COVID-19 by providing non-congregate shelter for them via motels/hotels. Moving Forward will be the next phase of services for those clients helping to transition them into permanent housing solutions. The goal of the program will be to create a sustainable, streamlined, expanded and integrated/aligned homeless response system that will rapidly connect individuals and families to housing and services.
Given the urgency to effectively and expeditiously transition the Project Room Key clients out of the motel/hotels, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) approved Amendment No. 2 to Contract 19-270 as an extension of services and additional funding to the provider’s current HEAP contract. In order to promote a coordinated and efficient response to needs that may arise from the COVID-19 pandemic, on August 25, 2020 (Item No. 71), the Board of Supervisors (Board) authorized the CEO to execute or approve various actions related to contracts, subject to ratification by the Board at the next available Board meeting. On this same agenda, Amendment No. 2 is being presented to the Board for ratification of the CEO’s approval. The services and additional funding provided under Amendment No. 2 will terminate upon the approval and execution of the Moving Forward contract.
Moving Forward will fund the following activities:
|
Activity |
Amount |
|
Homelessness Prevention |
$ 28,000 |
|
Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) |
$ 102,000 |
|
Emergency Shelter |
$ 125,000 |
|
Rapid Rehousing |
$ 750,000 |
|
Street Outreach |
$ 105,000 |
|
Administration |
$ 90,000 |
|
Flexible Spending Subsidy (paid with HEAP funding) |
$ 30,000 |
|
Total |
$1,230,000 |
PROCUREMENT
On August 13, 2020, the OHS issued a Letter of Interest (LOI) to agencies identified as current high-performing County contract holders to provide homeless services to assist Project Room Key individuals and families with moving from short-term to long-term housing. The following agencies were identified and issued LOI’s: The Chance Project, Knowledge and Education for Success (KEYS), and Lighthouse Social Services. On August 17, 2020, emails were received from Lighthouse Social Services declining to move forward in the process and from The Chance Project expressing interest in contracting for the Moving Forward Program with its project partner KEYS; no separate communication was received from KEYS. The Chance Project was the only agency to respond to the LOI and was selected as the most qualified provider based on their response, its experience partnering with government and non-profit organizations to assist individuals and prevent homelessness, and its ability to provide services.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Suzanne Bryant, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455 on September 29, 2020; Finance (Kathleen Gonzalez, Administrative Analyst, 387-5412 and Chris Lange, Administrative Analyst, 386-8393) on October 8, 2020; and County Finance and Administration (Robert Saldana, Deputy Executive Officer 387-5423 and Tanya Bratton, Deputy Executive Officer, 388-0332) on October 8, 2020.