REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
June 28, 2022
FROM
SUPRIYA BARROWS, Deputy Executive Officer, Community Revitalization
SUBJECT
Title
Grant Application to the State of California Interagency Council on Homelessness for the Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention Round 3 Program Funding
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
1. Adopt the Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention Round 3 Local Homelessness Action Plan and Outcome Goals.
2. Approve and authorize the submission of the Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention Round 3 grant application to the State of California Interagency Council on Homelessness by:
a. San Bernardino County Continuum of Care, for funding in the estimated amount of up to $3,901,875 to support regional coordination and provide immediate assistance to people experiencing homelessness in the region.
b. San Bernardino County, for funding in the estimated amount of up to $3,641,750 to support regional coordination and provide immediate assistance to people experiencing homelessness in the region.
3. Authorize the Chief Executive Officer or the Deputy Executive Officer of Community Revitalization to execute the grant applications and all required application supporting materials, as well as all other ancillary documents, and any subsequent non-substantive amendments necessary on behalf of the County, subject to review by County Counsel.
4. Authorize the Office of Homeless Services to prepare and submit the applications and supporting materials and documents on behalf of the San Bernardino County Continuum of Care and San Bernardino County.
5. Direct the Chief Executive Officer or the Deputy Executive Officer of Community Revitalization or the Chief of Homeless Services to transmit all grant application documents and amendments in relation to the Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention Program to the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors within 30 days of execution.
(Presenter: Supriya Barrows, Deputy Executive Officer, 387-4717)
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
This item does not impact Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The proposed total grant application of $7,543,625 to the State of California Interagency Council on Homelessness (Cal ICH) includes the Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) funds in an amount of up to $3,901,875 for San Bernardino County Continuum of Care (SBC CoC) and $3,641,750 for San Bernardino County. HHAP is administered by the State of California Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency as authorized by Assembly Bill (AB) 140, which was signed into law by the Governor on July 19, 2021. Should funds be awarded, the Office of Homeless Services (OHS) will return to the Board of Supervisors (Board) for award acceptance.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
On December 17, 2021, Cal ICH released the Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for HHAP Round 3 funding. This third round of HHAP funding was authorized by AB 140 (Health & Safety Code § 50218.6, et seq.) and is designed to build on regional coordination developed through previous Cal ICH grant funding for HHAP to reduce and end homelessness. Approval of this item will allow the County to apply on behalf of the SBC CoC for grant funding of up to $3,901,875 and for the County grant funding of up to $3,641,750.
HHAP Round 3 funding is designed to build on regional coordination developed through previous rounds of Cal ICH Homeless Emergency Aid Program (HEAP), HHAP, and COVID-19 funding. HHAP Round 3 funds should continue to build regional coordination and a unified regional response, use best-practices to move homeless individuals and families into permanent housing, and support the efforts of those individuals and families to maintain their permanent housing. Cal ICH also expects recipients of funding to:
• Strategically pair these funds with other local, state, and federal funds to reduce and end homelessness;
• Demonstrate a commitment to address racial disproportionality in homeless populations and achieve equitable provision of services and outcomes for Black, Native and Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, Pacific Islanders and other People of Color who are disproportionately impacted by homelessness and COVID-19;
• Establish a mechanism for people with lived experience of homelessness to have meaningful and purposeful opportunities to inform and shape all levels of planning and implementation, including through opportunities to hire people with lived experience; and
• Fund projects that provide housing and services that are Housing First compliant, per Health and Safety Code Section 50220.5(g), and delivered in a low barrier, trauma informed, and culturally responsive manner.
Cal ICH strongly encourages applicants to prioritize the use of HHAP funds to assist people experiencing literal homelessness move into safe, stable housing, with a particular focus on rehousing individuals currently living in Project Roomkey sites. HHAP funding should be housing-focused, either funding permanent housing interventions directly or, if used for shelter or street outreach, have clear pathways to connect people to permanent housing options. 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 10 percent of HHAP funding must be used to provide services specific to the needs of homeless youth, estimated up to $312,149.98 for the SBC CoC and $291,339.99 for the County. Administrative costs are capped at seven percent of program funds, estimated up to $218,504.99 for the SBC CoC and $203,937.99 for the County. The terms included in the application are legally binding; therefore, per County Policy 05-13, Board approval is required. The HHAP application is due to the State on or before June 30, 2022, as part of its statutory requirement, and will be submitted electronically upon Board approval.
The Cal ICH has determined that the SBC CoC is eligible for a total grant distribution amount estimated up to $3,121,500 and the County is eligible for a total grant distribution amount estimated up to $2,913,400 based on the total number of homeless counted during the 2019 Point-In-Time Count. HHAP-3 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 SBC CoC is undertaking to solve the regional homelessness problem.
The SBC CoC governing board, Cal ICH, designated OHS as the Administrative Entity (AE) to submit the grant application for the SBC CoC allocation amount on June 22, 2022. As the AE of HHAP-3 program funds, OHS will have the option to enter at a later date into subrecipient contracts with service providers to provide homeless services as described under the HHAP-3 Program, upon award.
As the AE, OHS will also be responsible for ensuring funding recipients meet all the preidentified measurable goals for both the SBC CoC and the County, monitoring all subsequent contracts and abiding by the reporting requirements of the funding source, Cal ICH. HHAP-3 funds do not require a match; however, the County will have the fiduciary responsibility and liability for grant compliance to the State of California.
On December 6, 2019, Cal ICH released the NOFA announcing HHAP, a $650 million block grant
program designed to provide jurisdictions with one-time grant funds to support regional coordination and to expand or develop local capacity to address immediate homelessness challenges throughout the State. On February 11, 2020 (Item No. 26), the Board approved and authorized the submission of the grant applications for the SBC CoC in the amount of $3,071,060
and for the County in the amount of $2,865,015. On May 19, 2020 (Item No. 36), the Board accepted the HHAP grant awards in the amount of $3,071,060 for the SBC CoC and $2,845,118
for the County from Cal ICH.
On January 5, 2021 (Item No. 22), the Board approved and authorized the submission of the HHAP Round 2 (HHAP-2) grant applications for the SBC CoC in the amount of $1,453,114 and for the County in the amount of $1,300,625. On June 8, 2021 (Item No. 44), the Board accepted the HHAP-2 grant awards in the amount of $1,453,114 for the SBC CoC and $1,300,625 for the County from Cal ICH.
On March 1, 2022 (Item No. 22), the Board approved and authorized Community Revitalization OHS to submit the HHAP-3 20% Initial Disbursement Contract for Funds to Cal ICH for the initial disbursement amount of $780,374.96 for the SBC CoC, and to ratify the Chief Executive Officer’s exercise of authority by signing on February1, 2022, and then submitting the HHAP-3 Initial Disbursement Agreement for the initial disbursement amount of $728,349.96 on behalf of the County.
On June 14, 2022 (Item No. 112), the Board approved the Homeless to Home Roadmap to Self-Sufficiency, the San Bernardino County Homeless Strategic Action Plan. This plan serves as a roadmap to expand the impact of the County’s housing and homeless programs, strengthen efforts amongst partners and to make a collective impact, and to increase capacity within the County in partnership with our stakeholders. To do so, the plan is comprised of three interrelated areas: 1) Housing the Most At-Risk, 2) Increasing Shelter Capacity, and 3) System Improvements.
On June 22, 2022, the San Bernardino City & SBC CoC Interagency Council on Homelessness adopted the HHAP-3 Local Homelessness Action Plan and Outcome Goals that incorporates the following goals: 1) Reducing the number of persons experiencing homelessness (overall and on a daily basis), 2) Reducing the number of persons who become homeless for the first time, 3) Increasing the number of people exiting homelessness into permanent housing, 4) Reducing the length of time persons remain homeless, 5) Reducing the number of persons who return to homelessness after exiting homelessness to permanent housing, and 6) Increasing successful placements from street outreach. The identified Strategies to Achieve Outcome Goals include strengthening core outreach activities, expanding the pool of system-engaged shelter and interim housing beds, facilitating innovative housing solutions to increase the number of permanent supportive and service-enriched affordable housing units, expanding funding resources committed to rapid rehousing and other time-limited rental assistance activities and establishing a multi-source funding pool to facilitate targeted homeless diversion and prevention activities to reduce the number of individuals and households that become homeless for the first-time.
The County and the SBC CoC have each developed separate Local Homelessness Action Plans for HHAP-3. The County’s HHAP-3 Local Homelessness Action Plan and Outcome Goals are aligned with the Board adopted Homeless to Home Roadmap to Self-Sufficiency, the San Bernardino County Homeless Strategic Action Plan. The County, on behalf of the SBC CoC, will be submitting the CoC’s Local Homelessness Action Plan, which support the SBC CoC’s regionally identified needs, strategies, and incorporates targeted outcomes. Efforts under both the County’s and SBC CoC’s plans will support expansion of the County’s housing and homeless programs, strengthening efforts to make a collective impact, and increase capacity in partnership with stakeholders.
When funding is awarded, an item will be presented to the Board to accept the grant awards.
PROCUREMENT
N/A
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Suzanne Bryant, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on June 2, 2022; Finance (Christopher Lange, Administrative Analyst, 386-8393) on June 6, 2022; and County Finance and Administration (Cheryl Adams, Deputy Executive Officer, 387-0238) on June 13, 2022.