REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF THE COUNTY OF SAN BERNARDINO
AND RECORD OF ACTION
March 10, 2020
FROM
Gary Hallen, Director, Community Development and Housing Department
SUBJECT
Title v
Solicitation of Interest to the State of California Department of Housing and Community Development for the 2019-2020 Emergency Solutions Grant Funding
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
1. Approve submission of Solicitation of Interest to the State of California Department of Housing and Community Development for the County of San Bernardino to be designated as an Administrative Entity to apply for and become eligible to receive an estimated allocation of approximately $304,000 of Emergency Solutions Grant funding to provide homeless services to eligible persons within San Bernardino County.
2. Authorize the Chief Executive Officer to execute the Administrative Entity Statement of Certification, and other ministerial actions pertaining to this Solicitation of Interest after review by County Counsel.
3. Direct the Chief Executive Officer or the Community Development and Housing Department Director to transmit all documents in relation to this Solicitation of Interest to the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors within 30 days of execution.
(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.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this item will not impact the Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). Based upon notification from the State of California Community Development and Housing Department (HCD), the Community Development and Housing Department (CDH) will receive an Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) award estimated not to exceed $304,000. The ESG award has a match requirement of 100 percent (100%) which will be met by the service provider awardees. Adequate appropriation and revenue have been included in the CDH 2019-20 budget (SAP Cost Center 6210002484).
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The approval of Recommendation No. 1 will allow the County of San Bernardino (County) to respond to the Solicitation of Interest (SOI) by applying to be designated as an Administrative Entity (AE) with HCD. As an AE, the County will be eligible to receive an allocation of ESG funds for the San Bernardino County region at the estimated amount of $304,000. Recommendation No. 2 will allow the execution of documents and other ministerial actions pertaining to this SOI, resulting in assistance with homelessness efforts throughout the County. The award includes a nominal amount for administrative funds, not to exceed 2.7% of the award.
HCD administers the ESG program with funding received from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The ESG program provides funding to: 1) engage homeless individuals and families living on the street; 2) improve the number and quality of emergency shelters for homeless individuals and families; 3) help operate shelters; 4) provide essential services to shelter residents; 5) rapidly re-house homeless individuals and families; and 6) prevent families/individuals from becoming homeless.
The State makes ESG funds directly available to communities with a dedicated Continuum of Care (CoC) program and the ability to administer ESG programs. The County, through CDH, currently receives and manages ESG funds directly from HUD and is capable of administering the State ESG funds. When HCD issues its Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA), which is anticipated to be released Spring 2020, the County can apply for the State ESG funding via a SOI. If funds are awarded, CDH will execute an agreement with HCD and will issue its own NOFA to select qualified service providers to render homeless services through a competitive selection process. The contracts for the selected service providers will then be brought to the Board for consideration at a later date.
PROCUREMENT
No procurement is required for this action, at this time. HCD is expecting to release its NOFA by spring 2020. If funding is awarded, CDH will bring a future item to the Board of Supervisors for approval of contracts with subrecipients who shall be selected through a Request for Proposal process.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Suzanne Bryant, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455 on February 11, 2020; Finance (Kathleen Gonzalez, Administrative Analyst, 387-5412) on February 12, 2020; and County Finance and Administration (Robert Saldana, Deputy Executive Officer 387-5423) on February 25, 2020.