REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
June 27, 2023
FROM
CARRIE HARMON, Director, Community Development and Housing Department
SUBJECT
Title
Amendment to Contracts with Inland Southern California 211+ and Inland Counties Legal Services, Inc. for Housing and Disability Advocacy Program Services
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
1. Approve Amendment No. 3 to Contract No. 21-839 with Inland Southern California 211+ to continue providing bridge housing, case management, outreach, financial assistance, and entry of information into the coordinated entry system, increasing the contract amount by $298,400, from $1,602,456 to $1,900,856, and extending the contract by four months, for a total contract period of July 1, 2021, to October 31, 2023.
2. Approve Amendment No. 5 to Contract No. 18-550 with Inland Counties Legal Services, Inc. to continue providing social security and disability benefits advocacy services, increasing the contract amount by $75,000, from $856,329 to $931,329, and extending the contract by four months, for a total contract period of August 1, 2018, through October 31, 2023.
3. Designate the Chief Executive Officer, Deputy Executive Officer of Community Revitalization, or the Director of the Community Development and Housing Department, as the authorized official to execute subsequent non-substantive amendments that do not increase the total amount or change the duration of the contracts in Recommendation Nos. 1 and 2, on behalf of the County, subject to review by County Counsel.
4. Direct the Chief Executive Officer, Deputy Executive Officer of Community Revitalization, or the Director of the Community Development and Housing Department to transmit copies of subsequent non-substantive amendments to the contracts in Recommendation Nos. 1 and 2 to the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors within 30 days of execution.
(Presenter: Carrie Harmon, Director, 382-3983)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Promote the Countywide Vision.
Operate in a Fiscally-Responsible and Business-Like Manner.
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 will not result in the use of Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The total increase of $373,400 for the amendments is funded through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Transitional Assistance Department (TAD) with funding received from the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) for the Housing and Disability Advocacy Program (HDAP). On May 1, 2018, TAD entered into a MOU with the Community Development and Housing Department (CDH) to administer the HDAP as the Administrative Entity. Adequate appropriation and revenue are included in CDH’s 2023-24 budget.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Since 2018, San Bernardino County (County) has administered HDAP to provide housing and disability advocacy to homeless individuals applying for disability benefits, such as Social Security Income (SSI), Social Security Disability Income (SSDI), and/or Veteran’s Disability Compensation (VA), while also providing short-term shelter and permanent housing assistance.
Currently, 148 clients are being served, noting that this number might be a duplicated count as there is a crossover of clients that are receiving both housing and legal services.
Clients enrolled in HDAP are housed in motels while awaiting transition into the Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) units that undergo rehabilitation by the Housing Authority of San Bernardino County, as well as in various stages of the application process to obtain disability benefits with Inland Counties Legal Services, Inc. (ICLS). Given the nature of these services, the extreme vulnerability of the clients, and the inherent challenges with serving the HDAP target population, even a temporary interruption of the program would have an adverse impact on the housing status, health, and stability of the clients.
The HDAP program has been instrumental in housing and assisting the homeless population with social security and disability advocacy services. HDAP aligns with the County’s Homeless Strategic Action Plan, specifically in the areas of 1) Housing the Most At-Risk, 2) Increasing Shelter Capacity, and 3) System Improvements. HDAP supports the expansion of the County’s housing and homeless programs, strengthens efforts to make a collective impact, and increases capacity in partnership with stakeholders.
Over the course of program implementation, short-term and mid-term bridge housing has been one of the most effective functions of the program as it creates housing stability and increases access to otherwise transitory clients. In support of the primary objective of HDAP to assist program clients with obtaining SSI/SSDI benefits, bridge housing increases accessibility to the clients, which increases the efficacy of the disability advocacy services and results in an increase of successful application submissions and, some cases, the award of SSI/SSDI benefits.
The HDAP serves individuals who are experiencing homelessness and who are likely eligible for disability benefits. The program will continue to provide clients with housing navigation, housing-related financial assistance, wraparound supportive services case management, case coordination, and entry of information into the Coordinated Entry System (CES), as well as legal/disability advocacy, and credit repair services.
Although HDAP funds Inland Southern California 211+ (ISC 211+) to provide direct services, the current program implementation and accomplishments may be attributed to the leveraging of resources and the fostering of partnerships with other County departments (e.g., Department of Behavioral Health, TAD, etc.) and local service providers to increase service delivery.
On November 16, 2021 (Item No. 26), the Board of Supervisors (Board) approved Contract No. 21-839 with ISC 211+ (211+ Contract) to provide bridge housing, case management, outreach, financial assistance, and entry of information into CES, in the amount of $561,228, retroactively effective July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2022. On June 28, 2022 (Item No. 42), the Board approved Amendment No. 1 to the 211+ Contract, increasing the contract amount by $561,228, from $561,228 to $1,122,456, and extending the contract for an additional year, for a total contract period of July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2023. On November 15, 2022 (Item No. 29), the Board approved Amendment No. 2 to the 211+ Contract, increasing the contract amount by $480,000, from $1,122,456 to $1,602,456, with no change to the contract term.
On July 24, 2018 (Item No. 16), the Board approved Contract No. 18-550 with ICLS (ICLS Contract), in an amount not to exceed $400,000 to provide disability advocacy services/legal assistance to HDAP clients during the disability application process, for the period of August 1, 2018, through June 30, 2020. On October 16, 2018 (Item No. 23), the Board approved Amendment No. 1 to the ICLS Contract, increasing the contract amount by $170,000, from $400,00 to $570,000, to expand the homeless population served to include those who are not HDAP-eligible. On June 23, 2020 (Item No. 38), the Board approved Amendment No. 2 to the ICLS Contract, decreasing the contract by $85,671, from $570,000 to $484,329, and extending the contract period through June 30, 2021. On November 16, 2021 (Item No. 26), the Board approved Amendment No. 3 to the ICLS Contract, retroactively effective to July 1, 2021, increasing the contract amount by $186,000, from $484,329 to $670,329, and extending the contract period through June 30, 2022. On June 28, 2022 (Item No. 42), the Board approved Amendment No. 4 to the ICLS Contract, increasing the contract by $186,000, from $670,329 to $856,329, and extending the contract period through June 30, 2023.
Approval of Amendment No. 3 to the 211+ Contract will increase the contract amount by $298,400 and extend the contract period through October 31, 2023. Approval of Amendment No. 5 to Contract No. 18-550 with ICLS will increase the contract amount by $75,000 and extend the contract period through October 31, 2023. Extending the contracts will avoid an interruption of services to the clients currently being served by these two providers and will provide CDH additional time to complete a competitive bid process through an RFP to award new contracts. Contractor performance will be monitored by review of monthly reports and an annual site visit to ensure compliance with the administrative, program, and fiscal terms and conditions of the contract. The County may terminate these contracts without cause with 30 days written notice.
PROCUREMENT
CDH, in conjunction with Human Services, issued a Request For Proposals (RFP) on April 20, 2023, and is currently going through a competitive bidding process to select qualified providers for HDAP services and to award new contracts. Amending the current contracts with a four month extension will allow the contractors to continue providing uninterrupted housing and/or legal services to the clients currently being served and avoid any disruption in their housing, or pending applications for SSI, SSDI, or VA benefits. CDH anticipates award of the new contracts for HDAP services prior to expiration of the four-month contract extension.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Suzanne Bryant, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on May 25, 2023; Finance (Christopher Lange, Administrative Analyst, 386-8393) on June 5, 2023; and County Finance and Administration (Paloma Hernandez-Barker, Deputy Executive Officer, 387-5423) on June 11, 2023.