REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF THE COUNTY OF SAN BERNARDINO
AND RECORD OF ACTION
January 5, 2021
FROM
CASONYA THOMAS, Assistant Executive Officer, Human Services
SUBJECT
Title
Grant Application to the State of California Homeless Coordinating and Financing Council for the Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention Round 2 Program Funding
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
1. Approve and authorize the submission of the Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention Round 2 grant application to the State of California Homeless Coordinating and Financing Council by:
a. San Bernardino County Continuum of Care, for funding in the estimated amount of up to $1,453,114, 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 $1,300,625, to support regional coordination and provide immediate assistance to people experiencing homelessness in the region.
2. Authorize the Chief Executive Officer or the Assistant Executive Officer of Human Services 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.
3. 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.
4. Direct the Chief Executive Officer or the Assistant Executive Officer of Human Services or the Chief of Homeless Services to transmit all grant application documents and amendments in relation to Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention Program to the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors within 30 days of execution.
(Presenter: CaSonya Thomas, Assistant 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.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
This item does not impact Discretional General Funding (Net County Cost). The proposed total grant application of $2,753,739 to the State of California Homeless Coordinating and Financing Council (HCFC) includes the Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) funds in an amount of up to $1,453,114 for San Bernardino region Continuum of Care (SBC CoC) and $1,300,625 for San Bernardino County. HHAP is administered by the State of California Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency as authorized by Assembly Bill (AB) 83, which was signed into law by the Governor on June 29, 2020. Should funds be awarded, the Office of Homeless Services (OHS) will return to the Board of Supervisors (Board) for award acceptance and any necessary budget adjustments will be included in a future quarterly budget report.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
On November 13, 2020, HCFC released the Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for HHAP Round 2 (HHAP-2) funding. This second round of HHAP funding was authorized by AB 83 (Committee on Budget, Chapter 15, Statutes of 2020) and is designed to build on regional coordination developed through previous HCFC grant funding for HHAP, the Homeless Emergency Aid Program, COVID-19 funding, to reduce and end homelessness. Approval of this item will allow the County to apply for SBC CoC grant funding of up to $1,453,114 and the San Bernardino County grant funding of up to $1,300,625.
HHAP funding is intended to provide CoCs, counties, and large cities (population of 300,000 or more) assistance in continuing to move homeless individuals and families or individuals and families at-risk of homelessness into permanent housing and supporting the efforts of those individuals and families to maintain their permanent housing using a best practices framework. 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 eight percent of HHAP funding must be used to provide services specific to the needs of homeless youth (estimated up to $116,249 for the SBC CoC and $104,050 for the County). Up to five percent of an applicant’s program allocation may be expended on administration such as a strategic homelessness plan and/or infrastructure development to support Coordinated Entry Systems and Homeless Management Information Systems. Administrative costs are capped at seven percent of program funds (estimated up to $101,718 for the SBC CoC and an additional $91,044 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 January 23, 2021, as part of its statutory requirement, and will be submitted electronically upon Board approval.
The HCFC has determined that the SBC CoC is eligible for a total grant distribution amount estimated up to $1,453,114 and the County is eligible for a total grant distribution amount estimated up to $1,300,625 based on the total number of homeless counted during the 2019 Point-In-Time Count. HHAP-2 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, the Interagency Council on Homelessness, designated OHS as the Administrative Entity (AE) to submit the grant application for the SBC CoC allocation amount. As the AE of HHAP-2 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-2 Program, upon award.
It is proposed that the HHAP-2 funds totaling an estimated $2,753,739 will be administered accordingly by the respective awardees:
• SBC CoC allocation - up to $1,235,147 of the award will be allocated to programs and projects, a minimum of $116,249 will be allocated to youth services, and the remaining balance, or up to $101,718 will be retained by OHS to perform the administration of the State grant; and,
• County allocation - up to $1,105,531 will be allocated to programs and projects, a minimum of $104,050 will be allocated to youth services, and the remaining balance, or up to $91,044 will be retained by OHS to perform the administration of the State grant.
As the AE, OHS will also be responsible for identifying measurable goals, monitoring subsequent contracts and abiding by the reporting requirements of the funding source, HCFC. Unlike many State grants, HHAP-2 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, HCFC 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 SB 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 HCFC.
A NOFA was issued by HCFC on November 13, 2020, seeking qualified HHAP Round 2 applications. When funding is awarded, a future item will be presented to the Board to accept the grant awards, execute the grant agreements, and make necessary budget adjustments.
PROCUREMENT
N/A
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Suzanne Bryant, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on December 18, 2020; Finance (John Hallen, Administrative Analyst, 388-0208) on December 21, 2020; and County Finance and Administration (Tanya Bratton, Deputy Executive Officer, 388-0332) on December 21, 2020.