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Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) recommending the Board adopt and authorize the Chair to sign Resolution 064-2024, authorizing the addition of a 1.0 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) Deputy Director, 1.0 FTE Limited Term (LT) Social Worker I/II, and 1.0 FTE Office Assistant I/II allocation in HHSA, to serve the Housing and Homeless Prevention programs.
FUNDING: 100% State and Federal Funding.
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DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND:
HHSA is requesting the addition of 3.0 FTE positions (one of which is LT) to support the increased workload resulting from the implementation and expansion of Housing and Homeless Prevention programs. Additionally, working directly with the Human Resources Department, HHSA has developed the attached County Counsel-approved Personnel Allocation Resolution. The requested allocations along with the justification for the additional personnel are defined below:
1.0 FTE Deputy Director
The 1.0 FTE Deputy Director position will oversee housing and homeless prevention programs and grants for HHSA’s Community Services, Social Services, and Behavioral Health Divisions. Currently, oversight of these programs is scattered among various program leads and there is a need for a single executive level position to ensure that the community is being served in the most effective manner, that funding is properly braided and leveraged, and that supportive services are being accessed across all divisional programs. The majority of these programs are relatively new, and the current leadership structure does not have bandwidth to take on the additional responsibilities required for successful program administration.
Required cross department and division collaboration to develop and implement an effective response to homelessness is new to HHSA. This will effectively create a new organizational division specifically for housing and homelessness programs that are currently spread among multiple divisions. Behavioral Health Division (BHD) grants, such as Bridge House Behavioral Health (BHBH) and the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA), require programs be in place to support behavioral health and Substance Use Disorder (SUD) clients. BHD has very limited experience and no capacity to provide temporary or emergency housing to their homeless clients. The Deputy Director will be responsible for working with the BHD Deputy Director to develop processes and procedures, and oversight of program coordination to ensure the behavioral health, SUDS, and Housing components of each grant are being met. Representation at multiple committees, commissions, and councils specifically for homeless response is new to the Agency. Additional duties of the Deputy Director will include participating in State and County supportive advocacy groups (California State Association of Counties [CSAC], County Welfare Directors Association [CWDA], etc.). Additional tasks such as researching potential grants that can support the development of transitional, emergency, and permanent housing; researching the cost of building and development and steps required from grant application to project completion are new to Housing and Homelessness.
The Deputy Director position will oversee a division within HHSA that is responsible for the development, implementation, and delivery of services for homeless response in the County of El Dorado (County). This includes the development of infrastructure (Navigation Center, Transitional Housing, Rapid Rehousing, and Diversion programs to prevent homelessness). The development of infrastructure spans across many County departments and requires collaborative working relationships with high-level leaders. The Deputy Director will be responsible for identifying required partners, facilitating meetings to ensure communications are open and transparent, and ensuring all project needs and deadlines are met. Additionally, many of the grants require community input and assessment of community needs. To achieve this effectively, the Deputy Director will need to actively participate in commissions, committees, and councils to ensure homeless response services meet County needs.
1.0 FTE LT Social Worker I/II
The 1.0 FTE LT Social Worker I/II position will assist in administering the Bringing Families Home (BFH) and Home Safe (HS) programs to support vulnerable families and older adults in the County. The BFH program was established in 2016 by Assembly Bill (AB) 1603 (Chapter 25, Statues of 2016) and provides housing supports to families receiving Child Welfare Services (CWS) who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness, thereby increasing family reunification and preventing foster care placement. The HS program was established in 2018 through AB 1811 (Chapter 35, Statutes of 2018) and supports the safety and housing stability of seniors and adults with disabilities served by or in the intake process for Adult Protective Services (APS) who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness. The Budget Act of 2021 (Senate Bill 129 (Chapter 69, Statues of 2021)) appropriated a total of $92.5 million in General Funds for BFH and $92.5 million for HS for Fiscal Year (FY) 2021-22, available for expenditure July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2024. The Budget Act of 2022 appropriated $92.5 million in General Funds for BFH and $92.5 million in GF for HS in FY 2022-23 available through June 30, 2025.
Both BFH and HS must offer housing-related intensive case management services, consistent with Housing First principles, to offer participants assistance in achieving housing stability. Housing-related case management will be provided in a manner that is consistent and in coordination with the CWS and/or APS service plan and may include coordinating all components of a housing service plan; working with family and community to identify any and all available supports related to housing stability; various forms of in-depth problem solving related to housing stability; assisting clients in applying for other public assistance and benefits to support housing stability, including assistance in accessing rent relief programs; assisting clients in accessing physical and behavioral health services in order to support housing stability; and connections to benefits advocacy programs such as Housing Disability Advocacy Program (HDAP), in order for BFH and HS clients to achieve or maintain housing stability. BFH and HS related case management should complement but not replace or supplant traditional CWS or APS case management. The BFH and HS programs provide funding to counties and tribes to establish, continue, and expand housing and homelessness assistance services. Administration of the programs is not mandated; however, funding allows counties to provide much needed services to vulnerable populations.
1.0 FTE Office Assistant I/II
Further, HHSA is requesting a dedicated, permanent, 1.0 FTE Office Assistant I/II to support the Housing and Homeless Prevention programs. This position will improve system-wide process, data sharing, and collaboration. The current team of Social Workers will be able to serve more clients with focused case management and housing navigation services with the support of an Office Assistant to serve as the initial reception point of contact for in-person, email, and phone inquiries; will provide organizational support such as meeting/appointment scheduling and other general office related support.
ALTERNATIVES:
The Board could decline to adopt and authorize the Chair to sign the attached Personnel Allocation Resolution, thereby not adding the 1.0 FTE Deputy Director position to oversee the implementation and development of Housing and Homeless Prevention programs, 1.0 FTE LT Social Worker I/II to support the aims of the BFH and HS programs and provide services to eligible persons, and 1.0 FTE Office Assistant I/II to assist with general office duties and reduce the workload for existing case management staff members that could otherwise support more intensive case management and housing navigation services. Additionally, should the Board decline to approve this recommendation, HHSA would not have adequate staff to effectively administer the BFH and HS programs and would be at risk of having the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) recapture non-competitive, no-match required funds that are designated to support vulnerable families and older adults in the County.
PRIOR BOARD ACTION:
1) 06/13/23, 23-1120, CAO - Budget Hearing
2) 06/20/23, 23-1154, CAO - FY 2023-24 Personnel Allocation, Reso 088-2023
3) 09/19/23, 23-1725, CAO - Adopted Budget Direction
4) 09/26/23, 23-1771, CAO - Budget Resolution
OTHER DEPARTMENT / AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
Human Resources, County Counsel, & El Dorado County Employees' Association, Local 1, AFSCME Council 57
CAO RECOMMENDATION:
Approve as recommended.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The 1.0 FTE Deputy Director will be funded by the California Strengthening Public Health Initiative (CASPHI) grant. After CASPHI funding is no longer available the position will be funded by various other State and Federal sources for homeless prevention, including but not limited to, the new Behavioral Health Services Act (BHSA) funding created by the passing of Prop 1 in 2024, Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP), Permanent Local Housing Allocation Program (PHLA), and Community Services Block Grant (CSBG). The 1.0 FTE LT Social Worker I/II will be funded through June 30, 2025, by 50% Bringing Families Home (BFH) and 50% Home Safe (HS) grants. Once the BFH and HS funding expires, this position will be funded with additional State and Federal Housing and Homeless Prevention grant funding or eliminated if alternate appropriate funding is not identified. The 1.0 FTE Office Assistant I/II will be funded by 50% Federal, 50% State General Fund through various sources that target homeless prevention, including but not limited to BFH, HS, BHSA, CSBG, and Public Housing Authority (PHA) funding.
There is no Net County Cost associated with this Agenda item. There are sufficient appropriations in the Fiscal Year 2023-24 Budget, and these positions have been included in HHSA’s Fiscal Year 2024-25 Budget request.
CLERK OF THE BOARD FOLLOW UP ACTIONS:
1) Obtain signature of Chair on Resolution, if approved; and
2) If signed, provide one certified Resolution to HHSA-Contracts at 3057 Briw Rd and one certified Resolution to Human Resources at 330 Fair Lane.
STRATEGIC PLAN COMPONENT:
By approving this item, the Board will be working toward the strategic plan priority to “Develop a continuum of support and housing opportunities for unhoused individuals.”
CONTACT
Olivia Byron-Cooper, MPH, Director