Title
Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) recommending the Board:
1) Adopt and authorize the Chair to sign Resolution 033-2025 for submission to the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), which is required to apply for the 2024 Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) Program that funds Housing and Homelessness Programs including rapid rehousing, emergency shelter, and homeless service coordination;
2) Delegate authority to HHSA to submit an application on behalf of the County in the estimated amount of $1,136,271, with a required one-to-one match, which will be met through existing HHSA Board approved grant funding, for the ESG Program State allocation of federal funding administered by HCD;
3) If awarded, delegate authority to the HHSA Director, or Chief Assistant Director, to accept the ESG Program State allocation funding and execute the resulting grant agreement, in the estimated amount of $1,136,271, with an estimated term beginning in 2025 continuing through 2028, and further documents related to said award, including any extension(s) or amendment(s) which do not increase the Net County Cost of the agreement, contingent upon County Counsel and Risk Management approval; and
4) Authorize the Assistant Director of Administration and Finance, or Chief Fiscal Officer to serve as the appointed designee as indicated in the Resolution, to execute fiscal documents related to said award, including Fund Requests and all required reporting forms, and other documentation as may be required.
FUNDING: 100% Federal funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), administered by HCD, with a required one-to-one cash match to be met with prior Board approved HHSA grant funding.
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DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND:
On December 31, 2024, HCD’s Division of Federal Financial Assistance released the 2024 ESG Program Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA). The NOFA announced the availability of approximately $39 million in new federal funds pursuant to Subtitle B of Title IV of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, allocated to eligible applicants as recommended by the local Continuums of Care (CoC).
The NOFA includes approximately $39 million in federal ESG funds, of which approximately $12 million will be available with Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 funds; approximately $12 million may be available with estimated FY 2025 funds; approximately $12 million may be available with estimated FY 2026 funds; and approximately $3 million in disencumbered funds.
The ESG funding may be used for five program components: Street Outreach, Emergency Shelter, Homelessness Prevention, Rapid Rehousing (RRH), and Homeless Management Information System (HMIS); as well as Administrative Activities, as defined in the ESG Program Final Guidelines and the 2024 ESG NOFA. HCD has allocated said funding to eligible CoC service areas throughout California and has published said allocations in Appendix A of the NOFA (attached hereto as attachment C).
On January 9, 2025, HHSA submitted a Letter of Interest (LOI) to the El Dorado Opportunity Knocks (EDOK) CoC, the local area CoC, expressing interest to submit an ESG application to HCD for Emergency Shelter and RHH activities (at least 40% of each annual allocation is required to be expended on RRH). The EDOK CoC received two LOIs for the ESG application, therefore, on February 7, 2025, the EDOK CoC approved a Local Competition for the two interested parties to compete for the EDOK CoC’s recommendation. In anticipation of being recommended by the EDOK CoC, and due to a very short turnaround time provided for application submission, HHSA is bringing the required HCD Resolution to Board in order to meet the HCD application deadline of March 28, 2025.
The three-Year ESG allocations for the EDOK CoC service area are $359,633 for year 1, $144,832 for year 2, and $144,832 for year 3. HCD recommends each applicant request approval for at least 150% of their total three-year allocation to account for any allocation recalculations that may occur, and approval for at least an additional 25% of their total three-year allocation if additional funding becomes available during the 2024 ESG years 1-3. Therefore, the estimated not to exceed amount in the attached Resolution is $973,946, and the estimated Additional Allocation Amount is not to exceed $162,325, for a total estimated not to exceed amount of $1,136,271. Additionally, the ESG Program one-to-one match requirement results in the total estimated match to be $1,136,271, which will be met with prior Board approved grant funding.
Upon Board adoption of the attached Resolution, HHSA will submit an application for the ESG Program in accordance with the 2024 ESG NOFA. If awarded, the funding will ensure continued County Navigation Center operations and enable HHSA to fund RRH activities in the community.
ALTERNATIVES:
Should the Board decline to approve this recommendation, the County would be ineligible to participate in the ESG Program and would not receive the grant award in the estimated amount of $1,136,271. Consequently, HHSA would need to seek alternative sources of funding for the County Nav Center and RRH activities.
PRIOR BOARD ACTION:
10/10/23, 23-1691, HHSA 2023 Emergency Solutions Grants Balance of State Funding
OTHER DEPARTMENT / AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
Approved by County Counsel.
CAO RECOMMENDATION:
Approve as recommended.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
There is no Net County Cost associated with this agenda item. The required match in the estimated amount of $1,132,271 will be met with existing Board approved HHSA grant funding. If awarded, this grant funding will be included in the Fiscal Year 2024-25 Budget in a subsequent budget transfer request.
CLERK OF THE BOARD FOLLOW UP ACTIONS
Clerk of the Board obtain signature of Chair and Clerk of the Board on Board of Supervisors Resolution and email it to hhsa-grants@edcgov.us <mailto:hhsagrants@edcgov.us>.
STRATEGIC PLAN COMPONENT:
Area of Focus: Safe and Healthy Communities
Priority: Develop a continuum of support and housing opportunities for unhoused individuals
Action Item: Continue Engagement with County departments, the homeless community, and countywide partners to develop effective strategies including for example, transitional housing
CONTACT
Olivia Byron-Cooper, MPH, Director, Health and Human Services Agency