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Health and Human Services Agency recommending the Board:
1) Authorize the submission of a grant application to the California Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency, Homeless Coordinating and Financing Counsel, for the Homeless Emergency Aid Program (HEAP) grant;
2) Designate the Director of Health and Human Services Agency to serve as the Authorized Representative of the Administrative Entity for the grant, in accordance with the requirements of the Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for the grant program;
3) Delegate authority to the Director of Health and Human Services Agency to accept funding and execute the grant agreement, if awarded, including any extension(s) or amendment(s) thereto, contingent upon County Counsel and Risk Management approval; and
4) Authorize the Director of Health and Human Services Agency, Chief Fiscal Officer, or designee to administer any agreement, or subsequent administrative documents relating to said award, including required fiscal and programmatic reports.
FUNDING:
The program provides a total of $1,448,323.63 in funding, which consists entirely (100%) of State funding resulting from Senate Bill (SB) 850, which was signed into law by Governor Brown in June of 2018. No matching funds are required.
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DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND
In June of 2018, Governor Brown signed into law Senate Bill 850 (SB 850), which provided $500 million in a block grant program designed to provide direct assistance to localities to address the homeless crisis throughout California. Sections 50213 (a-b) of SB 850 indicate administrative entities are eligible to receive the funding based on an allocation methodology resulting from the homeless population range based on the 2017 Point in Time (PIT) count and the proportionate share of the total homeless population based on said count.
On September 5, 2018, the California Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency’s California Homeless Coordinating and Financing Council released the Homeless Emergency Aid Program (HEAP) Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA), which solicited applications from Administrative Entities who will administer the funding on behalf of the Continuum of Care in eligible jurisdictions. The first round of funding available through the funding announcement requires applications to be submitted by December 31, 2018.
As a part of the application process specified in the NOFA for the HEAP program, the Administrative Entity is required to identify an Authorized Representative who will be responsible for signing all applicable documents related to the HEAP grant. As the Director of Health and Human Services Agency is authorized to submit grant applications but not to execute any subsequent grant related documents, the Health and Human Services Agency is seeking authorization from the Board to designate the Director as the Authorized Representative in order to meet the requirements of the NOFA.
Funding made available for the HEAP grant program must focus on at least one of four priority areas, which project related activities must support. The established priorities include impacting pathways to chronic homelessness, impacting youth homelessness, rehabilitating or purchasing units used for sustainable programs, and impacting shelter services. Eligible projects must be able to add available beds or services within one of the priority areas, and funding cannot be used to supplement services already in place within the County.
HHSA intends to serve as the Administrative Entity for the El Dorado County Continuum of Care, which will be responsible for determining local funding priorities for the grant.
ALTERNATIVES
Should the Board decline to designate the Director of Health and Human Services Agency as the Authorized Representative for the Administrative Entity, the County would not be able to submit a response to the NOFA, and as a result, the County would not be eligible to receive funding available through the HEAP grant program.
PRIOR BOARD ACTION
N/A
OTHER DEPARTMENT / AGENCY INVOLVEMENT
County Counsel and Risk Management.
CAO RECOMMENDATION / COMMENTS
It is recommended that the Board approve this item.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
The HEAP grant program will provide $1.4 million in grant funding for homeless programs throughout the County. As the Administrative Entity, HHSA will be required to administer funding, which will require personnel time and resources. However, as HHSA’s role will be mostly limited to fiscal reporting, data reporting, and ensuring required deliverables are met on a timely basis, no General Fund contribution is required or anticipated. The HEAP grant program will allow for five-percent (5%) of the funding available to be allocated to the Administrative Entity to support the associated administrative costs.
CLERK OF THE BOARD FOLLOW UP ACTIONS
N/A
STRATEGIC PLAN COMPONENT
Health and Human Services Agency Strategic Plan Project 2.4 “Efficiency in Funding”; County Strategic Plan Goal #5 - Healthy Communities.
CONTACT
Patricia Charles-Heathers, Ph.D., M.P.A., Director