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Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) recommending the Board:
1) Adopt and authorize the Chair to sign Resolution 037-2021, authorizing HHSA to apply for the Community Development Block Grant - COVID (CDBG-CV) Rounds 1, 2, and 3, administered by the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) for the purpose of acquiring a property to be utilized for transitional housing in response to COVID-19;
2) Approve and authorize the Chair to sign Memorandum of Understanding 5627 with the City of Placerville, which authorizes HHSA to act as the Administrative Entity for the City Allocation of CDBG-CV through HCD, with a term of one (1) year upon execution and no remuneration between the parties; and
3) Contingent upon concurrence by County Counsel and Risk Management, delegate authority to the Director of HHSA or designee to:
a) Execute the “CDBG-CV1 Application Certification and Statement of Assurances”;
b) If awarded, accept a County allocation award estimated to be $1,829,794 and a City allocation award estimated to be $421,363; and
c) Execute any subsequent grant agreement and administrative documents with a term to be determined, as well as any subsequent amendments to the funding agreement as required by HCD.
FUNDING: Federal Funding administered by the State of California Department of Housing and Community Development, authorized pursuant to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, signed into law March 27, 2020.
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DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND
The State of California, Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) recently issued a Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for the Community Development Block Grant Program - Coronavirus, Aid, Relief, Economic Security Act 2020 (CDBG-CV), for Rounds 1, 2 and 3. The NOFA allows El Dorado County to propose a project activity to be paid with CDBG’s pre-determined allocations which total $1,829,794 from the three funding rounds. The NOFA similarly allows the City of Placerville to propose projects to be paid with their pre-determined allocations, totaling $421,363 from the same funding rounds. The funding opportunity encourages collaboration between jurisdictions, allowing for the City of Placerville to partner with El Dorado County to act as the Administrative Entity for the City allocation to support a joint application and funded project. CDBG-CV project types can focus on Economic Development, Public Facilities, Public Services, and Housing Acquisition/Rehabilitation. The applications may include up to four of these project types and are due by May 7, 2021. Lastly, the NOFA strongly encourages applicants to coordinate and collaborate with the local Continuum of Care (CoC) to prioritize the needs of Californians experiencing homelessness or at imminent risk of homelessness, who need access to housing and shelter in order to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19.
In response to COVID-19, and in collaboration with the CoC, local health care partners, and other community partners, Non-Congregate Shelter (NCS) efforts have been operating since April 2020 to provide interim housing and services for medically vulnerable individuals experiencing homelessness during the pandemic. Since opening, 124 individuals have entered into the program, countywide. Of those, 32 individuals exited at some point by choice; 7 individuals left without providing any reason or data, 2 individuals were incarcerated, and 1 individual is deceased. For the other 82 individuals that entered NCS and were able to take full advantage of the program, 26 of the 82 individuals (31.7%) have exited to a housing destination and 3 individuals (3.7%) have exited to a nursing home or detox program, while 53 individuals (64.6%) remain in NCS. Though the primary purpose of the program is to prevent and reduce the spread of COVID-19 in the community, it is evident that participants have also benefitted from the supportive services as many have already accessed housing destinations, with the remaining participants continuing to take steps toward permanent solutions. Through this success, NCS has been identified as an effective strategy in aiding to reduce populations in encampments and the overall number of individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness by having an available short-term program that works toward permanent solutions. Having recognized the program’s effectiveness in this regard, HHSA intends on utilizing the CDBG-CV funding to continue NCS on an ongoing basis, ensuring that the opportunity for eliminating homelessness for those served in the program can remain available. In collaboration, the City of Placerville has showed their support of financially partnering on this joint project by authorizing HHSA to act as the Administrative Entity for their CDBG-CV funding allocation award via City Resolution 8953, approved by the City Council at their regular meeting held on April 13, 2021.
Both the City and County CDBG-CV allocations may now be combined for the acquisition of a property to continue NCS for El Dorado residents. Currently with the NCS project on the western slope, it costs approximately $40,000 per month to provide daily meals, onsite security services, and case management and supportive services for 26 households at a time. Outside State and Federal grant funding pays for these services, with no Net County Cost impacts, and NCS services would continue through outside grant funding. Should the program continue, it is also expected that operating costs will be reduced over time through staffing measures being developed by HHSA staff that are dedicated to homelessness programming. Given the lack of available housing stock, affordable housing, and other immediately available supportive housing programs, continuing NCS would fill some of the current need that exists for helping homeless individuals on a path to reaching self-sufficiency. Therefore, as a result of supporting NCS since April 2020, its ongoing success, and this unique opportunity to creatively leverage Federal funding in partnership with the City of Placerville, HHSA is proposing to purchase and rehabilitate a motel site with the intent to later contract with uniquely qualified community- based organizations that have expertise in responsibly managing this program type in support of the community.
ALTERNATIVES
Should the Board decline to approve the described actions, HHSA would be unable to apply for an estimated total of $2,251,157 in Federal Funding through the CDBG -CV program to continue offering NCS. As a result, the NCS program would close in June 2021 and program participants would lose the opportunity to remain supported with interim housing and supportive services during the pandemic, making it far more difficult to access permanent housing programs.
PRIOR BOARD ACTION
N/A
OTHER DEPARTMENT / AGENCY INVOLVEMENT
Approved by County Counsel
CAO RECOMMENDATION / COMMENTS
Approve as recommended.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
CDBG-CV funding would pay for the purchase, conversion, and rehabilitation of an eventual identified property to turn a motel into an interim supportive housing program. Only Federal or State grant funding would be utilized to afford the acquisition and all site based services.
There would be no Net County Cost impact associated with this effort.
CLERK OF THE BOARD FOLLOW UP ACTIONS
1) Clerk of the Board to obtain Chair's signature on two (2) originals of the Resolution for CDBG-CV grant application.
2) Clerk of the Board to send one original resolution back to HHSA, Attn: Contracts.
STRATEGIC PLAN COMPONENT
Healthy Communities
CONTACT
Don Semon, Director