Title
Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) recommending the Board:
1) Designate HHSA to continue to serve as the Administrative Entity for the El Dorado Opportunity Knocks Continuum of Care (CoC) to continue to participate in the Homeless Housing, Assistance, and Prevention (HHAP) Program, administered by the California Interagency Council on Homelessness (Cal ICH);
2) Delegate authority to HHSA to submit a joint application on behalf of the County and the CoC in the estimated amount of $2,300,000 for the HHAP Program Round 4 funding administered by the Cal ICH; and
3) Delegate authority to the HHSA Director to accept funding and execute any grant agreement for HHAP Program Round 4, if awarded, with a term not to extend beyond 5 years and an amount not-to-exceed $2,300,000, including extension(s) or amendment(s), contingent upon County Counsel and Risk Management approval.
FUNDING: State funding authorized pursuant to California Assembly Bill 140, signed into law by Governor Newsom on July 19, 2021.
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DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND:
On June 21, 2022, the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors (Board) authorized HHSA to submit the local homelessness action plan application template to Cal ICH (formerly known as the Homeless Coordinating and Financing Council) as required for the Homeless Housing, Assistance, and Prevention program Round 3 (HHAP-3) joint application by the County of El Dorado (County) Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) and the El Dorado Opportunity Knocks Continuum of Care (CoC) (File ID: 22-0914). The action plan template was developed in collaboration with the CoC in alignment with the Countywide 5-year Homeless Strategic Plan (File ID: 22-0294) and includes: a local landscape analysis of needs; demographics; funding; and the homeless prevention goals, strategies, and outcomes proposed through the 5-year Homeless Strategic Plan.
In addition to receiving the HHAP-3 allocation, having the Homeless Strategic Plan in place also allows the CoC and County to be eligible for the upcoming HHAP Round 4 (HHAP-4) grant. On September 30, 2022, the California Interagency Council on Homelessness (Cal ICH) announced that the application portal for the HHAP Program - Round 4 was open and posted online, with applications for the new round of funding due November 29, 2022.
Prior to HHAP-4 application submission, Cal ICH requires an updated analysis of the applicants’ homelessness action plan to be agendized. The analysis must also include: a landscape analysis of needs, demographics, and funding; and the outcome goals and strategies for achieving those goals. In addition, the HHAP-4 application includes a 'Standard Agreement to Apply,' indicating if the County and the CoC jurisdictions will be applying for the funds, jointly. In order to do so, HHSA requests the Board approve HHSA to continue to serve as the Administrative Entity (AE), and to approve HHSA to submit a joint application on behalf of the County and the CoC in the estimated amount of $2,300,000. A side-by-side comparison of HHAP-3 and HHAP-4 provided by Cal ICH demonstrates that the allocation amounts for all California counties are identical; therefore, HHSA estimates that the HHAP-4 allocation will be similar to HHAP-3, which was awarded in the amount of $1,773,779.01.
Previously, the Board has designated HHSA to act as the AE on behalf of the CoC for: the HHAP Round 1 Grant (Item #20-0161, February 11, 2020); HHAP Round 2 Grant (#21-1000, July 13, 2021); ); HHAP Round 3 Grant (#21-1720, November 16, 2021); Homeless Emergency Aid Program (HEAP) Grant (Item #18-1762, December 4, 2018); 2018 California Emergency Solutions and Housing (CESH) Grant (Item #18-1522, October 16, 2018); 2019 CESH Grant (Item #19-0553, April 23, 2019); Emergency Solutions Grant-COVID (ESG-CV) Round 1 (#20-0768, June 30, 2020); and ESG-CV Round 2 (#20-1355, November 10, 2020).
HHAP Round 4 is designed to build upon regional coordination developed through previous rounds of State funding including the Homeless Emergency Aide Program (HEAP), HHAP, and other State homeless funding. As such, HHAP funds are to be used in coordination with funds distributed to the local CoC, to continue to build regional coordination through a unified regional response to reduce and end homelessness. This is accomplished by the State’s requirement of developing a multi-year homeless strategic plan to act as the template for regional coordination, which was presented to the Board earlier in 2022 (Item 22-0294). The plan’s development was a requirement to receive HHAP-3, as well as future rounds of HHAP funding. With that plan in place, the strategic plan acts as the program template for investments of HHAP funding, and therefore a separate ‘program plan’ is not required as a part of the application.
If awarded, the HHAP Round 4 Initial Disbursement funds must be expended in accordance with the California Health and Safety Code 50220.8 and may fund the cost of supporting the current homelessness action plan or for systems improvement, including, but not limited to: rapid rehousing, operating subsidies in new and existing affordable housing, emergency shelters, and navigation centers; street outreach; service coordination to include workforce education and training; systems support to maintain the delivery system with a particular focus on vulnerable populations; prevention and diversion; interim sheltering; and improvements to existing shelters.
Furthermore, since Cal ICH has a very tight turnaround on the request to receive an executed Funding-In Agreement, HHSA requests advance approval from the Board to authorize the HHSA Director to execute the resulting Funding-In agreement from this grant, contingent upon County Counsel and Risk Management approval, to ensure that HHSA can execute the grant agreement in the required timeline.
ALTERNATIVES:
Should the Board decline to approve these recommendations, both the County and CoC would fail to complete all requirements necessary to participate in the HHAP Program, and as a result, El Dorado County would not receive an estimated $2,300,000 for homelessness services and programming.
PRIOR BOARD ACTION:
1) 06/21/22, File ID 22-0914, Agenda No. 13, HHSA Homeless Housing, Assistance, and Prevention Round 3 (HHAP-3), Local Homeless Action Plan with Outcome Goals Application
2) 11/16/21, File ID 21-1720, Agenda No. 20, HHAP Round 3 Resolution, Funding Acceptance and Budget Transfer Request;
3) 07/12/21, File ID 21-1000, Agenda No. 11, HHSA Grant Round 2 Funding Agreement; and
4) 02/11/21, File ID 20-0161, Agenda No.10, HHSA HHAP Application, and Resolution 023-2020
OTHER DEPARTMENT / AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
N/A
CAO RECOMMENDATION:
Approve as recommended.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
HHAP-4 limits the use of available funding for administrative costs to no more than seven percent (7%) of the total allocation, which could equate up to $161,000 for the administration of the grant. HHSA has established controls to monitor costs of funding administration. If approved by the Board and later awarded by the State, HHSA will return to the Board with a budget amendment that will increase revenue and appropriations in Community Services by an estimated $2,300,000 for the HHAP funding allocation in Fiscal Year 2022-23.
CLERK OF THE BOARD FOLLOW UP ACTIONS
Clerk of the Board to provide one certified Minute Order and to email hhsa-eldoradoco-grants@edcgov.us when it is ready for pick up.
STRATEGIC PLAN COMPONENT:
Healthy Communities
CONTACT
Evelyn Schaeffer, Director, Health and Human Services Agency