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Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) recommending the Board:
1) Authorize the HHSA Director to apply for, and if awarded, accept funding for the 2023 Continuum of Care Planning grant, administered by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), for a one-year term effective upon execution, in the estimated amount of $50,000, and requires a 25% match in the estimated amount of $12,500 which will be met through existing grant funding received by HHSA as the Administrative Entity (AE) for the El Dorado County Opportunity Knocks (EDOK) Continuum of Care (CoC), and administered by the HHSA Housing and Homelessness Services programs;
2) If awarded, authorize the HHSA Director, acting as the Collaborative Applicant on behalf of the EDOK CoC, to execute the resulting funding agreement, contingent upon approval by County Counsel and Risk Management; and
3) Authorize the HHSA Director, or HHSA Chief Assistant Director, to execute further documents related to said award, including any amendments which does not increase the Net County Cost of the agreement.
FUNDING: 100% Federal HUD funding in the estimated amount of $50,000, with a required 25% match contribution in the estimated amount of $12,500 which will be met through existing grant funding received by HHSA, acting as the AE for the EDOK CoC.
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DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND:
HUD requires counties that seek to receive federal homeless assistance funds maintain a local CoC that meets federal regulations. In El Dorado County (County), the EDOK CoC serves as the local CoC. The El Dorado County Public Housing Authority (PHA), as part of HHSA, is designated by the EDOK CoC to serve as the Collaborative Applicant and Administrative Entity for the CoC. In this role, the PHA submits annual consolidated applications for CoC funding on behalf of and in support of the EDOK CoC. Planning Grant awards are to be used to support the EDOK CoC to improve strategic planning efforts as well as provide technical assistance to build the knowledge and administrative capacity of its member organizations. The Board of Supervisors has authorized and accepted annual CoC Planning grant funding annually since 2019.
On July 5, 2023, HUD issued a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the 2023 CoC Competition and Non-Competitive Award. The NOFO allows the County to propose multiple single project activity applications, which includes an application for the annual HUD CoC Planning Grant in the estimated amount of $50,000. The funding requires a 25% match in the estimated amount of $12,500, which will be met through existing grant funding received by HHSA, acting as the AE for the CoC. If awarded, the funding award is to be used for EDOK CoC technical assistance, training, and planning activities.
While Board of Supervisors Policy A-6 provides authority to a department head to apply for grants, A-6 further states that the department head shall bring the decision to accept a grant before a regularly scheduled meeting of the Board. As many of HHSA’s state and federal funders have a very tight turnaround on their request to receive an executed agreement, HHSA is requesting advance approval from the Board to authorize the HHSA Director to execute the resulting funding 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:
The Board could decline to apply for and accept the funding award, in which case, the EDOK CoC would not be eligible to receive the funding award. This would reduce the level of technical assistance available to local service providers.
PRIOR BOARD ACTION:
1) 10/20/20, 20-1310, HHSA PHA 2019 Continuum of Care (CoC) Planning Allocation grant agreement
2) 09/28/21, 21-1446, HHSA PHA 2020 CoC Planning Grant.
3) 11/09/21, 21-1674, HHSA 2021 Continuum of Care Planning Renewal Grant
4) 09/20/22, 22-1489, HHSA 2022 Continuum of Care Planning Grant
OTHER DEPARTMENT / AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
County Counsel, Risk Management and EDOK CoC
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 $12,500 will be met through existing grant funding received by HHSA as the Administrative Entity for the CoC. If the 2023 CoC Planning grant is awarded by HUD, funding will be received in the FY 2024-25 and will be included in subsequent budgets requests.
CLERK OF THE BOARD FOLLOW UP ACTIONS
N/A
STRATEGIC PLAN COMPONENT:
Healthy Communities
CONTACT
Olivia Byron-Cooper, MPH, Interim Director, Health and Human Services Agency