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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 09222009 - C.47RECOMMENDATION(S): APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the Conservation and Development Director, or designee, to execute a contract with Shelter, Inc., in the amount of $1,260,000, effective September 23, 2009 to August 10, 2012, to provide Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-housing services, as recommended by the Family and Human Services Committee. APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the Conservation and Development Director, or designee, to execute an agreement with Contra Costa Health Services Homeless Program Services (“Homeless Services”), effective September 23, 2009 to August 10, 2012, in the amount of $109,551 for Data Collection and Evaluation through the Homeless Management and Information System (HMIS). This amount includes payment of $5,000 to HomeBase for facilitation services during the RFP process. APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the Conservation and Development Director, or designee, to allow $52,000 for Administration Costs as provided by the the Department of Housing and Urban Development Notice of Allocations and Requirements for the Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program. APPROVE OTHER RECOMMENDATION OF CNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE Action of Board On: 09/22/2009 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED OTHER Clerks Notes: VOTE OF SUPERVISORS AYE:John Gioia, District I Supervisor Gayle B. Uilkema, District II Supervisor Mary N. Piepho, District III Supervisor Susan A. Bonilla, District IV Supervisor Federal D. Glover, District V Supervisor Contact: Bob Calkins 335-7220 I hereby certify that this is a true and correct copy of an action taken and entered on the minutes of the Board of Supervisors on the date shown. ATTESTED: September 22, 2009 David J. Twa, County Administrator and Clerk of the Board of Supervisors By: Celicia Nelson, Deputy cc: C.47 To:Board of Supervisors From:Catherine Kutsuris, Conservation & Development Director Date:September 22, 2009 Contra Costa County Subject:Homeless Prevention Rapid Re-Housing Program FISCAL IMPACT: Funds are provided through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (CFDA 14.257). No general fund monies will be used. BACKGROUND: The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, signed on February 17, 2009, provided $1.5 billion to help families who are either homeless or at risk of becoming homeless to pay rent, make security deposits, pay utility bills and cover other housing expenses. It also provides funds to help these families receive appropriate services related to housing search and retention. Congress enacted the Recovery Act to help persons affected by the current economic crisis. It provides temporary financial assistance and housing relocation and stabilization services to individuals and families who are homeless or would be homeless but for this assistance. HPRP is not a mortgage assistance program and is not intended to provide long-term support. The Board of Supervisors approved the submittal of the HPRP application (Substantial Amendment to the County’s FY 2008/09 CDBG Action Plan) to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) at its meeting on May 12, 2009. The County’s HPRP application was approved for funding by HUD on June 25, 2009. Contra Costa County will receive $1,421,551 and the City of Richmond will receive $559,735. Separately, the four remaining CDBG jurisdictions (Antioch, Concord, Pittsburg, and Walnut Creek) qualify for a total of $1.2 million from the State Department of Housing and Community Development. That application has been submitted and funding awards will be announced in September. Request For Proposals (RFP) In collaboration and coordination with Contra Costa Health Services Homeless Services (“Homeless Services”) and the City of Richmond, several stakeholder meetings were held with representatives from service providers throughout the County to gather input on program and RFP design elements, and to encourage collaboration among provider agencies. Service providers worked to develop partnerships composed of a lead and several partner agencies to ensure that all required services will be provided. The RFP was released on June 26, 2009 with applications due on July 20, 2009. In conjunction with Homeless Services and the City of Richmond, staff recommends that Shelter, Inc. of Contra Costa County is the appropriate agency to act as the countywide lead in this program. Shelter, Inc. has twenty-two years experience providing homeless prevention services and fifteen years providing rapid re-housing. In addition, in partnership with Homeless Services, they submitted an application for a competitive grant through HUD’s McKinney Vento Act to provide services under a rapid re-housing demonstration program and were awarded $532,076. HPRP partner agencies will include Rubicon Programs, Catholic Charities of the East Bay, Greater Richmond Interfaith Program (GRIP) and Bay Area Legal Aid. Shelter, Inc. will have Memorandums of Understanding (MOU’s) with each of the partner agencies. On August 17, 2009, the Family and Human Services Committee considered staff recommendations and voted to accept the program design and contract recommendations as presented. The program is expected to begin on September 23, 2009. Program Summary The purpose of HPRP is to provide homelessness prevention assistance to households who would otherwise become homeless and to provide assistance to rapidly re-house persons who are homeless. The individual/family must be reasonably expected to be financially able to maintain housing once the subsidy ends. Outreach efforts will focus on reaching those individuals who are in need of assistance but might not typically turn to public programs for help. The lead and partner agencies will work closely with churches, schools, property management companies, landlords and other local businesses and agencies to reach those clients who can benefit from this program. Eligible Activities: 1) Financial Assistance - Short-term rental assistance (3 months); medium-term rental assistance (4 to 18 months; may also be used for up to six months of rental arrears); security deposits, utility deposits, utility payments (up to 18 months, including up to 6 months of arrears), moving cost assistance and motel/hotel vouchers up to 30 days. Payments must be made to third parties, such as landlords or utility companies. Assistance should be based on the minimum amount needed to prevent the program participants from becoming homeless or returning to homelessness in the near term. 2) Housing Relocation and Stabilization Services – Services that assist program participants with housing stability and placement including case management, outreach, housing search and placement, legal services and credit repair. 3) Data Collection and Evaluation – Data collection and reporting for HPRP must be conducted through the use of the Homeless Management Information Systems (HMIS) or a comparable client-level database. Reasonable and appropriate costs associated with operating an HMIS for the purpose of collecting and reporting data required under HPRP are eligible. Grantees and Subgrantees must comply if asked to participate in HUD-sponsored research and evaluation of HPRP. 4) Administrative Costs – Pre-award administrative costs; preparing reports for submission to HUD; similar costs related to administering the grant; staff salaries associated with these administrative costs; training for staff who will administer the program or case managers who will serve program participants. No more than 5% of the total HPRP grant may be spent on administrative costs. Eligible Program Participants: HPRP targets two eligible populations: persons who are still housed but at risk of becoming homeless and persons who are already homeless. Grantees and/or subgrantees should consider the expected ability of the program participant to achieve stable housing, unsubsidized or subsidized, outside of HPRP and must evaluate and certify the eligibility of program participants at lease once every three months. In order to receive financial assistance or services, individuals and families must at least meet the following criteria: 1) Must have a least an initial consultation with a case manager or other authorized representative. 2) Household must be at or below 50 percent of Area Median Income (AMI). 3) Household must be either homeless or at risk of losing its housing and (a) no appropriate subsequent housing options have been identified and (b) the household lacks the financial resources and support networks needed to obtain immediate housing or remain in its existing housing. Risk Factors for Consideration for At-Risk Families: eviction within two weeks from a private dwelling; discharge within two weeks from an institution in which the person has been a residents for more than 180 days (including prisons, mental health institutions and hospitals); residency in housing that has been condemned; sudden and significant loss of income; pending foreclosure of rental housing; extremely low income; significant amount of medical debt. Risk Factors for Rapid Re-Housing for Persons who are Homeless: sleeping in an emergency shelter; sleeping in a place not meant for human habitation; staying in a hospital or other institution for up to 180 days but homeless prior to entry; graduating or timing out of transitional housing programs; victims of domestic violence. ATTACHMENTS Shelter, Inc. HPRP Contract Shelter, Inc. HPRP Exhibit A Shelter, Inc. HPRP Exhibit B Shelter, Inc. HPRP Exhibit C EXHIBIT C HABITABILITY STANDARDS FOR HPRP Organizations providing rental assistance with HPRP funds will be required to conduct initial and any appropriate follow-up inspections of housing units into which a program participant will be moving. Following are the habitability standards that grantees must follow: (A) State and local requirements. Each grantee or subgrantee under this Notice must ensure that housing occupied by a family or individual receiving HPRP assistance is in compliance with all applicable state and local housing codes, licensing requirements, and any other requirements in the jurisdiction in which the housing is located regarding the condition of the structure and the operation of the housing or services. Shelter, Inc. and partner agencies are responsible for conducting all necessary inspections. (B) Habitability standards. Except for less stringent variations as are proposed by the grantee or subgrantee and approved by HUD, housing occupied by a family or individual receiving HPRP assistance must meet the following minimum requirements: (1) Structure and materials. The structures must be structurally sound so as not to pose any threat to the health and safety of the occupants and so as to protect the residents from the elements. (2) Access. The housing must be accessible and capable of being utilized without unauthorized use of other private properties. Structures must provide alternate means of egress in case of fire. (3) Space and security. Each resident must be afforded adequate space and security for themselves and their belongings. Each resident must be provided an acceptable place to sleep. (4) Interior air quality. Every room or space must be provided with natural or mechanical ventilation. Structures must be free of pollutants in the air at levels that threaten the health of residents. (5) Water supply. The water supply must be free from contamination. (6) Sanitary facilities. Residents must have access to sufficient sanitary facilities that are in proper operating condition, may be used in privacy, and are adequate for personal cleanliness and the disposal of human waste. (7) Thermal environment. The housing must have adequate heating and/or cooling facilities in proper operating condition. (8) Illumination and electricity. The housing must have adequate natural or artificial illumination to permit normal indoor activities and to support the health and safety of residents. Sufficient electrical sources must be provided to permit use of essential electrical appliances while assuring safety from fire. (9) Food preparation and refuse disposal. All food preparation areas must contain suitable space and equipment to store, prepare, and serve food in a sanitary manner. (10) Sanitary condition. The housing and any equipment must be maintained in sanitary condition. (11) Fire safety. (i) Each unit must include at least one battery-operated or hard-wired smoke detector, in proper working condition, on each occupied level of the unit. Smoke detectors must be located, to the extent practicable, in a hallway adjacent to a bedroom. If the unit is occupied by hearing impaired persons, smoke detectors must have an alarm system designed for hearing- impaired persons in each bedroom occupied by a hearing-impaired person. (ii) The public areas of all housing must be equipped with a sufficient number, but not less than one for each area, of battery-operated or hard-wired smoke detectors. Public areas include, but are not limited to, laundry rooms, community rooms, day care centers, hallways, stairwells, and other common areas. EXHIBIT B CONTRA COSTA COUNTY 2009 INCOME LIMITS CDBG PROGRAM Income Limits by Household Size - Effective March 19, 2009 Maximum income of households which are: Persons per Household Extremely Low- Income Very-low Income Low Income Median Income 1 $18,750 $31,250 $46,350 $62,500 2 $21,450 $35,700 $53,000 $71,400 3 $24,100 $40,200 $59,600 $80,400 4 $26,800 $44,650 $66,250 $89,300 5 $28,950 $48,200 $71,550 $96,400 6 $31,100 $51,800 $76,850 $103,600 7 $33,250 $55,350 $82,150 $110,700 8 $35,400 $58,950 $87,450 $117,900 Extremely low-income households are defined as households earning 30 percent or less of area median income (AMI) ; very-low income households earn 50 percent or less AMI; low-income households earn 80 percent or less AMI subject to HUD caps; and median income households earn 100 percent AMI. Source: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT 2009 FAIR MARKET RENTS 0-BR 1 -BR 2-BR 3-BR 4-BR 5-BR 6-BR + Fair Market Rent $ 905 $ 1093 $ 1295 $ 1756 $ 2,174 $ 2,500 $ 2,826 Oakland-Fremont, CA HUD Metro FMR