Title
Receive an oral report and proposal from the Coalition of Homeless Services Providers (CHSP) for development of a Coordinated Assessment and Referral System (CARS) for homeless services and provide direction to County departments to support the success of the project.
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Health and Human Services (HHS) Committee of the Board of Supervisors: Receives an oral report and proposal from the Coalition of Homeless Services Providers (CHSP) for development of a Coordinated Assessment and Referral System (CARS) for homeless services and provide direction to County departments to support the success of the project.
SUMMARY/DISCUSSION:
On July 16, 2015 the Board of Supervisors requested that a report on homeless services coordination be presented at the October Health and Human Services Committee meeting. The Coalition of Homeless Services Providers (CHSP), as the designated Continuum of Care Coordinator, has been working to develop and implement a Coordinated Assessment and Referral System (CARS). The CARS system is responsive to the need for better coordination and prioritization of services for people experiencing homelessness in that puts in place the countywide framework and technology necessary for providers to work together. It is also a new unfunded requirement for continued receipt of Continuum of Care grants through the Department of Housing and Urban Development (currently $2.1 million), housing vouchers through the Department of Veterans Affairs (currently $1.5 million) and Emergency Solutions Grants (currently $200,000). This system provides homeless service providers with the required tool to perform assessments and individualized coordination of services, but augmentations to the agency and field-based homeless services workforce are not part of the current proposal.
CHSP estimates an annual cost of $217,000 for implementing the project, which is built off of the Coalition’s existing Homeless Management Information System (HMIS). In addition, there are one-time costs of $72,500 to implement the necessary systems changes and training. Ongoing costs include: a) two (2) staff positions to maintain and support the data system, to assure that resource availability and shelter capacity information in the system is constantly kept up to date, and to support service providers in conducting individual assessments of need; b) an expansion of HMIS capacity to allow homeless service providers in the field, and providers who are not currently using HMIS to use the system to help homeless individuals wherever they are access services; and, 3) necessary operational expenses to support these positions. This system will be the foundation for coordinating services among providers and will establish the necessary tool for caseworkers to work with people experiencing homelessness.
Along with the tools for assessing individual needs and coordinating case management among the community of homeless services providers, the staff augmentations necessary to implement CARS can be leveraged to enhance the capacity of CHSP to meet several other identified needs:
• Outreach and education to both property owners and the community at-large. Outreach to property owners to grow the availability of housing units available to people experiencing homelessness and those at-risk of homelessness is a need which has recently become even more acute.
• Support to the county and local jurisdictions for assisting residents of homeless encampments when the encampment cannot continue. This support includes coordinating a 72 hour response by Coalition members and other service providers to help residents access services and housing,
• Support for our community in the developing affordable housing policies and options.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
The Department of Social Services, the Health Department, and the County Administrative Office have been partnering with the Coalition and local jurisdictions impacted by homelessness to develop collaborations to strengthen homeless services throughout the county.
FINANCING:
Estimated one-time costs and six (6) months of operational costs in FY 2015/16 are $198,500. Ongoing annual costs are $217,000.
FY 2015/16 FY 2016/17
Staffing (salaries and benefits)……………………………………… $66,000 $132,500
Operational expenses (space, technology, supplies and indirect)…… $25,000 $50,000
Expanded HMIS……………………………………………………… $74,500 $35,000
One-time costs (development and training)…………………………… $33,000 $0
Total $198,500 $217,000
There are currently no known Federal or State funding sources for this proposal. The Department of Social Services and the Health Department recommends partnering with CHSP and local funders to identify the availability of community grants and options for using departmental discretionary resources that can be redirected to finance the proposal. With concurrence from the Health and Human Services Committee, both departments will identify funding that does not increase local County General Fund contributions and return to the Budget Committee and the Board of Supervisors prior to January 2016 with final recommendations to support development and implementation of CARS in Monterey County.
Approved by: Elliott Robinson, Director of DSS, x4434
Approved by: Ray Bullick, Health Director, x4526
Attachment: Coalition of Homeless Services Providers Expansion Proposal (Power Point)