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 Homel...
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