Title
a. Approve and authorize the Director of the Department of Social Services to sign a no cost Memorandum of Agreement with the members of the Bay Area Social Services Consortium, effective upon execution until terminated by majority vote, to support implementation of Assembly Bill No. 607, known as the Community Resiliency and Disaster Preparedness Act of 2017, to support and enable “creation of mutual aid regions consisting of two or more counties to ensure there are sufficient resources necessary to continue adequate access to Social Services benefits during a disaster.”
b. Authorize the Director of the Department of Social Services to sign up to three (3) amendments to this Memorandum of Agreement where the amendments do not significantly change the scope of services.
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Board of Supervisors:
a. Approve and authorize the Director of the Department of Social Services to sign a no cost Memorandum of Agreement with the members of the Bay Area Social Services Consortium, effective upon execution until terminated by majority vote, to support implementation of Assembly Bill No. 607, known as the Community Resiliency and Disaster Preparedness Act of 2017, to support and enable “creation of mutual aid regions consisting of two or more counties to ensure there are sufficient resources necessary to continue adequate access to Social Services benefits during a disaster.”
b. Authorize the Director of the Department of Social Services to sign up to three (3) amendments to this Memorandum of Agreement where the amendments do not significantly change the scope of services.
SUMMARY/DISCUSSION:
The Bay Area Social Services Consortium (BASSC) was founded in 1987 and is an agency/university/foundation partnership that promotes social service research, training, and policy development. The Monterey County Department of Social Services is a BASSC County Member along with other Bay Area region human and social service departments including Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Benito, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, and Sonoma. The BASSC Principal Representatives agreed in January 2018 to collaborate in developing a mutual support agreement to address the requirement in Section 6 of Assembly Bill 607 (October 5, 2017) to support and enable “creation of mutual aid regions consisting of two or more counties to ensure there are sufficient resources necessary to continue adequate access to Social Services benefits during a disaster.”
The BASSC Emergency Response Mutual Assistance Committee was formed in March 2018 consisting of the designated Staff Representatives of each member of the BASSC to draft a Mutual Support Agreement between BASSC members in times of disaster. In July 2018, in order to better align the BASSC mutual aid support region with the existing CalOES (California Office of Emergency Services) Region II, it was agreed to by all staff representatives to extend an invitation to Lake, Del Norte, Mendocino and Humboldt Counties to partner in this initiative.
The purpose of this agreement is to obtain a mutual understanding between member counties that establishes a baseline level of mutual support during times of disaster and ensures sufficient human services capabilities and benefits continue to be accessible in the event that a disaster impacts the local agency’s ability to provide service. This agreement establishes mutual definitions, resolutions, responsibilities, terms and terminations, and dispute resolution and will be followed by continued work to establish a more detailed BASSC Mutual Support Plan that works with, and in support of, existing emergency response activities and organizations.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
Contracts/Purchasing have reviewed and approved this Memorandum of Agreement. County Counsel has approved the Memorandum of Agreement as to form.
FINANCING:
This Memorandum of Agreement has no directly obligated costs, however if a disaster is declared, there are potential costs to maintaining continuity of access to social services in the region effected. These costs will be documented and provided to the county impacted by disaster for inclusion in any submittals for State and Federal disaster relief under the California Emergency Management Mutual Aid Plan and coordinated between the BASSC member counties before submittal.
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS STRATEGIC INITIATIVES:
Mutual aid for Social Service mandates in times of disaster is a public safety issue that impacts access to critical Health and Human services including, but not limited to, child welfare, adult protective services, and receipt of entitled benefits such as cash aid, food stamps, and Medi-Cal.
Mark a check to the related Board of Supervisors Strategic Initiatives
__Economic Development
__Administration
X Health & Human Services
__Infrastructure
X Public Safety
Prepared by: Lauren Suwansupa, CAM x3584
Approved by: Henry Espinosa, Acting Director, x4430
Attachments: Community Resiliency and Disaster Preparedness Regional MOA
Proposed agreement is on file with Clerk of the Board as an attachment to this Board Report