Title
a. Approve and authorize the Director of the Department of Social Services to sign an Agreement with the Coalition of Homeless Services Providers for $613,208, to provide homeless service coordination including Coordinated Assessment and Referral and Whole Person Care program system integration, retroactively to July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021; and
b. Authorize the Director of the Department of Social Services to sign up to (3) amendments to this Agreement where the total amendments do not exceed 10% ($61,320) of the original contract amount and do not significantly change the scope of work.
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Board of Supervisors:
a. Approve and authorize the Director of the Department of Social Services to sign an Agreement with the Coalition of Homeless Services Providers for $613,208, to provide homeless service coordination including Coordinated Assessment and Referral and Whole Person Care program system integration, retroactively to July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021; and
b. Authorize the Director of the Department of Social Services to sign up to (3) amendments to this Agreement where the total amendments do not exceed 10% ($61,320) of the original contract amount and do not significantly change the scope of work.
SUMMARY/DISCUSSION:
The Coalition of Homeless Services Providers (CHSP) is a private, non-profit agency with a mission to promote interagency coordination, stimulate community-wide planning and coordinate programs for individuals and families who are homeless. CHSP is Monterey County’s designated Continuum of Care (CoC) Coordinator and lead agency for many of the county’s efforts to combat homelessness. This agreement sustains the capacity of CHSP by maintaining two (2) FTE positions to administer and support the Coordinated Assessment and Referral System (CARS) data system ensuring resource availability and shelter capacity is kept up to date, while also expanding the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) capacity to fully incorporate all components of CARS.
The technical and infrastructure expansion previously implemented, laid the groundwork for continued efforts needed to support the Whole Person Care (WPC) Pilot Program led by the Health Department. Through a partnership with the Health Department, this Agreement has leveraged WPC funds to further expand the technical support and interface development to meet the technical needs of the WPC program through the course of the five-year pilot, ending December 31, 2020.
Under this Agreement, CHSP provides the following functions:
- Technical Support and Interface Development for WPC infrastructure including participating in data exchange projects that may require technical support, development of data interfaces, or automated data extracts. This work may be performed by a subcontractor to CHSP.
- CARS administration which includes staff positions needed to sustain and support the data system and manage training needs across the homeless service provider network to ensure systems change to incorporate CARS is maintained.
- CoC Coordination which positions CHSP as the primary entity responsible for developing and submitting the consolidated CoC application and agency project applications to the Department of Housing and Urban Development. This process draws down approximately $2 million in funding that supports many existing homeless service programs. This process and funding are vital to maintain operational services for persons experiencing homelessness in Monterey County.
- Inclement Weather Plan support including collecting and notifying local service providers with important resource information during the inclement weather season, a time between November 1 and March 31, when the weather conditions impose an increased risk of hypothermia to homeless residents.
- Lead Me Home (Ten-Year Plan to End Homelessness) support and advocacy provides staff support and guidance to the Lead Me Home Leadership Council, the governing collective that leads the efforts on the 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness. The Leadership Council is the CoC planning body for Monterey County.
- Serve as the lead agency for the HMIS including administering the contract with approved HMIS software vendors, providing technical support to end users, and management of day-to-day operations.
This agreement was delayed in being brought to the Board for consideration prior to the effective date due to County delays in administrative processing because of county budget decisions and the COVID-19 Pandemic.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
FINANCING:
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS STRATEGIC INITIATIVES:
Mark a check to the related Board of Supervisors Strategic Initiatives
__Economic Development
X Administration
X Health & Human Services
__Infrastructure
__Public Safety
Prepared by: Glorietta Rowland, MA II x3584
Approved by: Lori Medina, Director x4430
Attachments: Coalition of Homeless Services Providers Agreement
Proposed agreement is on file with Clerk of the Board as an attachment to this Board Report