Title
a. Approve and authorize the Director of the Department of Social Services to sign an Agreement with Franciscan Workers of Junipero Serra for $555,000 to provide operations for the Chinatown Health Services Center and Dorothy’s Drop-In Center to support the homeless population in Salinas including Whole Person Care Case Management for Housing support, retroactively to July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021; and
b. Authorize the Director of the Department of Social Services to sign up to three (3) amendments to this Agreement where the total amendments do not exceed 10% (55,500) 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 Franciscan Workers of Junipero Serra for $555,000 to provide operations for the Chinatown Health Services Center and Dorothy’s Drop-In Center to support the homeless population in Salinas including Whole Person Care Case Management for Housing support, retroactively to July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021; and
b. Authorize the Director of the Department of Social Services to sign up to three (3) amendments to this Agreement where the total amendments do not exceed 10% (55,500) of the original contract amount, and do not significantly change the scope of work.
SUMMARY/DISCUSSION:
This Agreement will allow for continued progress in housing chronically homeless community members and will build momentum towards assisting even more individuals and families in conjunction with the Department of Health’s Whole Person Care (WPC) Pilot program and in mitigating the impact of the COVID-19 virus within persons experiencing homelessness in the Chinatown community. Franciscan Workers of Junipero Serra is a key player in the provision of Case Management for Housing Support to the WPC Pilot program participants and potentially eligible participants.
Community Based Case Management for Housing Support is an effective strategy for supporting individuals experiencing homelessness to overcome barriers and become housed. These services address numerous challenges for people experiencing homelessness and the entire community by promoting the well-being of individuals experiencing homelessness and giving people who often have no other place to spend their days a safe and supportive day service program. It is important to note that this support helps reduce other system costs that could include incarceration and emergency care. The agency reports that caseloads are at capacity, but hundreds of homeless individuals still come daily for basic needs and case management services. From July 2019 to March 2020 the agency served 1154 adults at the Drop-In Center, many of them experiencing chronic homelessness. Trauma Informed Case Management at the Drop-In Center has been successful in placing individuals and family units into permanent housing.
The Department of Social Services is partnering with the Health Department to fund the first half of this Agreement using WPC revenues. The 2nd half of this agreement, January - June 2020 will utilize County General Funds and State Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention Program (HHAP) funding. The CSUMB Chinatown Learning Center closely collaborates with Dorothy’s Place Drop-In Center in addressing client needs in this vulnerable community. Services provided in cooperation with Dorothy’s Place include outpatient mental illness treatment (Community Human Services), Monterey County Public Health Nursing, CSUMB’s “suitcase clinic,” Clinica de Salud (twice weekly medical and dental) and Access Support Network’s HIV and Hepatitis C testing, counseling, and referral into treatment.
The County’s agreement with the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) for the WPC five-year pilot program was approved by your Board on November 1, 2016. The WPC Pilot was authorized under California’s Medi-Cal 2020 waiver to test locally based initiatives that will coordinate physical health, behavioral health, and social services for vulnerable Medi-Cal beneficiaries who are high users of multiple systems and continue to have, or are at risk of, poor health outcomes. Monterey County’s WPC Pilot will be in effect through December 31, 2020.
This agreement was delayed in being brought for Board consideration prior to the effective date due to County delays in administrative processing related to budget decisions and COVID-19 Pandemic.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
The Auditor-Controller and Purchasing have reviewed and approved this agreement. County Counsel has approved the agreement as to form.
FINANCING:
This agreement is funded with Whole Person Care grant funds, Homeless and Housing Assistance Program funds, and County General Fund contributions. There are sufficient appropriations and estimated revenues for SOC004 included in the FY 2020-21 Adopted Budget.
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS STRATEGIC INITIATIVES:
This resolution correlates to the Health & Human Services Strategic Initiative adopted by the Board of Supervisors by providing support services and case management to the County’s most vulnerable population of individuals experiencing homelessness.
Mark a check to the related Board of Supervisors Strategic Initiatives
___ Economic Development
___ Administration
_X_ Health & Human Services
___ Infrastructure
___ Public Safety
Prepared by: Glorietta Rowland, MAll x 3584
Approved by: Lori A. Medina, Director x4430
Attachment: Franciscan Workers of Junipero Serra Agreement
Proposed agreement is on file with Clerk of the Board as an attachment to this Board Report