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CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
City of Anaheim
HOUSING & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
DEPARTMENT
DATE: JUNE 13, 2023
FROM: HOUSING & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT
SUBJECT: HOMELESS HOUSING, ASSISTANCE AND PREVENTION
PROGRAM (HHAP) MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING
WITH COUNTY OF ORANGE, CITY OF SANTA ANA, AND
CITY OF IRVINE
ATTACHMENT (Y/N): YES ITEM # 15
GOVERNMENT CODE § 84308 APPLIES: YES
RECOMMENDATION:
That the City Council, by Motion, approve the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the County of Orange and the Cities of Irvine and Santa Ana and authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to execute the MOU and take all other actions necessary to implement activities to coordinate homelessness housing interventions and supportive services in the region consistent with the guidance issued by the State of California’s Interagency Council on Homelessness (Cal ICH) under the Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention Program (HHAP).
DISCUSSION:
The California Interagency Council on Homelessness (Cal ICH) has released four rounds of Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) funding to pursue homelessness reduction activities throughout the State. To date, the City of Anaheim has been allocated $27,786,856 across four HHAP rounds to fund local homelessness programs in the city. HHAP funding is the result of continued advocacy efforts on the part of the Big Cities Mayor’s Coalition, a collaboration of the leaders from the State's 13 largest cities who work together to champion the most crucial issues Californians face.
Prior to posting the HHAP Round 4 grant application, Cal ICH released guidance to grant recipients regarding expectations tied to HHAP funding moving forward. The guidance included a commitment to “robust goals” that will result in a reduction of people living unsheltered and increased pathways to permanent housing for people experiencing homelessness. Namely, the State desired to see a marked reduction in the number of people experiencing homelessness on a daily basis as exemplified in the HHAP outcome goals being tracked by the State using Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) data. The guidance also placed emphasis on advancing Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention Program Memorandum of Understanding June 13, 2023
racial equity by reaching communities that have been marginalized and are over- represented or under-resourced within the City’s homelessness system of care.
To aid HHAP recipients with achieving the goals laid out by the State, Cal ICH provided a list of best practices for consideration at the local level. While the recommended best practices were presented as suggestions, the State has mandated written explanations outlining limitations or barriers that hinder full implementation of the recommendations.
After a thorough review of the Cal ICH best practice guidance, staff determined that the City has already enacted or could independently enact all applicable recommendations with the exception of one: a regional Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to coordinate and integrate housing interventions and supportive services for people experiencing homelessness.
The purpose of an MOU is to ensure greater coordination and alignment in the use of HHAP funds. Locally, HHAP Round 4 funding has been earmarked for the County of Orange, the Orange County Continuum of Care (OC CoC), the City of Santa Ana, the City of Anaheim, and most recently the City of Irvine. Understanding that the OC CoC is the lead authority on homelessness response efforts in our region, Anaheim staff initiated conversations with the OC CoC regarding entering into an MOU. OC CoC staff volunteered to draft the MOU and coordinate a series of working group meetings between the County, OC CoC, and City recipients. Anaheim staff met with the working group developing the MOU on April 6, 2023, and again on April 20, 2023. Following a series of edits by all parties and review by the Anaheim City Attorney’s Office, the attached MOU is being presented for approval.
While the MOU is a commitment to coordinate regional resources towards the shared goal of reducing homelessness in the community, it does not commit Anaheim-funded resources to the region. The goal of the MOU is to ensure that all HHAP-funded entities communicate, work collaboratively, and leverage, whenever possible, available resources to maximize impact and serve the greatest number of households experiencing homelessness. This commitment aligns with recent efforts to work with and leverage opportunities to address homelessness with the County and other city entities.
The City submitted our HHAP Round 4 application on March 23, 2023. The application includes language indicating that the region, including the City of Anaheim, is working on an MOU as recommended to achieve better alignment. We have already been advised that the Anaheim HHAP application has successfully passed Cal ICH review and, as such, expect the first of two disbursements totaling $5,092,955.47 to arrive shortly. The second disbursement of funds is currently being held by Cal ICH and will be released contingent on the region’s ability to collectively demonstrate we are meeting and making progress on the same outcome goals outlined by all entities in our applications.
IMPACT ON BUDGET:
This item will have no impact on the budget.
Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention Program Memorandum of Understanding June 13, 2023
Respectfully submitted,
Grace Ruiz-Stepter
Director of Housing & Community Development
Attachment:
1. Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention Program Memorandum of Understanding