201 S. Anaheim Blvd.
Second Floor
Anaheim, CA 92805
Tel: (714) 765-4320
Fax: (714) 765-4331
www.anaheim.net
HOUSING AUTHORITY AGENDA REPORT
City of Anaheim
HOUSING & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
DEPARTMENT
DATE: NOVEMBER 28, 2023
FROM: HOUSING & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT
SUBJECT: APPROVAL OF MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING WITH
CALOPTIMA HEALTH
ATTACHMENT (Y/N): YES ITEM # 07
GOVERNMENT CODE § 84308 APPLIES: NO
RECOMMENDATION:
That the Governing Board of the Anaheim Housing Authority, by Motion, approve the Memorandum of Understanding with the Orange County Health Authority dba CalOptima Health and Orange County Housing Authority, Garden Grove Housing Authority, and Santa Ana Housing Authority to establish a framework that will facilitate referrals of Housing Choice Voucher applicants and participants to the California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM) program for Enhanced Case Management and Community Support services and authorize the Executive Director to execute and administer the Agreement on behalf of the Housing Authority.
DISCUSSION:
The Anaheim Housing Authority (AHA), under the umbrella of the Housing & Community Development Department, is tasked with addressing the housing needs of low income persons in the City of Anaheim. The largest housing program that AHA administers is the federally funded Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program.
The AHA’s HCV program assists very low-income individuals and families to afford decent, safe, and sanitary housing in the private rental market through the provision of rental subsidies. Currently, AHA is aiding over 6,700 households with rental subsidies.
To address emerging and increasing needs, AHA has continued to apply for and secure new funding to expand our local HCV program in recent years. As a result of these efforts, the AHA has increased the number of Special Purpose Vouchers (SPV) available for use in Anaheim. Examples of SPVs include Mainstream Vouchers, specifically intended for adults under 62 years of age who are disabled, the Emergency Housing Vouchers, specifically intended for individuals and families who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, and the Veterans Assistance and Supportive Housing (VASH) Vouchers, reserved to assist veterans experiencing homelessness. While the new funding is a significant benefit for our community, it has given rise to an increased need for Approval of MOU with CalOptima
November 28, 2023
supportive services for individuals and families who require additional assistance in securing and maintaining housing.
As initially established, the primary role of housing authorities with HCV programs was to ensure program eligibility, issue monthly rental subsidies and review property conditions on an annual basis through Housing Quality Standard inspections. Presently, to address the growing needs of our client base, the program has had to evolve to become more person centric and requires the assistance of partners who can address individual supportive service needs. Often, the provision of supportive services can be the deciding factor in whether voucher holders can maintain stable housing or not.
The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) has developed a framework called CalAIM, which stands for California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal.
CalAIM advances several key priorities of the Administration by leveraging Medicaid as a tool to help address many of the complex challenges that California’s most vulnerable residents face, such as homelessness, insufficient behavioral health care access, children with complex medical conditions, the growing number of justice-involved populations who have significant clinical needs, and the growing aging population. CalAIM establishes a foundation where investments and programs within Medicaid can easily integrate, complement, and catalyze the Administration's plan to impact the State's homelessness crisis and supports justice system reform for youth and adults who have significant health issues.
CalOptima is a key agency in this request. CalOptima is Orange County’s single largest health insurer and provides health care coverage for Orange County residents eligible for Medi-Cal. CalOptima participates in the CalAIM program, which offers supportive services directed at supporting some of the most vulnerable populations in Orange County, including those experiencing homelessness, older adults, children with complex care needs, and those involved with the justice system. The CalAIM program offers eligible program participants coordinated care and services among the physical, behavioral, dental, developmental, and social services delivery systems.
During the initial months of 2023, CalOptima and representatives of the four Housing Authorities in Orange County began meeting to better understand the alignment of our work and identify ways to collaborate. As discussions progressed, all the agencies agreed that it was important to identify a unified process for all HCV voucher holders in Orange County to benefit from CalOptima’s CalAIM program. The result of that work is now memorialized in a joint Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The MOU establishes a referral framework for voucher holders to receive supportive services such as housing navigation and case management from CalAIM. Housing navigation is essential as most special needs populations attempting to utilize a voucher benefit need additional support to identify available rental units, complete a rental application, and establish utility accounts. The ongoing case management can help mitigate tenancy issues and assist individuals to address medical and social issues so that they can remain successfully and permanently housed.
By participating in this joint MOU, AHA would be able to seamlessly refer voucher holders to CalAIM services at no cost to the agency or the City thus leveraging the Approval of MOU with CalOptima
November 28, 2023
resources of the Housing Authority and CalOptima for better and more efficient outcomes. The other parties to the MOU are three Public Housing Authorities in Orange County; Santa Ana Housing Authority, Garden Grove Housing Authority, and the Orange County Housing Authority, which serves all cities that do not have their own housing agency.
As outlined in the MOU, participation in the CalAIM program is voluntary and the Housing Authorities will always obtain the permission of the voucher holder before making a referral (see Exhibit A of the MOU). Additionally, both the Housing Authority partners and Cal Optima have made significant commitments to safeguard participant privacy and will only share data that is essential to providing services. Lastly, Housing Authority partners, including AHA, may terminate participation in, and obligations under, this MOU with or without cause by providing thirty (30) days’ written notice to the other Parties.
IMPACT ON BUDGET:
There is no budgetary impact. The proposed MOU establishes a referral framework to benefit Housing Choice Voucher applicants and participants. Housing Authority personnel time is needed for ongoing communication and collaboration to ensure best outcomes however no additional personnel is requested at this time.
Respectfully submitted,
Grace Ruiz-Stepter
Executive Director of Anaheim Housing Authority
Attachment:
1. Memorandum of Understanding between Orange County Health Authority dba CalOptima Health and Orange County Housing Authority, Anaheim Housing Authority, Garden Grove Housing Authority, and Santa Ana Housing Authority