Fremont City Council Meeting: 11/12/24 07:00 PM
3300 Capitol Avenue Div/Dept: Human Services Department Fremont, CA 94538 Category: Agreements and Contracts
SCHEDULED
Sponsors:
COUNCIL STAFF REPORT (ID # 5302) DOC ID: 5302
Updated: 11/5/2024 8:42 AM by Dina Lewis Page 1
WINTER RELIEF PROGRAM AGREEMENTS - Authorize the City Manager or their Designee to Execute Agreements with Motels for Temporary Use of Rooms for Winter Relief Program; Authorize the City Manager or their Designee to Execute an Agreement with the County of Alameda to Receive Grant Funding for the Winter Relief Program; and Making Findings of CEQA Exemption.
Contact Persons:
Name: Judith Christopher Christina Briggs
Title: Senior Program Coordinator Assistant City Manager Div/Dept: Human Services Department City Manager's Office Phone: 510-574-2207 510-284-4022
E-Mail: [email protected] [email protected]
Executive Summary: The purpose of this staff report is to recommend the City Council take various actions necessary to carry out the FY 2024/25 Winter Relief Program,including:
1) Authorize the City Manager to execute FY 2024/25 Agreements with selected hotel partners C & L Wu, LLC (Mission Peak Lodge) in the amount of $140,400 and Fremont North, LLC (Motel 6 Fremont North) in the amount of $133,186, for temporary use of hotel rooms as non-congregate winter relief shelter;
2) Authorize the City Manager to execute an Agreement with Alameda County to accept $230,500 in grant funding to support staffing and program maintenance and operations; and
3) Find that the actions are exempt from review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), pursuant to CEQA Guidelines sections 15378(b) and/or 15061(b)(3).
Warming Center and Winter Program Models: The City first opened the Warming Center in the winter of 2013 at the request of the Alameda County Board of Supervisors, after the death of two homeless individuals from hypothermia. Under the Warming Center model, the City provided shelter only during inclement weather. In FY 2018/19, the City transitioned to a full-service Winter Shelter model that was open seven nights a week for four months. In FY 2021/22, the Winter Relief Program transitioned to using motel rooms on a temporary basis, as non-congregant shelter, which also served to helped prevent the exposure and spread of COVID-19 to a highly vulnerable population. During the pandemic, this non-congregate shelter model emerged as a best practice for those experiencing homelessness to stabilize and connect them with supportive services.
In FY 2023/24, the Winter Relief Program (“Program”) operated from December 1, 2023, to May 1, 2024. The Program used up to 60 hotel rooms and served 125 individuals, including 27 minors, providing each household up to 150 consecutive days of shelter. Overall, the Program provided over 13,000 total bed nights of service to individuals. Meals were provided on a nightly basis and service coordination was provided to each participant, through the Human Services Department, other community service providers, and a contract with Abode Services. (Note, in FY 2023/24 the City authorized the use of one-time funding to expand the Program from approximately 30 rooms to 60 rooms to address the needs resulting from Council Staff Report (ID # 5302) Meeting of November 12, 2024 Updated: 11/5/2024 8:42 AM by Dina Lewis Page 2
clearing the encampment at Vallejo Mill Park.)
The Warming Center, Winter Shelter, and now, the Winter Relief Program have been funded through a combination of City funding, Alameda County funding, foundation/corporate grants, and private donations. Throughout the years, these programs have also relied on partnerships with local motels, health and support service providers, and local restaurants.
DISCUSSION/ANALYSIS:
Continuation of the Winter Relief Program: At least 80% of unhoused residents in Fremont do not have access to shelter. Those experiencing unsheltered homelessness remain vulnerable to exposure and transmission of the contagious COVID-19 and other winter illnesses. This FY 2024/25 winter season (December 1, 2024, through April 1, 2025), staff proposes to maintain the non-congregate Winter Relief Program by utilizing approximately 25 rooms.
Alameda County Social Services Agency (SSA) has agreed to renew its funding commitment for the FY 2024/25 Winter Relief Program, in the amount of $230,500. The Program will provide participants with temporary stays at two partnering motel sites, as well as access to supportive services. Program expectations for participants include respecting the property and adhering to the rules of the Program. Unsheltered families with minor children, older and medically frail adults, and those identified through City outreach and initiatives will be eligible for the Program.
Hotel stays allow Program participants to receive more dignified and individualized service as each unit has a locking door, storage for belongings, and a private bathroom. All households served will be assessed for their eligibility for Alameda County’s Coordinated Entry System (CES). City staff, through the Human Services Department, will administer the Program and will continue evening check-ins and distribution of needed food, hygiene, and clothing supplies, as well as provide support services as staffing is available.
Provision of Supportive Services: Historically, after the conclusion of the winter programs, a number of participants return to the street. Therefore, the City intends to make every effort to connect participants with supportive services, in alignment with their individual needs as the goal is to assist them in exiting the Program in a more stable condition than when they first enrolled.
Partnerships with Local Hotels: On August 21, 2024, a Request for Proposals for the temporary use of motel rooms for the Program was posted on BidNet.com. The City received three proposals that were evaluated by an interdepartmental project team comprised of staff from the Department of Human Services and the City Manager’s Office.
The evaluation included a number of factors including geographic distribution of services throughout the City, amenities ideal for multi-person households, understanding of the scope of work to be completed, responsiveness to the RFP requirements, and costs of services. As a result of this evaluation process, staff recommend authorization to execute agreements with the selected hotels of Mission Peak Lodge and Motel 6 Fremont North to provide approximately 25 rooms for temporary shelter, combined.
FISCAL IMPACT: As a part of the FY 2024/25 Adopted Operating Budget, the City Council appropriated sufficient funds to cover the cost of this Program. The FY 2024/25 Program will Council Staff Report (ID # 5302) Meeting of November 12, 2024 Updated: 11/5/2024 8:42 AM by Dina Lewis Page 3
be funded via grants from Alameda County Social Services Agency (SSA), Alameda County - Oakland Community Action Partnership (AC-OCAP), United Way Bay Area (UWBA), one-time donations, and City funding. This funding is anticipated to total $589,129.
Revenue Source Amount
Alameda County SSA $230,500
Alameda County OCAP 40,000
Federal Cares Act 30,280
United Way Bay Area 12,500
Private Donations 20,000
City Funds (General and 112) 286,129
Total Revenue: $619,409
Staff anticipate a total budget of approximately $619,409. This budget includes Program coordination and monitoring staff, daily meals, and the two motel contracts. The City has also allocated flex funding to support participants’ transitions to housing or other goal-oriented needs, in alignment with the City’s Homeless Response Plan.
Expenses
Staff $146,946
Motel Stays 296,383
Meals 45,360
Flex Funding 102,819
Move In Supplies 2,700
Overhead 25,201
Total Expenses: $619,409
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW: The acceptance of a grant funding from the County of Alameda and the execution of agreements for the operation of the Winter Relief Program at the selected motels are exempt from review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) because they are not projects within the meaning of CEQA Guidelines sections 15061(b)(3) and 15378(b), as it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that award of the contract will have a significant effect on the environment and the award is an administrative activity that will not result in an effect on the physical environment.
ATTACHMENTS: None.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
1. Authorize the City Manager to execute FY 2024/25 Agreements with selected hotel partners C & L Wu, LLC (Mission Peak Lodge) in the amount of $140,400, and Fremont North, LLC, Motel 6 Fremont North in the amount of $133,186 for temporary use of hotel rooms as non-congregate winter relief shelter.
2. Authorize the City Manager to execute an Agreement with Alameda County to accept $230,500 in grant funding to support staffing and Council Staff Report (ID # 5302) Meeting of November 12, 2024 Updated: 11/5/2024 8:42 AM by Dina Lewis Page 4
program maintenance and operations for the Winter Relief Program.
3. Find that the actions are exempt from review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines, Section 15378(b) (administrative and funding activity not a “project” under CEQA) and Section 15061(b)(3) (no possibility the activity may have significant effect on the environment).