City Council
November 12, 2024
AGENDA REPORT
TO: Jestin D. Johnson FROM: Harold G. Duffey
City Administrator Assistant City Administrator
SUBJECT: Resolution Amending Resolution
90358 C.M.S., Which Awarded A
Professional Services Agreement
For Outreach Services To
Operation Dignity In An Amount
Not To Exceed $1,200,000 For A
Term Ending September 30, 2025,
To Increase The Amount By
$200,000 Using Measure Q
Funding In Order To Add A Clinical
Care Team
DATE: October 14, 2024
City Administrator Approval Date:
RECOMMENDATION
Staff Recommends That City Council Adopt A Resolution Amending Resolution 90358 C.M.S., Which Awarded A Professional Services Agreement For Outreach Services To Operation Dignity In An Amount Not To Exceed $1,200,000 For A Term Ending September 30, 2025, To Increase The Amount By $200,000 Using Measure Q Funding In Order To Add A Clinical Care Team
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
On July 16, 2024, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 90358 C.M.S. authorizing the City Administrator to use $450,000 in State Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) funding and $750,000 in budgeted Measure Q funds to fully fund professional services contracts with Operation Dignity for a term beginning July 1, 2024, and ending September 30, 2025. The amendment would integrate a Clinical Care Team into Operation Dignity’s existing outreach framework using an additional $200,000 of Measure Q funding.
The primary objective of the Clinical Care Team is to proactively identify residents in high- occupancy transient (HOT) zone encampments prior to closures, particularly those with acute medical disabilities who require specialized assistance. Outreach teams will engage with encampment residents to identify their specific accommodation needs, conduct Coordinated Entry System (C.E.S.) assessments, provide relevant and curated services, and refer encampment residents to specific shelter, interim/transitional, and/or permanent housing opportunities based upon criteria identified during interactions. This team will focus on Jestin Johnson (Oct 31, 2024 19:30 PDT)
Oct 31, 2024
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Adopt A Resolution Authorizing The City Administrator To Amend And Increase The Grant Agreement With Operation Dignity To Provide Homeless Intervention Services Date: November 12, 2024 Page 2
City Council
November 12, 2024
encampment residents experiencing acute distress and physical and/or mental illness or disabilities.
These well documented interactions with encampment residents also serve as tracking tools and instruments. The backup documentation helps to demonstrate the city’s dedication, continued shelter offers and offers of services to encampment residents. The Clinical Care Team will build a presence acting as trust agents so that when an operation or intervention occurs, encampment residents are more likely to accept services and shelter based on the connection and trust built over time with consistent interactions and not just one-off touchpoints.
The Clinical Care Team will also assist with operation postings and provide information about upcoming interventions and impending closures, in addition to providing cleaning materials and supplies. They will also provide the Encampment Management Team with encampment site profile summaries, census numbers, and the documented health and mental needs of encampment residents.
BACKGROUND / LEGISLATIVE HISTORY
Measure Q (Fund 2244)
In March 2020, the Oakland Parks and Recreation Preservation, Litter Reduction, and Homeless Support Act (Measure Q) was passed, approving a parcel tax to support parks and recreation, water quality, and homelessness services in Oakland. These funds were allocated during the budget process through Resolution No. 88717 C.M.S., passed on June 24, 2021.
On April 20, 2021, the City Council approved Resolution No. 88602, which authorized the City Administrator to amend several existing Professional Service Agreements with Operation Dignity and other homeless intervention service providers to extend their contract terms through the fiscal year (FY) 2021-22 and increase their contract awards using Measure Q Funds appropriated in the 2021-23 Biennial Budget. As a result of that action, Operation Dignity’s contract for homeless intervention services was increased by $750,000 for a total contract of $1,174,503 to expand its encampment response.
On June 7, 2022, the City Council approved Resolution No. 89247 awarding a Professional Services Agreement to Operation Dignity for Fiscal Year (FY) 2022-2023 using local Measure Q Funding in the amount not to exceed $425,000 which excluded full funding for encampment support services and continued to be supported. The report for that item may be accessed here:
https://oakland.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=5655816&GUID=1BEB36B2-A90C- 44BC-93AB-5379C8FACA97&Options=&Search=.
On July 18, 2023, the City Council approved Resolution No. 89867 amending a Professional Services Agreements to Operation Dignity for Fiscal Years (FY) 2022-2023 and FY 2023-2024 using local Measure Q Funding in the amount not to exceed $1,500,000 which included full funding for Encampment Management Team interventions and activities which include preliminary outreach, support services, and pos. The report for that item may be accessed here:
https://oakland.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=6287884&GUID=5790F328-CC89-4626- A064-7FA7FD68EFB7&Options=&Search=.
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Adopt A Resolution Authorizing The City Administrator To Amend And Increase The Grant Agreement With Operation Dignity To Provide Homeless Intervention Services Date: November 12, 2024 Page 3
City Council
November 12, 2024
Please see the attached Operation Dignity Scope of Work for a detailed description of contracted services Operation Dignity provides the City of Oakland.
ANALYSIS AND POLICY ALTERNATIVES
Adoption of this proposed legislation is aligned with the policy priority adopted by the Council under the Permanent Access to Housing (PATH) Framework which advances the priorities of housing and economic security and holistic community safety. Measure Q prioritizes ongoing, long-term strategies aligned with the PATH framework and funding obligations of continued funding versus one-time funding. Approval of this resolution advances the citywide priority of housing, economic, and cultural security.
Additionally, the recommended funding aligns with the California Interagency Council on Homelessness’ priorities, such as “Capacity building and workforce development for service providers within the jurisdiction, including removing barriers to contracting with culturally specific service providers and building capacity of providers to administer culturally specific services. ”1
This funding recommendation supports the continuation of program support homelessness response in the Office of the City Administrator and the Human Services Department.
The 2022 “Point in Time” (PIT) count showed a disproportionate impact that reflects that 60 percent of the sheltered homeless population in Oakland identifies as Black or African American; however, the United States Census recorded this demographic at only 22 percent of the general population in Oakland2 which signifies a huge disparity as the Black population in Oakland comprises a disproportionate number of the homeless population in Oakland compared to their overall numbers in the city.
FISCAL IMPACT
This contract provides essential support to the City of Oakland for homeless response and outreach assessment work for the Encampment Management Policy, which focuses on the citywide goal of addressing the emergency needs of our unhoused residents and serves as one part of the City's overall response to prevent, stabilize and house our homeless residents.
The funds discussed in this report are appropriated in the funding codes shown below and will be allocated for homeless outreach services. They include funding from Measure Q that has been allocated in the Adopted FY 2023-2025 Budget. These funds are broken down in the following table. Approval of this proposed resolution would not impact the City’s General Purpose Fund, Fund 1010.
Fund
Source
Org Fund Program Project FY24-25
Measure Q 02141 2244 NB41 1005349 $200,000
1 Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention Program -Round 3 -NOFA 2 U.S. Census Bureau quickfacts: Oakland City, California. https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/oaklandcitycalifornia Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Adopt A Resolution Authorizing The City Administrator To Amend And Increase The Grant Agreement With Operation Dignity To Provide Homeless Intervention Services Date: November 12, 2024 Page 4
City Council
November 12, 2024
PUBLIC OUTREACH / INTEREST
No outreach was necessary for the proposed policy action.
COORDINATION
There has been coordination between the City Administrator’s Office’s Homelessness Division, Human Services Department, Office of the City Attorney, and Budget Bureau for the preparation of this Staff Report.
PAST PERFORMANCE, EVALUATION AND FOLLOW-UP
Operation Dignity has contracted with the City of Oakland for over two decades, providing several services from mobile outreach to operating Drop-in Centers, Community Cabins, Housing Navigation Centers, Temporary Winter and Emergency Shelters, Warming sites, a Safe RV Parking site, Permanent Affordable Housing sites, and Transitional Housing sites.
The team works closely with the City’s Encampment Management Team (EMT), which includes the Public Works Department, the Oakland Police Department, the Human Services Department, and The Department of Transportation (OakDOT), and is led by the City Administrator’s Homelessness Administration Division to coordinate encampment operations.
They are critical to EMT operations as one of the first to be deployed to encampments upon report.
Operation Dignity Outreach Teams have provided field outreach and harm reduction services to homeless persons living in encampments. Attachment A, Operation Dignity Scope of Work, outlines the work Operation Dignity performs in alignment with the EMT engaging the City’s unsheltered homeless populations, providing client intake and field case management, crisis intervention, referrals to shelter, medical care, and other wrap around services, and by connecting them to additional resources to help them end their unsheltered status with the goal of placement into temporary, emergency, and/or permanent housing.
More specifically, Operation Dignity:
• Educates, informs, and problem solves with encampment residents around the 2020 Encampment Management Policy (EMP)
• Collects data in real-time on all clients served in the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) or database system
• Provides the City with reports around site assessments for health and safety concerns, census and demographic data, postings, harm reduction activities and interventions, and progress with unhoused individuals
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Adopt A Resolution Authorizing The City Administrator To Amend And Increase The Grant Agreement With Operation Dignity To Provide Homeless Intervention Services Date: November 12, 2024 Page 5
City Council
November 12, 2024
• Strategizes to implement the engagement of unsheltered residents by use of a progressive engagement model and supportive actions to increase the health and welfare of encampments and the surrounding areas and community
• Assists in helping the unsheltered homeless individuals to comply in maintaining and/or increasing health and safety in current living environments, whether it be a structure, tent, curbside encampment, vehicle, or an RV, and provides support to achieve corrective actions as identified by the EMT
• Provides critical clinical higher level social services of the following:
o Medically assisted substance abuse treatment and interventions o Diagnosis for benefit eligibility and advocacy
o Referral and warm handoff to appropriate treatment
o 51/50 assessment and reporting of mandated hospitalizations
• Meets weekly with the City’s Homelessness Administration and Human Services staff to discuss outreach activities, including debriefing recent actions, case conferencing, and problem-solving concerns, and to plan future outreach tactics
• Posts notices, communications, and engages encampment residents ahead of encampment operations by clearly communicating the date and scope of the operation (i.e., debris removal, deep cleaning, or closure) and provides clear timelines, parameters, and expectations of residents for the operation (e.g., relocation to one side of the street, reducing footprint, etc.).
• Provides on-site support and alternative shelter and housing options to encampment residents before and through the day of scheduled operations
• Provides harm reduction outreach items as available, including but not limited to cleaning supplies such as bags and brooms and survival items such as hygiene kits, organizing bins, blankets, and ponchos
• Completes extensive site service assessment and site profiles to inform the appropriate interventions for residents and inform/coordinate with appropriate partner providers to support residents with relocation
SUSTAINABLE OPPORTUNITIES
Economic: All funds proposed in this report will provide outreach services to prevent, address, and end homelessness. Outreach service providers help the City’s homeless population by providing stability and resources for homeless persons to gain access to employment opportunities.
Environmental: The Homeless Mobile Outreach Program facilitates the cleanup and maintenance of homeless encampments, city streets, and right of ways and mitigates the adverse effects of environmental degradation caused by litter, debris, human waste, and other harmful environmental impacts.
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Adopt A Resolution Authorizing The City Administrator To Amend And Increase The Grant Agreement With Operation Dignity To Provide Homeless Intervention Services Date: November 12, 2024 Page 6
City Council
November 12, 2024
Access to outreach services that offer housing and shelter options and provide wrap around services for homeless persons addresses the environmental degradation caused by homeless individuals who increase the blight in neighborhoods, cause hazards such as fires, and obstruct access of roadways and leave behind clutter on city streets, parks and waterways. The services provided by Operation Dignity’s Outreach Teams provide for cleaner and safer city streets for all residents.
Race & Equity: 68% to 70% of Oakland's unhoused population is Black, while only 24% to 28% of the city’s population is Black. Racial injustice and inequality coupled with past and current institutional, structural, and systemic practices and policies like redlining, inadequate controls of the rental housing market, sub-prime loans, and employment discrimination by banks and local, state, and federal governments have created many of the root causes of homelessness. As a result, African Americans have become the most vulnerable residents in Oakland, leading to their loss of housing and eventual displacement to the streets or out of the city.
To address the issue of Race and Equity, the City of Oakland should continue to support BIPOC led organizations like Operation Dignity by providing contracting opportunities to homeless service providers who can connect and build trust with the city’s most vulnerable homeless populations.
CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT (CEQA)
The action to amend the authorization to enter into a PSA for outreach services is not a project subject to CEQA and does not have the potential to adversely impact the environment.
ACTION REQUESTED OF THE CITY COUNCIL
Staff Recommends That City Council Adopt A Resolution Amending Resolution 90358 C.M.S., Which Awarded A Professional Services Agreement For Outreach Services To Operation Dignity In An Amount Not To Exceed $1,200,000 For A Term Ending September 30, 2025, To Increase The Amount By $200,000 Using Measure Q Funding In Order To Add A Clinical Care Team
For questions regarding this report, please contact HAROLD DUFFEY, ASSISTANT CITY ADMINISTRATOR, at (510) 238-4470
Respectfully submitted,
Harold G. Duffey
Assistant City Administrator,
Harold (Glenn) Duffey (Oct 31, 2024 16:07 PDT)
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Adopt A Resolution Authorizing The City Administrator To Amend And Increase The Grant Agreement With Operation Dignity To Provide Homeless Intervention Services Date: November 12, 2024 Page 7
City Council
November 12, 2024
City Administrator’s Office
Prepared by: Chantal Reynolds
Program Analyst
Homelessness Administration
Attachments (3):
A. Operation Dignity Scope of Work
B. Draft Professional Services Agreement Between the City of Oakland and Operation Dignity