AGENDA MEMO TO : Oakland City Council and Members of the Public FROM: At-Large Councilmember Rowena Brown SUBJECT: Homelessness Prevention Pilot Program Extension DATE: June 5, 2025
RECOMMENDATION ADOPT A RESOLUTION: (1) AMENDING RESOLUTION NO. 90475 C.M.S., WHICH
AUTHORIZED
FUNDING
FOR
THE
HOMELESSNESS
PREVENTION
PILOT
PROGRAM
GRANT
TO
BAY
AREA
COMMUNITY
SERVICES,
INC.
FOR
A
TOTAL
AMOUNT
NOT
TO
EXCEED
FOUR
MILLION
DOLLARS
($4,000,000.00)
AND
GRANT
TERM
THROUGH
JUNE
30,
2026
TO:
(A) EXTEND THE GRANT TERM TO JUNE 30, 2027; AND (B) AUTHORIZE THE CITY ADMINISTRATOR TO ACCEPT,
APPROPRIATE,
AND
INCREASE
THE
GRANT
AGREEMENT
USING
ANY
COUNTY,
STATE,
FEDERAL,
AND/OR
PRIVATE
FUNDING
THAT
BECOMES
AVAILABLE
FOR
BACS’
HOMELESSNESS
PREVENTION
PILOT
PROGRAM
DURING
THE
TERM
OF
THE
GRANT
AGREEMENT,
WITHOUT
RETURN
TO
COUNCIL;
AND
(C) AUTHORIZE THE CITY ADMINISTRATOR TO INCREASE THE GRANT
AGREEMENT
DURING
THE
TERM
USING
LOCAL
FUNDS
THAT
CITY
COUNCIL
HAS
APPROPRIATED
SPECIFICALLY
FOR
THIS
PURPOSE;
AND
(2) DIRECTING THE CITY ADMINISTRATOR TO PRESENT AN ANNUAL
INFORMATIONAL
REPORT
ON
THE
HOMELESSNESS
PREVENTION
PILOT
PROGRAM
LEGISLATION SUMMARY Homelessness remains a persistent challenge in Oakland, with 5,485 Oaklanders experiencing homelessness on any given night, and 67% of that number being unsheltered, per the 2024 Alameda County Point-in-Time Count. Homelessness outcomes in Oakland are also acutely racialized, as Black Oaklanders comprise over half of the unhoused population. Evidence-based solutions
for
keeping
Oakland
residents
housed
and
quickly
bringing
people
inside
when
they’re
experiencing
homelessness
are
critical
for
bending
this
curve.
To prevent homelessness before it happens, the City of Oakland partnered with Bay Area Community
Services,
Inc.
(BACS)
and
several
other
community
organizations
to
launch
the
Homeless
Prevention
Pilot
Program
(HPP),
which
provides
targeted
prevention
services
to
community
members
most
at
risk
of
falling
into
homelessness.
These
services
include
rental
assistance,
employment
support,
food
pantry
referrals,
and
housing
stabilization
case
management,
which
are
all
critical
for
program
participants
to
remain
stably
housed.
Across FY23, FY24, and FY25, the City of Oakland has allocated $5.4 million to HPP through direct
allocations
as
well
as
through
the
City’s
federal
Department
of
Housing
and
Urban
Development (HUD) Annual Action Plans (Resolutions No. 89283 C.M.S., 89377 C.M.S., 89799 C.M.S., 90372 C.M.S., and 90475 C.M.S.). Oakland’s funding has served 523 households through the program, which is also supported by philanthropic resources. The program’s funds have been exhausted, and the grant agreement has reached its maximum authorization.
This
legislation
will
ensure
that
this
critical
program
continues
by
extending
the
grant
agreement
through
FY27,
which
will
carry
it
through
the
FY25-27
Biennial
Budget,
and
allowing
the
City
Administrator
to
increase
the
grant
agreement
amount
with
any
new
external
funding
as
well
as
with
local
funding
allocated
by
the
City
Council.
This
legislation
also
requires
an
annual
informational
report
on
the
program
to
ensure
visibility
into
HPP’s
impact
and
inform
the
City
Council’s
budget
development
and
amendment
decisions.
To end homelessness in Oakland, we must treat it like the moral imperative that it is, and resource
data-driven
interventions
like
HPP
that
support
our
residents
that
are
at
highest
risk
of
homelessness
as
well
as
at
risk
of
negative
health,
education,
employment,
criminal
justice,
and
other
crucial
life
outcomes.
Respectfully submitted,
Rowena Brown City of Oakland, Councilmember At Large