Agenda Report
TO:
FROM:
Honorable Mayor and City Council
Department of Housing
November 14, 2022 .
SUBJECT: AUTHORIZATION TO APPLY FOR HOMELESS HOUSING,
ASSISTANCE AND PREVENTION ROUND 4 FUNDING WITH THE
STATE OF CALIFORNIA BUSINESS, CONSUMER SERVICES AND
HOUSING AGENCY
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the City Council:
1) Find that the recommended action is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act ("CEQA") pursuant to State CEQA Guidelines per Section 15061 (b) (3), the "common sense" provision that CEQA only applies to projects that may have an effect on the environment;
2) Authorize the submittal of an application to apply for Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention Round 4 funding for eligible programs and activities that serve people experiencing homelessness; and
3) Authorize the City Manager to certify or execute, and the City Clerk to attest, the application and all other documents, agreements and amendments related to the application and subsequent State award.
BACKGROUND:
To date, the City of Pasadena ("City") has received three rounds of one-time Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) state block grant funding totaling $1.75 million. Continuums of Care (CoC), as identified by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), large cities and counties are eligible jurisdictions to apply for HHAP funding. A fourth round of HHAP funding, HHAP Round 4 ("HHAP-4") has been announced and application materials were posted on the California Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency (BCSH) website and released via email on September 30, 2022. State statute requires that all applications MEETING OF _ __ l_l_/_1_4_/2_· 022 AGENDA ITEM NO, _ l ___ _ Authorization to Apply for HHAP-4 Grant Funds
November 14, 2022
must be submitted within 60 days of the funding opportunity's release. HHAP-4 funding is intended to support local communities through a broad range of evidence-based solutions that address and prevent homelessness among eligible populations, including street outreach, interim housing, rapid rehousing, services coordination, systems support, hotel and motel conversions, permanent housing and homelessness prevention. These funds focus on accountability and outcomes whereby the City must establish quantifiable performance goals and will receive bonus funds if these goals are met. As with previous rounds of HHAP funding, HHAP-4 will include a 10% minimum set aside for youth experiencing or at-risk of homelessness.
Allocations for HHAP-4 funding are not currently available but will be based on local 2022 Point-in-Time (PIT) Homeless Count data. Previous rounds of HHAP funding used data from the 2019 PIT Homeless Count to calculate each jurisdiction's allocation. The state is currently working with HUD to confirm final PIT counts and anticipates releasing final allocations before the end of the calendar year. The City was awarded $811,000 in HHAP Round 3 earlier this year, and staff anticipates the HHAP-4 allocation will be close to this amount since there was minimal fluctuation between the 2019 and 2022 Homeless Counts. City staff will work with the Pasadena CoC Board and local stakeholders to identify the most impactful investment opportunities in the community and prioritize funding accordingly.
As the next step in the HHAP-4 application process, the City, as the Administrative Entity for the Pasadena CoC, is required to submit a funding application to the state by November 29, 2022, which will outline the activities to be supported by the grant.
Following the anticipated State award of HHAP-4 funding to the City, staff may issue a Request for Proposals to allocate funds to local homeless services providers COUNCIL POLICY CONSIDERATION:
The proposed actions support the City Council Strategic Planning Three-Year Goals in the area of supporting and promoting the quality of life and the local economy. Approval of the recommended action has the potential to provide essential housing and services for people experiencing homelessness in Pasadena. Submittal of this funding application is in accordance with the Pasadena Continuum of Care system, General Plan Housing Element, Five-Year Consolidated Plan, and Five-Year Public Housing Authority Plan.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
The actions proposed herein are exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), pursuant to State CEQA Guidelines Section 15061 (b )(3), the "common sense" provision of CEQA which applies to projects which may have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. Where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment, the activity is not subject to CEQA. The submittal of a funding application Authorization to Apply for HHAP-4 Grant Funds
November 14, 2022
for HHAP-4 grant funding will not have a significant effect on the environment and, hence, is not subject to CEQA.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Approval of the recommended action will have no direct fiscal impact. Should the City's application be selected for funding, staff will bring back a recommendation to the City Council to recognize additional revenue and to appropriate funding for the provision of contract services to address homelessness.
Prepared by:
Jennifer O'Reilly-Jone
Program Coordinator 111
Approved by:
MIG~~J:!U~
City Manager
Respectfully submitted,
Director of Housing