Housing and Homelessness Committee Memorandum
TO: HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS DATE: FEBRUARY 26, 2024
COMMITTEE MEMBERS
FROM: HOUSING & HUMAN SERVICES WARDS: ALL
SUBJECT: CALIFORNIA INTERAGENCY COUNCIL ON HOMELESSNESS REGIONALLY COORDINATED HOMELESS HOUSING, ASSISTANCE AND PREVENTION ROUND 5 FUNDING PLAN FOR THE CITY’S DIRECT GRANT ALLOCATION OF $10,858,024.16 ISSUE:
To conceptually approve the Regionally Coordinated Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention Round 5 funding plan for the City’s direct grant allocation of $10,858,024.16 from the California Interagency Council on Homelessness.
RECOMMENDATION:
That the Committee conceptually approve the Regionally Coordinated Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention Round 5 funding plan for the City’s direct grant allocation of $10,858,024.16 from the California Interagency Council on Homelessness.
BACKGROUND:
On September 29, 2023, the California Interagency Council on Homelessness (Cal ICH) released the Regionally Coordinated Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) Round 5 Notice of Funding Availability, which applications are due on March 27, 2024.
For the HHAP 5 application, regions must:
Apply as part of a region.
Be signatory to a Regionally Coordinated Homelessness Action Plan.
Engage key stakeholders during the development of the Regionally Coordinated Homelessness Action Plan.
Become part of a Regional Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
Submit a complete HHAP 5 application and work with Cal ICH through any subsequent amendment requests.
Post the Regionally Coordinated Homelessness Action Plan to their website.
The State’s priority for HHAP 5 funding is to sustain existing federal, state, and local investments towards long-term sustainability of housing and supportive services; and prioritize permanent housing solutions. HHAP 5 must effectively address and end people’s experience of homelessness. HHAP 5 statue organizes the eligible use categories into three conceptual groups which include:
Permanent Housing
Interim Housing
Services and Systems Support
HHAP 5 placed a limitation on new interim housing solutions. Before proposing to use HHAP 5 resources to fund interim housing solutions, the region must demonstrate that they have dedicated sufficient resources from other sources to long-term permanent housing solutions, including capital and operating costs.
A breakdown of the HHAP 5 eligible use categories is shown in Attachment 1.
On February 2, 2024, Cal ICH released the HHAP Round 5 allocation chart that identifies the following direct grant allocations within Riverside County.
City of Riverside: $10,858,024.16
Riverside County: $5,139,100.50
Riverside City and County Continuum of Care: $5,356,513.81 At least ten percent (10%) of the HHAP 5 allocation must be used for services for homeless youth and up to ten percent (10%) of the allocation can be used for administration costs.
Upon approval of the Riverside region’s HHAP 5 application and the execution of a Standard Agreement, the City will receive 50% of its HHAP 5 grant. To receive the remaining grant award, the City must demonstrate sufficient spenddown of its first initial allocation and receive approval for the Regionally Coordinated Homelessness Action Plan.
DISCUSSION:
During the months of October and November, staff conducted budget workshops titled “Your Money, Your Voice.” The budget outreach meetings were paired with community engagement on the HHAP 5 grant. Attendees were provided with a survey to identify how to best allocate HHAP 5 grant funds.
The survey results are as follows.
Permanent Housing
Prevention and Shelter Diversion
Homeless prevention through rental assistance.
Problem-solving and diversion support programs that prevent people at risk of or recently experiencing homelessness from entering unsheltered or sheltered homelessness.
Rental Assistance
Rental subsidies
Landlord Incentives (security deposits, holding fees, funding for needed repairs, and recruitment and relationship management costs.
Move-in expenses
Interim Housing
Improvements to Existing Interim Housing
Maintenance of an interim housing facility.
Minor/major rehabilitation of an interim housing facility.
Major/minor conversion, additions, updates, and/or enhancements that lower barrier and/or increase privacy.
Services and Systems Support
Street outreach
Services Coordination
Access to workforce, education, and training programs and legal/advocacy services.
Individual counseling and service planning.
Other services needed to promote housing stability in supportive housing.
Based on Cal ICH’s priorities and the responses from the community survey, staff is recommending allocating HHAP 5 grant funds in the following categories:
Eligible Use Category
Dollars Budgeted
If applicable, Dollars Budgeted for the Youth Set-Aside Rapid Rehousing
$ 2,500,000.00
$1,085,802.42 (10% allocation requirement)
Prevention and Shelter Diversion
$ 772,221.75
$0
Delivery of Permanent Housing and Innovative Housing Solutions $ 3,000,000.00
$0
Operating Subsidies -Permanent Housing
$0
$0
Operating Subsidies - Interim Housing
$ 2,500,000.00
$0
Improvements to Existing Interim Housing
$0
$0
Interim Housing
$0
$0
Street Outreach
$0
$0
Services Coordination
$ 750,000.00
$0
Systems Support
$0
$0
Administrative Costs
$ 1,085,802.41
Additional 1% for HMIS
$ 250,000.00
Total
$10,858,024.16
$1,085,802.42
Staff’s recommendation includes allocating the following:
Operating Subsidies – Interim Housing towards the Bridge Housing Program operations for the City’s 23 non-congregate shelter beds; Delivery of Permanent Housing and Innovative Housing Solutions for the development of permanent housing; and Services Coordination to fund Project Connect that connects justice involved individuals with resources to help them achieve housing stability and self-sufficiency.
The County of Riverside is drafting the MOU that must be signed by each participating applicant committing to participate in and complying with the Regionally Coordinated Homelessness Action Plan, which will include the City of Riverside. The MOU will identify the Regionally Coordinated Homelessness Action Plan is the County of Riverside Department of Housing and Workforce Solutions and Continuum of Care’s Homelessness Action Plan (Attachment 2), which the City’s Homelessness Action Plan (Attachment 3) action items support many of the goals highlighted in the County’s Homelessness Action Plan and will be refenced in the MOU.
On February 21, 2024, the Riverside County Continuum of Care will be conducting a special HHAP 5 planning session. Results from this meeting will be shared with the Committee during its February 26th meeting.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The fiscal impact of this action is up to $10,858,024.16 if funds are awarded by Cal ICH. No City matching funds are required.
Prepared by: Michelle Davis, Housing and Human Services Director Certified as to
availability of funds: Kristie Thomas, Finance Director/Assistant Chief Financial Officer Approved by: Mike Futrell, City Manager
Approved as to form: Phaedra A. Norton, City Attorney
Attachments:
HHAP 5 Eligible Use Categories
County of Riverside Department of Housing and Workforce Solutions and Continuum of Care’s Homelessness Action Plan Presentation City of Riverside Homelessness Action Plan
Presentation
Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention Round 5 Funding Plan ● Page 9