City Council
Report
City Council Meeting: May 13, 2025
Agenda Item: 4.F
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To: Mayor and City Council
From: Matthew Hallock, Fire Chief, Fire Department
Subject: Award Agreement to WISE & Healthy Aging for Care Management Program Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Adopt a finding of no possibility of significant effect pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) (Common Sense Exemption) of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines.
2. Authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute an agreement with WISE & Healthy Aging to operate a care management program for the Santa Monica Fire Department. This recommended award is made as an exception to the competitive bidding process pursuant to Sections 2.24.240(a) and 2.24.250(i) and is for a total amount not to exceed $1,250,000 with future year funding contingent on Council budget approval and grant funding.
Summary
The Santa Monica Fire Department’s (“SMFD”) Care Management Program addresses the growing challenge of frequent utilization of the 911 emergency response system by vulnerable individuals with complex health and social needs. These frequent 9-1-1 calls strain emergency resources and the resulting response often fails to provide the calling party with a long-term solution. By proactively connecting high utilizers to communitybased services, the Program not only improves health outcomes and reduces emergency calls, but it also plays a critical role in preventing homelessness, which is a key City strategic pillar and aligns with the City’s current Homelessness Strategic Plan.
After an initial two-year pilot program, staff believes that continued investment in this approach will strengthen the safety net, reduce strain on City emergency services, and will promote a more equitable and sustainable system of care. Therefore, staff 2 of 5
recommends that the City Council authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute an agreement with WISE & Healthy Aging to operate the City’s Care Management Program for an amount not to exceed $1,250,000 and for a five-year term.
Discussion
At the start of the FY 2023-25 biennial budget cycle, SMFD entered into a partnership with WISE & Healthy Aging (“WISE”) for care management services. Funding was provided by Los Angeles County through the Westside Cities Council of Governments (“WSCCOG”). SMFD and WISE collaborated to provide hands-on support services to vulnerable community members identified by SMFD personnel as being excessive 9-1-1 callers with multiple complicated needs who may significantly benefit from care management support. This partnership is a pilot program that expires on June 30, 2025.
Care Management Program (CMP)
The WISE & Healthy Aging and SMFD Care Management Pilot Program was launched in September 2023 to address the growing volume of non-emergency 9-1-1 calls from vulnerable community members, particularly older adults with chronic health issues, mobility limitations, housing instability, and social isolation. The Program plays a critical role in preventing individuals from falling into homelessness by addressing root causes that can lead to housing instability, particularly among vulnerable populations such as older adults and individuals with chronic health issues. In addition, the Program provides these individuals with the following support services:
• Addressing underlying health and mobility issues
• Preventing evictions through hoarding and home safety interventions • Connecting clients to financial assistance and utility programs • Support for mental health and social isolation
• Facilitating long-term care and placement in supportive housing • Proactive engagement with clients before housing crises occur The Program also has public health and safety benefits. During the two-year pilot, the Program:
• Reduced fire hazards by addressing hoarding conditions in several homes 3 of 5
• Prevention of falls through home modifications and durable medical equipment installations
• Improved mental health by reducing isolation and providing access to social and psychological support
These efforts directly support the City’s strategic goals by improving individual health outcomes, enhancing public safety, and helping residents maintain housing stability.
Taken as a whole these efforts effectively work to reduce or prevent homelessness.
Throughout its first year, the Program demonstrated measurable success. For enrolled and closed cases, 9-1-1 calls dropped by 86% (from 192 to 26), and for active cases, calls dropped by 80% (from 56 to 11). Beyond the reduction in emergency service use, the Program improved participants’ quality of life, stabilized housing situations, and reduced public safety risks such as fall hazards and unsanitary living conditions. Staff recommends continued support and potential expansion of the Program to sustain these outcomes and to embed care coordination more permanently within SMFD’s EMS division. This approach represents a scalable, community-based solution that aligns with Council’s priorities around homelessness prevention, health equity, and the efficient delivery of City services.
The City’s Housing and Human Services (“HHS”) Department has already been notified by Los Angeles County of its allocation of funds from Measure A and the Local Solutions Fund for FY 2025-26. Measure A, which repealed and replaced Measure H as of April 1, 2025, is an ongoing half-cent sales tax approved by voters on November 5, 2024. It will enable continued progress on addressing homelessness with housing and related services while expanding funding to address the main drivers of homelessness through affordable housing construction and preservation, homelessness prevention, and support for vulnerable renters. The Local Solutions Fund (“LSF”) is an allocation of Measure A funding to the 88 cities of Los Angeles County, the six Councils of Government, and to the unincorporated areas. LSF funds programs consistent with the requirements set forth in Measure A or in Government Code section 64700 et seq (Los Angeles County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency). The FY 2025-26 allocation is 4 of 5
expected to be approximately $238,000. While future funding is not guaranteed, Measure A is an ongoing sales tax and the funding for care management services is also expected to be ongoing.
Exception to the Competitive Bidding Process
Consistent with the initial Proclamation of the City Council Declaring a Local Emergency on Homelessness adopted by Council on February 14, 2023, and most recently extended on March 11, 2025, with the 2025 Proclamation, this contract award qualifies as an emergency award pursuant to SMMC 2.24.240(a) and subsequently is recommended as an exception to the competitive bidding process pursuant to SMMC
2.24.250(i).
Staff recommends an emergency award due to the severity and urgency of the homelessness crisis in the City. According to a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services report published in October 2023, the fastest growing group in the nation’s population of people experiencing homelessness is older adults, comprising nearly half of the homeless population nationwide. This number is expected to triple by 2030 and older adult homelessness has increased by 25% in the Los Angeles Continuum of Care between 2020 and 2024. Because of WISE’s expertise and experience in serving vulnerable community members, particularly in Santa Monica, staff recommends an emergency award to WISE & Healthy Aging.
Staff recommends an initial one-year agreement, which aligns with the Measure A and LSF allocation beginning July 1, 2025, and a budget of $250,000 including contingency for any future allocations from Los Angeles County. After the initial term, the contract will have four 1-year renewal options, each aligning with the potential allocation from the County and ensuring there are non-General Fund monies available for the contracted services. WISE has an understanding that the proposed contract will be entirely grant funded and agrees to a termination without penalty provision should funding cease.
Environmental Review
The contract award to WISE & Healthy Aging is exempt from CEQA pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines, which states that CEQA does not apply, “where it can be seen with certainty that there is no 5 of 5
possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment.” The case management services provided by WISE & Healthy Aging are administrative in nature. Therefore, it can be seen with certainty that the award contract would not result in adverse physical impacts on the environment, and as such, is exempt from CEQA.
Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
Staff seeks authority to approve funding from the Miscellaneous Grant Fund to award an agreement with WISE & Healthy Aging for care management services. Funds will be included in the FY 2025-27 Proposed Biennial Budget.
Agreement Request
Future Years
Amount Department Account # Total Contract Amount
$250,000 20420001.556480.21038 $1,250,000
Prepared By: Jonathan Tang, Principal Administrative Analyst Approved Forwarded to Council
Attachments:
A. Living Wage - WISE 2024
B. Levine Act Disclosure - WISE 2025
C. Oaks Initiative WISE 2025