City Council
Report
City Council Meeting: August 11, 2026
Agenda Item: 11.A
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To: Mayor and City Council
From: Aileen Reynolds, Director, Housing and Human Services Department Subject: Approval of Funding Guidelines and Authorization to Release Request for Proposals for Human Services Grants Program FY 2027-31
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Adopt a finding that the proposed actions are not a “project” subject to the California Environmental Quality Act;
2. Approve the proposed FY 2027-31 Human Services Grants Program (HSGP) Funding Guidelines (Attachment I); and
1. Authorize staff to release a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the next four-year HSGP funding cycle (FY 2027-31).
Executive Summary
The City of Santa Monica (City) Human Services Grants Program (HSGP) provides funding to a wide range of local programs, providing a social safety net of services to respond to the evolving needs of the City’s underserved populations. The next funding cycle is scheduled to begin in July 2027, and staff requests City Council feedback and approval on key components of the HSGP Request for Proposals (RFP) along with authorization to issue the RFP to solicit applications for the FY 2027-31 HSGP funding cycle.
This report outlines a brief history and overview of the HSGP, including the program’s priorities and guiding principles, engagement efforts to solicit community input, and proposed funding guidelines for the FY 2027-31 RFP, including eligible services, eligibility criteria for participants and prospective agencies, living wage and cash match waiver, and program evaluation and scoring criteria.
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As the largest single source of City funds to non-profit social service agencies, the HSGP is a critical community resource to address wide-ranging socio-economic policy issues, including youth violence, homelessness, a growing aging population, and behavioral health issues. In the face of regional and federal funding cuts and a growing demand for services, the role of the HSGP has become even more critical in helping ensure the most vulnerable Santa Monicans are supported.
Background
The City has funded Santa Monica non-profits to provide high quality social services to target populations for over 50 years. Since its inception in 1974, the grants program was designed to address critical community needs, fill gaps in the existing service system, and offer funding stability to local social service agencies. Over the decades, the HSGP has grown from funding four non-profits to a portfolio of 18 agencies and 21 programs, administered by the Housing and Human Services Department (HHS). Although it has not kept pace with local community needs, funding has expanded to a current annual budget of $11 million.
To ensure that HSGP services focus on local needs, agencies must design programs specific to Santa Monica and demonstrate a history of effective services to target populations, including older adults, youth and families, people with disabilities, and other vulnerable Santa Monicans. As the cost of delivering services has increased over time and the needs of low income households have grown more complex, the grants program has intentionally focused funding on holistic programs that provide robust and comprehensive support to a smaller number of highly vulnerable individuals and families as opposed to broader, light-touch interventions to more people, ensuring HSGP-funded services more effective and meaningful for program participants. Current HSGP-funded services include, but are not limited to: child care subsidies, school-based mental health, job training and placement, food assistance, legal services, housing retention services, programs for older adults, and services for people experiencing homelessness.
The HSGP recently completed the third year of a four-year funding cycle, which runs from FY 2023-27. The four-year funding cycle intentionally offers stability for both 3 of 18
grantee agencies and program participants. City staff work closely with HSGP agencies throughout the grant cycle to ensure that services continue to be responsive to local needs, and Council approves agency funding levels annually during the budget process.
Guiding Principles
• Provide Effective Services to All Target Populations: The HSGP remains committed to preserving the diversity of Santa Monica residents by supporting historically marginalized and underserved community members. Over the decades, the City has prioritized funding for programs whose proposals document strong evidence of meeting critical local needs. While the needs of various populations continue to fluctuate over time, it is critical that HSGP maintains a core and stable safety net for all populations. • Utilize Best Practices and Evidence-based Models to Provide Data-driven, High-impact Programs: To ensure that community members are served effectively and efficiently, HSGP services must be informed by best or promising practices and utilize evidence-based models whenever possible. Programs must also use data, including quantitative outputs and outcomes and qualitative participant and staff experiences, to inform adjustments and enhancements to the service model and maximize program impact.
• Maintain Strong Interagency Coordination: A key factor to maintaining a stable social service safety net is the providers’ demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively across agencies and programs and avoid duplication of efforts. HSGP-funded program staff are expected to stay current on other local programs and services, work closely on shared cases, and participate in warm hand-offs as appropriate.
• Prioritize People: Programs must balance high-quality client care and staff wellness. Research shows that workforce resilience and client care are deeply interconnected. Agencies that value and compensate their employees competitively demonstrate improved staff retention and participant outcomes, particularly for non-profit social service jobs that are often demanding and lower paid.
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Citywide Strategies and Initiatives that Inform HSGP Funding Priorities Over the past several years, HHS’s Human Services (HSD) and Homelessness Prevention and Intervention (HPI) Divisions, in partnership with a variety of communitybased organizations, have facilitated several studies and authored plans to help direct Citywide strategic priorities and investments. The following community engagement initiatives inform the services, target populations, and guiding principles of the HSGP.
Behavioral Health Study
On February 25, 2025, City Council approved a behavioral health report, which included a comprehensive study and community engagement process (Attachment D) to understand key local and regional behavioral health needs including mental health and substance use disorder (SUD), and to assess the feasibility of developing a behavioral health crisis facility. The City engaged just under 600 adult and youth stakeholders through interviews, community meetings, focus groups, and a survey. They identified significant gaps in adult crisis services and children and youth behavioral health care.
Services have not kept up with increased need, resulting in untreated behavioral health challenges, particularly for vulnerable populations, including people who are uninsured or under-insured, people experiencing homelessness, older adults, people with disabilities, and youth. Additional research identified gaps in mental health and SUD programs for adults at multiple levels and in behavioral health services for children and youth across the continuum of care, including prevention and early intervention, crisis, and treatment and recovery services.
Renters’ Protection Report
Per Council direction, the City conducted a situational analysis and formulated recommendations to protect the 70 percent of Santa Monicans who are renters amidst record evictions. The Renters’ Protection Report (Attachment C) was approved by Council on March 11, 2025. Twenty-five in-depth interviews were conducted with 50+ participants across government agencies; legal, housing, and social services providers; tenant advocate groups; and resident groups. Many of these stakeholders noted equitable access to services as a priority. They expressed concerns related to heavy documentation burdens and overly complex and restrictive eligibility requirements, 5 of 18
which can unintentionally exclude the most vulnerable Santa Monicans. Stakeholders also expressed the importance of preserving households of varying income levels and diverse backgrounds in Santa Monica, with emphasis on families with minor children, older adults, people with disabilities, and households with low- or fixed-income.
Homelessness Strategic Plan
Between 2022 and 2025, the City of Santa Monica conducted extensive community outreach to understand strengths and challenges in the City's homelessness response and outline the community's priorities related to homelessness. Stakeholder feedback was collected via 17 group and individual interviews, eight inter-departmental small group meetings, and six presentations to community groups and City Commissions/Boards. Stakeholder feedback identified key themes including helping to prevent housed Santa Monicans from becoming homeless through responsive service provision and minimizing the length and severity of homelessness and its impacts on the community by providing effective supportive services. The City developed a Homelessness Strategic Plan (Attachment B) which responds to these themes and provides a shared vision, goals, and investment of resources for addressing homelessness. City Council approved the Plan on March 11, 2025.
Aging and Disability Action Plan
City Council approved a citywide Aging and Disability Action Plan (Attachment A) on September 9, 2025. The Action Plan was driven by a community-based Advisory Committee which centered the lived experience of Santa Monica’s older adults, people with disabilities and caregivers. The needs-assessment to collect the public’s feedback on age- and disability-friendliness in Santa Monica was promoted widely over three months and captured almost 500 community survey responses, the voices of 50 open house attendees, and over 20 focus group participants. A cross-cutting theme from the needs assessment was a deeply felt sense of vulnerability. This vulnerability presented in people’s stories about feeling isolated and disconnected from community life and their concerns about housing affordability and aging in the community as their needs change.
Santa Monica Cradle to Career
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Santa Monica Cradle to Career (SMC2C) is a longstanding collective impact initiative of nonprofit providers and public institutions committed to supporting the holistic wellbeing and stability of children, youth and families by addressing the root causes of events and circumstances that create struggle and crisis. In FY 2025-26, parents, advocates, social services providers, elected officials, Santa Monica High School students, and staff from the City, SMMUSD, and SMC gathered over a series of three meetings to discuss the most pressing needs facing children, youth, and families in Santa Monica. Themes that emerged included a lack of safe, accessible spaces for youth to seek mental health support and peer connection; the need for earlier access to resources to prevent challenges from escalating into crises; financial stressors affecting household stability and homelessness; and growing concerns around youth mental distress and isolation, including the role of technology and social media.
HSGP Funding and Social Service System Needs
The current grants cycle began in FY 2023-24 with a budget of $10,145,594 and will end in FY 2026-27 at $11,168,123. Over the last three years, staff identified new funding sources to expand services in response to community needs and gaps in care, including one-time General Fund dollars for emergency immigration services, County Measure A funds to support housing retention, and Opioid Settlement and Providence Saint John’s (PSJ) Development Agreement funds for youth behavioral health services.
While these additional funds allowed a few programs to expand in a limited capacity, overall funding has not kept pace with demand.
Concurrently, the HSGP funds a wide array of social services that have been impacted by increased need and simultaneous funding cuts, including the following examples:
• The California Budget & Policy Center reports that thousands of families across California have been on a waiting list for years for subsidized child care slots, while Governor Newsom’s proposed budget for FY 2026-27 does not include any new funding for child care subsidies. In Los Angeles County alone, only 18% of eligible children were enrolled in subsidized child care as of 2024. 1 1 https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-02-02/subsidized-child-care-california-newsom 7 of 18
• A 2026 report from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York found a sharp increase in food insecurity across the nation2 at a time when COVID-era food assistance grants are expiring and recent federal legislation enacted over $180 billion in reductions to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).3 • By 2030, a quarter of California’s population will be 60 years or older, a trend Santa Monica is experiencing locally4, and the National Council on Aging reports that the proposed federal budget for the Older Americans Act (OAA), which funds an incredible range of community-based services for older adults, includes elimination or drastic reduction of funding for the OAA's programs5. • The LA County Department of Homeless Services and Housing was forced to cut programming for FY 2026-27, including homelessness prevention and housing navigation, due to a $303 million budget deficit.6
• According to RAND, diagnosed mental health conditions among US children increased 35% from 2016 to 2023, and almost 40% of children aged 12 to 17 years with a major depressive episode did not receive treatment in the past year.
Barriers to treatment included financial costs, limited clinician availability, and logistical challenges, which are consistent with the findings of Santa Monica’s local behavioral health study7.
In this time when many mainstream programs are being scaled back or eliminated, centering the HSGP as a critical local resource helps ensure that the most vulnerable Santa Monicans are supported. Nearly half of current HSGP programs regularly maintain a waitlist, thus limiting the impact of these programs without additional funding.
Employee Wages
Social service agencies regionally and nationally have long struggled to meet operating costs as well as recruit and retain staff. This is particularly true in Santa Monica where 2 https://www.npr.org/2026/05/27/nx-s1-5836441/food-insecurity-economy-new-york-fed 3 https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/millions-lose-snap-benefits-as-one-big-beautiful-bills-stricterrequirements-kick-in 4 santamonica.gov - Aging and Disability Action Plan
5 https://www.ncoa.org/article/current-federal-budget-and-appropriations-for-aging-services-programs/ 6 LA County Homeless Services & Housing Department; 2/3/26 Adopted Board of Supervisors Letter, p.4. 7 Burnett, A. L., Breslau, J., Cantor, J. H., McBain, R. K., & Yu, H. (2026). US child mental health care need, unmet needs, and difficulty accessing services. JAMA Pediatrics, 180(4), 451–453. doi.org 8 of 18
agencies face high rent and many staff endure long commutes due to prohibitively high local housing costs. Provider wages and quality of life are inextricably intertwined with their ability to provide high quality services and overall program outcomes. Agencies struggling to secure adequate funding for staffing, benefits, administration, and operations also struggle to recruit and retain staff. The Center for Effective Philanthropy has documented that burnout and staffing issues are serious concerns for nonprofits, with leaders reporting that burnout affects their organizations’ ability to achieve their missions. To foster high-quality programs that maximize services to vulnerable community members and support living wages for the direct services workforce, HSGP funding levels must keep pace with living wage standards.
Past Council Actions
Meeting Date Description
08/24/2022
(Attachment E)
Council approved FY 2023-27 HSGP funding guidelines
05/09/2023
(Attachment F)
Council approved FY2023-27 HSGP funding
recommendations
02/25/2025
(Attachment G)
Council received the Adult Crisis & Children and Youth
Behavioral Health Care Study and authorized contract
modifications for Social Emotional Wellness
Initiative, St. Joseph Center, and Family Service of Santa Monica to expand behavioral health support for children and youth
12/16/2025
(Attachment H)
Council authorized a contract modification for Haven
Neighborhood Services to provide emergency financial
assistance to households impacted by federal immigration enforcement efforts
Discussion
HSD staff began updating the HSGP funding priorities in late 2025 to prepare for the release of the RFP in fall 2026.
Community Input
Over the last twelve months, City staff held a series of meetings with community members, current HSGP program participants, institutional partners, and key stakeholders to gather input on the current HSGP portfolio and understand service gaps and the growing needs of Santa Monica’s most vulnerable community members. City 9 of 18
staff held a series of public community input sessions in May and June 2026, including a special meeting of the Human Services Commission, a SMC2C meeting, and a meeting at Virginia Avenue Park, which were collectively attended by 51 community stakeholders. Staff advertised these meetings to residents via a combination of Citywide email distribution lists, the City’s social media channels, and a media alert.
Accommodations were offered as appropriate. Child care and Spanish language interpretation were provided at Virginia Avenue Park. There was also a written public comment period open from May through June 2026 during which staff received four responses from the community.
At each meeting, staff presented: (1) an overview of the HSGP; (2) proposed RFP components, including program expectations, funding, agency eligibility criteria, and participant eligibility criteria; (3) HSGP goals; and (4) project timeline and continued opportunities to provide feedback. During the meetings, community members asked questions and shared thoughts and ideas. They also participated in a gallery walk, where they provided input on the HSGP priorities: housing and homelessness prevention, health and wellness, and financial stability. They responded to a series of questions related to each of the three areas, including:
• What does a healthy neighborhood look and feel like to you? • What services do you wish existed to help people avoid losing their home? • What types of jobs or training would help people in your community get ahead? Through these engagements, City staff learned that key gaps in services include formal support for the immigrant community, post-secondary workforce development services and programming for transition age youth (TAY) and non-traditional students, and positive programming for TAY. Residents and community members emphasized that access to health and wellness services is a major unmet need especially amid federal funding changes, with significant gaps in mental health services (particularly for schoolage children and TAY), dental care for adults and seniors, women’s health, pediatric care, and specialty services for those with Medi-Cal. Participants also strongly advocated for providers who reflect the racial and cultural diversity of the community. 10 of 18
Participants also emphasized that true wellness extends beyond services and includes communities where all people feel connected and have opportunities to engage across generations. Homelessness was also raised as a significant concern, with participants calling for more holistic and comprehensive approaches that address the full range of needs of people experiencing homelessness rather than treating it as solely a public safety issue. Additionally, the Pico Neighborhood was a point of emphasis where several populations were identified as not being adequately reached by current programs, including older adults and families with children ages 0-5.
Rent, housing affordability, food, transportation, and child care costs were named as the greatest day-to-day financial pressures facing community members. Participants cited rising rent and a lack of affordable units as key housing and financial concerns. This was particularly true for older adults, as rising costs make it increasingly difficult for those on fixed incomes to afford basic necessities while remaining in their homes.
Stakeholders also voiced concerns about physical accessibility for people with disabilities, many of whom are older adults, calling for more comprehensive and inclusive programming and greater support for residents who need to relocate due to mobility changes. To address child care costs, community members suggested larger subsidies that reflect the true cost of care and a pathway to universal care for children under five. Participants also encouraged greater investment in workforce programs and pathways that create true economic mobility in fields like healthcare, technology, trades, and green jobs, moving beyond basic survival to long-term economic empowerment.
Proposed 2027-31 RFP
The HSGP RFP recommendations described in this section are designed to provide accountability for public funds, foster a healthy and sustainable social service safety net, and support a balanced array of services to maintain a diverse and inclusive community.
Eligible Services
To determine local service priorities, staff reviewed stakeholder feedback, recent reports and initiatives, and the City’s strategic priorities. Services eligible for HSGP funding are organized under three key areas:
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While some of the above services are funded in the current HSGP grant cycle, several new areas emerged, such as: intergenerational programming, domestic violence services, enhanced immigration services, and expanded case management for housing retention. The RFP is an opportunity for both new and returning agencies to propose new programs or propose continuing or modifying existing programs that meet specific community needs. Agencies applying for HSGP funds must demonstrate that their program provides one or more of the eligible services listed above (see Attachment I, Section I for a detailed list of eligible services).
It should be noted that while the HSGP is a critical component of the City’s social services safety net, Santa Monica offers additional services funded outside of the HSGP including, but not limited to: out of school time programs, homeless outreach, interim housing, and standalone homelessness prevention financial assistance (e.g., Santa Monica Renter Aid program).
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Santa Monica Program Participant (SMPP) Eligibility
The HSGP relies on Council-adopted criteria for SMPP to ensure that local resources serve local needs. Applicants have flexibility in determining the population(s) they propose to serve, so long as program participants comply with the following SMPP eligibility criteria:
• An individual or household with a permanent address in Santa Monica; or • A student currently enrolled in a Santa Monica public school (for school-based services).
Council adopted more specific criteria for programs proposing to serve people experiencing homelessness (individuals or families), which ensure HSGP-funded programs prioritize people with the strongest ties to Santa Monica and with the most complex needs in a limited resource environment. This criteria was modified in January 2025, bringing the number of years a person needs to be homeless in Santa Monica from five years down to three years for single adults and one year for families. Staff do not propose any further changes. A person experiencing homelessness who does not meet SMPP criteria can instead be served by County or other regional resources, and providers are encouraged to have a referral process to connect these individuals with appropriate care. A list of all proposed SMPP eligibility criteria can be found in Attachment I, Section 2.
Agency Eligibility
To apply for HSGP funding, an agency must be a non-profit registered 501(c)(3) organization with a board of directors or a hospital, educational, or health care institution with a governing board and maintain an accounting system in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). An agency must also certify they are and will remain in compliance with city and federal regulations as well as laws that prohibit discrimination in hiring or provision of services and are in Good Standing with the State of California Office of the Secretary of State. 13 of 18
If awarded funding, an agency must possess a current and valid Santa Monica business license for each Santa Monica location where services will be provided, have an established Grievance Procedure/Policy for participants, and submit a Good Neighbor Agreement. A list of all proposed agency eligibility criteria can be found in Attachment I, Section 3.
Program Evaluation
HSGP programs are intended to be data-driven and have lasting positive impacts on the lives of participants. Quantitative data, contextualized with qualitative program descriptions, help assess a program’s performance and can identify what is working and where adjustments are needed. HSGP-funded programs are required to report on program performance twice during the fiscal year, at mid-year and at year-end, and must submit a program report with a qualitative performance description and report on performance indicators including outputs and outcomes.
Programs must define a minimum of two and a maximum of five indicators to assess their impact. An indicator is a pair of one output and one outcome. Outputs describe the result of an activity and can include number of people served or number of services performed, while outcomes assess measurable impacts to participants’ lives and improvements resulting from the program. Indicators should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) and assess progress during the program year. The following is an example of a performance indicator, which includes one output and one outcome:
Example Performance Indicator
Metric
Type Description
Annual
Target
Documentation
Method
Indicator
1 Output # of vulnerably housed participants
who receive case management
100
SMPP
Case management
database
Outcome # of participants who remain housed 95
SMPP
Case management
database
Applying programs should adhere to the requirements above. The City may grant exceptions to how indicators are designed for HSGP-funded programs on a case-bycase basis. 14 of 18
Cash Match or Living Wage Options
In recognition of the fact that staff retention is a significant challenge among nonprofits in Santa Monica and across the region, the HSGP seeks to fund agencies at a level that allows them to pay program staff a living wage. Historically, HSGP grantees have been required to provide a 30% cash match, meaning City funds could be used to cover up to 70% of the cost of services to SMPP and agencies had to secure non-City funding for the balance of those costs. For the FY 2027-31 funding cycle, applying agencies will have the following options:
1. Provide a minimum 30% cash match and pay staff at a rate set by the agency; or
2. Agree to meet the City’s Minimum Wage ($25.00 per hour for FY 2026-27 and adjusted annually) (see Attachment J, Living Wage Certification) for all staff billed 90% or more to the HSGP program and waive the cash match requirement (i.e., programs that pay all HSGP-funded staff a minimum of $25 per hour will not be required to provide cash match).
Programs that are unable to pay staff the City’s minimum wage, due to organizational limitations or other reasons, can maintain current salaries and provide cash match.
Programs that agree to meet the City’s minimum wage will not be required to provide cash match. The intention is to free up funding that would otherwise be used for match to help make it more feasible for programs to meet minimum wage. The Living Wage Cash Match Waiver guidelines are in Attachment I, Section 4.
Scoring
Complete proposals will be scored under program and fiscal categories and will include a program plan; program budget, evaluation, and demographics workbook; and supporting documentation. The RFP will include a detailed scoring chart that aligns each application component with an evaluation criteria and corresponding maximum point value. Proposals will be scored by a review panel made up of City staff and external subject matter experts.
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Program Scoring
The review panel will score the program category based on the description of the proposed program; past monitoring reports; organizational capacity; policies, and procedures; and proposed participant outcomes. Below is a description of each area along with its point allocation:
• Program Summary (25 points): Proposals must demonstrate how the program provides an eligible service, serves a relevant target population, and leverages best practices. They must describe how services are culturally appropriate, accessible, and sensitive to economically, ethnically, and socially diverse populations.
• Past Program Performance, Policies and Procedures, and Organizational Capacity (25 points): Proposals must include reports from the agency’s largest funder for the last two fiscal years, to indicate their history of providing high impact, fiscally sound services. They must include a program plan and staffing structure that indicates sufficient infrastructure to operate the proposed program and demonstrate strong partnerships and integration into City and regional systems of care. Organizational policies and practices should also be included that address diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) for participants and staff. • Program Evaluation (10 points): Proposals must describe the intended impact of the program. They should include indicators that align with the guidelines described above under Performance Evaluation and specify a plan to collect data and measure progress.
• Employee Retention (10 points): Proposals must describe organizational initiatives designed to encourage staff retention by promoting the physical, mental, and financial health of their workforce.
Fiscal Scoring
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The review panel will score the fiscal category based on the program budget, audited financial statements, and recent monitoring reports. Below is a description of each area along with its point allocation:
• Program Budget (15 Points): Program budgets should outline all anticipated expenses associated with the program to determine if overall costs are reasonable, salaries are adequate, and non-city funds are sufficiently leveraged and/or eligible staff salaries meet the City’s Living Wage requirement. • Audited Financial Statements and Past Financial Performance (15 points):
Proposals must include the agency’s three most recently completed audited financial statements to determine if there are any outstanding findings or concerns. They must also include the most recent monitoring reports from the agency’s largest funder to assess concerns around spend-down issues, returned funds, ability to meet cash match requirements (as applicable), and/or any other fiscal-related findings.
Additional reference materials that will be available to the review panel are (1) fiscal and programmatic monitoring reports from the City’s internal auditor, Baker Tilly, LP, and (2) City-issued performance review letters for agencies currently funded by the HSGP.
Next Steps
Dependent on Council input and approval, staff will release the FY2027-31 HSGP RFP in September 2026. The RFP will remain open for several months, during which time staff will hold a bidders’ conference. In Spring of 2027, staff will return to Council with funding recommendations. Staff will include funding awards in the budget study session in May 2027, and final HSGP funding awards will be made as part of biennial budget adoption in June 2027. The FY2027-31 HSGP funding cycle will begin July 1, 2027.
Environmental Review
Approval of the funding guidelines is not a “project” subject to CEQA. This approval will allow staff to release an RFP to solicit proposals for social service programs. Pursuant to CEQA Section 21065, the form does not meet the definition of a “project” subject to CEQA as it will not “cause either a direct physical change in the environment, or a 17 of 18
reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment.” Additionally, per Section 15378(b) of the CEQA Guidelines, a “project” does not include continuing administrative or maintenance activities, such as general policy and procedure making.
Therefore, it can be seen with certainty that approval of the guidelines will not result in adverse physical impacts on the environment, and as such, is exempt from CEQA.
Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
There is no immediate financial impact or budget action resulting from the recommendations in this report.
For FY 2027-28, the first year of the new grants cycle, the total projected amount allocated to the HSGP is $9,198,587. Staff will return to Council with proposed HSGP funding recommendations in the Spring of 2027 in preparation for the FY 2027-29 biennial budget process. At that time, in order to meet the growing need for services, enhance grant amounts to allow HSGP-funded programs to pay their staff living wages, and incorporate COLA adjustments through FY2027-28 – staff anticipate recommending an increase to the HSGP budget for the FY 2027-31 cycle. Staff will consider all available funding sources, including City Measure GS dollars and County Measure A funds, to minimize the potential impact on the City’s General Fund.
Prepared By: Nicole Liner-Jigamian, Human Services Administrator – Fiscal Approved Forwarded to Council
Attachments:
A. Attachment A. Santa Monica Aging and Disability Action Plan B. Attachment B. Homelessness Strategic Plan 2025-2030
C. Attachment C. Renter Protections Program Situational Analysis D. Attachment D. Behavioral Health Reports
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E. Attachment E. Approval of FY 2023-27 HSGP Funding Guidelines (Web Link) F. Attachment F. Approval of FY 2023-27 HSGP Funding Recommendations (Web Link)
G. Attachment G. Authorize Contract Modifications for Social Emotional Wellness Initiative, St. Joseph Center, and Family Service of Santa Monica to Expand Youth Behavioral Health Support (Web Link)
H. Attachment H. Authorize Contract Modification for Haven Neighborhood Services for Emergency Financial Assistance (Web Link)
I. Attachment I. Proposed HSGP 2027-31 Funding Guidelines J. Attachment J. FY26-27 Living Wage Certification
K. Written Comments
L. PowerPoint Presentation