Agenda Item #11.1
For Council Meeting of: January 11, 2022
CITY OF SANTA ROSA
CITY COUNCIL
TO: MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
FROM: MARITA WALLACE, HOMELESS SERVICES PROGRAM SPECIALIST CITY MANAGER’S OFFICE
SUBJECT: Ratification of FIRST AMENDMENT TO agreement with sonoma county community development commission for FUNDING OF OPERATIONS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC AT the samuel l. jones hall homeless shelter AGENDA ACTION: RESOLUTION
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended by the City Manager’s Office that Council, by resolution, ratify the First Amendment to Agreement between the Sonoma County Community Development Commission and City of Santa Rosa Sam Jones Hall and Sam Jones Hall Annex for funding from the Commission to reimburse the City for operations over July 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022, during the COVID-19 pandemic in a total amount of $521,881.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This resolution will ratify the First Amendment to Agreement between the Sonoma County Community Development Commission and City of Santa Rosa Sam Jones Hall and Sam Jones Hall Annex (First Amendment) with the Sonoma County Community Development Commission (CDC) for funding of operations during the COVID-19 pandemic at the Samuel L. Jones Hall (SJH) Homeless Shelter, which includes the SJH Annex, in the total amount of $521,881.
On September 10, 2021, the Sonoma County Continuum of Care (CoC) approved the allocation of $521,881 to the City for funding of operations during the COVID-19 pandemic at SJH, specifically related to coronavirus prevention and social distancing. Execution of the First Amendment by the City Manager was expedited at the request of the CDC (lead agency for the CoC) in order to meet State Emergency Solutions Grant coronavirus funding (ESG-CV) expenditure requirements and to secure these funds for the City. The $521,881 will reimburse the City’s General Fund for shelter operational costs for the period July 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022, which will help offset the approximately $2.6 million in General Fund used for the construction of the SJH Annex. This is the third round of ESG-CV funding awarded by the CoC to the City, bringing the combined total to $1,563,638. On August 17, 2021, Council ratified the grant agreements for rounds one and two.
BACKGROUND
In March 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the City and Catholic Charities reduced shelter capacity within the existing facility (SJH Homeless Shelter) by 60 beds in compliance with social distancing requirements and relocated at-risk shelter clients to a non-congregate shelter (NCS) site. The SJH Homeless Shelter has operated under strict COVID-19 prevention measures since that time.
In January 2021, the City completed construction of a new facility (SJH Annex) to restore shelter capacity by 60 beds to pre-COVID levels while maintaining social distancing requirements. The City invested approximately $2.6 million in General Fund resources to construct the SJH Annex. Both facilities (SJH Homeless Shelter and SJH Annex) are co-located on the same property and operated as one consolidated program. Total capacity between the two facilities is 213 beds (153 beds SJH Homeless Shelter plus 60 beds SJH Annex).
Following restoration of shelter bed capacity with the completion of the SJH Annex and at the request of the Sandman Hotel (site of the NCS program), the NCS program concluded operations in June 2021. Shortly thereafter, bed capacity was reduced from 213 beds to 126 following a significant COVID-19 outbreak, resulting from the highly contagious delta variant. Bed capacity is gradually being restored in phases in consultation with Sonoma County Public Health.
The Sonoma County Continuum of Care (CoC) recently made available State Emergency Solutions Grant coronavirus funding (ESG-CV) for eligible homeless services, which need to be expended by July 31, 2021 (Round 1), September 30, 2021 (Round 2) and March 31, 2022 (Round 3). Staff submitted funding requests for all three rounds of ESG-CV for SJH.
On June 23, 2021 and again on July 21, 2021, the CoC approved $651,224 (Round 1) and $390,533 (Round 2), respectively, to the City for funding of operations during the COVID-19 pandemic at SJH, specifically related to coronavirus prevention and social distancing. The combined total amount is $1,041,757, secured by two (2) separate grant agreements (Fiscal Year 20/21 Grant Agreement and Fiscal Year 21/22 Grant Agreement) and ratified by Council on August 17, 2021.
On September 10, 2021 the CoC approved a third round of ESG-CV funding in the amount of $521,881 to the City for SJH. CoC approval was contingent on a State waiver for the reallocation of funds from Rapid Re-Housing to Emergency Shelter eligibility, which was recently approved by the State.
Execution of the First Amendment by the City Manager was expedited at the request of the Sonoma County Community Development Commission in order to meet ESG-CV expenditure requirements and to secure these funds ($521,881) for the City, and staff now recommends that Council ratify this action.
PRIOR CITY COUNCIL REVIEW
On August 17, 2021, by Resolution 2021-145, Council ratified two (2) grant agreements with the Sonoma County CDC for funding of operations during the COVID-19 pandemic at the Samuel L. Jones Hall Homeless Shelter in the combined total amount of $1,041,757: 1) City of Santa Rosa Sam Jones Hall and Sam Jones Hall Annex Homeless Services Funding Grant Agreement Fiscal Year 2020-2021 in the amount of $651,224 and 2) City of Santa Rosa Sam Jones Hall and Sam Jones Hall Annex Homeless Services Funding Grant Agreement Fiscal Year 2021-2022 in the amount of $390,533.
ANALYSIS
The $521,881 will reimburse the City’s General Fund for shelter operational costs for the period July 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022, which will help offset the approximately $2.6 million in General Fund used for the construction of the SJH Annex. This is the third round of ESG-CV funding awarded by the CoC to the City, bringing the combined total to $1,563,638, broken down as follows:
$651,224 – ESG-CV 1 (Fiscal Year 20/21 Grant Agreement) $390,533 – ESG-CV 2 (Fiscal Year 21/22 Grant Agreement
$521,881 – ESG-CV 3 (First Amendment to FY 21/22 Grant Agreement) $1,563,638 TOTAL
Staff requests Council ratification of the First Amendment with the CDC for funding of operations during the COVID-19 pandemic at SJH in the total amount of $521,881.
FISCAL IMPACT
The $521,881 in ESG-CV funding from the CoC will reimburse the City’s General Fund for shelter operational costs for the period July 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022, which will help offset the approximately $2.6 million in General Fund used for the construction of the SJH Annex.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
This action is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) because it is not a project which has a potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment, pursuant to CEQA Guideline section 15378.
BOARD/COMMISSION/COMMITTEE REVIEW AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Not applicable
NOTIFICATION
Not applicable
ATTACHMENTS
Resolution/Exhibit A (First Amendment to Agreement between the Sonoma County Community Development Commission and City of Santa Rosa Sam Jones Hall and Sam Jones Hall Annex
CONTACT
Marita Wallace, Homeless Services Program Specialist, [email protected], 543-3315 Ratification of FIRST AMENDMENT TO AGREEMENT with sonoma county community development commission for FUNDING OF OPERATIONS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC AT the samuel l. jones hall homeless shelter PAGE 3 OF 4