Agenda Item #13.5
For Council Meeting of: May 5, 2026
CITY OF SANTA ROSA
CITY COUNCIL
TO: MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
FROM: MEGAN BASINGER, DIRECTOR,
HOUSING AND COMMUNITY SERVICES
SUBJECT: FUNDING AGREEMENT BETWEEN
THE CITY OF SANTA ROSA AND COUNTY OF SONOMA
FOR OPERATIONS AT SAMUEL L. JONES HALL HOMELESS SHELTER AGENDA ACTION: RESOLUTION
RECOMMENDATION
The Housing and Community Services Department recommends that the Council, by resolution: 1) approve Modification Number One of Agreement 2025-5042-A01 Between the City of Santa Rosa and the County of Sonoma for Operational Funding at the Samuel L. Jones Hall Homeless Shelter (Funding Agreement) in the amount of $255,000 annually for a combined total amount of $510,000; and 2) authorize the Director of Housing and Community Services to make non-substantive changes to the Funding Agreement, subject to approval by the City Attorney, and execute the Funding Agreement for the period July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2027. This item will provide additional funding for the shelter for Fiscal Year 2026-2027.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Staff seek approval of Modification Number One of Agreement Between the City of Santa Rosa and the County of Sonoma for Operational Funding at the Samuel L. Jones Hall Homeless Shelter (Funding Agreement). The Fiscal Year 2025/2026 agreement provided $255,000 with an option to extend for Fiscal Year 2026/2027. The modification will increase the funding from the County of Sonoma (County) by $255,000, for a combined total amount of $510,000, and extend the term of the agreement for Fiscal Year 2026/2027.
GOAL
This item relates to Council Goal #5 - Plan for and Encourage Housing for All and Reduce Homelessness as this funding supports the City to address unsheltered homelessness in Santa Rosa.
BACKGROUND/PRIOR COUNCIL REVIEW
The Samuel L. Jones Hall Homeless Shelter (Shelter) is a City-owned facility which has been operated by Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Santa Rosa (Catholic Charities) since it opened in November 2005. The Shelter provides up to 213-year-round beds that are prioritized by the Homeless Outreach Services Team (HOST) with beds designated for medical respite, public safety, and the City’s Encampment Team or during emergent situations.
The Annex, a separate facility constructed in 2020 to restore shelter bed capacity to pre-COVID-19 levels while maintaining social distancing requirements, is operated in conjunction with the Shelter, providing up to 60 of the total 213 beds.
On June 7, 2022, Council approved Resolution Number RES-2022-114 which provided the Director of Housing and Community Services with authority to execute the City’s operating agreement and subsequent extensions with Catholic Charities for a five-year period (Fiscal Year 2022/2023 through Fiscal Year 2026/2027) subject to Council’s approval of the budget. Pursuant to this authority, the Director of Housing and Community Services has executed agreements with Catholic Charities for Fiscal Years 2022/2023 through 2025/2026; and will execute an agreement for Fiscal Year 2026/2027 following Council’s adoption of the budget on June 18, 2026.
On June 17, 2025, the City and County executed the Funding Agreement for Fiscal Year 2025/2026 in the amount of $255,000 with an option to extend for Fiscal Year 2026/2027.
The City’s proposed Fiscal Year 2026/2027 budget includes the following appropriation for the Shelter:
$ 255,000 – County of Sonoma
$ 85,100 – Community Foundation Sonoma County
$ 1,137,500 – City of Santa Rosa Real Property Transfer Tax (RPPT) $ 224,689 – City of Santa Rosa General Fund
$ 243,594 – Opioid Settlement Funds
$ 55,859 – Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)
$ 2,001,742 – Total
ANALYSIS
The County has supported the operation of the Shelter since opening in 2005 via annual funding agreements. The Fiscal Year 2025/2026 agreement provided $255,000 with an option to extend for Fiscal Years 2026/2027.
This agreement will expire on June 30, 2026, necessitating the current Funding Agreement, which provides $255,000 for shelter operations for Fiscal Year 2026/2027 in the combined total amount of $510,000 for the two-year period.
Staff is seeking Council’s approval of the Funding Agreement. The Director of Housing and Community Services will have authority to execute the Funding Agreement.
FISCAL IMPACT
The Funding Agreement, if approved, will provide an additional $255,000 in County funding for the Shelter for a combined total of $510,000 for a two-year period (Fiscal Year 2025/2026 and Fiscal Year 2026/2027).
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
Pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15378, the recommended action is not a “project” subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) because it does not have the potential to result in either a direct physical change in the environment or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment. The action consists solely of approval of a funding agreement for ongoing shelter operations and does not authorize construction or physical modifications. In the alternative, the recommended action is exempt from CEQA pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15061(b)(3) because it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the recommended action may have a significant effect on the environment.
BOARD/COMMISSION/COMMITTEE REVIEW AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Not applicable.
NOTIFICATION
Not applicable.
ATTACHMENTS
Resolution/Exhibit A (Funding Agreement)
PRESENTER(S)
Sasha Brown, Program Specialist II
Housing and Community Services Department
FUNDING AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CITY OF SANTA ROSA AND COUNTY OF SONOMA FOR OPERATIONS AT SAMUEL L. JONES HALL PAGE 3 OF 3