Item Number: 13
City Council / Board of Directors
Written Communications
Meeting of: May 21, 2024
Submitted By:
Scott Webb, City Planner
Subject:
Encampment Resolution Funding Program – Amendment to Contract with San Bernardino County
Recommendation:
That the Honorable City Council take the following actions:
1. Adopt Resolution No. 24-042 authorizing an amendment to contract between the City of Victorville and San Bernardino County to receive $289,399.00 in additional California Encampment Resolution Funding (ERF) Program grant funding for a total contract amount of $980,491.00 to aid the City of Victorville in engagement, stabilization, and housing of homeless individuals residing in the Mojave Riverbed Encampment Area, and the restoration of former encampment sites to their natural state in compliance with the ERF Program;
2. Authorize the City Manager to finalize all documents needed to execute the contract; and
3. Adopt Resolution No. 24-043 amending the annual budget for fiscal year 2023- 2024 to reflect an additional appropriation in the amount of $289,399.00.
Fiscal Impact:
The proposed action requires an additional appropriation of $289,399.00 in both revenue and expenditures to the City's fiscal year 2023-2024 budget, as outlined in Resolution No. 24-043 (Attachment B), to aid the City in its efforts to address homelessness through engagement, housing and encampment cleanup. A portion of the funds will be utilized to house individuals from the Mojave Riverbed Encampment Area at the Wellness Center.
These housing funds will offset the operation cost of the Wellness Center, allowing the current grants that are helping fund operations (i.e. PLHA and Homekey) to sustain operations further into the future.
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There are no match requirements. The contract does not allow compensation for administrative work: however, the administrative monthly reporting is minimal and will be tracked and reported by Homelessness Solutions staff through the City’s client management system, hourly tracking system and local Homeless Management Information System (HMIS). Upon execution of the contract, the County will disburse the funding in one lump sum to the City.
Unless otherwise approved by the County, all costs for services shall be incurred during the contract term, January 23, 2024 – June 30, 2024. All funding will need to be expended prior to June 30, 2024.
Strategic Plan Goal:
This project aligns with Goal D, Strategy 3, 4, and, 5 in the 2023-2026 Strategic Plan, “Expand on the existing homelessness outreach network to effectively engage the homeless community in services.” "Evaluate the effectiveness of coordination of homelessness services," and "Strengthen collaboration with the County and other entities to identify new funding opportunities and expand partnerships for homelessness services."
Background:
The Encampment Resolution Funding Program (ERF) grant program was launched by Governor Newsom in October 2021 to assist local jurisdictions in ensuring the wellness and safety of individuals experiencing homelessness in encampments by providing services and supports that address immediate physical and mental wellness and result in meaningful paths to safe and stable housing. The program also assists with the restoration of vacated encampment sites to the original state and intended purposes.
On December 29, 2021, the County of San Bernardino Office of Homeless Services (OHS) submitted a non-binding application for the ERF Program Grant. The application identified two prioritized encampment sites, the Santa Ana Riverbed, within the cities of Redlands and San Bernardino, and the Mojave Riverbed in Victorville. These encampment areas have been identified as having posed safety, health, and environmental concerns and are subject to flash flooding, extreme weather, fires, agricultural runoff, and human waste.
On February 24, 2022, Governor Newsom announced the award of ERF funds to 19 communities, including San Bernardino County. On April 26, 2022, the County Board of Supervisors accepted the ERF Program Grant in the amount of $1,787,998 to supplement currently funded activities that address the needs of homeless individuals, such as outreach and engagement, mainstream supportive services, and case management, with a focus on permanent housing.
On January 16, 2026, the City Council approved the adoption of Resolution No. 24-001 authorizing the original contract (Attachment C) between the City of Victorville and San Bernardino County to receive California Encampment Resolution Funding (ERF) Program grant funding in the amount of $691,092.00 to aid the City of Victorville in engagement, 3 6
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stabilization, and housing of homeless individuals residing in the Mojave Riverbed Encampment Area, and the restoration of former encampment sites to their natural state in compliance with the ERF Program.
Discussion:
Since the execution of the original contract (Attachment C), there is an additional $289,399.00 in ERF funding being made available by OHS to the City for this project, to support additional services, such as housing and transportation.
Since the execution of the original agreement on January 23, 2024, the City has housed an average of unduplicated 43 clients per month from the Mojave Riverbed Encampment Area, which is more than the 26 clients originally planned to be serviced at the Wellness Center. Moreover, City staff have cleaned up 64 encampments within the service area and collected over 43 tons of trash. The Mojave Riverbed Encampment Area is defined in the contract as the area generally described as the floodplain of the Mojave River within the city limits of the City of Victorville, including connected encampments within a one- mile radius of the Mojave River floodplain. In addition to interim housing, the Wellness Center provides its clients with case management, medical care, client-centered services, and the storage of personal possessions.
City staff plan to have additional outreach, engagement, and clean-up projects in the Mojave River bottom through June 30, 2024 with the goal to connect individuals to a clear path to permanent housing solutions and restore the former encampment sites to their natural state.
Based on current projections, including the current Wellness Center occupancy, the active outreach working list, staff time and resources, and any pending clean-up activities, the ERF funding, including the $289,399.00 being offered by OHS, will be fully expended by the June 30, 2024 expenditure deadline.
Through the amendment to the contract (Attachment A), OHS is continuing its partnership with the City of Victorville in a collaborative effort to address homeless within the Mojave Riverbed Encampment Area by utilizing at total of $980,491.00 in ERF program funding to provide services to individuals and families that will align with the Housing First Model and trauma informed care approaches.
OHS plans to take this contract to the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors for approval at their June 11, 2024, meeting.
Consistent with the Homelessness Solutions Strategic Action Plan, the recommended action will support efforts of the City and County homeless outreach programs. It will also support the continued coordination and collaboration between the City and County outreach teams. With this additional funding, we will continue to address our City’s unsheltered population with additional resources and support from our County partners. 3 6
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Given the City’s commitment to addressing homelessness coupled with our commitment to collaborate with our County for additional resources and partnerships, staff is recommending that the City Council adopt Resolution Nos. 24-042 and 24-043 to utilize $980,491.00 in ERF program funding for qualified expenses, such as outreach, housing, and cleanup in the Mojave Riverbed Encampment Area.
Attachments: A. City Council Resolution No. 24-042, Amendment to ERF Contract B. City Council Resolution No. 24-043, Budget Amendment C. Original ERF Contract