To: Board of Supervisors
From: Dr. Ori Tzvieli, Interim Health Services Director
Report Title: Contract Amendment #25-089-5 with Public Health Foundation Enterprise, Inc. (dba Heluna Health)
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the Interim Health Services Director, or designee, to execute on behalf of the County Contract Amendment #25-089-5 with Public Health Foundation Enterprises (dba Heluna Health), a non-profit corporation, effective January 1, 2025, to amend Contract 25-089-4, to increase the payment limit by $201,894, from $6,729,762 to a new payment limit of $6,931,656 for additional operating costs to provide Coordinated Entry, Outreach, Referral and Engagement (CORE) services for chronically homeless individuals in Contra Costa County with no change in the term ending June 30, 2025.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Approval of this Contract Amendment will result in additional expenditures of up to $201,894 and funded 100% by State Funds. (No rate increase)
BACKGROUND:
This Contract meets the social needs of the County’s population by providing CORE services to homeless individuals in Contra Costa County. CORE provides outreach services and serves as an entry point into the County’s coordinated entry system (CES) for unsheltered persons and work to locate, engage, stabilize and house chronically homeless individuals. Public Health Foundation Enterprises, Inc. has been providing CORE services to the County under this agreement since October 1, 2020. This Contractor has a long-standing relationship with Contra Costa County and has routinely demonstrated specialized expertise in providing full scope Human Resources to employees operating under Health, Housing and Homeless Services. This includes services provided to Emergency Shelters, Transitional Housing Programs, CORE, Coordinated Entry (CE), Continuum of Care (CoC), and Research and Evaluation programs provided to individuals and families experiencing homelessness. Contractor understands the needs of the County has knowledge and experience with the complex nature of what it takes to staff street outreach services with individuals sufficient to meet contractual obligations and ensure appropriate staff to client ratios.
This Contract is entered into under and subject to the following legal authorities: California Government Code § 26227 and 31000. This Contract was approved by Health Services Personnel to ensure there is no conflict with labor relations. The Health, Housing and Homeless Services Division Contract Monitoring staff meet on a regular basis to ensure monitoring of performance measures set forth in the Contract are upheld. This Contractor was approved by the Public Works Department’s Purchasing Division on June 5, 2024.
On December 3, 2024, the Board of Supervisors approved Contract #25-089-4 with Public Health Foundation Enterprises, Inc. (dba Heluna Health), in an amount not to exceed $6,729,762 to provide CORE for chronically homeless individuals in Contra Costa County for the period July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025.
Approval of Contract Amendment #25-089-5 will require the Contractor to maintain a fleet of vehicles for its staff to use in order to provide shelter, CE and transitional and permanent supportive housing programs services for homeless youth and adults in Contra Costa County with no change in the term ending June 30, 2025. This Contract Amendment was delayed by labor unions requesting to meet and confer. The County has met its obligations with the respective labor partner(s).
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
If this Contract Amendment is not approved, County will lack adequate capacity to provide outreach and shelter placement to homeless individuals and they will experience longer wait times for shelter and respite services.