To: Board of Supervisors
From: Family & Human Services Committee
Report Title: Approve Family and Human Services Committee Recommendations of FY 2024/25 Measure X Housing Funds for housing and homelessness related services
☐Recommendation of the County Administrator ☒ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
1. APPROVE the Family and Human Services (FHS) Committee FY 2024/25 recommendations for the allocation of $3,850,000 in Measure X Housing Funds for housing related services and homelessness crisis response and intervention services.
2. AUTHORIZE the Department of Conservation and Development Director, or designee, to execute a program agreement for the Measure X Housing Funds with Bay Area Legal Aid in the amount of $1,000,000 for the recommended activities in Attachment A, as approved by the Board of Supervisors.
3. AUTHORIZE the Health Services Director, or designee, to execute respective program agreements for the Measure X Housing Funds totaling $2,850,000 with the recommended organizations for the recommended activities in Attachment A, as approved by the Board of Supervisors.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no General Fund impact. Measure X funds are part of a countywide, 20-year 1/2 cent sales tax approved by Contra Costa County voters on November 30, 2020.
BACKGROUND:
Measure X is a countywide 20-year 1/2 cent sales tax approved by Contra Costa voters on November 3, 2020. The ballot measure language stated the intent of Measure X is "to keep Contra Costa's regional hospital open and staffed; fund community health centers, provide timely fire and emergency response; support crucial safety-net services; invest in early childhood services; protect vulnerable populations; and for other essential County services."
On November 16, 2021, the County Board of Supervisors approved allocating a portion of Measure X revenue to establish a new funding source to support the development of affordable housing and housing/homelessness related activities, now known as the Measure X Housing Fund (MX Housing Fund). The Board of Supervisors approved and committed $10 million of Measure X funds for Year One and $12 million on an annual basis thereafter for the MX Housing Fund.
On September 20, 2022, the Board of Supervisors approved and authorized the County’s Health Services Department-Health, Housing, and Homelessness Division (H3) and the Department of Conservation and Development (DCD) to administer the MX Housing Fund, with H3 administering 25 percent of the overall MX Housing Fund and DCD administering 75 percent of the MX Housing Fund.
On June 13, 2023, the Board of Supervisors approved the first year (Year One) of MX Housing Funds for housing/homelessness related service activities.
Available Funding
The amount of MX Housing Funds available to be allocated for Year Two housing/homelessness related services is $3.85 million, which is 30 percent of the total MX Housing Fund available for Year Two. The other 70 percent balance of the MX Housing Fund was dedicated to assist with financing affordable housing development projects, which is being distributed through a separate RFP that was solely released by DCD in October 2023, and recommendations for those funds will be considered separately by the Board of Supervisors on June 25, 2024.
In addition to the MX Housing Fund, additional funding sources available through H3 for homelessness services/crisis response and intervention were included in the RFP. The additional non-Measure X funding programs include Homeless Housing Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) Program via the California Interagency Council on Homelessness (Cal ICH), Housing Disability Advocacy Program (HDAP) via the California Department of Social Services, and Contra Costa County Probation. These additional non-Measure X funding sources total $4,397,700 and are solely administered by H3. The approval of the respective contracts with the respective organizations for these non-Measure X funds will be considered at a later meeting by the Board of Supervisors.
Two-Year Funding Cycle and Application Process
On November 7, 2023, the Board of Supervisors approved establishing and implementing a two-year funding cycle for housing/homelessness related services beginning with the Year One and Year Two MX Housing Funds (FY 2023/24 and FY 2024/25). Therefore, the housing/homelessness related services recommendations that were approved for Year One funds would be recommended and awarded for Year Two (FY 2024/25) funding in the same or similar amount, contingent on the availability of funds, satisfactory performance of the awarded service programs, and the completion and submittal of a renewal application.
H3 and DCD released a Request for Proposals (RFP) for Year Two funds on December 21, 2023. Since the Board of Supervisors approved a two-year funding cycle for the services portion of the MX Housing Fund, the RFP process for housing/homelessness related services required the service providers that were awarded Year One funds to submit a renewal application so they could renew and be recommended and awarded Year Two funds in approximately the same or similar amount. In addition to the renewal applications, the RFP did allow for service providers to apply for new services and was also open to service providers that were interested in applying for one-time funding for innovation and capacity building projects. All applicants interested in applying for new services or innovation/capacity building program were strongly encouraged to attend an applicant information session that was held virtually on January 5, 2024. The information session included a walk-through of the RFP, the application, and other required materials. The RFP also informed applicants to provide, via email, all questions on the RFP and RFP materials by January 15, 2024, so staff could consolidate all questions received in an “Frequently Asked Questions” (FAQ) document. The FAQ document along with the recording and presentation slides of the applicant information session was posted on the RFP website on January 23, 2024.
In total, 26 service applications (renewal applications, new service applications, and one-time innovation/capacity building applications) were submitted by the February 2, 2024 deadline, and staff proceeded to review and assess the applications during the months of February through April 2024. DCD and H3 staff jointly developed recommendations and recommended MX Housing Funds to 16 applicants. On May 15, 2024, DCD and H3 notified applicants of staff's funding recommendations. H3 staff received appeals from two applicants within the appeal window and both appeals were denied. The MX Housing Funds for housing/homelessness related services are referred to the County’s Family and Human Services Committee prior to consideration by the Board of Supervisors.
Family and Human Services Committee Meeting
On May 20, 2024, the County’s Family and Human Services (FHS) Committee met to consider staff recommendations on the MX Housing Funds for housing/homelessness related services. No public comments on the recommendations were submitted or provided at the meeting. After some brief discussion, the FHS Committee approved the MX Housing Fund recommendations as presented by staff and directed staff to forward the recommendations to the Board of Supervisors for final consideration. The MX Housing Fund recommendations approved by the FHS Committee are included in Attachment A.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
Negative action will prevent or delay the recommended housing and homelessness services from being provided to residents in the County. The applicants would have to seek other funding sources, which could jeopardize or delay the services from being provided.