To: Board of Supervisors
From: John Kopchik, Director, Conservation and Development
Report Title: Contract Amendment #2 with Focus Strategies - Technical Assistance for County Homeless Services System Planning
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the Conservation and Development Director, or designee, to execute a contract amendment with Focus Strategies, effective April 1, 2026, to increase the payment limit by $120,000, from $434,000 to a new payment limit of $554,000, and extend the termination date from September 30, 2026 to March 31, 2027, to provide additional technical and implementation assistance for countywide homelessness services system planning.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The costs of the proposed amended contract will be covered 82% by General Fund (Department of Conservation and Development housing designation), 18% by All Home grant funds. Costs will be covered by budgeted Conservation and Development Department funds dedicated to housing and homelessness and a $100,000 grant provided by All Home, a nonprofit organization that emphasizes regional approaches to housing and homelessness needs.
BACKGROUND:
On December 3, 2024, the Board of Supervisors (Board) approved a contract with Focus Strategies, a consulting firm specializing in helping communities reduce homelessness by delivering effective homelessness crisis response and expanding on housing solutions. The objective of the contract with Focus Strategies is to facilitate and support the County in creating a strong collaborative system focused on County departments, with the final goal being the development of a County Homelessness Strategic Plan.
The County departments of Conservation and Development, Health Services, Employment and Human Services, Probation, and the Housing Authority of Contra Costa County, with support and guidance from the County Administrator’s Office, have been working with Focus Strategies since December 2024 to conduct strategic planning on the County’s interdepartmental efforts to address homelessness.
On March 31, 2026, the Board approved a contract amendment to increase the payment limit from $314,000 to $434,000, and to extend the termination date from April 30, 2026 to September 30, 2026. That contract amendment was necessary to provide more time, analytic work, and consulting support to solidify the coordinated strategies with the specified County departments and to finalize the overall County Homelessness Strategic Plan.
Although significant progress has been made with developing the coordinated strategies and with completing the overall County Homelessness Strategic Plan, County staff have determined that it would be beneficial to have Focus Strategies assist County staff through the adoption and the initial implementation of the County Homelessness Strategic Plan.
Therefore, an additional contract amendment is necessary for the additional adoption and implementation work. With the Board’s approval, this additional contract amendment will increase the contract amount by $120,000 from $434,000, to a new payment limit of $554,00, and to extend the contract termination date from September 30, 2026 to March 31, 2027.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
If the contract amendment with Focus Strategies is not approved, the process of completing and implementing a County Homelessness Strategic Plan may be hindered and further delayed.