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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda Report - September 2, 2020 C-12AGENDA ITEM C-I L Grrv or Loor Gou t¡cr ¡- Gotur M u N rcATroN TM AGENDA TITLE: MEETING DATE: September 2,2020 PREPARED BY: Community Development Director Adopt a Resolution Authorizing the City Manager to Submit Two Homeless, Housing Assistance, Prevention Program (HHAP) Grant Applications and to Enter into Agreements with the San Joaquin Continuum of Care and San Joaquin County for HHAP Grants (Approximately $2,500,000). RECOMMENDED ACTION Adopt a resolution authorizing the City Manager to submit two Homeless, Housing Assistance, Prevention Program (HHAP) grant applications and to enter into agreements with the San Joaquin Continuum of Care (SJCOC) and San Joaquin County for HHAP grants (Approximately $2,500,000). BACKGROUND INFORMATION: The State of California Homeless Coordinating and Financing Council (HCFC), and the Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency (BCSH) has made available approximately $650 million in HHAP funding. The HHAP program was established under Assembly B¡ll 101 (Chapter 159, Statutes of 2019) and, signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom on July 31,2019. HHAP is a one-time block grant program designed to support the regional coordination and expansion of development to increase local jurisdictions' capacity to address immediate homeless challenges throughout the State. Spending must be informed by a best practices'framework focused on moving homeless individuals and families into permanent housing and ensuring those individuals and families maintain their permanent housing. A key requirement of the HHAP program includes coordination between funded jurisdictions to identify their share of the regional need to address homelessness, and how the requested funds will help meet the jurisdiction's share of that need. The intent of the HHAP program funds is solely to expand or increase services and housing capacity for homeless individuals. The Multi-Jurisdictional Agencies (SJCOC, City of Stockton, and San Joaquin County) have received a combined allocation of HHAP funds of $12,430,905. These entities are collaboratively making those funds available to community organizations and jurisdictions, such as the City of Lodi, through a joint local Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) process to allocate funds to programs and projects that reduce homelessness and increase permanent housing opportunities for homeless households and those at risk of homelessness across San Joaquin County. The Multi-Jurisdiction Agencies released the NOFA on August 3 with an application deadline of September 10, 2020. City staff intends to apply for two (2) separate applications within the Multi-Jurisdictional Agencies HHAP grants for a total amount of approximately $2.5 million. (1) One project will focus on the construction and operations of the Tiny Homes Project in the amount of approximately $777,000, and the second (2) grant will focus on the construction and operational costs of a new Navigation Center in the amount of approximately $1,700,000. Both applications support HHAP goals of expanding APPROVED er Homeless, Hous¡ng Ass¡stance, Prevention Program (HHAP) Grant Application Septembel2,2020 Page 2 of 3 services and housing for homeless individuals or those at risk, within San Joaquin County, which includes the City of Lodi. Projects proposing to use HHAP funding must also help local governments achieve the following goals and objectives, as outlined in the San Joaquin Community Response to Homelessness - 2020 San Joaquin Strategic Plan (Strategic Plan): Goal 1. Establish A Coordinated and Engaged Regional System of Care Goal 2: lncrease Access and Reduce Barriers to Homeless Crisis Response Services Goal 3. Ensure Households Experiencing Homelessness Have Access to Affordable and Sustainable Permanent Housing Solutions The City's proposed HHAP grant activities meet these Strategic Plan goals. ln particular, the City's proposed Navigation Center meets Goal 2. ln July and August, City Council approved grant applications to Local Early Actíon Planning (LEAP) and Permanent Local Housing Allocation (PLHA) grant programs for the predevelopment, construction, and operations of a housing and support services for homeless individuals and those at-risk of homelessness. Additionally, City staff applied for Emergency Services Grant COVID (ESG -CV) for a temporary facility that would address the urgent need of housing and services to homeless person for the prevention of Covid. Combined, and if funded, these grant resources could support the development of a new Navigation Center. The proposed Navigation Center is in its earliest stages of pre-planning and City staff is preparing a community engagement process to share more information on preliminary concepts with the public and to gather community feedback. Second, the Tiny Homes project meets Goal 3. ln May 2019, City Council accepted $1,250,000 in Homeless Emergency Aid Program (HEAP) grant funds for the development of approximately five tiny homes. Residents will receive supportive services including housing vouchers to supplement their income. lnitial cost estimates have since increased and the potential site may accommodate additional units. Once the final site location is selected for the project, staff anticipates that HEAP dollars will only cover part of the project costs; and HHAP dollars will be used to cover the additional funds plus additional units. The City of Lodi, along with many cities in California, began facing a homeless crisis in 2017. The City's unsheltered homeless population grew to 139 individuals in 2019, as measured by the County's Point-ln-Time Count, although local social service providers projected that the real number could be up to 100 more. ln response to this crisis, the Lodi Committee on Homelessness (LCOH) mobilized to find resources and greater collaboration among social services agencies. Additionally, the City of Lodi Police Department created a new Homeless Liaison Officer position to provide street outreach to find housing and services for the unsheltered homeless population in Lodi. While this program experienced success in assisting more than 100 unsheltered homeless persons to find resources and housing, severely chronically homeless individuals still face obstacles and need solutions that go beyond the resources provided in the City's program. The LCOH, in collaboration with several experienced local and regional homeless professionals, identified that a navigation center with supportive services would be critical to assisting the City's unsheltered homeless population. Supportive services would include but not be limited to: case management, physical health, mental health, food, personal care, housing, and job training and placement. Moreover, to assist those recently homeless or at-risk of homeless to avoid becoming homeless, the City needs more atfordable permanent supportive housing options, such as the Tiny Homes project. Considering the above, City staff intends to pursue HHAP grant funding for approximately $2,500,000, for increasing services and housing capacity for the homeless or those at risk of homelessness through the proposed Navigation Center and Tiny Homes projects. Homeless, Housing Assistance, Prevention Program (HHAp) GrantApplication September2, 2O2O Page 3 of 3 Staff is requesting that City Council approve a resolution for submittal to the HHAP grant program, and subsequently, if awarded, to enter into agreements with the Multi-Jurisdictional Agencies for implementation of the grant. FISCAL IMPAGT:There is no fiscal impact for consideration of adoption of the Resolution. The City is eligible to receive an estimated 92,500,000 to support construction, personnel, and/or operating costs of a navigation center and tiny homes project in Lodi. There is no obligated City match for this grant program. FUNDING AVAILABLE: Allfunds will come from the grant proceeds. Andrew Keys Andrew Keys, Deputy City Manager/lnternal Services Director John Monica, Jr. ity Development Attachments: Resolution