title
Receive a presentation on funding related to the Community Investment Fund; Consider approval of a recommendation to allocate up to $1,400,000 from the Community Investment Fund Deep Programming category and $1,200,000 from All Home for a total contract amount of $2,600,000 for a term of July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2026 to United Way California Capital Region for homelessness prevention services; Consider approval of a recommendation to allocate up to $365,000 from the Community Investment Fund One-Time Investments to six agencies for a term of July 1, 2024-June 30, 2025 for annual grants to address the top six human services need in the County; and Delegate authority to the County Administrator, with the concurrence of County Counsel, to sign resulting contracts
body
Published Notice Required? Yes_______ No ___X___
Public Hearing Required? Yes_______ No ___X___
DEPARTMENTAL RECOMMENDATION:
The County Administrator’s Office recommends that the Board of Supervisors:
1. Receive a presentation on funding related to the Community Investment Fund;
2. Consider approval of a recommendation to allocate up to $1,400,000 from the Community Investment Fund Deep Programming category and $1,200,000 from All Home for a total contract amount of $2,600,000 for a term of July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2026 to United Way California Capital Region for homelessness prevention services;
3. Consider approval of a recommendation to allocate up to $365,000 from the Community Investment Fund One-Time Investments to six agencies for a term of July 1, 2024-June 30, 2025 for annual grants to address the top six human services need in the County; and
4. Delegate authority to the County Administrator, with the concurrence of County Counsel, to sign resulting contracts.
SUMMARY:
On behalf of the Board of Supervisors, the County Administrator’s Office initiated a Human Services Needs Assessment (HSNA) to identify the greatest human services needs in the County. In 2020, this effort resulted in the creation of a durable framework of desired outcomes with clearly defined indicators to support a process that directs limited county resources via a $2 million Community Investment Fund (CIF). The CIF is a three-pronged approach to funding which includes Legacy Programs, Deep Programming and One-Time Investments. In addition, a Nonprofit Emergency Fund was added to the CIF. This item brings forward funding recommendations in two categories: Deep Programming and One-Time Investments.
For the category of Deep Programming, in November 2023, your Board approved a partnership with All Home, a Bay Area organization advancing regional solutions to homelessness. All Home is providing a grant in the amount of $600,000 per year for two years to expand the reach of the homelessness prevention strategy. Subsequently, the Community Action Partnership Solano Joint Powers Authority (CAP Solano JPA) also committed $200,000 per year for two years toward serving individuals at imminent risk of becoming homeless. Staff issued Request for Proposals (RFP) #2024-03 Homelessness Prevention Grant, Keep People Housed - Solano to operate a targeted homeless prevention program. The full amount of funding available via the RFP was $3,000,000 for a 2-year period of which $1,400,000 is from the CIF. A review panel recommended United Way California Capital Region who proposed to provide individual housing stabilization plans, flexible financial assistance, and housing stabilization supports to 210 households per year in Solano County.
For the category of One-Time Investments, staff issued RFP #2024-02 Annual Grants to solicit proposals for grants between $25,000 and $75,000 for one year to address one of the top six needs identified in the HSNA: mental health, housing, homelessness, early education, youth development, and safe and stable environments for children. A review panel recommended to fund six proposals submitted by the following organizations: The Children’s Network, Bay Area Community Resources, Parents by Choice, Touro University, Food is Free, and Fighting Back Partnership.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The costs associated with the seven contracts are included in the Board’s Community Investment Fund for FY2024/25 and FY2025/26. The costs associated with management and implementation of the Community Investment Fund are included in First 5 Solano’s budget.
DISCUSSION:
In 2020, the Board of Supervisors created a Community Investment Fund (CIF). This fund includes a formal process to utilize qualitative and quantitative data to identify the highest human service needs in the county and direct limited resources to those needs. The CIF process identified the top six priority human services needs in Solano County as (in priority order) mental health, housing and homelessness, early education, youth development, and safe and stable environments for children.
Deep Investments/Homelessness Prevention Services
In 2023, a CIF Planning Group reconvened to assess the effectiveness of the CIF and make recommendations for the Board to consider going forward. One of those recommendations was to shift the approach to addressing homelessness in the County by investing in a strategy to prevent homelessness, instead of intervening once a person has become homelessness.
As a result, your Board approved a homelessness prevention strategy offered by All Home which utilizes an online portal to accept applications and identify people most at-risk of becoming homeless. Those who are identified most at-risk are forwarded to a local provider to provide a range of services tailored to the household needs including flexible financial assistance and housing stabilization services to ensure households are able to maintain their housing after exit from the program. Your Board allocated $700,000 per year for three years of CIF with a match from All Home of $600,000 per year for the first two years. Subsequently, CAP Solano JPA agreed to participate in this targeted homelessness prevention strategy with an investment of $200,000 per year for two years from Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention Round 3 funds (HHAP-3), to assist those individuals at imminent risk of becoming homeless.
In February 2024, staff issued RFP #2024-03 to identify a provider for these homelessness prevention services. In response to the RFP, eight proposals were received and seven met minimum criteria for eligibility. A review panel scored each of the proposals and recommended United Way California Capital Region (UWCCR) be forwarded to the Board of Supervisors for to allocate funding in the amount of $2,600,000: $700,000 of CIF funds per year for FY2024/25 and FY2025/26; and $600,000 of All Home funds per year for FY2024/25 and FY2025/26. CAP Solano JPA will contract directly with UWCCR for its funding of $400,000, bringing the total funding to $3,000,000 over two years toward homelessness prevention. UWCCR currently operates existing housing navigation and housing stabilization services in Sacramento and Yolo counties and is in the process of expanding to Solano and Placer counties.
One-Time Investments/Annual Grants
For the One-time Investments category, also known as CIF Annual Grants, your Board allocated $365,000 annually. Staff issued RFP #2024-02 to solicit proposals for grants of up to $75,000 to implement larger projects or up to $25,000 for smaller community projects for one year (July 1, 2024-June 30, 2025) to address one of the top six needs identified in the HSNA.
In response to this RFP, 38 people representing 29 agencies attended the mandatory virtual proposers’ conference to learn and ask questions about this funding opportunity. A total of 17 organizations submitted proposals that addressed one or more of the top six needs in the county, with all 17 of the proposals meeting the minimum qualifications and scored by a review panel with expertise in the top areas identified in the CIF.
The review panel for the annual grant RFP made the following recommendations for funding:
1. The Children’s Network - $75,000 to provide immediate basic needs assistance for 70 families in crisis and experiencing financial instability.
2. Bay Area Community Resources - $25,000 to provide 840 diaper kits to families in need via monthly Diaper Bank distribution program.
3. Parents by Choice - $50,000 to provide the evidence-based Triple P Positive Parenting Program to 125 parents of youth ages 13-18 and parents going through separation or divorce.
4. Touro University - $75,000 to provide mental health resources and college and career readiness workshops to 100 youth.
5. Food is Free - $75,000 to provide 3,350 individuals with nutritious, culturally relevant food via mobile and on-site food distribution events.
6. Fighting Back Partnership - $65,000 to provide support to 80 fatherhood program clients by increasing awareness of mental health resources and support services available in the community.
Next Steps:
Should the Board approve the recommendation, staff will negotiate and execute contracts with the awarded agencies and report back to the Board on outcomes achieved.
ALTERNATIVES:
The Board could choose not to approve the recommendations for allocations of funding from the Community Investment Fund to one or more of the seven agencies identified through the RFP process; however, this is not recommended as the CIF was approved by the Board of Supervisors after being developed through a process with cross-sector input to guide the Board in decision making; the Board requested staff implement this CIF on its behalf; and the agencies and proposals were selected through a competitive process in accordance with the County’s Contracting and Procurement Policies and reviewed and recommended by review panels.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
First 5 Solano is administering the CIF on behalf of the County Administrator’s Office.
CAO RECOMMENDATION:
APPROVE DEPARTMENTAL RECOMMENDATION