title
Receive a verbal update from County staff regarding Project Roomkey COVID-19 projects in Solano County and other COVID19 housing related efforts including State project Homekey; Authorize a $50,000 County matching contribution from Solano’s Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) CARES allocation to Community Action Partnership Solano (CAP Solano) for an extension of Project Roomkey projects thru September 2020 (4/5 vote required); and Approve in concept a commitment of support to the extension of funding and a county commitment to support a CARES contribution to Roomkey through December 2020
body
Published Notice Required? Yes ____ No _X _
Public Hearing Required? Yes ____ No _X _
DEPARTMENTAL RECOMMENDATION:
The County Administrator’s Office recommends that the Board:
1) Receive a verbal update from County staff regarding Project Roomkey COVID-19 projects in Solano County and other COVID-19 housing efforts including State Project Homekey;
2) Authorize a $50,000 County matching contribution from Solano’s State Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) CARES allocation to Community Action Partnership Solano (CAP Solano) for extension of Project Roomkey projects thru September 2020 (4/5 vote required); and
3) Approve in concept a County commitment to support County CARES contribution to Project Roomkey through December 2020.
SUMMARY:
Named “Project Roomkey” by State officials in April 2020, Governor Newsom proposed a plan to secure up to 15,000 hotel or motel units statewide, targeting the highest COVID-19 capacity needs in communities as a core strategy to flatten the virus’s curve. The State recommended this strategy because individuals lacking stable housing are more likely to use hospital emergency rooms than those in stable housing, and in some places individuals experiencing homelessness make up 20% to 30% of all adult hospital emergency room visits. The State project became known as Project Roomkey because it focused on securing hotel rooms and providing appropriate and necessary wrap around services including testing and medical care to those being served in the program.
In Solano County, the funding for the Project Roomkey program is coordinated through the efforts of CAP Solano and implemented by several of the member cities, the county and nonprofits. The initial funding for Project Roomkey was through a combination of several existing and new revenue streams including CARES funding braided together to secure hotel rooms and the supportive services to run initially through June 2020, then extended through July 2020, and more recently through August 2020, The Board is asked to participate by approving a match of $50,000 for an additional extension through September 2020 using a portion of the recently approved Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) CARES allocation for the County. This additional funding would allow for the partner agencies in CAP Solano who are working on revenues for an extension of the program to continue to work with those housed in the project to secure longer term housing solutions. County staff are also seeking conceptual support from the Board to continue assisting with securing and the County contributing additional CARES funding toward Project Roomkey through December 2020.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The Federal Government approved in Spring 2020 emergency funding allocated to each State through the CARES Act. Initially, the funding went directly to the State, to Counties with populations greater than 500,000, and to large cities across the country. On behalf of all its jurisdictions, and included in the California Budget for FY2020-21, the State of California has allocated its portion of that emergency funding to all other counties and cities as the Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) for COVID19 related costs and response. The allocations to local jurisdictions include Benicia ($335,553); Dixon ($246,597); Fairfield ($1.44million); Rio Vista ($123,311); Suisun City ($359,536); Vacaville ($1.22million); Vallejo ($1.47million) and Solano County ($44.8 million).
Also included in the CARES Act Funding was a Federal allocation to HUD to be distributed to Entitlement Jurisdictions throughout the Country as an additional related allocation via the Community Development Block Grant program for COVID-19 response. Locally, this included several cities who are HUD/CDBG entitlement cities -- Fairfield ($507,084); Vacaville ($297,029); and Vallejo ($618,244). The cities of Benicia, Dixon, Rio Vista and Suisun City and the County of Solano are not HUD entitlement agencies.
The Board is asked to approve a match of $50,000 for Project Roomkey to extend the program through September and support county efforts and potentially additional CARES funding as a commitment for Project Roomkey related costs and services through December 2020.
Costs associated with preparing the agenda item are nominal and absorbed by the department’s FY 2020-21 Adopted Budget.
DISCUSSION:
Background
In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill (SB) 89 on March 17, 2020, proclaiming a state of emergency for California and to support the urgent need for non-congregate sheltering of homeless residents. The core purpose of the non-congregate sheltering effort was to protect people experiencing homelessness and the surrounding communities through efforts to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak, and to minimize strain on the health care system related to bed capacity. Renamed “Project Roomkey” by State officials in April 2020, Governor Newsom proposed a plan to secure up to 15,000 hotel or motel units statewide, targeting the highest COVID-19 capacity needs in communities as a core strategy to flatten the virus’s curve. The State recommended this strategy because individuals lacking stable housing are more likely to use hospital emergency rooms than those in stable housing, and in some places, individuals experiencing homelessness make up 20% to 30% of all adult hospital emergency room visits. To help protect this vulnerable population from COVID-19 while reducing the likelihood of community spread, and while also relieving pressure on the hospital system from unnecessary admissions to local hospitals, the State directed that Project Roomkey focus on developing beds for the top 3 needs:
1) Isolation/Quarantine beds for homeless individuals that test positive for COVID-19, who do not require hospitalization, but who are infectious and cannot otherwise properly self-isolate;
2) Isolation/Quarantine beds for homeless individuals under investigation for COVID-19; having positive symptom screen and awaiting test results;
3) Isolation beds for homeless persons needing social distancing as a precautionary conditions)
The CARES Act funding approved by the state in the FY2020-21 budget for State Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) requires local jurisdictions to maintain an ability to temporarily house at least 15% of county residents experiencing homelessness due to the pandemic health crisis. This percentage is based upon the 2019 Point in Time Count and is specifically required in case of an outbreak among this population requiring isolation and quarantine. In January 2019, there were 1,151 homeless individuals identified in the Solano Point in Time Count, reflecting a need to maintain an ability to shelter approximately 172 individuals through December 2020.
Project Roomkey Funding
CAP Solano serving as the coordinating and convening body for the 7 cities, the County and the nonprofits that make up the Homeless Continuum of Care administered a local Request for Proposal process in April 2020. State approved Project Roomkey COVID-19 projects began operating across Solano County in May 2020. Projects were launched in the cities of Vacaville, Fairfield, and Vallejo. In total, CAP Solano has administered approximately $1.43million which has launched and operated Project Roomkey since that time, serving a total of 205 individuals countywide to date. Expenses through July 31st for all three projects were largely covered from the $1.43million administered by CAP Solano as well as some significant contributions from jurisdictions involved in each project. In anticipation of financial needs associated with operating the remaining Vallejo and Fairfield Project Roomkey projects through August, CAP Solano recently submitted an application for the Emergency Solutions Coronavirus Grant (ESG-CV) for $754,700 to pay for an August extension. For that month, the funds will support operating costs to serve an estimated 165 individuals that remain in the projects as community providers work to permanently house as many participants as possible.
Beyond August, CAP Solano members have been seeking opportunities to address financial needs of the projects from September through December for those individuals that have not yet exited to permanent housing. In response to these efforts, the City of Vacaville has committed to supporting a $50,000 contribution for a September extension, and the City of Benicia has expressed a commitment of $25,000, as well. As the Cities of Fairfield and Vallejo would contribute to their own projects, should the County of Solano contribute a matching amount of $50,000, this would provide a total contribution of $225,000 for Project Roomkey costs in the month of September for the Vallejo and Fairfield projects. In addition to these referenced matching investments, CAP Solano has successfully received a $25,000 grant from the Solano Community Foundation, and at the recent July 29th CAP Solano meeting, they approved the repurposing of an additional $170,000 from State grants in their possession to support the September extension. These combined funding sources will provide necessary bridge funding to get the projects through most to all of September until other grant funding is available. It is expected that the State will have launched 2 grant opportunities by that point that can be considered by CAP Solano to help pay for Project Roomkey operating costs.
Additionally, through their national network, Kaiser Permanente has extended a special invitation to CAP Solano to submit an application for $150,000 to support Project Roomkey expenses during the month of October. Through these anticipated State and Kaiser grants coming available, October and November operating months may likely be addressed. To support the September extension of Project Roomkey, the County Administrator’s Office is recommending that the Board of Supervisors approve $50,000 as a County matching contribution from the Solano County CRF to support the 2 CAP Solano remaining State approved Project Roomkey projects in the Cities of Fairfield and Vallejo, utilizing a portion of the CRF allocation for Solano County.
New State Program - Project Homekey
The State has seen success in Project Roomkey and has a desire to help local jurisdictions create ongoing housing solutions for homeless residents in California. The State Budget includes funding for a second program, Project Homekey. The State has announced a release of a Notice of Funding Availability for Homekey, to protect Californians experiencing homelessness who are at high risk for serious illness from COVID-19. Administered by the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), $600 million in grant funding is being made available to Cities and Counties within California to purchase and rehabilitate hotels, motels, vacant apartment buildings, and other buildings to convert them into interim or permanent, long-term housing. This is a competitive grant and the State has broken out the funds into regional pots that can be pursued. Solano County has been placed in the Bay Area Region which is competing for $100million dollars. Staff from the Cities of Vallejo, Fairfield, and Vacaville have each expressed great interest in this opportunity and are developing project concepts to present to their respective Councils for consideration. If approved and awarded, this could lead to the evolution of Project Roomkey projects into permanent housing, covering associated operating costs in the coming months through Homekey funds as that transition is made. As the State is requiring that Homekey funds be expended before December 31, 2020, funds are expected to be made readily available to awarded projects in September 2020. A subsequent award that would evolve Project Roomkey into Homekey would alleviate the need to cover operational expenses from September and into future months, thereafter. This scenario would free up the 2 upcoming State grants and Kaiser grant coming to CAP Solano to support whatever form of Project Roomkey is operating at that point in time.
COVID-19 Homeless Related Efforts in Solano Jurisdictions
CAP Solano’s partnering jurisdictions are independently developing and/or implementing a variety of programs to support residents experiencing or at risk of homelessness during the current pandemic. The City of Vacaville Project Roomkey concluded on June 30th having utilized their CAP Solano allocated project budget. This project permanently housed 6 occupants by June 30th, however to ensure adequate time to place the four remaining households into permanent housing, the City of Vacaville continued paying for leasing the remaining hotel rooms through July 31st, spending nearly $10,000. The City of Fairfield staff are developing a concept for a 50-bed temporary housing program to be presented to the City Council for consideration in the coming month. The proposal is likely to be recommended as being funded through the City’s CRF allocation. City of Vallejo staff are in the process of developing a Homeless Navigation Center with 125 beds to serve as interim housing where individuals can be connected to services and permanent housing destinations from there. The construction is funded by several sources including with the City’s Community Development Block Grant funds, and three years of operations will be funded by Sutter, Kaiser and North Bay Health for a total of over $6million. Currently in the pre-construction phase, Vallejo staff are working to take an agreement for the structure to their City Council on August 25, 2020 with a plan to be operational in November of this year. The City of Benicia initiated a COVID-19 Assistance Program back in March 2020 to help households in crisis remain housed during the pandemic. This program was designed to help cover the gap between the initial impacts of COVID-19 and the implementation of State and Federal programs designed to provide assistance. To date, the program has assisted 77 households, or 236 individuals, spending $104,907 in City General Fund and another $18,682 in various grant funds to support the program. Additionally, the City of Benicia independently stabilized two households experiencing homelessness in a local hotel, covering the hotel lease costs and basic needs, spending just under $7,000.
ALTERNATIVES:
The Board may choose to:
1. Not approve a county match contribution of $50,000 to support a Project Roomkey extension through September utilizing County CRF CARES funds
2. The Board may also choose not to approve in concept a commitment of supporting Project Roomkey through December 2020.
This is not recommended because housing for the homeless is still in short supply and the medical emergency that COVID19 represents remans. Local jurisdictions have committed to providing between $25,000 and $50,000 in matching funds to support a September extension. Additionally, these jurisdictions are collectively developing project concepts that are supporting reductions in homelessness and reduced community spread through these populations related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The commitment to support Project Roomkey needs through December 2020 will aid the County and the 7 local cites to comply with the ‘Containment Capacity’ requirement to be able to shelter 15% of the homeless population of 172 in Solano County while each city continues to work on longer term solutions for their local homeless population.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
The County Administrator’s Office is a member of the CAP Solano JPA and is partnering with its member cities to support financial needs of Project Roomkey in compliance with Federal and State directives and in leveraging the Coronavirus Relief Fund. Other County departments involved in Project Roomkey include Health & Social Services and other community partners including Caminar, Fighting Back Partnership, Shelter Inc, La Clinica, and Touro University.
CAO RECOMMENDATION:
APPROVE DEPARTMENTAL RECOMMENDATION