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Approve a Memorandum of Understanding with Community Action Partnership Solano Joint Powers Authority for coordinated entry of homeless services for the term of December 1, 2025-December 31, 2028, for a total of $253,350; and Delegate authority to the County Administrator to execute the agreement and any subsequent amendments, with County Counsel concurrence, up to an aggregate of $74,999
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Published Notice Required? Yes ____ No _X _
Public Hearing Required? Yes ____ No _X _
DEPARTMENTAL RECOMMENDATION:
The County Administrator’s Office recommends the Board of Supervisors:
1. Approve a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Community Action Partnership Solano Joint Powers Authority (CAP Solano JPA) for coordinated entry of homeless services for the term of December 1, 2025-December 31, 2028, for a total of $253,350; and
2. Delegate authority to the County Administrator to execute the agreement and any subsequent amendments, with County Counsel concurrence, up to an aggregate of $74,999.
SUMMARY/DISCUSSION:
In Solano County, CAP Solano JPA is the Administrative Entity for the Continuum of Care (CoC) and as such is required by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to operate a Coordinated Entry System (CES). The CES is a process developed to ensure that all people experiencing homelessness have fair and equal access to available housing and are quickly identified, assessed for, and connected to housing and assistance based on their strengths and needs.
HUD provides limited funding for the CES, but does not cover the full cost of the mandated services. Since 2019, Benicia, Fairfield, Rio Vista, Suisun City, Vacaville and Vallejo and the County have agreed to provide funding to supplement federal funding for the annual cost of the agreement with the operator. The most recent funding agreement with the jurisdictions expired on May 31, 2025. This item brings forward a new MOU to continue to fund the CES at the same rate as previously funded.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
HUD provides funding through an agreement with the CAP Solano JPA, on behalf of the CoC, that funds approximately $233,589 annually of the CES operator contract. In addition, the CAP Solano JPA has secured funding from Partnership HealthPlan of approximately $129,500 annually to enhance CES. However, additional funds are still needed to ensure a fully functional CES.
The County’s share of cost for CES is funded by the General Fund through the Department of Health and Social Services’ (H&SS) budget. The FY2025/26 General Fund cost is $81,966; for FY2026/27 it is $84,425 and for FY2027/2028 it is $86,958 for a total of $253,350 (total due to rounding). This amount is included in H&SS’s FY2025/26 Working Budget and will be requested in future years budgets
DISCUSSION:
A CES is a community-wide system to standardize and expedite the process by which people experiencing homelessness, or who are at risk of homelessness, access housing and homeless resources. It connects the community's network of homeless services and housing resources while streamlining, standardizing and coordinating the homeless intake, assessment, and referral processes. Through Coordinated Entry, people experiencing homelessness are matched to services and housing based on their level of vulnerability, need, and preferences. Standardizing the intake process across the CoC, sharing information in real-time, and adopting uniform prioritization policies are all at the core of a high-performing CES.
In 2017, HUD established requirements for such a coordinated assessment system for all Continuums of Care (CoC) and recipients of CoC and Emergency Solutions Grants funding. Each CoC, including the local Housing First Solano CoC, had to implement the HUD requirements by January 2018 in order to receive continued funding.
In Solano, the CAP Solano JPA is the Community Action Agency for Solano County, the Collaborative Applicant for Continuum of Care funding, the Homeless Management Information System Lead Agency, and the Coordinated Entry Lead Agency. As such, the CAP Solano JPA is responsible for ensuring implementation of coordinated entry in Solano County. The current coordinated entry operator, Caminar, was first selected through a Request for Proposal (RFP) process in 2017 and most recently again selected 2022. The CAP Solano JPA is currently in an RFP process for continued services. The Solano Family Justice Center serves as the Coordinated Entry provider for survivors of domestic violence.
According to the CAP Solano JPA 2024 Annual Report, Resource Connect Solano (RCS), the CES program currently run by Caminar, reported a total of 1022 individuals and households had Coordinated Entry intakes completed during their reporting year. This is nearly double the total of prior year’s total of 591. Unhoused individuals accessed RCS by phone, in person, or by email. RCS received 17,603 phone calls from individuals and families, 1,654 individuals and families came in person to physical access sites in Fairfield and Vallejo, and 1,594 individuals and families emailed looking for help and resources.
There were 137 exits with the following recorded positive outcomes, including rental by client and permanent housing with family/friend a 10% increase from the prior year. (Note: not all clients have exit outcomes recorded. Clients may secure housing through a variety of means and may not report back to RCS when they obtain housing.) During the reporting year, RCS referred 475 households to services and housing projects that participate in the Coordinated Entry System.
The proposed payment amount is determined by the population of the cities with the County making a larger amount than its population and is in accordance with the payment structure of the previous MOU. The City of Dixon does not a participate in this Coordinated Entry MOU and is not included in the cost distribution, although people experiencing homelessness in Dixon are not excluded from receiving services through the coordinated entry system. The Cities of Fairfield and Vacaville have already approved the MOU with the other cities planning on taking the MOU forward to their respective Councils over the next month.
The JPA staff will ensure that the Coordinated Entry Services Operator:
1. Manages for the implementation and on-going administration, development, and continuous improvement of Solano County’s Coordinated Entry System in alignment with Housing First Solano’s Coordinated Entry System Policies and Procedures.
2. Administers System support to the Coordinated Entry staff as well as the various jurisdictional and non-profit outreach teams.
3. Provides housing readiness services and case management.
4. Has resources made available through this MOU for operations.
ALTERNATIVES:
The Board could choose not to approve the coordinated entry MOU; however, this is not recommended as a regional approach to addressing issues of homelessness is necessary to have a greater impact within the County.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
The MOU has been reviewed by County Counsel.
CAO RECOMMENDATION:
APPROVE DEPARTMENTAL RECOMMENDATION