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ADOPT A RESOLUTION TO AUTHORIZE AN AMENDMENT TO CONTRACT WITH PROJECT SENTINEL TO AMEND THE SCOPE OF WORK TO INCLUDE TENANT-LANDLORD COUNSELING AND DISPUTE RESOLUTION SERVICES
recommended action
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the City Council adopt a resolution to:
1. Amend and allocate HHAP funding in the amount of $215,000 to the current contract with Project Sentinel to fund the Tenant Landlord Dispute Resolution Program;
2. Authorize the City Manager, or designee, to amend the current contract with Project Sentinel to add the Tenant Landlord Dispute Resolution Program to the scope of work;
3. Authorize the City Manager, or designee, to execute all documents and take all necessary and appropriate actions to carry out the purpose and intent of the resolution.
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Summary
This contract amendment supports the City of Stockton, San Joaquin County, and the San Joaquin Continuum of Care (SJCoC)’s collaboration to promote the coordinated and impactful delivery of preventing homelessness and providing support and services across the full continuum of care to make homelessness rare, brief, preventable, and non-recurring.
Project Sentinel will provide a Tenant Landlord Dispute Resolution Program (Program). The Program will create a proactive educational curriculum and conduct mediations as a means of keeping people stably housed; preventing eviction, displacement, and homelessness. Low-income tenants at risk of homelessness will be given priority in this Program. Services will encompass all areas of residential rental concerns, including but not limited to lease terminations, evictions, habitability, privacy, deposits, rent increases, and Housing Choice Voucher status complications.
Staff recommends that Council approve a resolution authorizing an amendment to the current contract adding the Tenant Landlord Resolution Program to the scope of work utilizing additional Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) funding to cover these services.
DISCUSSION
Background
The City received HHAP funds from the State of California which are designed to support regionally coordinated efforts to expand and develop local capacity to address immediate homelessness challenges throughout the state. HHAP funds are focused on moving homeless individuals and families into permanent housing as well as ensuring individuals maintain their permanent housing.
On May 13, 2025, Council approved by motion (Attachment A- Motion 2025-05-13-1211) to recommend the allocation of $200,000 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds for a two-year contract with Project Sentinel to provide fair housing services, following a competitive Request for Proposals issued in January 2025. After evaluating three submissions, Project Sentinel was selected for its extensive experience delivering fair housing enforcement services across Northern California. The program supports the City’s ongoing efforts to comply with federal and state fair housing obligations by expanding access to referred legal resources, outreach, and discrimination investigation services for City residents. Project Sentinel has also committed to establishing a local Stockton office during its first year of operation, further strengthening service accessibility.
Project Sentinel is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, tax-exempt organization established to, “…develop and promote Tenant Landlord Dispute Resolution and equality of opportunity for all person and to advocate peaceful resolutions of disputes amongst community welfare and harmony,” as stated in the organization’s Mission Statement. With over 45 years of experience, Project Sentinel delivers comprehensive services including fair housing enforcement, housing counseling, dispute resolution, and mortgage intervention to communities in Northern California. Project Sentinel maintains 24 local entitlement contracts across its service areas. Seven offices are strategically located to provide localized support, including in Modesto and Sacramento. Services are offered in English, Spanish, Hmong, Hindi, and Vietnamese through existing bilingual staff, and other language interpretation is provided through language services associates, ensuring accessibility to diverse populations. Project Sentinel has indicated it is willing to establish a Tenant Landlord Dispute Resolution office. Staff will work with Project Sentinel to support the establishment of a local Resolution Program in Stockton during its first eighteen months of operation.
Present Situation
During the delivery of fair housing services, Project Sentinel has reported a substantial demand for tenant-landlord counseling and mediation services to assist with disputes between tenants and landlords. Although Project Sentinel provides tenant-landlord dispute resolution services (out of a separate and distinct department from the fair housing department) such services are not covered under the current fair housing contract scope of work.
To distinguish the difference between fair housing and tenant-landlord dispute resolution services, fair housing services focus on preventing and addressing housing discrimination through information and referral, investigation of housing discrimination complaints, housing audits and testing, and counseling and mediation/conciliation. In contrast, tenant-landlord dispute resolution services focus on providing tenant and landlord education on their respective rights and responsibilities, guidance on best practices to navigate and resolve housing problems, and conducting mediations and conciliations as a means of keeping stable housing, preventing eviction, displacement, and homelessness.
Based on the first two quarter reports, the volume of requests for tenant-landlord resolution could not go ignored. Tenant-Landlord issues accounted for 41 of the total 107 intakes. Additionally, most, if not all, of these requests are from those at risk of homelessness due to the lack of resolution with their landlords. For Project Sentinel to provide these resolution services through the Program, the scope of work must be amended for the remainder of the current contract, approximately 18 months.
These services help Stockton residents stay safely housed by providing free tenant-landlord counseling, education, and dispute resolution services. The Program will offer workshops in English and Spanish, answer housing-related questions, assist residents experiencing conflicts with their landlords, and provide mediation to prevent eviction and homelessness. To support this work locally, Project Sentinel plans to hire a full-time, bilingual Conflict Resolution Specialist based in Stockton and conduct community outreach through mailers, brochures, and presentations. Project Sentinel brings more than 25 years of experience helping communities resolve housing issues and is committed to working closely with the City to ensure residents have access to resources that protect their housing stability.
The amendment will add $215,000 from the City’s HHAP funding for the following services starting on January 1, 2026 and will last till June 30, 2027:
1. Hire one full-time Bilingual Conflict Resolution Specialist
2. Open up to 100 cases for extensive counseling and dispute resolution (conciliation/mediation) to resolve conflicts that could lead to eviction.
3. Field 1,100 information and referral inquiries for callers to be educated about rights and responsibilities under tenant-landlord rules and laws with priority given to those at risk of homelessness; referrals to relevant government and social service resources.
4. Providing 10 Educational Presentations (Spanish/English) to educate the community on tenant protections and landlord obligations, which will include trainings of the same for staff at local community based organizations, Code Enforcement, Housing Authority, etc.
5. Distribute 1,000 brochures within the City.
6. Produce, post, and circulate by mail, 2 postcards campaigns to educate tenants and landlords, and raise awareness of the Program.
FINANCIAL SUMMARY
The proposed resolution will have no financial impact on the General Fund or any unrestricted fund because of this action. Funding will come from the HHAP grant.
Attachment A - Motion 2025-05-13-1211