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ADOPT A RESOLUTION TO ALLOCATE HOMELESS HOUSING ASSISTANCE PROGRAM GRANT FUNDING FOR THE OPERATION OF THE COORDINATED ENTRY SYSTEM AND HOMELESS MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM
recommended action
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the City Council adopt a resolution to:
1. Approve and allocate HHAP funding as follows:
• $180,000 to Family Resource Center for a two-year contract to continue the Coordinated Entry System utilizing the 2-1-1 system, providing 24/7 access and referrals to local, state, and national resources via phone, online, and two-way text message to approximately 6,000 individuals/households annually in the homeless community
• $180,000 to Central Valley Low Income Housing Corp. (CVLIHC) for a two- year contract to support regional coordination and to expand and develop local capacity to address immediate homelessness challenges through the implementation, operation and oversight of the Homeless Management Information System.
The awarded organizations must comply with City and state Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) reporting and expenditure obligations. Funds may only be expended on HHAP eligible uses.
2. Approve findings pursuant to Stockton Municipal Code Section 3.68.070 that support an exception to the competitive bidding process; and,
3. Authorize the City Manager, or designee, to defund and reallocate awarded funding if the project is unable to meet the required spending obligations. If defunded, the funding is to be reallocated to eligible projects that can meet HCD timelines and general requirements.
4. Authorize the City Manager, or designee, to draft, enter into and execute any associated documents and take whatever actions are appropriate and necessary to carry out the purpose and intent of this resolution.
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Summary
Staff recommend that Council approve a resolution authorizing the allocation of HHAP funding in the amount of $180,000 to Family Resource Center for CES and $180,000 to CVLIHC for HMIS. The integration of Coordinated Entry and HMIS ensures that the City’s homelessness response system operates efficiently, prioritizes the most vulnerable households, and maintains transparency and accountability for public funding sources. Continued participation in these coordinated systems supports the City’s efforts to expand housing opportunities, improve service delivery outcomes, and align with regional strategies to reduce homelessness in the City and San Joaquin County. CES and HMIS are required by both state and federal funding sources.
DISCUSSION
Background
The State's HHAP funds are designed to support regionally coordinated efforts between the County, Continuum of Care (CoC), and the City 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 and ensuring those individuals and families maintain their permanent housing.
The homeless response system in the City of Stockton within San Joaquin County operates through three interconnected components: 211, the Coordinated Entry System (CES), and the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS). Together, these systems ensure that individuals and families experiencing homelessness are able to access services, be assessed and prioritized for housing interventions, and that program outcomes are tracked to meet federal and state requirements.
Although the proposed Resolution does not recommend funding for the function of 211, it is important to understand the connectivity of the homelessness response system in its entirety.
211 Community Information and Referral
San Joaquin County 211 functions as a primary access point for residents seeking assistance with housing instability, homelessness, health services, and other social supports. Individuals and families may contact 211 via phone or online to receive referrals to emergency shelter, prevention resources, and housing programs. For people experiencing homelessness, 211 often serves as the initial access point to the local homeless services system.
Coordinated Entry System
The Coordinated Entry System is the standardized countywide process used to assess individuals and families experiencing homelessness and match them with appropriate housing resources. Through CES, trained providers conduct standardized vulnerability assessments to determine the level of housing intervention needed, such as:
• Emergency Shelter
• Rapid Rehousing
• Permanent Supportive Housing
• Prevention and Diversion resources
CES ensures that limited housing resources are distributed based on vulnerability, equity, and system prioritization standards, consistent with federal guidance.
CES is required for programs funded through Homeless Housing Assistance Program grant funds and is also used for reporting under California state homelessness initiatives.
Homeless Management Information System
The Homeless Management Information System is the secure database used by homeless service providers to collect client-level data and track services delivered across the system. HMIS enables providers and local governments to:
• Monitor program performance
• Track housing placements and outcomes
• Produce required reports for federal and state funding programs
• Support coordinated referrals through CES
HMIS is required for programs funded through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and is also used for reporting under California state homelessness initiatives.
System Integration
Together, these systems operate as the backbone of the local homeless response system:
• 211 Entry point for community referrals and service navigation
• CES Assessment, prioritization, and housing placement
• HMIS Data tracking, reporting, and system coordination
This coordinated structure allows the City of Stockton and San Joaquin County Continuum of Care to ensure equitable access to housing resources, compliance with funding requirements, and improved outcomes for people experiencing homelessness.
Present Situation
In an attempt to connect and better understand our partners and the environment and systems they operate, the City began Round Table Discussions last year. These discussions allow the City and local nonprofit service providers to discuss a variety of topics that concern and sometimes hinder the service efforts in the community. A reoccurring comment arose in the cost to organizations to participation in the HMIS system. The other reoccurring concern was the timeliness of receiving referrals for homeless individuals and families. These barriers are in part addressed by the partnership agreements.
The agreement with CVLIHC for the management of HMIS, provide funding for setup fees and licensing for providers, along with covering mandated yearly training costs for those providers receiving HHAP funding.
The agreement with FRC supports the ongoing operation of the CES and mandates that training be provided to providers to help them master entry of daily housing availability. The CES is a critical database that should reflect real time availability of housing; however, the data is only as reliable as all parties’ commitment to keeping data up to date. Additional training in data entry will help support providers’ efforts in utilizing the system consistently, leading to better overall available information.
Local Implementation and Partnerships
The City of Stockton has previously approved Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HHAP funding for similar partnership agreements supporting service delivery infrastructure through community-based providers such as Family Resource Center and Central Valley Low Income Housing Corporation.
As HHAP funding has potential to sunset with a final Round 7 and no expected application release date, staff looks to keep the homeless response system functioning and funded at least through the duration of HHAP funds. These contracts address the funding deadlines, the communicated barriers, and keep an established and functioning system intact. With this support, Stockton is leading as the largest City in the County with the most services, service providers, interim and/or shelter beds and newly added affordable permanent housing units by investing in the critical infrastructure required to connect individuals to resources.
Through these partnerships, the City seeks to strengthen coordination between community access points, housing providers, and supportive services while ensuring compliance with HUD and HHAP program requirements.
The allocation to FRC and CVLIHC did not go through a competitive process as these entities are the providers of the mandated services for state and federal compliance.
FINDINGS
Pursuant to Stockton Municipal Code section 3.68.070, contracts for over $100,000.00 may be awarded without competitive bidding in cases where the City Council has approved findings which support and justify exceptions to the competitive bidding process. These circumstances may include, but are not to be limited to, the following:
These findings include:
1. When it is in the best interest of the City to do so, when the staff does not have the professional experience or capacity to carry out the scope of services.
2. These service providers are the only agencies supporting the operation of the Coordinated Entry System and Homeless Management Information System within San Joaquin County.
3. The Family Resource Center and Central Valley Low Income Housing Corp. have a firm understanding of the SJC Region and of the complex issues of homelessness, housing, and vulnerable populations. Because of this knowledge and experience, they are poised and proven to carry out the scope within the imperative expenditure timeline.
FINANCIAL SUMMARY
There will be no financial impact to the City’s General Fund or any other unrestricted fund as a result of this action. Funding to support the recommendations is budgeted and available in the Special Grant Fund (Fund 280, Sub-fund 282), Housing Division.