REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: JENNIFER CLARK, Director
Planning and Development Department
PHIL SKEI, Assistant Director
Housing and Homeless Initiatives
BY: IEN XIONG, Senior Management Analyst
Homeless Services Division
SUBJECT
Title
Actions pertaining to the Homeless Housing, Assistance, and Prevention (HHAP) program:
1. ***RESOLUTION - Authorizing application for and acceptance of funding from the State of California Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency’s (BCSH) Department of Housing and Community Department (HCD) as a regional applicant for the sixth round of Homeless Housing, Assistance, and Prevention Program (HHAP) and authorizing the City Manager to sign all required implementing documents. (Subject to Mayor’s Veto)
2. Approve a Memorandum of Understanding committing the City to participate in and comply with the jointly completed Regionally Coordinated Homelessness Action Plan and application for the sixth round of HHAP
Body
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommend the City Council approve the resolution to apply for and accept funding from BCSH and HCD in order to continue the receipt of HHAP funds and authorize the City Manager to sign all required implementing documents, and approve the MOU to comply with the Regionally Coordinated Homelessness Action Plan and application for sixth round of funding.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The City of Fresno (City) is eligible for a sixth round of HHAP (HHAP-6) funding to support regional coordination and expand or develop local capacity to address homelessness in the City. BCSH requires all eligible applicants to submit an application and Regionally Coordinated Homelessness Action Plan to California Interagency Council on Homelessness (Cal ICH) for HHAP-6 funding no later than August 29, 2025. By submitting the application and Regionally Coordinated Homelessness Action plan, the City will receive an initial disbursement equal to 50% of its total allocation.
BACKGROUND
HHAP-6 is a $760 million grant program authorized Section 13 of AB 166 (Chapter 48, Statutes of 2024; Health & Safety Code (HSC) Section 50239, et seq.), which was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom on July 2, 2024. HHAP-6 is established to reflect the state’s priorities to prevent and expeditiously reduce unsheltered homelessness through homelessness prevention activities and sustain existing Interim Housing Solutions and Permanent Housing Solutions, including long-term sustainability of permanent affordable housing. Eligible recipients of HHAP funding include Continuums of Care, Cities (Large Cities with population over 300,000), Counties, and Tribal Governments.
In a planning group consisting of representatives from the City, Fresno Madera Continuum of Care (FMCoC), and Counties of Madera and Fresno, began coordinating to complete the proposed Regionally Coordinated Homelessness Action Plan and application template provided by the state. The homelessness action plan developed by the region’s HHAP-6 recipients will ensure a cross-jurisdictional continuum of services to strengthen the region’s crisis response network to address the homelessness crisis in Fresno and Madera Counties and the City of Fresno. The state requires participating applicants to collaborate and engage in a public stakeholder process to inform the development of the Regionally Coordinated Homelessness Action Plan. The jurisdictional partners hosted a total of five in-person public meetings: one hosted by Madera County, two hosted by Fresno County, one hosted by City of Fresno, one hosted by the FMCoC; and one virtual meeting was hosted by the City of Fresno. The following stakeholders were invited:
• People with lived experience of homelessness
• Youth with lived experience of homelessness
• Persons of populations overrepresented in homelessness
• Local department leaders and staff from qualifying smaller jurisdictions, including child welfare, health care, behavioral health, justice, and education system leaders
• Homeless service and housing providers operating within the region
• Medi-Cal Managed Care Plans contracted with the State Department of Health Care Services in the region
• Street medicine providers and other service providers directly assisting people experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness
The Regionally Coordinated Homelessness Action Plan includes: (1) specific roles and responsibilities of each participating applicant within the region as they pertain to outreach and site coordination, siting and use of available land, the development of interim and permanent housing options, and coordination of and connection to service delivery, policies for addressing encampments, Housing Element Compliance with implementation and pro-housing designation; (2) key actions to improve the region’s CA system performance measures (SPM), which includes 44 key actions which identifies funding sources, lead entity and collaborating entities, timeframes for implementing key actions, and methods to measure the success; (3) key action the region will take to ensure racial and gender equity in service deliver, housing placements and retention, changes to procurement to affirm equitable access to housing and services, and describe how the CoC collaborates with cities and counties, and (5) sustainability of interim housing portfolio where each participating applicant is utilizing local, state, and federal funding programs to end homelessness.
Per Health and Safety Code section 50240(f), the Regionally Coordinated Homelessness Action Plan must be reflected in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed by each participating applicant. The MOU commits all signatories to participate in and comply with the Regionally Coordinated Homelessness Action Plan. The MOU was approved by City Attorney’s Office on June 16, 2025. The final MOU will be signed by the County of Madera and City of Fresno. The Regionally Coordinated Homelessness Action Plan and the application will be presented at the FMCoC general membership and the County of Fresno’s board meeting.
HHAP-6 allocations are based on HUD review of the 2024 Point-in-Time (PIT) Count and are calculated on the proportionate share of the state’s homeless population.
The City of Fresno’s allocation totals $10,491,196.56. By submitting the application and local homelessness action plan, the City will receive an initial disbursement of 50% of the HHAP-6 allocation totaling $5,245,598.28. To receive the second disbursement of funds, the City must demonstrate that no less than 75 percent of HHAP-6 funds are contractually obligated, and no less than 50 percent of HHAP-6 funds are expended by June 30, 2027.
ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS
This item is not a project as defined by the California Environmental Quality Act.
LOCAL PREFERENCE
Local preference was not implemented because of state funding.
FISCAL IMPACT
The agreement will be funded through the City’s HHAP allocations.
Attachments:
1. Resolution Authorizing Application HHAP 6
2. HHAP-6 Application
3. Memorandum of Understanding