REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: JENNIFER CLARK, Director
Planning and Development Department
PHIL SKEI, Assistant Director
Planning and Development Department
BY: JILLIAN GAYTAN, Senior Management Analyst
Housing and Community Development Division
SUBJECT
Title
***RESOLUTION - Authorizing a grant application to the California Interagency Council on Homelessness (Cal ICH) for funding under the Family Homelessness Challenge Grant for accelerating efforts by local jurisdictions and continuums of care to address and end family homelessness by making families’ experiences of homelessness rare, brief, and one-time and authorizing the City Manager to sign all required implementing documents (Subject to Mayor’s Veto)
Body
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the City Council approve submission of a Family Homelessness Challenge Grant, Round 1 (FHC-1) Application to Cal ICH in order to address family homelessness within the City of Fresno.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The City of Fresno (City) is eligible for the competitive Family Homelessness Challenge Grant funding to design an innovative project accelerating efforts to address and end family homelessness by making families’ experiences of homelessness rare, brief, and one-time. The City intends to apply for one or more self-identified prioritized objective that aligns with the FHC-1 objective (i.e., rare, brief, and / or one-time) in an amount not to exceed $5 million. All eligible applicants are required to submit an application to Cal ICH for funding no later than April 30, 2022. Cal ICH will not consider any late submissions.
BACKGROUND
On March 1, 2022, Cal ICH announced the availability of approximately $30 million through an FHC Grant Request for Applications (RFA) authorized by Chapter 8 of Part 1 of Division 31 of the California Health and Safety Code (sections 50255 et seq.). This RFA is for Round 1 of funds totaling $15 million. Grantees that are awarded Round 1 funds, remain in compliance with FHC-1 requirements and demonstrate reasonable, sufficient progress toward their self-identified, prioritized objective may apply for the second round of grant funding (FHC-2) totaling $15 million. Only FHC-1 grantees are eligible to compete for FHC-2.
FHC-1 funds may only be used for proposals serving family households with dependent minors that are experiencing homelessness. Family households with dependent minors may include but is not limited to pregnant parents, parenting youth, households engaged in reunification and/or child welfare services. FHC-1 funds are designed to accelerate efforts by local jurisdictions and continuums of care to address and end family homelessness by making families’ experiences of homelessness rare, brief, and one-time.
This grant is not intended to be the sole funding source for a family homelessness challenge grant project. Awarded grant funding should be used to accelerate promising programs and practices that are in development and that complements, augments, or strengthens a community’s efforts to address and end family homelessness. Projects receiving an award must expend 50% of allocated funds by June 30, 2024, and 100% by June 30, 2026
The City intends to apply for one or more self-identified prioritized objectives in an amount not to exceed $5 million for Turning Point of Central California’s (TPOCC) Family Villa project. The Family Villa project, currently located at Bulldog Lane, will be moving to a new location in Northwest Fresno on Pleasant Avenue between Dakota Avenue and Shields Avenue by the end of 2023. The project will provide families experiencing homelessness permanent supportive housing at this new site once construction is complete. In the interim, families will be served at the current Family Villa site or another TPOCC site. The new Pleasant Avenue apartment complex consists of 48 units, a majority of which are two-bedroom units. Nineteen of these units will be subsidized by FHC-1. TPOCC will maintain control of all units occupied by the program and will be responsible for all maintenance and services provided at the site. This project, identified by staff through an informal process, will help ensure that families’ experiences of homelessness are brief and one-time.
As part of the application process, the City is required to develop an eight-part Work Plan which includes the following:
1. Summary of Proposal
2. Target Population
3. Self-Identified, Prioritized Objective
4. Self-Identified Progress Goal(s)
5. Key Implementing Partners and Personnel
6. Implementing the Proposal
7. Proposal’s Budget and Fiscal Strategy
8. Unscored, Required Questions
Additionally, two letters of intent from at least two different partners demonstrating support and collaboration on the family homeless challenge grant strategy are required for the City’s application. If selected, Staff will return to Council in late 2022 with a request to accept and appropriate the portion of FHC grant funding awarded to the City.
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 FHC allocations.
Attachments:
Resolution
Family Homeless Challenge Grant - Request for Application
Draft Family Homeless Challenge Grant - Work Plan