REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
December 6, 2018
FROM: LEE BRAND, Mayor
Office of the Mayor and City Manager
BY: H. SPEES, Director, Strategic Initiatives
Office of the Mayor and City Manager
SUBJECT
Title
RESOLUTION - Declaring a shelter crisis pursuant to Senate Bill 850 and authorizing application for $3,105,519 in Homeless Emergency Aid Program grant funds
Body
RECOMMENDATION
Adopt the attached resolution declaring a shelter crisis in the City of Fresno and approving the City of Fresno’s application for HEAP Funding.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
During the summer of 2018, Mayor Lee Brand joined with other Big 11 City Mayors in California to lobby the State for funding to relieve the burden Fresno and other cities faced in addressing homelessness. The Mayors’ efforts were successful, resulting in $500 million in State assistance. Fresno’s pro-rata portion of these funds is $3,105,519. The State required a community planning process to determine how these funds would be invested in a coordinated way. This resolution is a necessary part of that planning process.
BACKGROUND
During the summer of 2018, Mayor Lee Brand joined with other Big 11 City Mayors in California to lobby the State for funding to relieve the burden Fresno and other cities faced in addressing homelessness. Mayor Brand had previously declared homelessness as the single most significant quality of life issue facing our community and had launched an initiative that has resulted in the Street2Home Fresno County: a Framework for Action.
The Mayors’ efforts were successful, resulting in $500 million in State assistance. Fresno’s pro-rata portion of these funds is $3,105,519, with an additional $9,501,363 going to the Fresno Madera Continuum of Care (FMCoC). The State required a community planning process to determine how these funds would be invested in a coordinated way. The City’s proposal, linked with the FMCoC’s proposal provide opportunities for homeless service providers to apply for funding in the following areas: Triage Center, Bridge Housing, Diversion, Coordinated Entry, Rapid Rehousing, Outreach, Landlord Engagement, and Services to Homeless Youth. All planning conforms to the recommendations set forth in the strategic planning document, “Street2Home Fresno County: A Framework for Action,” previously supplied to the City Council which outlines four pillar priorities and 13 recommendations for addressing homelessness in the Greater Fresno community.
Funds will be available for homeless services in both the City of Fresno and, through the parallel FMCoC funding in incorporated and unincorporated jurisdictions of Fresno and Madera Counties through June 30, 2021. There is no matching contribution requirement for these funds. Agreements resulting from the process will be brought to Council for consideration and approval.
City Attorney has reviewed and approved the Shelter Crisis Resolution (see attached)
The resolution declaring a shelter crisis in the City of Fresno is pursuant to Senate Bill 850 (Chapter 48, Statutes of 2018) and Government Code, Section 8698.2 and is required by the California Homeless Coordinating and Financing Council (HCFC) for the Homeless Emergency Aid Program (HEAP) to receive grant funding distributed to the City of Fresno.
ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS
This is not a project pursuant to CEQA guideline 15378.
LOCAL PREFERENCE
N/A
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no increase in Net City Cost associated with the recommended action. As required by the California HCFC for HEAP grant funding, the City will proceed with an application in the amount of $3,105,519, the total eligible distribution per Senate Bill 850 (Chapter 48, Statutes of 2018): Section 2, Chapter 5, 50213 (a) and (b). Planning for these expenditures has been done, as required by the State, in coordination with similar funding in the amount of $9,501,363 through the FMCoC.
As noted above funds will be available for homeless services in both the City of Fresno and, through the parallel FMCoC funding in incorporated and unincorporated jurisdictions of Fresno and Madera Counties through June 30, 2021. There is no matching contribution requirement for these funds.
Attachments:
Attachment A -Emergency Shelter Resolution
Attachment B -HEAP Spending Plan