To: Board of Supervisors
Department or Agency Name(s): Human Services, Office of Equity
Staff Name and Phone Number: Angela Struckmann, 707-565-5800; Kellie Noe, 707-565-5849; Melissa Valle, 707-565-8709
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Title:
Title
American Rescue Plan Act Community Resilience Program Agreement Extensions
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Recommended Action:
Recommended action
A) Authorize the Director of Human Services Department to execute 15 contract extensions through March 31, 2026 and extend the term of the contract with Witt O’Brien’s, LLC through December 31, 2026.
B) Authorize the extension of the delegated authority given to the Director of the Human Services Department to reallocate funds as needed for any project not meeting spenddown requirements through March 31, 2026.
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Executive Summary:
The Board supported the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Community Resilience Program (CRP) as a model for implementing intentional and community-centric investment and contract management strategies in partnership with community organizations. With data showing the disproportionate impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in various communities of Sonoma County, this program was designed to support community organizations in implementing projects responsive to the needs of the populations most adversely impacted by COVID‐ 19.
On October 24, 2023, the Board authorized the extension of CRP contracts through December 31, 2025, for programs in good standing. As the CRP contracts are ending and in order to ensure all funds are spent, 15 contracts need extensions to spend the balance of the approved funding. Included in this item is a summary of unspent funds that have been reallocated. This item requests authorization for the Director of the Human Services Department (HSD) to extend the contracts with 15 organizations through March 31, 2026, and extend the term of the contract with Witt O’Brien’s, LLC through December 31, 2026. This item also requests authorization to extend the delegated authority given to the HSD director to reallocate funds as needed for any project not meeting spenddown requirements through March 31, 2026.
Discussion:
The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), signed into law on March 11, 2021, directed nearly $96 million in federal recovery funds to the County to assist individuals and communities most impacted by COVID‐19. On December 14, 2021, the Board allocated ARPA funds to eight categories; the largest allocation was made to the Community Resilience Program (CRP) (approximately $40 million), and the second largest to COVID‐19 response ($15 million). Through an intensive community engagement process, the CRP identified nine priority areas: 1) assistance to workers, 2) childcare and childcare facilities, 3) culturally responsive disaster response, 4) educational disparities, 5) financial assistance, 6) food assistance, 7) housing and shelter, 8) mental health, and 9) small business and non‐profit organizations.
CRP Contract Extensions
On May 24, 2022, the Board approved 27 projects that were evaluated by an independent review committee. HSD executed 24 CRP contracts for an 18‐month term from July 1, 2022, through December 31, 2023, to implement the 27 approved projects. In alignment with the Board’s delegated authority granted to the HSD director through the October 24, 2023 Board item, a no-cost extension was granted to the projects in good standing through December 31, 2025. The Board received updates regarding these contract extensions on June 4, 2024 and November 5, 2024. The extension through March 31, 2026 will allow existing contracts to expend remaining funds and provide staff with sufficient time to complete all close-out activities before they are reassigned ahead of the December 31, 2026 end date for all ARPA funding.
Currently, 15 projects are providing services that could continue into 2026 with a contract extension, 11 of which received a reallocation of funds from other projects that concluded with unspent funds. The 11 projects that received a reallocation completed the 2024 monitoring cycle with a low or moderate risk rating, and the spenddown rate is 85% or higher for the entire period.
See Attachment 1 for full details on completed contracts, total expenditures, extension dates, and descriptions of why contracts were not extended or transferred.
All projects are represented in the following categories:
• 15 projects with extensions through March 31, 2026 ‐ $17,630,288.
• 9 projects will be completed in good standing with funding expended on or before December 31, 2025 - $12,671,461.58.
• 1 project with extension through June 30, 2024, ended as a result of program performance and fiscal compliance concerns ‐ $6,417,287.
• 2 projects completed in good standing with funding expended on or before June 30, 2024 - $959,082.03.
• 3 projects completed in good standing with funding expended on or before December 31, 2024 - $1,476,691 and $101,086 reallocated.
• 4 projects ended early with funding reallocated based on the October 24, 2023, Board action outlined below ‐ $3,240,515.64.
Witt O’Brien’s Contract Extension
The scope of services included in the original agreement with Witt O’Brien’s, LLC (WOB) approved by the Board on December 6, 2022 includes annual compliance monitoring for each CRP subrecipient to ensure compliance with ARPA requirements. Additionally, Witt O’Brien’s offered technical assistance as needed. The agreement also included capacity-building training for local Community-Based Organizations and County staff to develop and strengthen their foundational skillset to apply for and administer future federal funding opportunities.
While originally planned for fall of 2025, HSD assessed that it would be more appropriate to deliver the training in fall of 2026 when more information might be available around the status and availability of federal grant opportunities. Given the rapidly changing landscape, both the department and CRP contractors are likely to benefit from extending the current agreement with WOB through December 31, 2026, so as to ensure that the information and resources devoted to the capacity building trainings for local Community-Based Organizations are as up to date and accurate as possible.
CRP Funding Reallocation Update
The October 24, 2023 Board item granted delegated authority to the Director of the Human Services Department to reallocate funds based on the following guidelines:
• Direct all remaining savings to the CRP to be reallocated to successful CRP projects and to provide funding for costs not covered by Fiscal Year (FY) 2022‐2023 savings to extend time‐limited staff positions needed to support the contract extensions. The reallocation of funds to successful projects will be based on HSD, the Office of Equity, and the County Administrator’s Office staff analysis to determine which contracts are best positioned to utilize an increased contribution and what level of increase the organization could realistically absorb. Reallocation decisions will also consider whether and which geographic regions may have been under‐resourced based on CRP data.
Staff is requesting an extension to the delegated authority period granted to the Director of the Human Services Department through March 31, 2026. This will allow the HSD director to take strategic action on any projects not meeting spend down requirements to ensure that funds can continue to be spent to support the community and there is enough time for staff to meet the federal requirements for closeout. For full details and description of reallocated funds to date by program, see Attachment 2: Summary of Reallocated Funds.
Next Steps
• March 31, 2026 ‐ All CRP projects conclude.
• November 2026 ‐ Final report to the Board detailing the successes of the CRP, lessons learned, data collected, and its usability for future community strategies and policy development.
Strategic Plan:
This item directly supports the County’s Five‐year Strategic Plan and is aligned with the following pillar, goal, and objective.
• OE1‐5 Objective 5: Align procurement and grant guidelines with strategic priorities and racial equity principles.
• HSC1‐2 Objective 2: Identify gaps in the Safety Net system of services and identify areas where departments can address those gaps directly and seek guidance from the Board when additional resources and/or policy direction is needed.
• HSC1‐3 Objective 3: Create a “no wrong door” approach where clients who need services across multiple departments and programs are able to access the array of services needed regardless of where they enter the system.
• HSC2‐1 Objective 1: Safety Net departments will begin tracking data using results‐based accountability (RBA) for key programs to establish common outcome measures, such as increased service access and utilization by communities of color, or decreased homelessness.
• HSC2‐3 Objective 3: Identify and eliminate data gaps for underrepresented groups and collaborate with the community to implement measures to mitigate the negative impacts caused by the lack of access to services by racial and ethnic groups that are disproportionately under‐served by 2026.
• RESJ1‐4 Objective 4: Develop a shared understanding of key racial equity concepts across the County and its leadership.
• RESJ3‐1 Objective 2: Establish regular and publicly available reports on racial equity in County policies, programs, and services.
• RESJ 4‐2 Objective 2: Collaborate with community members and stakeholder groups to develop racial equity strategies for County emergency response, economic recovery and resiliency planning efforts.
• RESJ 4‐3 Objective 3: Begin implementing strategies for regular community engagement to guide racial equity efforts.
Racial Equity:
Was this item identified as an opportunity to apply the Racial Equity Toolkit?
Yes
See Attachment 3.
Prior Board Actions:
11/05/24: File #2024-1094 - received an update on the ARPA CRP program and reallocation plan; approved the extension of 5.0 full‐time equivalent (FTE) allocations through December 31, 2026, and deleted 2.0 FTE Department Analysts and added 2.0 FTE Program Planning and Evaluation Analyst.
06/04/24: File #2024-0319 - received an update on the ARPA CRP contract extensions and reallocation plan for unspent funds; authorized the Director of HSD to transfer fiscal lead responsibilities when a determination is made that a fiscal lead is not meeting performance standards based on the contractual agreement.
02/06/24: File #2024‐0092 ‐ authorized the Director of HSD to execute an agreement with the Hanna Institute to take over provision of the mental health services project being provided by Individuals Now Inc. dba Social Advocates for Youth.
10/24/23: File #2023‐0636 ‐ received update on ARPA CRP; authorized the Director of HSD to execute agreements/amendments, approve contract modifications, and approve an additional one‐year contract extension; approved 9.0 full‐time equivalent allocations through June 30, 2026; and approved method for reallocating funds.
12/06/22: File #2022‐1075 ‐ received an ARPA CRP update and approved administration capacity improvements.
05/24/22: File #2022‐0376 ‐ approved 27 department and community proposals for ARPA funding; authorized HSD director to execute contracts with selected organizations.
12/14/21: File # 2021‐1386 ‐ provided direction for funding on County items and approved community investment funding categories.
Fiscal Summary
Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
FY 25-26 budget includes sufficient appropriations, and no budget adjustment is needed. Currently budgeted ARPA CRP funding will be used to fund the contract extensions, and no general fund is requested.
Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
There are no staffing impacts.
Attachments:
1. ARPA Community Resilience Program Status Update Matrix
2. Summary of Reallocated Funds
3. Racial Equity Analysis
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
There are no “on file” items with the Clerk of the Board.