To: Sonoma County Board of Supervisors
Department or Agency Name(s): Human Services
Staff Name and Phone Number: Paul Dunaway 565-3673, Gary Fontenot 565-5931
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supervisorial District(s): All
Title:
Title
Housing Programs for Adult and Aging
End
Recommended Actions:
Recommended action
A) Authorize the Director of Human Services to accept funding from the California Department of Social Services for the Home Safe Program in the amount of $680,000 for FY 2019-20, FY 2020-21, and FY2021-22.
B) Adopt a position resolution to approve the addition of 2.0 Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) time-limited positions to support the Home Safe Program and the Housing and Disability Advocacy Program (HDAP).
C) Adopt a resolution authorizing acceptance of VOCA XE and VOCA KE funding to meet CalOES compliance requirements.
end
Executive Summary:
The Human Services Department Adult and Aging Services Division received a $680,000 allocation to implement the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) Home Safe Program on July 1, 2019. The grant funding allocation period is July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2022. The allocation will fund 2.0 full-time, time-limited positions for the Home Safe program and the Housing and Disability Advocacy Program (HDAP), a contract with Sonoma County Legal Aid for $49,450 for an attorney to assist with eviction prevention, as well as funding for rental subsidies and transitional housing needs. The Human Services Department (HSD) also requests a revised resolution to meet CalOES compliance requirements for VOCA XE and VOCA KE funding.
Discussion:
The need for safe, stable and affordable housing for seniors in Sonoma County continues to grow. As baby boomers age, the number of elders in Sonoma County is increasing. Many seniors are on fixed incomes and therefore struggle to keep up with the rising costs of housing. Current housing resources are inadequate to meet the needs of older adults requiring housing assistance. This is especially true for elders who may be at risk of homelessness or who have been made homeless as the result of abuse, neglect or self-neglect. These elder and dependent adult abuse victims often have other risk factors such as physical frailty, isolation and poor health, which further hinder their ability to resolve their housing needs independently. Individuals receiving General Assistance who need benefits advocacy and are homeless or at risk of homelessness also need additional assistance to navigate both the benefits and housing systems.
During the past 3 years, the Human Services Department Adult and Aging Services Division has addressed this growing issue with the implementation of several programs to address the housing needs of older adults and people with disabilities. In 2016, the Human Services Department (HSD) and Community Development Commission (CDC) partnered on a program called Linkages to Senior Housing that was piloted for 18 months. That successful pilot, generously supported by the Board of Supervisors, was leveraged to apply for two grants. The California Office of Emergency Services (CalOES) funded a Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) grant in 2017 to provide emergency shelter to elder abuse victims in the Sonoma County Adult Protective Services program. HSD will be applying in a non-competitive application to continue this program through 2021. This board item requests that the Board approve a revised resolution required for CalOES compliance rules. On September 25, 2018, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors approved the allocation for both grants. The contracted amount for VOCA XE is $400,000 and runs from July 1, 2016 to December 31, 2019. The contracted amount for VOCA KE is $595,000 and runs from October 1, 2017 to November 1, 2019. In a subsequent audit, the auditor found that the resolution from the previous board item was not in compliance with the language required. Therefore, the only request at this time is to correct the language in the resolution to meet the necessary requirements.
In 2018, HSD applied through the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) for a program called the Housing and Disability Advocacy Program (HDAP). Sonoma County Human Services was awarded this grant in April 2018 to assist individuals who are homeless, or at risk of homelessness, and need benefits advocacy to find housing and apply for benefits (such as SSI, and Veteran’s benefits.) The HDAP program started in July 2018 and is a two year program ending in June 2020. In January 2019, a short-term contract was developed with Interfaith Shelter Network for housing coordination and case management and a Request for Proposals was released in March 2019 to award a new contract starting in July 2019. The program is supported by 1.0 FTE in the Adult and Aging Division. This historical information is to explain that since being awarded the Home Safe grant combined with the resources from HDAP, the Human Services Department will be adding 1.0 FTE Social Work Assistant to support both programs.
The Human Services Department has now been awarded a $680,000 allocation by CDSS to implement a new pilot program called Adult Protective Services (APS) Home Safe. The application was submitted in October 2018 through a competitive process. The purpose of this funding is to support the housing stability of elders and dependent adults who are being served by Adult Protective Services (APS). The Home Safe program is designed specifically for APS clients who are at risk of abuse, neglect, or self-neglect and also are recently homeless or are at risk of homelessness. Home Safe will provide intensive case management services and direct financial assistance to clients for housing-related needs with a time-limited Home Safe Social Worker IV position and a time-limited Social Work Assistant position. The Social Work Assistant would support both Home Safe and HDAP. The Social Work Assistant position will be funded equally by Home Safe and HDAP. Human Services, as part of Home Safe, will contract with Sonoma County Legal Aid in order to provide housing-related legal advocacy for APS clients whose housing is jeopardized due to evictions. The goal of the program is to serve up to 150 older and dependent adults over 3 years and provide housing assistance to assist those individuals at risk to avoid homelessness. HSD will work collaboratively with Legal Aid to meet the intended targets.
Prior Board Actions:
September 25, 2018: Board approved a Resolution to accept funding for VOCA KE and XE.
April 17, 2018: Board approved new Human Services funding for Housing and Case Management Services.
December 12, 2017: Board received update on the Senior Homeless Prevention Program.
December 6, 2016: Board approved the implementation of the Senior Homeless Prevention
Program, Linkages to Senior Housing.
Fiscal Summary
|
Expenditures |
FY 18-19 Adopted |
FY19-20 Projected |
FY 20-21 Projected |
|
Budgeted Expenses |
|
$553,333 |
$553,333 |
|
Additional Appropriation Requested |
|
|
|
|
Total Expenditures |
|
$553,333 |
$553,333 |
|
Funding Sources |
|
|
|
|
General Fund/WA GF |
|
|
|
|
State/Federal |
|
$553,333 |
$553,333 |
|
Fees/Other |
|
|
|
|
Use of Fund Balance |
|
|
|
|
Contingencies |
|
|
|
|
Total Sources |
|
$553,333 |
$553,333 |
Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
The full 3-year cost of this Home Safe program will be $1,660,000: Human Services Department (HSD) will fund $980,000, and the State will match with $680,000. Of the $980K, 30% will be a cash match from 1991 Realignment funds and 70% will be an in-kind match from current payroll costs. Annually, HSD will fund $326,667 while the State matches with $226,667 for each of the 3 fiscal years starting with FY 2019-2020. There is no request for County General Fund. This program will be funded through a combination of State sources, 1991 Realignment revenue, and HSD reserve fund balance in the first year.
If approved by the Board, this funding request will be included in the FY 2019-20 supplemental budget for the Human Services Department.
|
Staffing Impacts: |
|
|
|
|
Position Title (Payroll Classification) |
Monthly Salary Range (A - I Step) |
Additions (number) |
Deletions (number) |
|
Social Services Worker IV, Time-Limited |
$65,682 - $79,811 |
1 |
|
|
Social Work Assistant, Time-Limited |
$42,369 - $51,531 |
1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
The Social Worker IV and Social Work Assistant will provide housing support to the Home Safe Program and Housing and Disability Advocacy Program. Recipients of these services are the most vulnerable people in our community at risk of homeless or already homeless.
Attachments:
1. Position Resolution
2. Revised Resolution - VOCA KE and VOCA XE funding
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
None