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HA - Approval of an Amendment to the Existing Professional Services Agreement with Upward Bound House to Perform Homeless Outreach, Case Management and Permanent Housing Placement to Culver City Homeless Families for the Period of July 1, 2016 Through June 30, 2017, July 1, 2017 Through June 30, 2018 and July 1, 2018 Through June 30, 2019.
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Contact Person/Dept: Tevis Barnes - Housing/CDD
Phone Number: (310) 253-5782
Fiscal Impact: Yes [X] No [] General Fund: Yes [] No [X]
Public Hearing: [] Action Item: [X] Attachments: Yes [X] No []
Commission Action Required: Yes [] No [X] Date:
Public Notification: (E-Mail) Meetings and Agendas - City Council (06/08/16); Upward Bound House - 04/26/2016; Saint Joseph Center - 04/26/2016; Committee on Homelessness - 04/26/2016
Department Approval: Sol Blumenfeld, CDD Director (05/30/16)
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RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends the Culver City Housing Authority Board (Board) approve an amendment to the existing professional services agreement with Upward Bound House (UBH) for a three-year contract to perform homeless outreach, case management and permanent housing placement to Culver City homeless families in an amount not to exceed $130,000 each fiscal year for the period of July 1, 2016 through June 30, 2017, July 1, 2017 through June 30, 2018 and July 1, 2018 through June 30, 2019.
BACKGROUND:
Upward Bound House was founded in 1990 in response to the affordable housing crisis on the Westside of Los Angeles and its impact on homeless families with minor children and very-low income seniors. Developed to address the lack of emergency shelter services for families in the area, the Family Shelter opened in 2010 in Culver City and is the only program of its kind on the Westside of Los Angeles.
Family Shelter offers a safe and dignified living experience and features eighteen separate efficiency units. Each unit houses a family of up to four persons and includes beds for adults and children, a refrigerator and microwave, a full bathroom, storage and closet space, and basic furnishings. Families are provided with two nutritious meals each day: a “grab-and-go” breakfast and a hot evening meal. Upward Bound House employs round-the-clock staff to ensure the safety of families, enforce program rules and address any facility issues. Key supportive services provided to families during their stay at Family Shelter are detailed in Attachment No.1 (Please See Attachment No.1).
From July 1, 2015 to March 21, 2016, the Family Shelter provided temporary shelter and intensive case management to 30 families encompassing 36 adults and 56 children. A total of 19 families were assisted in securing and moving into permanent housing with an average family’s stay of 3.5 months at the Shelter before moving into their own homes.
Some highlights from the UBH current year of service (July 2015 - March 2016) include:
• Providing temporary shelter and intensive case management to 30 families encompassing 36 adults and 56 children.
• Placing 19 families in safe, sanitary permanent housing.
• Serving 22 children from the Culver City Unified School District.
• Serving 9 families whose last permanent housing was in City Culver.
• Ensuring that enrolled families experience homelessness for shorter periods of time (approximately 3.5 months, average length of stay is typically 4 months).
DISCUSSION:
Upward Bound House is requesting grant funds in the amount of $130,000 per year for three years in order to provide outreach, case management and permanent housing placement services at Family Shelter in Culver City. Families are primarily referred through the Homeless Families Solutions System (HFSS) in Service Planning Area 5 that UBH operates in partnership with St. Joseph Center. Families are also referred to the Family Shelter from the Culver City Unified School District (CCUSD) and the Culver City Housing Authority (CCHA).
In addition to providing the supportive services described above, UBH staff will reach out to families in Culver City as follows:
• Coordination with the Culver City School District. Upward Bound House will maintain and formalize collaboration with the CCUSD in order to serve families experiencing homelessness or are at-risk of homelessness within the school district. A proactive collaborative approach will be implemented that ensures that families are identified early and quickly assisted with appropriate services. Upward Bound House will also ensure that the Culver City Fire and Police Departments and the CCHA are informed about specific outreach services in the City and establish a protocol for communication between the various agencies that will facilitate homeless families’ connection to Family Shelter.
• Assessment of Housing Sustainability for Residents in Culver City Rental Assistance Program (RAP). Upward Bound House will follow up with former UBH clients who are now receiving RAP funds to assess their ability to sustain permanent housing once this funding expires. Families who need continued assistance will be connected with UBH and other resources they are eligible. Families with children zero to five years will be assessed for enrollment in the First 5 LA Supportive Housing for Homeless Families Program. Families who are not eligible for the First 5 program will be linked to other available programs that they may qualify for. The CCHA will be supplied with a sustainability analysis report of all the UBH clients under the RAP. There are currently only four former UBH families participating in the RAP program. This number is down from the sixteen previous UBH RAP participants. All these households reached their five year term limit. There are a total of twenty-eight active RAP program participants. Enrollment in the RAP program will decrease to twenty-five households by calendar year 2018. Of this number, twenty-five are elderly and/or disabled and exempted from the five year term limit.
The Committee on Homelessness and staff are pleased with UBH and the shelter and services provided to homeless Culver City families and recommend the proposed contract amendment.
Pursuant to Culver City Municipal Code Section 3.07.085.A, professional services are exempt from the formal competitive bid process, provided the contract is based upon competitive quotations, whenever practical, as determined by the City Manager. In this case, as discussed above, UBH is the only program of its kind on the Westside of Los Angeles and the Housing Authority staff is pleased with the quality of UBH’s services thus far; therefore, competitive quotations are not practical at this time.
FISCAL ANALYSIS:
The proposed amendment to the UBH Homeless Outreach, Case Management and Permanent Housing Placement contract is not to exceed $130,000 for the next three fiscal years from July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2019. These contract amendments will be supported from funds taken from the Low and Moderate Income Housing Asset Fund (LMIHAF) and subject to on-going monthly monitoring. Approval of the contract amendment has no impact on the City’s General Fund.
All contract renewals are contingent upon continual funding to the LMIHAF. In a memorandum dated April 22, 2016 from the Chief Financial Officer (CFO), the Council was informed that the CCHA received $770,000 in funds from the refinance of the 4043 Irving Project for FY 2016-17. In addition, the LMIHAF will be supplemented annually starting FY 2017-2018 with repayment of the Supplemental Educational Revenue Augmentation Fund (SERAF) loan. Payment will total $49 million until FY 2029 - 2030 with an average deposit of $1.5 million per fiscal year from FY 2017-2021. The average deposit will increase to $3.2 million from fiscal year FY 2021-2026 and increase again to $8.4 million on average from FY 2027-2030.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Upward Bound Housing Family Shelter Proposal.
MOTION:
That the Culver City Housing Authority Board:
1. Approve an amendment to the existing professional services agreement with Upward Bound House to perform homeless outreach, case management and permanent housing placement to Culver City homeless families in an amount not to exceed $130,000 each fiscal year for the period of July 1, 2016 through June 30, 2017, July 1, 2017 through June 30, 2018 and July 1, 2018 through June 30, 2019. Funds taken from the Low and Moderate Income Housing Asset Fund; and
2. Authorize the Housing Authority General Counsel to review/prepare the necessary documents; and
3. Authorize the Executive Director to execute such documents on behalf of the Culver City Housing Authority.