That the City Council approve and authorize the City Manager to execute Amendment No. 1 to the VCC: The Gary Center Lease Agreement in the amount of $1.00 per year, for use of the City-owned property at 350 South Hillcrest Street. 

On October 18, 2021, the City Council approved a new lease agreement with VCC: The Gary Center to operate services at the City-owned property at 341 South Hillcrest Street.  VCC: The Gary Center has created a centralized "one-stop" system for referrals and resources for individuals, families and organizations.  Staff from the VCC: The Gary Center and the City's Community Services Department, as well as our community partners at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church and the La Habra Collaborative, are committed to collaborative community service models that ensure a safe, sustainable, and efficient strategy of community outreach. The current Hillcrest location includes offices and meeting spaces for several local organizations, including the La Habra Collaborative, La Habra Meals on Wheels, Food Distribution, Employment & Training, Homeless Outreach, volunteers and the faith-based community. 

VCC: The Gary Center has a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Community Resource Care Center (CRCC) to provide food distribution and volunteer support.  This MOU expired on March 31, 2022.  On February 28, 2022, the Board of Directors of the La Habra Community Resources Care Center voted to dissolve its nonprofit organization. Since its incorporation in 1985, CRCC has worked to provide assistance and support services to the homeless and at risk population. In recent years, and as the result of several contributing factors, the most recent being the COVID-19 pandemic, CRCC has transitioned from a multi-faceted resource center into a "food only" distribution center.  As that evolution occurred, the CRCC Board has indicated to the City that they now believe that VCC: The Gary Center and La Habra Collaborative are better equipped to serve the community with a more sustainable base.  As such, the CRCC evidently did not want to duplicate efforts, but rather consolidate and cooperate with other non-profits. The CRCC Board has inidated that they desire to transition their current food distribution operation seamlessly and expeditiously to the existing efforts of the VCC: The Gary Center and La Habra Collaborative. 

In an effort to support this transition, an amendment to the current VCC: The Gary Center lease agreement has been prepared for the City Council's consideration and approval that, if approved, would update the existing agreement, effective April 5, 2022, to allow VCC: The Gary Center to occupy and continue operating food distribution services at the City-owned property at 350 South Hillcrest Street, previously used by the CRCC. 
 

If approved, the updated lease will be $1.00 per year for the City-owned property at 350 South Hillcrest Street.  The terms and conditions of this lease are consistent with prior City Council direction regarding the leasing of City owned properties to local non-profit agencies that are supporting community needs and will require VCC: The Gary Center to be responsible for all separately metered utility costs and insurance.