Receive presentation on opportunities to implement Board and Community Corrections Partnership (CCP) Strategic Plan objectives to expand housing opportunities and behavioral health programming for justice-involved individuals through purchase of properties funded by Community Services Infrastructure Grants; and provide input on related community engagement strategies for property acquisition. (No general fund impact) (Rinde/Evans/Fruchtenicht)

1. Receive presentation on opportunities to implement Board and Community Corrections Partnership (CCP) Strategic Plan objectives to expand housing opportunities and behavioral health programming for justice-involved individuals through the purchase of properties funded by Community Services Infrastructure Grants; and
    
2. Provide input on related community engagement strategies for property acquisition.

	Thriving Residents
	Safe Communities

The Board of Supervisors' 2020-2025 Strategic Plan and the Community Corrections Partnership (CCP) 2019-2022 Strategic Plan prioritize the need to expand diversion programs, access to treatment, and housing investments. Housing remains one of the most significant barriers to effective provision of services to individuals that may otherwise qualify for diversion or treatment programs.  To meet these objectives, Yolo County submitted for and acquired two Community Services Infrastructure Grants (Round 1 and 2) from the California Health Facilities Financing Authority (CHFFA).  
 
The Round 1 grant ($1.0 million) supports the Diversionary Housing Project which was designed by the CCP to provide additional housing (one each in West Sacramento and Woodland) and expand access to mental health and substance use disorder treatment services to up to ten individuals at a time with a mental health and/or substance use condition, at risk for homelessness and involved in the criminal justice system.  Absent an increase in supportive and transitional housing for these individuals, this population will continue to be underserved. 
 
The Round 2 grant ($1.6 million) supports efforts to purchase and renovate a property in the county to develop a substance use disorder treatment program which will be called Ellen’s House.  Ellen’s House will provide services for up to eight at a time and is dedicated to serving justice-involved individuals suffering from substance use disorders, experiencing homelessness and who may have co-occurring mental health disorders. Currently, only one program is contracted in Yolo County for similar services and does not have capacity to meet the demand. Individuals requiring this level of assistance may be placed in similar programs in other counties outside of their communities. This is not an optimal solution for their rehabilitation and reintegration into their communities with which they have lived and are familiar.  Even with these out of county resources, there are often delays in access to care given the current capacity. 
 
Each of these projects requires a community engagement effort per grant regulations.  To ensure success, the Board of Supervisors has requested expanded community engagement beyond the grant and other legal requirements. Should the County be unsuccessful in the acquisition of these properties, the monies would revert to CHFFA. The Round 1 funds received an extension and have until November 30, 2022 to be utilized in property acquisition while the Round 2 funds have a deadline of April 30, 2022. Should the County be unsuccessful in acquisition, these strategic goals would remain unfulfilled. 
 
Staff have developed (per Board request) draft Community Engagement Strategies attached that consider required public notice, feedback from members of the Board of Supervisors related to community engagement for these projects, the County’s Public Engagement Policy and possible avenues to engage the specific communities in which these projects would be sited. (Attachment A) 
 
Recommended Actions
Efforts to implement the Diversionary Housing Project have been paused in order to develop community engagement strategies.  Attached is a draft of those strategies for which the Board may have input. (Attachment A) These strategies were presented to the Community Corrections Partnership on January 13 for feedback and are now being presented for the Board’s consideration.
 
The timeline for implementation of the Diversionary Housing Project has been extended allowing for a robust community engagement effort (November, 2022).  The timeline for Ellen’s House, however, is much shorter with property acquisition required by the end of April 2022 and no additional extensions are available through CHFFA.  Still, the Health & Human Services Agency (HHSA), who is lead on the Ellen’s House project, will endeavor to employ as many community engagement strategies as possible and as appropriate for the project.

Community Corrections Partnership
Probation Department
Health and Human Services Agency
District Attorney
Public Defender
Yolo County Housing