Approve agreement with Yolo Wayfarer Center, dba Fourth and Hope, in the amount of $53,539 from the Effective Date of the agreement through June 30, 2025 for the provision of emergency shelter services. (No general fund impact) (Sullivan)

Approve agreement with Yolo Wayfarer Center, dba Fourth and Hope, in the amount of $53,539 from the Effective Date of the agreement through June 30, 2025 for the provision of emergency shelter services.

Funding Background:
In 2019 with the passing of Assembly Bill 101, the State enacted the Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention Program (HHAP) that provides funding to cities, counties, and local continuums of care to assist persons experiencing or at risk of homelessness throughout California. There have been several rounds of HHAP grant funding since then. On or about December 17, 2021 (revised May 26, 2022), the Homeless Coordinating and Financing Council (HCFC) announced the availability of HHAP Round 4 grant funding (“HHAP Round 4 funding”). HHAP Round 4 funding is a $1 billion block grant program authorized by AB 140 (see also, California Health & Safety Code section 50216, et. seq.). On or about October 11, 2021, County via the Health, and Human Services Agency (HHSA) submitted an application for HHAP Round 4 funding. On or about January 14, 2022, County received notice that it was awarded initial disbursement of HHAP Round 4 funding. Subsequently, the County entered into Yolo County Agreement No. 23-101 (also known as State Agreement No. 23-HHAP-10073) to accept the initial disbursement of HHAP Round 4 funding.

Now HHSA requests approval of this agreement with Yolo Wayfarer Center utilizing HHAP Round 4 funding which will be providing emergency shelter services to individuals that are at risk of homelessness or homeless. This facility is the only emergency shelter in Woodland, with 100 beds that our most vulnerable population can utilize each night. If this agreement is not approved, it would impact the facility’s ability to maintain the 100 beds availability.  Services provided at the facility will include the following:

Performance Measures included in this Agreement are as follows:
The Performance Measures associated with this Agreement are included in Attachment A, Exhibit F. Since this a new agreement, performance measures data has not been collected yet. Performance measure data will be tracked on this agreement and will be available to this Board and the public over the term of the agreement. In the previous fiscal year, the Yolo Wayfarer Center met their goal and served 250 individuals at the Emergency Shelter and had on average a 90% occupancy rate at the shelter per night. 

County Counsel has approved this Agreement as to form.
Community Services Action Board
Executive Commission on Homelessness

These services went through a multiple-tiered procurement process. On or about September 7, 2023, the County via the General Services Department, Procurement Division (GSD) issued a Request for Proposals to be funded under the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG RFP). The CSBG RFP was open for 42 days. On September 21,2023, GSD and HHSA offered potential bidders an opportunity to ask questions during a bidder’s conference. The County received four (4) proposal(s) from this solicitation. Proposals were submitted by Short Term Emergency Aid Committee (STEAC), Yolo County Children’s Alliance, Yolo Crisis Nursery, and Yolo Wayfarer Center dba Fourth and Hope.

On January 9, 2024,  the Community Services Action Board (CSAB)  directed that the proposals be  submitted to the Executive Commission on Homelesseness to be considered for HHAP4 funding, which would allow the CSBG funds to be used for a permanent CSBG analyst as recommended by the Community Services Department, administrator of the CSBG funds. The providers that had submitted proposals were subsequently notified of the funding change and that the proposals would be taken to the Executive Commission on Homelessness to request to be funded with HHAP4 funding. All the providers agreed.

On February 19, 2024 the Executive Commission on Homelessness received a staff report for each proposal, each provider's proposal and a PowerPoint presentation.

On March 7, 2024, each provider had to present their proposal for homeless support services to the Homelessness Commission and the Homelessness Commission recommended this award to Yolo Wayfarer Center.