Title
Recommendation to Authorize the City Manager to Execute an Agreement with Alameda County to Accept $60,000 for Partial Funding of the Local Winter Warming Services Program to Provide Hotel Stays for the Most Vulnerable Homeless Individuals; and Authorize the City Manager to Execute an Agreement with Building Futures with Women and Children to Provide Winter Warming Services for $113,000. (City Manager 10021833)
Body
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Jennifer Ott, City Manager
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Staff is recommending that City Council authorize the City Manager to execute an agreement with Alameda County (County) to accept $60,000 for Winter Warming Services. In addition, staff is recommending that the City Council authorize the City Manager to execute an agreement with Building Futures with Women and Children (Building Futures) to provide Winter Warming Services for $113,000.
Under the proposed agreement, Building Futures will serve a minimum of seven (7) unique individuals and provide emergency shelter for up to 70 nights between the dates of December 6, 2023 and April 15, 2024. Additional hotel rooms may be provided as funding allows. Hotel rooms would be reserved in advance using the best reasonable negotiated rate. These rooms would be made available to homeless individuals with priority given to those over 65 and/or with chronic health conditions, to stay for the duration of the wet winter season. Building Futures would provide staff oversight of the program along with meals, case management, referrals to services including housing support, and warm clothing for those in need.
BACKGROUND
City Council has identified addressing homelessness as one of its key priorities. As a result, in January of 2021, work began on a five-year plan to address homelessness. The resulting strategic plan, The Road Home: A Five-Year Plan to Prevent and Respond to Homelessness in Alameda, was approved by the City Council on October 5, 2021.
The initial model for Winter Warming Services was based on group sheltering, but for health and safety reasons the model was adapted due to the COVID-19 pandemic beginning in 2020. The Winter Warming Services now provide hotel stays for the most vulnerable unhoused individuals, with priority given to those over 65 and/or with chronic health conditions. In the last fiscal year, six rooms were provided.
Strategy 2.2 of The Road Home recommends providing low-barrier, housing-focused temporary housing. Strategy 2.3 recommends expanding outreach and supportive services to unsheltered households. By providing Winter Warming Services, the City is not only providing shelter to the most vulnerable, but is also creating a way for unhoused individuals to connect with housing and supportive resources.
In fiscal year (FY) 2022-23, Building Futures served eight (8) unduplicated individuals through the Winter Warming Services program. As a result of having a safe, consistent place to sleep and the associated case management services, six of the clients are "document ready" with completion of all documents required to transition them to a housing opportunity. Five of the participants were matched with Dignity Village and one individual was referred to Emergency Supportive Housing. Additionally, three of the clients completed housing applications and left the hotel pending housing. Having the clients in the hotel allows relationship building which was leveraged to connect the individuals to services such as primary care physicians, Bay Legal for assistance with social security and CALAim housing navigation services. This demonstrates the critical role that Winter Warming Services serves as part of the continuum of care to move unhoused individuals from the streets to supportive programming.
DISCUSSION
Inclement weather in the winter and spring seasons bring conditions life hazardous for those living without shelter. This is particularly true for homeless individuals over 65 and/or with chronic health conditions, the targeted group for Winter Warming Services programming. The homeless population is rapidly aging with the median age of people accessing services rising from 39.6 years to 51 years.
By approving the staff recommendation, the City would enter into a $113,000 agreement with Building Futures to receive $113,000 to provide Winter Warming Services with $60,000 of that agreement funded by the County. With support from this funding, seven of the most vulnerable among the homeless population would have access to up to 70 days of shelter in a hotel, two meals a day, case management, referral services and warm clothing. Services provided would include staff oversight of the program as well as daily room inspections to review habitability and condition of rooms, and to address any issues with participants.
ALTERNATIVES
• Authorize the City Manager to execute an agreement with the County to accept $60,000 for Winter Warming Services and execute an agreement with Building Futures to provide Winter Warming Services for a total contract amount of $113,000.
• Decline to authorize acceptance of the County funding and/or decline to authorize the City Manager to execute an agreement with Building Futures with Women and Children to provide Winter Warming Services.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
The FY 2023-24 budget includes an appropriation of $60,000 for the Winter Warming Services grant and the $113,000 agreement for Building Futures to provide Winter Warming Services. No additional budget appropriations are needed.
MUNICIPAL CODE/POLICY DOCUMENT CROSS REFERENCE
This action is consistent with the Social Services Human Relations Board Charter and Ordinance authority “to improve social services in the community” (Alameda Municipal Code Section 2-11.5) and the Report on Homelessness Policies and Programs.
This action is consistent with Goal 2 of the “Road Home - A Five-Year Strategic Plan to Prevent and Respond to Homelessness in Alameda Secure a Housing Future for All Alamedans.”
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
This action does not constitute a “project” as defined in California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines Section 15378 and therefore no further CEQA analysis is required.
CLIMATE IMPACT
The Social Vulnerability Assessment section of the Climate Action and Resiliency Plan states:
“adaptation strategies should consider how [the homeless] will receive emergency communications and how they will be sheltered. Proper, safe housing for all is an adaptation and resilience strategy. Planning strategies should always consider these vulnerable populations in adaptation efforts.”
The Winter Warming Services program provides a safe, warm shelter for those who are unhoused and most vulnerable in Alameda while connecting them to meals, referral services and warm clothing.
RECOMMENDATION
Authorize the City Manager to execute an agreement with the County to accept $60,000 in funding for the local Winter Warming Services Program; and authorize the City Manager to execute an agreement with Building Futures with Women and Children to provide Winter Warming Services for $113,000.
Respectfully submitted,
Amy Wooldridge, Assistant City Manager
By,
Marcie Johnson, Social Services Manager
Lisa Fitts, Housing and Human Services Manager
Financial Impact section reviewed,
Margaret O’Brien, Finance Director
Exhibits:
1. County Contract
2. Building Futures with Women and Children Contract