Title
Recommendation to Authorize the City Manager to Execute an Agreement with Christ Episcopal Church to Provide Winter Warming Shelter and Related Services in an Amount Not-to-Exceed $123,385. (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 Christ Episcopal Church (Christ Church) (Exhibit 1) to provide Winter Warming Shelter and Related Services (Warming Shelter) in an amount not-to-exceed $123,385. The warming shelter will open daily from 6:00 pm to 7:00 am daily from December 15, 2023 to March 15, 2024. Staff recommends City Council authorize the City Manager to enter into an agreement with Christ Church which will provide oversight and management of the shelter program and its subcontractor, Episcopal Community Services, will provide staff oversight of the program, including meals.
BACKGROUND
City Council identified addressing homelessness as one of its key priorities. The Road Home: A Five-Year Plan to Prevent and Respond to Homelessness in Alameda, was approved by City Council on October 5, 2021 and guides the City’s response to the most vulnerable citizens, including the following strategies:
• Strategy 2.2 of The Road Home recommends providing low-barrier, housing-focused temporary housing; and
• Strategy 2.3 recommends expanding outreach and supportive services to unsheltered households.
By providing the Warming Shelter, the City provides low-barrier shelter to the most vulnerable members of the Alameda Community and create opportunities to connect unhoused individuals to housing resources and supportive services.
The Warming Shelter basic services include dinner, breakfast, showers, toiletries, and new clothing. Pets are permitted. Christ Church and Episcopal Community Services work collaboratively with community-based organizations and volunteers to leverage resources to serve guests, including assisting with required documentation to be entered into the Alameda County system to be eligible for additional services and housing. The provision of essential shelter, clothing and food during the inclement winter months provides shelter for the most vulnerable in the community and a location where people can begin to receive services and form relationships with community-based organizations.
In Fiscal Year 2022-23, Christ Church operated the Warming Shelter for a total cost of $152,385. The City funded $123,385 in an agreement with Christ Church, which hosts and manages the Warming Shelter operations and provided the additional $29,000 to extend the length of shelter operations due to the extremely wet winter. The Warming Shelter will operate between the dates December 15, 2023 and March 15, 2024 with the same equation. It will serve people who are experiencing homelessness in Alameda. Through a Request for Proposals process, Christ Church selected Episcopal Community Services to provide on-site services. Christ Church is responsible to manage the provision of services by Episcopal Community Services.
DISCUSSION
Inclement weather in the winter and spring seasons bring untenable conditions to the lives of people living without shelter. This was particularly true with last winter’s multiple back-to-back major storms.
The Warming Shelter is a first step in the continuum of care for the city’s unhoused residents. At shelter intake, each willing person is entered into Alameda County’s Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), which serves as the conduit for individuals to receive expanded social services and housing navigation.
Through fundraising efforts, Christ Church is contributing approximately $55,000 directly for the Warming Shelter with $40,571 allocated to their agreement with Episcopal Community Services and the remainder to fund Christ Church’s expenses related to hosting the Warming Shelter.
While the Warming Shelter will be primarily housed at Christ Church, it will also be hosted at St. Joseph Basilica from December 27 to January 6 and at Twin Towers United Methodist for a two-week period with dates still to be determined.
Christ Church, in collaboration with the City and other local service providers, will provide outreach to the homeless community with the dates, locations and services for the Warming Shelter.
City Council approval of the agreement with Christ Church in the amount of $123,385 provides consistent daily shelter between December 15, 2023 and March 15, 2024.
ALTERNATIVES
• Authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute an agreement with Episcopal Community Services to provide Winter Warming Services for $123,385.
• Provide alternative or additional direction to staff regarding the warming shelter.
• Decline to authorize the agreement and to offer Winter Warming Services.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Funding for this contract is included in the Fiscal Year 2023-24 budget in the General Fund - Homelessness Program (10021833). No additional budget appropriations are required.
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.”
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.”
Warming shelter will provide safe, warm, and needed shelter for the unhoused in Alameda during inclement weather while providing basic human services during their stay at the warming shelter.
RECOMMENDATION
Authorize the City Manager, to execute an Agreement with Christ Episcopal Church to provide Winter Warming Services in an amount not to exceed $123,385.
Respectfully submitted,
Amy Wooldridge, Assistant City Manager
By,
Yasamin Obaidy, Management Analyst
Marcie Johnson, Social Services Manager
Financial Impact section reviewed,
Margaret O’Brien, Finance Director
Exhibit:
1. Agreement