Title
Recommendation to Authorize the City Manager to Negotiate and Execute Agreement and Documents with Alameda County to Accept $60,000 for Partial Funding of Winter Warming Services Programs; and Authorize the City Manager to Execute an Agreement with Building Futures with Women and Children to Provide Winter Warming Services in an Amount Not-to-Exceed $113,000; and Authorize the City Manager to Execute an Agreement with Christ Episcopal Church to Operate the Alameda Warming Shelter in an Amount Not-to-Exceed $173,385.
This project is statutorily exempt from further environmental review pursuant to Public Resources Code section 21080.10 (services for people experiencing homelessness), and categorically exempt from further environmental review pursuant to California Environmental Quality Act Guidelines Section 15301 (Existing Facilities) and 15061(b)(3) (Common Sense). (City Manager 10021833)
Body
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Jennifer Ott, City Manager
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Each winter season, the Housing and Human Services of the City Manager’s Office seeks City Council approval to use Alameda County Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) Grant Program funds, augmented by the General Fund to support the most vulnerable Alamedans and provide shelter through the inclement weather months. Staff recommends City Council authorize the City Manager to execute multiple agreements related to Winter Warming Services to serve individuals experiencing homelessness during the coldest months of the year. These include:
i. An agreement substantially in the form of the attached agreement with Alameda County (County) to accept $60,000 for Winter Warming Services Programs (Exhibit 1);
ii. An agreement (Exhibit 2) with Building Futures with Women and Children (Building Futures) to provide Winter Warming Services, which provides hotel rooms and case management to seniors and medically fragile individuals who cannot shelter in congregate settings, and;
iii. An agreement (Exhibit 3) with Christ Episcopal Church (Christ Church) to operate the Alameda Warming Shelter which will provide 20 congregate shelter beds in three cooperating Alameda-based faith organization facilities from December 1, 2024 through to the night of March 30, 2025.
Under the proposed agreements, Building Futures will serve up to seven unduplicated individuals, providing emergency shelter between November 1, 2024 and June 30, 2025 and the Alameda Warming Shelter will serve up to 20 individuals a night from December 1, 2024 to March 30, 2025.
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 5 Year Plan to Prevent and Respond to Homelessness in Alameda, was approved by City Council on October 5, 2021.
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 and Shelter, the City of Alameda (City) is providing shelter to the most vulnerable and creating a way for unhoused individuals to connect with housing and supportive resources.
The Winter Warming Services provides hotel stays for the most vulnerable unhoused individuals, with priority given to seniors with chronic health conditions. Building Futures meets with individuals on a regular basis to provide resources and access to services. Last winter season, Building Futures served four unduplicated individuals for a total of 278 service nights, and completed 30 referrals to additional services. Two of the four individuals were connected to permanent housing directly from the Winter Warming Services program.
Last year, the Alameda Warming Shelter operated for 90 nights, from December 15, 2023 to March 14, 2024, serving an average of 12 participants per night and sheltering 88 distinct individuals. Both programs are critical to ensuring the health and safety of individuals experiencing homelessness through the wet and cold season.
DISCUSSION
Inclement weather in the winter and spring seasons bring conditions that are life hazardous for those living without shelter. This is particularly true for homeless seniors with or without chronic health conditions, the target population for the Winter Warming Services program. The California Statewide Study of People Experiencing Homelessness published by UC San Francisco Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative in June 2023, indicates that the state’s homeless population is aging, with 47% of adults aged 50 or older. Further, the study found that Black and Native Americans are dramatically overrepresented within the unsheltered homeless population. With Council approval, the City Manager would enter into an agreement with the County to accept HHAP funding for support of Winter Warming Services, execute an agreement with Building Futures to provide Winter Warming Services, and execute an agreement with Christ Church to operate the Alameda Warming Shelter for winter season 2024-25.
For the Winter Warming Services Program, from November 2024 through June 2025, a minimum of seven vulnerable individuals would have access to up to shelter in a hotel, two meals a day, case management, referral services, and warm clothing. Hotel rooms are reserved in advance using the best reasonable negotiated rate and made available to individuals experiencing homelessness, with priority given to those over 65 and/or with chronic health conditions, to stay for the duration of the wet winter season. Services provided include staff oversight of the program with regular room inspections to review habitability and condition of rooms and to address issues with participants as well as provide connection to resources and services.
The 2024-25 Alameda Warming Shelter is a congregate setting and provides shelter for up to 20 individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness from December 1, 2024 through March 30, 2025. The Warming Shelter will open daily from 6:00 pm to 7:00 am. An additional 30 nights of shelter have been added to the Alameda Warming Shelter calendar this season, extending the period of time individuals have access to indoor shelter, heat, dinner, breakfast, and showers. Christ Church is directly contracting with Episcopal Community Services again this year as the shelter operator. Two additional community parishes, Trinity Lutheran Church (Trinity Lutheran) and Twin Towers United Methodist Church (Twin Towers), will host the shelter for portions of the season. Trinity Lutheran will host from December 22, 2024 to January 4, 2025 and Twin Towers from February 10 to 24, 2025. Showers are available three times a week when the program is hosted at Christ Episcopal and once a week when the program is hosted at the other two locations. Each night, all participants receive dinner and breakfast in the morning at all locations.
The Winter Warming Services Programs are a first step in the continuum of care for the City’s unhoused residents during the seasons of inclement weather. 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.
Staff recommends City Council authorize the City Manager to execute documents, agreements and modifications with Alameda County to accept $60,000 for partial funding of Winter Warming Services Programs, authorize the City Manager to execute an agreement with Building Futures to provide Winter Warming Services for $113,000, and authorize the City Manager to execute an agreement with Christ Episcopal Church to operate the Alameda Warming Shelter for $173,385.
ALTERNATIVES
• Authorize the City Manager to execute documents, agreements and modifications with Alameda County to accept $60,000 for partial funding of Winter Warming Services Programs; authorize the City Manager to execute an agreement with Building Futures to provide Winter Warming Services for $113,000, and; authorize the City Manager to execute an agreement with Christ Episcopal Church to operate the Alameda Warming Shelter for $173,385.
• Decline to authorize the City Manager to execute documents, agreements and modifications with Alameda County, and/or decline to authorize the City Manager to execute agreements with Building Futures with Families and Christ Episcopal Church to provide Winter Warming Services Programs.
• Provide alternative or additional direction to staff regarding Winter Warming Services Programs.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
The Fiscal Year (FY) 2024-25 budget includes the appropriation of $60,000 for the Winter Warming Services Programs grant. Funding for the agreements with Building Futures and Christ Church is included in the FY 2024-25 General Fund budget, Homelessness (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 “The Road Home - A 5 Year Strategic Plan to Prevent and Respond to Homelessness in Alameda Secure a Housing Future for All Alamedans.” It also supports the City Strategic Plan Priority to House all Alamedans and End Homelessness, specifically projects HH2b to Implement the Homelessness Strategic Plan for Sheltering: Safe Parking, Emergency Supportive Housing, Warming Shelter, and Day Center.
This action is subject to the Levine Act.
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.
Additionally, this project is statutorily exempt from further environmental review pursuant to Public Resources Code section 21080.10 (services for people experiencing homelessness), and categorically exempt from further environmental review pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15301 (Existing Facilities) and 15061(b)(3) (Common Sense).
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 and Shelter programs provide a safe, warm shelter for those who are unhoused and the most vulnerable in Alameda while connecting them to meals, referral services, and warm clothing.
RECOMMENDATION
Authorize the City Manager to execute documents, agreements and modifications with Alameda County to Accept $60,000 for partial funding of Winter Warming Services Programs; and authorize the City Manager to execute an agreement with Building Futures with Families to provide Winter Warming Services for $113,000; and authorize the City Manager to execute an agreement with Christ Episcopal Church to operate the Alameda Warming Shelter for $173,385.
Respectfully submitted,
Amy Wooldridge, Assistant City Manager
By,
Grecia Mannah-Ayon, Housing and Human Services Program Manager
Anata Tran, CivicSpark Fellow
Financial Impact section reviewed,
Margaret O’Brien, Finance Director
Exhibits:
1. Alameda County Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) Grant Program Agreement
2. Building Futures with Women and Children Agreement
3. Christ Episcopal Church Agreement