Title
Recommendation to Authorize the City Manager to Execute a One-Year Agreement from October 1, 2024 to September 30, 2025 with The Village of Love Foundation to Provide Homeless Outreach Team Services for Individuals Experiencing Homelessness in Alameda in an Amount Not-to-Exceed $270,000. (City Manager 10021833)
Body
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Jennifer Ott, City Manager
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
At the first stage of intervention, the City of Alameda (City) serves its unhoused population on the streets through a Homeless Outreach Team (HOT). The need for mobile homeless outreach is present and growing as Alamedans continue to be adversely affected by the impact of rising housing prices, job loss, evictions, the inflation of costs for basic needs like food and toiletries, family trauma, and serious mental health illnesses. Staff recommends the continuation of HOT services with the provider The Village of Love Foundation (VOL). Staff recommends that City Council authorize the City Manager to execute a one-year agreement beginning October 1, 2024 and continuing to September 30, 2025 with VOL for an amount not-to-exceed $270,000 for HOT services.
BACKGROUND
In April 2024, staff issued a request for proposal (RFP) for the continuation of HOT services. Two providers returned applications - The Village of Love Foundation (VOL) and Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency (BOSS). Lisa Fitts, the Housing and Human Services (HHS) Manager, Marcie Soslau Johnson, HHS Social Services Manager, and Julie Yim, Senior Policy Advisor for Board of Supervisors, District 3 independently evaluated the proposals, collectively interviewed the organizations, and selected VOL as the stronger candidate. VOL’s proposal included a greater number of direct service staff, indicated a clear understanding of the individuals served, and demonstrated existing collaborative work that has been highly effective with helping to move individuals from the street to shelter and/or housing. In the first three quarters of fiscal year 2023-24, VOL’s HOT served 179 distinct individuals and staffs the program seven days a week, year-round.
In the RFP interview, BOSS expressed a strong interest in serving Alameda. Staff views the organization as a potential resource and in discussions with BOSS to learn more about the organization and the programs they offer.
DISCUSSION
Housing shortages, high rents, job loss, evictions and the increase in the cost of goods and services, contribute to homelessness in our region. The economic downturn brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, inflation rates and the phasing out of eviction moratorium policies further exacerbated the issue. Persons of color are disproportionately affected. The most recent detailed data from the Point-in-Time (PIT) count for the City of Alameda in 2022 shows that Black and African American identifying individuals account for 36% of the people experiencing homelessness in the City but make up only 6% of the overall population. Support for individuals and families experiencing homelessness or at risk of becoming homeless is critical and needed. Providing HOT services to outreach and connect directly with unhoused people and families in Alameda is essential and VOL is a strong partner with the City in this work. As emergency and transitional housing opportunities are further developed within the community, having a culturally competent and compassionate mobile outreach provider becomes critical to serving unsheltered individuals and families and helping them successfully transition from the streets to a supportive, sheltered environment where they can stabilize and connect with services that will lead toward permanent housing and self-sufficiency.
VOL has successfully managed several different programs with the City since 2019. VOL is a well-respected service provider that is very well connected with other agencies doing this work and effectively collaborates with local and regional social service agencies and various City departments on a regular basis. Through these collaborative efforts, VOL’s HOT team played a critical role in cleaning up and maintaining the Main Street encampment area. The HOT team conducts outreach throughout the entire Alameda community and is dispatched through calls to (510) 522-HOME, reports from City staff and other providers. The HOT team works diligently to build trust with people who are unhoused to help them transition to emergency or interim housing.
VOL has demonstrated a clear understanding of mobile outreach work based on their work in the cities of Alameda, Oakland, and Berkeley. VOL’s model is to recruit employees with a passion to serve the unhoused, interact with unhoused members of the community with dignity and respect, and prioritize the value of empathy that is often rooted in staff’s personal experience. Due to these values, VOL has a high rate of staff retention in a field where other providers struggle to maintain staffing levels. VOL plays a critical role in the journey from homelessness to supportive housing solutions. VOL staff meet the unhoused on the street, offer basic services, develop relationships, and refer individuals forward to supportive housing options as appropriate, including Day Center Services emergency shelter beds, Safe Sheltering trailer program, and the Emergency Supportive Housing program. VOL’s mental health case manager works intensely with a small caseload of high need individuals that interact with other City systems like the Housing Resource Center staffed by Building Futures, Alameda Police Department, Community Assessment Response & Engagement (CARE) Team, and Alameda Family Services.
VOL’s HOT is the first step for intervention for Alameda’s individuals experiencing homelessness. The HOT is tasked with building and leveraging relationships to serve the most vulnerable individuals in the community. Per the Scope of Work, VOL HOT shall:
• Staff a full-time outreach worker, a full-time mental health case manager, and a part-time outreach worker to provide seven days a week coverage
• Staff a full-time case manager with mental health expertise that coordinates closely with Alameda Family Services case managers working with the CARE Team
• Deliver services with a harm reduction approach
• Link individuals and families to services
• Provide office-based and street-based case management
• Complete housing preparation work
• Support City homeless encampment clean ups
• Outreach to individuals living on the street
• Coordinate and cooperate with ongoing services and providers
• Respond to reports of encamped individuals to offer services and promote safety
VOL’s HOT staff provide critical expertise in building trust and helping individuals move from Alameda’s streets to shelter.
ALTERNATIVES
• Authorize the City Manager to execute a one-year agreement from October 1, 2024 to September 30, 2025 with The Village of Love Foundation to provide Homeless Outreach Team services for individuals experiencing homelessness in Alameda in an amount not-to-exceed $270,000.
• Direct staff to select a different service provider than VOL.
• Decline to move forward with the service provider agreement, which will significantly decrease the City’s ability to address homeless encampments and provide services to individuals who are unhoused in Alameda. City staff, including the Alameda Police Department, CARE Team, and Alameda Recreation and Parks Department have limited resources to serve people who are unhoused.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
The Fiscal Year 2024-25 Operating Budget approved by City Council on June 20, 2023 includes $270,000 for HOT services based on the existing service level.
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 supports the FY 2023-26 Strategic Plan Priority to House All Alamedans and End Homelessness, specifically project HH2 to implement the Homeless Strategic Plan. 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.
CLIMATE IMPACT
There are no identifiable climate impacts or climate action opportunities associated with the subject of this report.
RECOMMENDATION
Authorize the City Manager to execute a one-year agreement from October 1, 2024 to September 30, 2025 with The Village of Love Foundation to provide Homeless Outreach Team services for individuals experiencing homelessness in Alameda in an amount not-to-exceed $270,000.
Respectfully submitted,
Amy Wooldridge, Assistant City Manager
By,
Lisa Fitts, Housing and Human Services Manager
Marcie Johnson, Social Services Manager
Financial Impact section reviewed,
Margaret O’Brien, Finance Director
Exhibit:
1. Agreement
cc: The Village of Love Foundation