Title
Public Hearing on the CDBG Public Services Funding Recommendations for Fiscal Year 2020-21
Body
To: Social Service Human Relations Board (SSHRB)
From: Lisa Fitts
BACKGROUND
Staff would like to thank the Social Service Human Relations Board (SSHRB) for its continued participation in the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) FY 2020-21 funding cycle.
As part of the annual CDBG process, the City released the CDBG FY 2020-21 and 2021-22 Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) and Request for Proposals on January 15, 2020. Although the NOFA is for fiscal years 2020-21 and 2021-22, the funding allocations recommended in this staff report cover FY 2020-21 only. The funding recommendations for FY 2021-22 shall be determined after HUD announces CDBG allocations for FY 2021-22. Six non-profit organizations submitted applications for public services funding by the February 13, 2020 deadline. Staff provided SSHRB members with electronic access so that the members could review and score each of the applications. Those scores are included in this report.
At the March 26 SSHRB meeting, staff will briefly review the CDBG funding amounts and staff recommendations. After the presentation, the Board will hear public comment and recommend the organizations and funding amounts for the public services funding. Staff will present the recommendations to City Council during the May 5, 2020 Public Hearing.
DISCUSSION
Applications Received
Following is a summary of the Public Services applications that were received, the current year’s funding amount, and the FY 2020-21 funding request.
|
Applicant Listed in alphabetical order |
Services Offered |
FY 2019-20 Funding |
FY 2020-21 Request |
|
Alameda Family Services |
Mental Health for Youth |
Did not apply |
$50,000 |
|
Alameda Food Bank |
Emergency Food Distribution |
$25,615 |
$25,615 |
|
Building Futures with Women and Children |
Midway Shelter, crisis prevention, Domestic Violence education |
$76,830 |
$75,350 |
|
Eden Council for Hope and Opportunity (ECHO) |
Housing Counseling & Tenant/Landlord Mediation |
$23,915 |
$25,228 |
|
Family Violence Law Center (FVLC) |
Family Violence Prevention Project |
$19,750 |
$19,750 |
|
Legal Assistance for Seniors |
Legal Assistance and Education for Alameda Seniors |
$19,755 |
$20,000 |
|
|
TOTAL |
$190,865 |
$215,943 |
Existing Obligations
While not listed above, last year, the City entered into a multiyear agreement to ensure that Eden I & R can provide uninterrupted critical, safety net service and allow its staff resources to be devoted to developing systems that support internet and mobile communications. Funding for Eden I & R also helps cover the City’s portion of a Countywide social services referral service to serve homeless individuals and other low-income residents. The staff recommendations includes $24,480 to fund the second year of a three-year funding agreement for Eden’s 2-1-1 Information and Referral Program.
Funding Availability
On February 14, 2020, the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) published its allocations for CDBG FY 2020-21. The City of Alameda was awarded $1,161,287. HUD requires that Public Services funding be capped at 15% of the current year’s grant allocation plus program income received in the previous fiscal year. Therefore, $174,193 of the entitlement funds may be allocated to public services. In addition, staff anticipates receiving $323,000 of program income in FY 2019-20, based on the loan payoffs received this fiscal year. Fifteen percent (15%) of program income yields an additional $48,450, for a total of $222,643 available for Public Services in FY 2020-21. Please note that staff will continue to monitor the receipt of program income and adjust the numbers accordingly prior to submitting the final Action Plan to HUD by May 15, 2020. Should the City receive any one-time, lump sum loan payoffs, the funds available to be allocated to FY 2020-21 Public Services may be increased.
While the NOFA is for fiscal years 2020-21 and 2021-22, the funding allocations recommended in this staff report cover FY 2020-21 only. The actual funding recommendations for FY 2021-22 shall be determined after HUD announces CDBG allocations for FY 2021-22. Consequently, funding amounts for the second year of the public services contracts may be less than the first year.
Fair Housing & Tenant/Landlord Mediation
As an entitlement jurisdiction that receives federal funds, the City is required to comply with HUD Fair Housing requirements. In accordance with SSHRB’s recommendation, Fair Housing will be funded using CDBG Administrative funds rather than Public Services funds, which increases the pool of funds available for public services. Therefore, staff recommends allocating $20,000 in CDBG administrative funds for the City’s Fair Housing Program through a contract with ECHO Housing.
While ECHO has offered to continue providing Tenant/Landlord mediation services, the City has developed new programs and capacity to provide tenant services over the past three years. Specifically, the City now operates a fully staffed Rent Program that administers rent control and limitations on evictions ordinance adopted by City Council in September 2019. The ordinance provides hearing procedures for issues that arise under the ordinance. The City Council also adopted a Fair Housing Ordinance in 2019, which prohibits discrimination, tenant harassment and lockouts. The City Attorney’s Office enforces this ordnance with the ability to pursue complaints related to Fair Housing violations. In addition, the City is in the second year of a three-year agreement with Centro Legal to fund legal services for low-income tenants. In summary, to avoid duplication of effort and to streamline communications with the public, staff recommends funding ECHO Housing to address Fair Housing work only.
Past Performance
Because the City is in the fifth year of the current Consolidated Plan, four years of data is available for four of the public service funding applicants. See below:
|
|
Five Year Consolidated Plan |
|
Subrecipient |
Goal/ Clients Served |
15-16 |
16-17 |
17-18 |
18-19 |
Average |
|
Alameda Food Bank |
2,000 |
4,458 |
4,944 |
4,857 |
4,465 |
4,681 |
|
Building Futures |
150 |
125 |
208 |
82 |
68 |
121 |
|
Family Violence Law Center |
25 |
27 |
37 |
46 |
32 |
36 |
|
Legal Assistance for Seniors |
45 |
50 |
39 |
47 |
73 |
52 |
On average, three of the four applicants exceeded their annual goals. Building Futures has explained that the growing demand for affordable housing has resulted in longer stays and fewer unique individuals served. More detailed information about Midway Shelter, the services it offers and the challenges that it has experienced during the last five years follows.
The Midway Shelter provides essential services that assist in ending homelessness in its residents’ lives. Midway not only serves as a shelter home for individuals and families in need, it also provides a lifeline to resources and supportive services that enable them to leave homelessness and family violence behind for good. Programming and services for its residents include: case management, housing assistance, information and referral, assistance in securing benefits, employment workshops, life skills workshops, money management, healthy relationship sessions and transportation vouchers.
During the reporting period, Midway Shelter’s clients have faced several ongoing problems. Most notably, the average length of stay has increased dramatically due to the high cost of housing and because clients may remain until they have obtained housing. For example, two years ago, the average length of stay was 90 days to housing. By contrast, it can now take up to one year to secure housing. The case managers continue to work diligently with clients to find new ways to obtain permanent housing, including: encouraging clients to share apartments, advising all residents to sign up for all open housing wait lists, and having housing specialists conduct more housing workshops to address housing barriers. Building Futures coordinates with the Countywide Coordinated Entry System, Alameda County Social Services, Alameda County HCD, Behavior HealthCare Services, Alameda Unified School District, and other homeless agencies to provide rapid rehousing services for the Midway families.
In fiscal year 2018-19, about 21% or 12 out of 56 individuals/families left Midway Shelter to permanent housing. In recognition of the increased length of stay, Building Futures has proposed to reduce its annual goal to assist 85 persons per year for fiscal year 2020-21.
Proposed Public Services Funding for FY 2020-21
Below is a summary of the Public Services applications that were received, the average score from SSHRB members, the FY 2020-21 funding request, and staff’s recommendation for FY 2020-21 funding levels. See Attachment A for the detailed scores provided. In summary, all of the applicants are eligible and recommended for CDBG funding at or near the levels requested.
|
Applicant* Listed in order of Average Score |
Average Score |
FY 2020-21 Request |
Staff’s Recommended Funding |
|
Building Futures with Women and Children |
94.0 |
$ 75,350 |
$ 82,899 |
|
Alameda Food Bank |
93.8 |
$ 25,615 |
$ 27,638 |
|
Alameda Family Services |
91.8 |
$ 50,000 |
$ 45,000 |
|
Legal Assistance for Seniors |
90.5 |
$ 20,000 |
$ 21,313 |
|
Family Violence Law Center (FVLC) |
90.3 |
$ 19,750 |
$ 21,313 |
|
|
|
$190,715 |
$198,163 |
|
Existing Obligation |
|
|
|
|
Eden I & R |
Under contract |
$24,480 |
$ 24,480 |
* Note: Funding for Fair Housing is proposed in the administrative services section and therefore is not included in the table above.
Excluding the application for Fair Housing funding, staff received applications requesting a total of $190,715, along with an existing obligation of $24,480 for Eden I and R, for a total funding request of $215,195. By reducing the scope and funding Fair Housing from a different funding source, the total funds available for public services is $222,640. Therefore, all applicants can be funded.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that SSHRB recommend to City Council the funding levels shown in the table in the previous section.
In the event that unanticipated, lump sum payoffs are received prior to the end of the fiscal year, staff recommends that SSHRB recommend allocating the funds as follows:
1. Fund Alameda Family Services to its requested amount of $50,000.
2. Allocate any remaining funds proportionately across the remaining applicants.
Attachment: City of Alameda FY 2020-21 CDBG Evaluation Summary