REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
FY 2019/20 General Fund Human Services Grant Funding Allocations
Report
BACKGROUND
For more than 30 years, the City has used General Funds to “supplement” the federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) public service funds available to the City. The federal regulations allow a small portion (15%) of the CDBG funds to be used for public services, including human services that serve lower-income and vulnerable clientele; however, the City Council found merit in more proposals than could be funded through CDBG funds.
Over the years this practice of supplementing the available CDBG funds with General Funds has been refined and updated by Council several times, resulting in Council policies and directions to staff that guide the process as it exists today. Since a 2008 study issue, Council has directed staff to include up to $100,000 for supplemental human services funding every year in the City’s 20-year Long Range Financial Plan. As is the case for other programs included in the long range financial plan, the amount serves as an estimate for planning purposes, may be changed from year to year, and is not a formal appropriation until it is adopted into the Projects Budget for the coming fiscal year.
Several years ago, Council provided additional direction to staff to allow Council to review and adjust this planning figure if necessary during the biennial Priority and Unmet Needs hearing, which is held every other November to comply with Council Policy on human services and CDBG citizen participation requirements. The rationale was to allow the figure to be adjusted up or down if needed before the request for proposals (RFP) is issued, to try to manage expectations among the applicants, and provide staff and the Housing and Human Services Commission (HHSC) an estimated total amount of funding to be recommended for allocation, subject to Council approval in May concurrently with approval of the Action Plan, and formal budget appropriations in June.
In November 2018, (RTC No. 18-0894) Council held the Priority and Unmet Needs hearing and tentatively approved an amount of $135,000 in General Funds for the purpose of issuing the RFP for 2019 human services grants. That figure was to be confirmed or modified by Council during the final budget hearing in June.
EXISTING POLICY
Council Policy 5.1.3 Human Services
The City of Sunnyvale recognizes that the supportive human services programs of the Federal, State, and County governments do not fully meet the needs of all its population. The City, therefore, shall make its best efforts to provide supplemental human services, which include but are not limited to the emergency services, senior services, disabled services, family services and youth services.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The action being considered does not constitute a “project” with the meaning of the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15378 (b) (4) in that it is a fiscal activity that does not involve any commitment to any specific project which may result in a potential significant impact on the environment.
DISCUSSION
Human services are social programs that assist seniors, disabled adults, homeless people, lower-income households, domestic violence survivors, at-risk youth, and other households in need of special services or assistance. The City’s Human Services Policy establishes a competitive RFP process for awarding human services grants on a two-year cycle. The successful grantees are awarded a one-year grant with a second-year award in the same amount, contingent on funding availability in the second year and the grantee’s successful completion of the first year’s grant requirements. FY 2019/20 is the first year of the two-year funding cycle.
This year the City received 10 proposals for General Fund human services grants in response to the RFP issued in January 2019. The minimum and maximum grant limits for this grant opportunity range from $10,000 to $24,999. In total, the 10 proposals requested a combined $145,181 in General Funds. A summary list of the proposals received, their scores, and the grant amounts recommended for each proposal by staff and the HHSC is provided in Attachment 1. The proposals were posted online at https://sunnyvale.ca.gov/property/housing/default.htm. Applicants presented their proposals to the HHSC at its February meeting.
The staff scoring committee evaluated the proposals based on the priority needs for human services described in the City's 2015-2020 Consolidated Plan and scored the proposals based on the point system provided in the RFP. Each member of the committee independently scored each proposal, and the scores for each proposal were averaged. At its April 3, 2019 meeting, the HHSC held a public hearing and made its funding recommendations to Council regarding the human services grant proposals (RTC No. 19-0363). Minutes of that meeting are provided in Attachment 2.
Funding Recommendations
With the proposed increase in funding this year, there is almost enough funding to fully fund each grant proposal. Therefore, minimal reductions in funding were taken from the lower ranking proposals. The HHSC recommends the funding allocation as seen in Attachment 1.
FISCAL IMPACT
The recommended action (Alternative 1) is consistent with the current long-range financial plan and funded using General Fund funding in Project 827550 - Outside Group Funding Support.
PUBLIC CONTACT
Public contact was made by posting the Council agenda on the City's official-notice bulletin board outside City Hall, at the Sunnyvale Senior Center, Community Center and Department of Public Safety; and by making the agenda and report available at the Sunnyvale Public Library, the Office of the City Clerk and on the City's website.
ALTERNATIVES
1. Approve a total of $135,000 in General Funds for the 10 human services grants listed in Attachment 1 of this report under “Staff Recommendation.”
2. Approve another alternative as directed by Council. Proposals to be funded may be selected from the list provided in Attachment 1.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Alternative 1: Approve a total of $135,000 in General Funds for the 10 human services grants listed in Attachment 1 of the report under “Staff Recommendation.”
The recommended action would provide funding for 10 applicants, ranging from $10,000 to $24,000, as listed on Attachment 1. This action is consistent with City policies and the long-range financial plan. Based on current Council policy and as noted in the RFP, human service grants are awarded on a two-year basis, with the second-year grant amounts generally equal to the first year’s grant, unless the total amount of human services funding made available by the City for the second year is different.
Staff
Prepared by: Jenny Carloni, Housing Officer
Reviewed by: Trudi Ryan, Community Development Director
Reviewed by: Teri Silva, Assistant City Manager
Approved by: Kent Steffens, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
1. FY 2019/20 Human Services General Fund Grant Recommendations
2. April 3, 2019 HHSC Meeting Minutes