REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Receive Information About HomeFirst Outreach Services; Approve a Third Amendment in the Amount of $206,710 to an Existing Agreement with HomeFirst Services of Santa Clara County for Case Management Services and Shelter Beds for the Unhoused Population in Sunnyvale that Includes Activity and Outcome Measures; and Direct Staff to Prepare a Request for Proposals for Outreach Services
Report
REPORT IN BRIEF
Information is provided on outreach and case management services to the unhoused population of Sunnyvale and about the current service provider, HomeFirst Services of Santa Clara County (HomeFirst).
Staff recommends the approval of an amendment to the Agreement with HomeFirst, extending the term to September 31, 2024, in the amount of $206,710 for case management services and shelter beds, for the unhoused population in Sunnyvale. The amendment includes new outcomes and performance measures. Staff also recommends that a competitive process for outreach services be initiated so that a contract with the selected provider can be completed prior to the expiration of the amendment to the contract with HomeFirst.
EXISTING POLICY
Council Policy 5.1.1 - Socio-Economic - Goal 5.IJ
Encourage and support a network of human services that provides for the basic needs of Sunnyvale’s residents.
General Plan Housing Element
Policy H-4.3 Supportive and Transitional Housing and Emergency Shelters. Maintain provisions for supportive and transitional housing and emergency shelters in the City’s Zoning Code consistent with State law.
Policy H-5.13 Housing and Services to Address Homelessness. Participate in the County Collaborative on Affordable Housing and Homeless Issues to support its efforts to prevent and end homelessness. Facilitate and sponsor the provision of permanent supportive housing for homeless people. Support local service providers that offer facilities and support services to homeless individuals and families, and persons at risk of homelessness.
Council Policy Priorities: Support the Unhoused Community
Pursuant to Section 2.08.040 of the Sunnyvale Municipal Code (SMC), City Council approval is required for contracts exceeding $250,000.
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 (a) because it has no potential to result in either a direct, or reasonably foreseeable indirect, physical change in the environment.
BACKGROUND
HomeFirst and the City entered into an agreement with city-wide services beginning June 1, 2022, for a one-year pilot program. As the end of the one-year term of the agreement approached, staff proposed an extension of the pilot program for a second year of services. The City used funds remaining in the original project budget to develop a bridge agreement with HomeFirst for services to continue through September 30, 2023. On September 26, 2023, staff presented Council with an agreement with HomeFirst for an additional one-year term to continue the pilot program. The City Council had many questions about the outreach services and posed numerous questions about the services and outcomes; the Council authorized a six-month extension of the contract (contract expires March 31, 2024). A copy of the original Agreement with the First and Second Amendments is provided in Attachment 3.
On Nov. 14, 2023, HomeFirst Chief Executive Officer Andrea Urton and Kelly Vazquez, Chief Program Officer, HomeFirst Services, gave a special presentation to the City Council. The presentation was an Overview of HomeFirst Services and Operations. A copy of the packet distributed to City Councilmembers at that meeting is in Attachment 2.
This report and the contract describe two types of services that are discussed: outreach and case management. While there is overlap between these services there is a distinction between the primary services:
• Outreach: Outreach Specialists focus on rapport building, addressing basic needs such as access to food and hygiene, and provision of information and referral to community resources such as shelter. These specialists use tools including motivational interviewing to inform their work and are a support to the Case Manager.
• Case Management: In addition to the scope of work above, a Case Manager provides additional assistance in identifying a participant’s goals and aiding toward meeting their goals based on needs. They follow up on referrals and provide a higher level of support preparing documentation for housing. The two employees (outreach specialist and case manager) work alongside each other.
In the City’s current contract with HomeFirst there is one team of two: an Outreach Specialist and a Case Manager. No one ever goes to an encampment alone.
DISCUSSION
At the September 2023 Council meeting, Councilmembers posed a number of questions about the services provided by HomeFirst as well as questions about future contracts and City funding. The Council posed further questions during the November 2023 special presentation. Questions from both meetings are organized by topic below.
Shelter and Outreach Services
• How many nights did each of the 10 individuals who accepted shelter stay during the last contract period?
o From June 1, 2022 to September 30, 2023 the contract reserved 5 beds at the Boccardo Reception Center (BRC, located in San Jose). These bed reservations represent 2,590 “bed nights.” Occupancy of the beds is a little over 11% (287 occupied nights).
§ Sunnyvale Clients stayed anywhere from 1 to 104 nights, with an average of 19.29 nights. The median length of stay of the Sunnyvale clients was 13 nights.
o There were 10 additional individuals who were placed at the North County shelter in Sunnyvale.
§ Data specific to these 10 individuals is not available. However, at the North County Shelter from June 1, 2022 - Sept 30, 2023 there were 897 clients served. The average time in the project was 83.57 days. Nightly shelter lengths of stay varied from 1 to 2,036 days, with a median of 34.5 days. The long stays were a result of prior policies and practices during COVID that did not limit the length of stay.
• Do HomeFirst’s clients receive continuity of care/services while in shelter and after they leave shelter? How is this continuity demonstrated?
o The City’s contract with HomeFirst includes two types of services to unhoused residents: outreach and case management.
o When a client opts for a place at a shelter, HomeFirst does a warm hand-off to ensure continuity of service. A “warm hand off” means that members of the outreach team and members of the new program enrollment’s team meet with the participant to be introduced and to support rapport. To the extent that the participant consents, HomeFirst staff will also share information about the participant’s goals, progress, and needs for continuity of care.
o Once a client is in Shelter or housed in a Rapid Rehousing Program or PSH (Permanent Supportive Housing) the Outreach staff provide a warm handoff to the next case manager to ensure continuity of care. However, once they are placed into a program or housed they are exited out of Outreach and are no longer receiving street-based outreach services. If a client is struggling in a shelter or a housing program and the Outreach staff have a better rapport with the individual HomeFirst outreach staff is available to provide additional support in building rapport with the new staff or program.
§ Clients work with different outreach staff once they accept shelter and are not in communication with HomeFirst street-based outreach staff once they exit the program. Once they exit into shelter the client would be working with the Shelter staff and no longer working with Outreach staff
o The North County shelter provides case management services; the BRC does not currently provide case management. HomeFirst has indicated they have active requests for funding to provide case management services at the BRC.
o Resident advocates are located at all sites and engage in problem solving and minimal case management with clients. Their support includes explaining resources at the shelter, crisis de-escalation, and housing problem solving to help identify temporary or permanent housing options outside of the shelter setting with a goal to minimize the trauma of homelessness.
• How many/what percentage of individuals are now permanently housed since the Fair Oaks Park renovation project began?
o The Fair Oaks motel program was implemented prior to the City's contract with HomeFirst for outreach services and after 6 months, the motel stays were taken over by the County for a limited amount of time.
o HomeFirst has queried the available data in the County database and estimates the following outcomes:
§ 35% were permanently housed
§ 45% were connected to emergency or interim housing options
§ 16% exited to street-based homelessness
• What type of data does HomeFirst collect and how is it collected?
o The type of data and collection method vary depending on the program type and the associated Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and/or Continuum of Care (CoC) data requirements for that type, among other considerations.
o HomeFirst uses the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) to track the vast majority of the service data. HMIS is a database used by all federally or CoC funded homeless service providers.
§ <https://www.hudexchange.info/programs/hmis/>
o On the client information side, HomeFirst has provided a sample of a program intake for a Veterans (VA) program to get a sense of what is collected at point of admission. VA programs collect more information than most. Housing status and income status continue to be updated throughout a person's program enrollment, and their exit destination is also captured.
§ <https://www.bitfocus.com/hubfs/VA-Combined-Project-Intake-HMIS-2024%20(1).pdf?hsLang=en>
o Service transactions are entered into HMIS that reflect services rendered to participants such as nightly shelter provision, case management sessions, financial assistance, life skills workshops, and others.
o HMIS also holds Coordinated Entry assessments (VISPDATs) completed by providers to connect people experiencing homelessness to the Community Queue and (hopefully) future housing opportunities, as well as the Veterans Master List (by names, list of Veterans experiencing homelessness).
o Information is collected through a variety of means including assessment and intake forms, participant interview, and others. All information collected and entered into HMIS must have participant consent authorizing its entry into the system.
Storage
• What storage options are available at the HomeFirst BRC and the North County shelter?
o HomeFirst indicates that both the BRC and the North County shelters have storage capacity. BRC has a two-bag (30-gallon size) limit for storage. North County also has a “conex” box at the location and clients can store one additional bag. Storage capacity is up to 90 gallons, the standard is 60 gallons.
o The two 30-gallon bags are stored under the bed during sleeping and on top of the bed at other times. In addition, one storage bag/box (or suitcase) may be placed in a conex at the North County Shelter.
• What does an unhoused individual do if they have more belongings than can be taken to a shelter?
o HomeFirst staff works with participants, as needed, to identify alternate storage locations, (e.g., placing items with trusted friend/family member).
Staffing
• Is HomeFirst experiencing staffing shortages?
o HomeFirst indicates, that yes, like most other nonprofit organizations, it is experiencing staff shortages. HomeFirst provided additional context “according to an April 2023 report from the National Council of Nonprofits, 75% of nonprofits reported staff shortages. The most common range of vacancy rates in this report, was 10%-19%. HomeFirst's vacancy rate is currently 13%.”
• Can HomeFirst address the issue raised by a member of the public about HomeFirst staff being let go?
o This question relates to employment issues and therefore the details are confidential. A letter from Andrea Urton (dated 11/10/23) on this topic is included in the information packet (Attachment 2).
o HomeFirst indicated that:
§ “If the member of the public" is referring to the allegations of wrongful employment of five previous HomeFirst staff, we can't legally comment on certain details as these are private employee issues. However, of the 5 employees that were referenced of having been terminated- 1 employee was terminated in 2021, 1 employee was terminated in 2022, and 3 were terminated in 2023, 2 of them as a result of an unfortunate incident in which they were both involved. Since the allegations were raised, we have not been audited or investigated by California's Civil Rights Department or the Equal Employment Opportunity Office, nor any other similar entity. We stand by our decision to terminate the 5 employees that were referenced.”
• What is the racial and LGBTQ identification breakdown of HomeFirst’s Diversity Equity Inclusion (DEI) Council group and how many people within the group have experienced homelessness? How many people in the overall organization have experienced homelessness?
o Attachment 2, page 3 of 13, provides demographic information of the entire HomeFirst staff.
o HomeFirst provided details about their DEI group:
§ "The DEI Council currently has 12 members, with 4 applicants currently being vetted. Of the 12 members, 3 self-identify as Asian, 4 as Hispanic, 2 as African American, 1 multiracial, and 2 white. 3 of the 12 members self-identify as part of the LGBTQ community. We don't currently collect homeless experience as part of our employee demographics but plan to address this in the coming months.”
Abatements
• How many unhoused individuals have been displaced from abatement/ sweeping/cleaning since the previous contract was executed?
o HomeFirst and other outreach providers do not conduct abatements; abatements are determined by the property owner. Outreach providers provide support to residents of encampments if the property owner has determined that an abatement is needed.
o If there is an abatement conducted by the City or other public agency (or on occasion a private property owner), HomeFirst is informed so that they can work with individuals on accessing services and finding shelter before the abatement occurs. The City has a separate contract with Tucker Construction to assist with clean up and removal of possessions left behind. The items determined to be trash are taken to the SMaRT® Station The remaining possessions are stored at the City’s corporation yard for 90 days. Other service organizations have also helped to find and/or secure accommodations for the displaced individuals.
o In addition to the City of Sunnyvale, Valley Water, Santa Clara County, Caltrans, and Caltrain have properties in Sunnyvale where encampments have occurred. All of these agencies have indicated that their policy is not to conduct an abatement unless there is an eminent health or safety issue. Valley Water, Santa Clara County, have contracted outreach services; however; Caltrans and Caltrain do not provide these services.
o From June 1, 2022, through January 31, 2024, there have been seven abatements conducted by Sunnyvale (the most recent one on behalf of the County of Santa Clara). Valley Water has conducted a few of their own abatements.
|
Date |
Location |
|
1/6/2022 |
Lakewood Park |
|
1/17/2023 |
San Aleso |
|
1/24/2023 |
San Aleso + Knickerbocker |
|
2/7/2023 |
N. Pastoria |
|
3/23/2023 |
SOC/Library |
|
9/9/2023 |
San Angelo |
|
1/19/2024 |
Central/Fair Oaks |
o Approximately 38 individuals have been displaced due to a City-conducted clean-up/abatement. Some of the individuals are counted more than once as they moved to a location that was later abated.
City Funding
• Does the City not contribute enough money/resources to secure beds at the County-owned shelter in Sunnyvale?
o Santa Clara County does not have a program to allow beds to be reserved at a County shelter; therefore, it is not a question of funding. The County has indicated that the shelter is there for any North County residents in need of shelter, including persons being relocated from encampments located in Sunnyvale.
o HomeFirst has helped several unhoused individuals obtain a bed at the North County shelter.
o In order to abate an encampment, a place for the person to relocate must be available. Because the County does not allow reserving of beds, the contract with HomeFirst assures that there is a guaranteed location for a displaced person.
• How much does the City contribute towards serving and sheltering the unhoused compared to other cities? Is this related to why we have so far been unsuccessful with securing beds at that shelter?
o As stated above it is not a matter of other funding that would allow reserving beds for unhoused individuals from Sunnyvale. The County has indicated it is first come, first served. The City’s outreach provider, HomeFirst, does check for availability of beds at the North County shelter if the client prefers. During the recent clean up along County property (Central Expressway) the County staff assisted with providing beds at the North County shelter in Sunnyvale.
• What is the probability of the City securing beds at the North County shelter? What else can the City do to make that happen?
o This is a matter for the County to decide and is not up to the shelter operator (another division of HomeFirst). The City staff will continue to explore options with the County on reserving beds at the North County shelter.
o County staff are informed when there is a pending abatement (clean up) and have assisted with shelter placements in Sunnyvale.
• Return to Council with alternative uses for the $100,000 currently allocated towards the shelter beds that could be used to serve the unhoused (ex: sanitation services, etc.).
o The funding is used to ensure there will be beds available should it be necessary, typically for safety reasons, to relocate unhoused individuals. The City cannot abate an encampment without offering individuals with a place to move to. As we have seen, unhoused individuals do not always accept shelter. An alternative might be to reserve fewer beds, however this could be problematic if more individuals accept shelter than beds available.
o Hotel rooms could be an option for this funding. During strong economic times this option may present issues with availability of rooms. Also, not all hotel operators would have an interest in participating in the program.
o Funding could potentially be utilized for rental of public storage facilities.
o As the maximum occupancy of the reserved beds at the BRC has not exceeded two, the number of reserved beds could be reduced and the savings could be used to expand street-based outreach services.
o Regarding sanitation services, there are mobile hygiene programs that the City has funded in the past (that could be funded again) which offer showers/clothes washing services. Freestanding portable toilets should only be provided with a sanctioned encampment program.
Council Comments on Contract Provisions
• In general, provide more comprehensive performance metrics.
• Include a performance measure of how long individuals stayed at a shelter.
• Can individuals’ items be stored safely and securely at the shelters? Can language be added to the contract to ensure that items are stored safely and securely?
o The shelters offer limited space for storage of personal items. Staff is not aware of any homeless service providers that provide storage services.
• What can be done to increase the amount of storage so individuals don’t have to travel to the Corp Yard to access their belongings?
o It is unlikely that any of the shelters will be able to add storage facilities. As mentioned above, staff could explore the potential for using funding for self-storage facilities.
Council Questions about the November 2023 Presentation from HomeFirst
• What’s the total population that each percentage is drawn from (ex: 10% of 100 people) in the information packet that HomeFirst provided to the City Council for the presentation?
o The data in the packet for services in Sunnyvale includes a number and a percentage.
o The summary pages (pages 2 and 3 in Attachment 2) of HomeFirst as an organization do not provide the numbers for:
§ Emergency Interim Housing (EIH) Sites (41%)
§ Homelessness Prevention Program (92%)
§ Participants in Permanent Supportive Housing or Maintenance programs who retained housing (97%)
§ Workforce Demographics (varies)
• How many/what percentage of individuals who left an Evacuee Transition Facility (ETF) graduated to temporary housing and how many/what percentage of individuals graduated to permanent housing?
o The Evacuee Transition Facility was offered in San Jose when large floods occurred. This is not a service that has been provided in Sunnyvale. HomeFirst provided these statistics:
• Emergency Interim Housing (EIH) and Prevention/Retention are below.
Contracting for Services
The City established a core team to work with HomeFirst during the pilot project. The Community Development Department is now leading the core team, with support from the Department of Public Works, Environmental Services, Library and Recreation Services, Public Safety, Office of the City Attorney and the Office of the City Manager.
Staff finds that outreach and case management services are benefitting unhoused individuals in Sunnyvale and recommends that the City Council continue to fund such services for the foreseeable future. It could benefit the City to have a competitive process for service providers. The competitive process will allow other service providers to offer their services and the best proposal for services could be selected ensure a good quality of service will be delivered. It typically takes about 5-6 months to complete a request for proposals (RFP) process. Staff recommends a six-month extension on the contract with HomeFirst so that there is no gap in the outreach and case management services while the competitive process is proceeding.
The extension of the Agreement with HomeFirst (Attachment 1) is for a period of 6 additional months ending on September 30, 2024. A new contract, in response to an RFP, would be considered by the City Council prior to this expiration date along with a determination on whether to have any overlap in contracts, if a new service provider is selected.
The extension of the Agreement with HomeFirst is for a total amount of $206,710. It includes one (1) Outreach Specialist, one (1) Case Manager and the appropriate personnel resources tasked with supporting unsheltered individuals within the City of Sunnyvale. Five shelter beds at the Boccardo Reception Center are under the administration of HomeFirst. They could make these beds available during the extent of the contract. The shelter in Sunnyvale is managed by the County of Santa Clara and beds are not able to be secured. However, HomeFirst will work with the Sunnyvale shelter and make this shelter a priority for shelter beds if that option becomes available.
At the September 2023 Council hearing on the contract extension, Councilmembers expressed concerns that there were not clear Activity and Outcome measures specified in the contract. Staff recommends including Activity Measures and Outcome Goals to the contract extension with HomeFirst (more details are provided in Attachment 1, contract amendment)
Activity Measures
Activity 1 Street-Based Outreach Engagement Contacts
• Duplicated
• Unduplicated
Activity 2 Street-Based Case Management and Housing Navigation Services
Activity 3 VI-SPDAT Assessments
Activity 4 Connections to Behavioral Health Services
Activity 5 Shelter or Other Housing Acceptance
Outcome Goals
Outcome 1 90% of participants engaged in services will have a completed VI-SPDAT.
Outcome 2 90% of participants engaged in services will have a completed housing plan within the first 90 days of receiving services.
Outcome 3 50% of clients will be assisted with becoming “document-ready”.
Outcome 4 A minimum of 15% of enrolled participants will exit to permanent housing or temporary housing destinations (emergency shelter or transitional housing, Safe RV parking), and some institutional destinations.
Outcome 5 90% of program participant surveys collected during the reporting period will report being satisfied with services.
Request for Proposals
During the six-month extension of outreach services staff would release a request for proposals for Street-based Outreach and Case Management Services. Proposals would be due approximately two months prior to the expiration of the contract extension.
FISCAL IMPACT
Funding for this contract and ancillary services is available in Project 835820 - Temporary Housing for Unhoused Individuals.
PUBLIC CONTACT
Public contact was made by posting the Council meeting agenda on the City's official-notice bulletin board at City Hall, at the Sunnyvale Public Library and in the Department of Public Safety Lobby. Sunnyvale service providers were notified via e-mail of the availability of this report. In addition, the agenda and this report are available at the NOVA Workforce Services reception desk located on the first floor of City Hall at 456 W. Olive Avenue (during normal business hours), and on the City's website.
ALTERNATIVES
1. Authorize the City Manager to execute a Third Amendment to the Agreement in substantially the same format as Attachment 1 in the amount of $206,710 with HomeFirst Services of Santa Clara County for Case Management Services and Shelter Beds for the Unhoused Population in Sunnyvale.
2. Direct staff to initiate a Request for Proposals for Case Management Services and Shelter Beds for the Unhoused Population in Sunnyvale.
3. Other direction from the City Council
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Alternatives 1 and 2: 1) Authorize the City Manager to execute a Third Amendment to the Agreement in substantially the same format as Attachment 1 to the report in the amount of $206,710 with HomeFirst Services of Santa Clara County for case management services and shelter beds for the unhoused population in Sunnyvale, and 2) Direct staff to initiate a request for proposals for case management services and shelter beds for the unhoused population in Sunnyvale.
Justification
Staff recommends extending the contract with HomeFirst for another six months, during which time a request for proposals will be released and proposals will be evaluated. Continuing the contract with HomeFirst assures that uninterrupted street-based outreach services will continue.
Staff
Prepared by: Trudi Ryan, Director of Community Development
Reviewed by: Tim Kirby, Director of Finance
Reviewed by: Connie Verceles, Deputy City Manager
Approved by: Kent Steffens, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
1. Draft Third Amendment to an Agreement with HomeFirst Services of Santa Clara County
2. Copy of packet distributed by HomeFirst at November 14, 2023 presentation to City Council
3. Original Agreement and First and Second Amendments with HomeFirst Services of Santa Clara County