The revision and endorsement of the Council on Homelessness By-Laws will allow the County to meet federal requirements for funding to prevent and end homelessness. There is no match requirement and no additional County funds are required.
The Continuum of Care (CoC) Program interim rule requires by-laws to be developed by the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) lead, the CoC, and the collaborative applicant. The by-laws must include:
• All of the policies and procedures that are required to comply with the requirements designated to the CoC in Subpart B of the interim rule;
• All policies and procedures required to comply with the HMIS requirements; and
• A code of conduct and recusal process for the board, its chair, and other persons acting on behalf of the board
Because some of the requirements in Subpart B of the CoC Program interim rule are new, the by-laws need to be updated to consider all additional requirements in Subpart B. Further, the CoC Program interim rule requires that the by-laws be reviewed annually and updated as needed. In March of 2015, the Advisory Board formed an Ad Hoc Committee to address these requirements and align the by-laws with the current goals of the CoC. On June 11, 2015 the Advisory Board moved to approve the suggested edits to the by-laws from the Ad Hoc Committee.
The following highlights the key changes from the 2013 by-laws:
• Modifying the name of the Continuum of Care from the “Contra Costa Inter-jurisdictional Council on Homelessness” to the “Contra Costa Continuum of Care” for clarity and simplicity;
• Modifying the name from the “Contra Costa Inter-jurisdictional Council on Homelessness Advisory Board” to the “Contra Costa Council on Homelessness” for clarity and simplicity;
• Council member terms are to be modified so that each seat will have a term of two years expiring on December 31 of alternating years to be compliant with the interim rule. There is a maximum of two consecutive terms in the same seat.
Approval of the revised by-laws by the Board of Supervisors will reaffirm Contra Costa’s goal of preventing and ending homelessness. A coordinated response to homelessness is in alignment with the requirements of federal funding sources for homeless assistance, and will effect change through improved outcomes for persons experiencing homelessness, as well as improved competitiveness in national competitions for federal funding sources.
The proposed Contra Costa Council on Homelessness roster, after all changes, is shown below:
|
Seat Name |
Appointee |
Current Term Expiration |
Proposed New Term Expiration |
1 |
Behavioral Health Representative |
Vacant |
|
12/31/2017 |
2 |
CoC/ESG Program Grantee |
Vacant |
3/31/16 |
12/31/2016 |
3 |
Community Member Seat #1 |
Teri House |
3/31/16 |
12/31/2016 |
4 |
Community Member Seat #2 |
Vacant |
3/31/16 |
12/31/2017 |
5 |
Community Member Seat #3 |
Janet Kennedy |
3/31/16 |
12/31/2016 |
6 |
Consumer/Consumer Advocate ** |
Vacant |
3/31/16 |
12/31/2017 |
7 |
Education and Vocational Services Representative |
Vacant |
|
12/31/2017 |
8 |
Emergency Solutions Grants Representative |
Vacant |
|
12/31/2017 |
9 |
Faith Community Representative |
Vacant |
3/31/16 |
12/31/2016 |
10 |
Government Seat #1 |
Kevin Corrigan |
3/31/16 |
12/31/2016 |
11 |
Government Seat #2 |
Brenda Kain |
3/31/16 |
12/31/2016 |
12 |
Health Care Representative |
Vacant |
3/31/16 |
12/31/2016 |
13 |
Homeless Housing Provider |
Vacant |
|
12/31/2017 |
14 |
Philanthropy Representative |
Vacant |
|
12/31/2017 |
15 |
Public Housing Authority |
Joseph Villarreal |
3/31/16 |
12/31/2016 |
16 |
Public Safety Representative |
Vacant |
3/31/16 |
12/31/2017 |
17 |
Veterans Administration Representative |
Vacant |
|
12/31/2017 |
18 |
Consumer/Consumer Advocate - Alternate ** |
Valerie Sloven |
3/31/16 |
12/31/2016 |
** The appointees to the Consumer/Consumer Advocate and Alternate seats should have a lived experience of homelessness.
The County may be in jeopardy of losing funding due to non-compliance with the Continuum of Care (CoC) Program interim rule.