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C.3

To:	Contra Costa County Housing Authority Board of Commissioners
From:	Joseph Villarreal, Housing Authority
Date:	March 21, 2023

Contra

Costa

County

Subject:

APPROVAL OF THE CONTINUUM OF CARE RENTAL SUBSIDY PROGRAM POLICY AND PROCEDURES FOR ADMINISTRATION OF THE PROGRAM BY HACCC AND HOPE SOLUTIONS

Action of Board On: 03/21/2023

APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED

OTHER

Clerks Notes:

VOTE OF SUPERVISORS

AYE:

John Gioia, Commissioner
Candace Andersen, Commissioner
Diane Burgis, Commissioner
Ken Carlson, Commissioner
Federal D. Glover, Commissioner
Cynthia Jordan, Commissioner
Joanne Segura, Commissioner

Contact:

925-957-8028

I hereby certify that this is a true and correct copy of an action taken and entered on the minutes of the Board of Supervisors on the date shown.
ATTESTED: March 21, 2023
,

BY:	, Deputy

RECOMMENDATIONS

APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the Executive Director to adopt the Continuum of Care Rental Subsidy Program Policies and Procedures for administration of the program by HACCC and Hope Solutions.

BACKGROUND

HACCC had been in a partnership with Contra Costa County’s Department of Health Services to administer the County’s Shelter Plus Care Program (S+C) through the Shelter Plus Care grant (S+C grant) for approximately 25 years. The Shelter Plus Care (S+C) Program provides a variety of permanent housing choices, accompanied by a range of supportive services. The S+C grant provides homeless and disabled persons housing through either tenant-based rental assistance (TBRA) or project-based rental assistance (PBRA).

BACKGROUND (CONT'D)

Through the Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing Act (HEARTH Act), the S+C program was reinvented in 2015 and became known as the Continuum of Care Rental Subsidy Program (COCRSP). The name change did not dramatically alter the S+C program.

HACCC has received approximately $1.8 million each year to house approximately 300 households under the various COCRSPs. A maximum of 10% of that amount is carved out for administrative costs and is used to pay for the staffing and administrative costs of operating the program for both HACCC and its subrecipient. In addition, the grantee is required to provide 25% of the grant funding as in-kind or cash match for services to the program participants. To date, this match has included staff and administrative expenses as well as unreimbursed services through the County’s Health Services.

On March 8, 2022, this Board approved a contract with Contra Costa Interfaith Transitional Housing, also known as Hope Solutions’ (Hope Solutions) to replace the County’s Health, Housing and Homeless Services department as the subgrantee for the program’s administration.

HACCC has been working closely with Hope Solutions for several years in its capacity as a housing provider and, most recently, as the housing navigation team for the Emergency Housing Voucher program previously brought before HACCC’s Board of Commissioners. Over the course of the past 12 months, HACCC and Hope Solutions have worked in partnership to administer the COCRSP. Part of that collaboration involved drafting up new policies and procedures to guide each agency’s day to day operations. HUD has requested that the Board approve the new policies and procedures drafted up by HACCC and Hope Solutions.

This action is being brought before the Board to approve the drafted policies and procedures pursuant to HUD’s request.

FISCAL IMPACT

There is no fiscal impact for this action. It is a policy administration issue.

CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION

If the Board fails to a approve the new policies and procedures, HACCC will not be in compliance with the HUD directive and is subject to audit findings and sanction of the Continuum of Care Rental Subsidy Program funding. As a result, HACCC will not be in a position to continue to provide assistance to participants of the CoC’s rental subsidy program.