Title:
Title
Approval of Funding Agreement Under Request for Proposals #EV00000095 for SHELTER Inc. (Two-Thirds Vote Required)
End
FileID
File ID: 2019-01450
Location
Location: District 3
Recommendation:
Recommendation
Adopt a Resolution by two-thirds vote: 1) suspending competitive bidding allowing for the selection of a shelter operator, under a competitive RFP process, using selection criteria in which pricing is not the sole determinant for award; 2) waiving Sacramento City Code Section 4.04.020 and Council Rules of Procedure (Chapter 7, Section E.2.d) mandating that, unless waived by a 2/3 vote of the City Council, all labor agreements and all agreements greater than $1,000,000 shall be made available to the public at least ten (10) days prior to council action; 3) authorizing the City Manager, or the City Manager’s designee, to execute an agreement with SHELTER, Inc. with an initial performance period through June 30, 2020 for an amount not to exceed $985,571, with one option for the City of Sacramento to renew for an additional six months through December 31, 2020 at $900,641, contingent upon the existence of sufficient funding in the budget for Fiscal Year 2020/2021, bringing the total not-to-exceed amount to $1,886,212.
Contact: Andrew Geurkink, Program Manager, (916) 808-7816, Office of the City Manager
Body
Presenter: None
Attachments:
1-Description/Analysis
2-Resolution
3-Exhibit A - Non-Professional Services Agreement with SHELTER, Inc.
Description/Analysis
Issue Detail: The crisis of unsheltered homelessness is one that impacts an entire community, including those experiencing homelessness and the broader community of housed residents, businesses and neighborhoods. The most recent Homeless Point-in- Time Count, published by Sacramento Steps Forward (SSF) for the Sacramento Continuum of Care (CoC), suggests that on any given night, 5,570 individuals experience homelessness throughout the County of Sacramento. According to the same report, this represents a 19% increase in homelessness in Sacramento County since 2017. Of the 5,570 individuals experiencing homelessness, approximately 70% (3,900 individuals) experience unsheltered homelessness with 73% (2,855 individuals) experiencing unsheltered homelessness in the City of Sacramento.
The River District Property and Business Improvement District (River District) is an area of approximately 830 acres located just north of Downtown Sacramento, within the City limits. Geographically, this area is bounded roughly by the American and Sacramento Rivers to the North and West, the Union Pacific rail berm and C/D streets to the south, and 27th Street to the east and is home to numerous business and residents. As of 2016, the River District had 137,711 homed residents (within a 3-mile radius of Richards and North 7th), as well as several of the City’s homeless shelters.
While a formal census has not been conducted, data from street outreach as well as referral-only programs has provided insight into the unique needs of unsheltered residents of the River District. On any given night, it is estimated that there may be upwards of 200 individuals living unsheltered within the boundary of the River District. At the same time, the River District has a significant number of shelter beds and services that more broadly serve those experiencing homelessness throughout the County and City of Sacramento. It is estimated that there is a collective 400+ publicly and privately funded shelter beds in this area. In addition to shelters, there are a number of organizations providing direct services to the homeless population including Sacramento Loaves and Fishes, El Hogar’s Guest House, and Women’s Empowerment. The level of coordination and connection to the broader homeless system of care varies across each program as does the level of services, but increasing emphasis is being placed on more coordination among providers in this area as well as County-wide. There is also a significant presence of individuals and organizations that congregate on a regular basis in the River District, giving away food, clothing, and other personal items.
Through a collaborative approach, the City, with its partners at Sacramento County (County), anticipates serving persons living in the vicinity of the North 5th Navigation Center site and the River District more broadly. These individuals will have complex medical and social needs as well as longer lengths of homelessness, detachment from services, and limited income.
In partnership with SHELTER, Inc. and the County, the City seeks to meet the following:
• Fund street engagement and sheltering activities utilizing the existing 104 bed capacity at the County-owned facility located at North 5th.
• Shift shelter access to an invitation-only entry focused primarily on the unsheltered population in the vicinity of shelter through ongoing street outreach and engagement;
• Implement 24/7 shelter operations with focus on stabilization and re-housing outcomes with strong connectivity to health, physical and behavioral health, income, and re-housing services;
• Embrace a consumer-centric approach to program engagement and lower or remove barriers to shelter entry;
• Regular County, City and provider collaboration with a focus on continuous improvement to impact population living in the vicinity and shelter housing outcomes. With the shelter provider, jurisdictional staff will review and regularly evaluate outcomes; and
• Continued partnership with River District Property Business Improvement District (PBID), law enforcement, City’s Department of Public Works, shelter and service providers, and charitable organizations to impact street population in the River District outside of sheltering and re-housing strategies.
By approaching service delivery as detailed above, the City expects to:
• Reduce impacts publicly funded shelters have on neighborhood in the vicinity of the Navigation Center;
• Deliver quality 24/7 sheltering and stabilization services;
• Permanently house clients and increase flow to successful housing exits; and
• Strengthen collaboration among publicly funded shelters, the City, and the River District community.
Policy Considerations: On October 16, 2018, the Sacramento City Council held a workshop on Homeless Sheltering Policies and adopted Resolution No. 2018-0402, which embraces Housing First principles for City-funded Triage Shelters. However, the City Council also acknowledged the need for other shelter and service approaches, especially for vulnerable populations, including transition age youth, women, and families. The approach recommended allows for a variety of sheltering options, recognizing different needs of different populations and reflecting community priorities.
The Sacramento City Code Section 4.04.020 and Council Rules of Procedure (Chapter 7, Section E.2.d) mandate that unless waived by a 2/3 vote of the City Council, all labor agreements and all agreements greater than $1,000,000 shall be made available to the public at least ten (10) days prior to council action. The recommendation requests waiving this requirement.
Economic Impacts: None
Environmental Considerations: The proposed action is exempt from environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines section 15301 for existing facilities.
Sustainability: None
Commission/Committee Action: None
Rationale for Recommendation: On September 11, 2019, staff of the City’s Homeless Services Division released a Request for Proposals (RFP) in the amount not-to-exceed $1,783,717. This RFP was released in conjunction with the County of Sacramento as part of the collaborative approach to redesigning two publicly funded shelters for single adults in the River District. Both the City and County’s RFP’s were publicly available for one month, and all proposals were due Friday, October 11, 2019.
The City received three proposals and all proposals passed staff’s technical review and were moved forward for panel review. Because of the collaborative nature of the River District shelter redesign, the City and County created a joint panel comprised of 5 individuals representing community stakeholders on the issues of homelessness. Represented agencies included, The River District, Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency, Sacramento Steps Forward, Sacramento County, and City of Sacramento. The outcome of this process resulted in the recommendation to proceed with an intent to award to SHELTER, Inc.
SHELTER, Inc. is a non-profit originating from Contra Costa, California and while not a current provider of homeless services in Sacramento, they have over 30 years of experience providing sheltering and re-housing services to families and individuals experiencing homelessness. Most recently, SHELTER, Inc. assumed operations of a failing shelter in Fairfield, California and effectively transformed the program’s operations and secured its longer-term stability. Despite not being a local provider, SHELTER, Inc. demonstrated and articulated their understanding of the River District’s unique needs and experiences with unsheltered homelessness.
Financial Considerations: The original not-to-exceed amount of $1,783,717, as listed in RFP #EV00000095 was supplemented with $102,495 in general funds to support key elements of program, bringing the total not-to-exceed amount to $1,886,212
Sufficient funding exists in the Homeless Housing Initiative Program (I02000200) in the General Fund (Fund 1001) and the Homeless Emergency Aid Program (G02000820) in the Operating Grants Fund (Fund 2702) to support $985,571 for Performance Period 1 of the contract with SHELTER, Inc. The six-month renewal option, for Performance Period 2, for $900,641 will be funded out of I02000200 in Fund 1001, provided that sufficient funding is available in the budget adopted for the applicable fiscal year.
|
Project No. |
Fund Name (Fund No.) |
Performance Period 1 |
Performance Period 2 |
Amount |
|
I02000200 |
General Fund (1001) |
$243,469 |
$900,641 |
$1,144,110 |
|
G02000820 |
Operating Grants (2702) |
$742,102 |
- |
$742,102 |
|
TOTAL |
$985,571 |
$900,641 |
$1,886,212 |
Local Business Enterprise (LBE): None