Title
Supplemental Agreement: Coordinated Access System with Sacramento Steps Forward [Published for 10-Day Review 06/14/2024]
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FileID
File ID: 2024-01085
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Location
Location: Citywide
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Recommendation
Recommendation: Pass a Motion authorizing the City Manager or the City Manager’s designee to execute Supplemental Agreement No. 3 to City Agreement No. 2022-0818 with Sacramento Steps Forward in an amount not to exceed $1,000,000 for a new total not to exceed amount of $3,000,000 for the administration of the Coordinated Access System (CAS).
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Contact
Contact: Brian Pedro, Director, (916)-808-7816, bpedro1@cityofsacramento.org; Jason Beckstrom, Program Specialist, (916) 808-5709, jbeckstrom@cityofsacramento.org; Department of Community Response
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Attachments
Attachments:
1-Description/Analysis
2-Sacramento Steps Forward Coordinated Access Supplemental Agreement No. 3
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Description/Analysis
IssueDetail
Issue Detail: Homelessness is an issue that impacts communities without regard to geographic or political boundaries and for which there is no single answer or approach. Shelters play a significant role in addressing homelessness and as such it is necessary to create a systemic approach to addressing homelessness which includes low to no barrier crisis shelters. The City of Sacramento recognizes the important role that such shelters play in helping move people out of homelessness and into permanent housing.
The City of Sacramento has made a significant investment of resources to increase the access and availability of shelter beds, services, and permanent housing to those experiencing homelessness. The positive impact from these investments can be seen from the latest Sacramento Point-In-Time (PIT) Count that was released in June 2024. According to the 2024 Sacramento PIT Count released by the Sacramento County Continuum of Care, the County of Sacramento had an estimated homeless population of 6,615, a 28.7% decrease from the 2022 PIT Count. Between 2022 and 2024, the number of people experiencing homelessness in shelters increased by 2.2%, from 2,614 to 2,671. In contrast, the number of unsheltered individuals decreased by 40.8%, dropping from 6,664 to 3,944.
The Coordinated Access System (CAS) is a collaborative effort between Sacramento Steps Forward (SSF), 2-1-1, the City of Sacramento, and Sacramento County. It was launched in December 2022 to provide a centralized access point for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Program staff and clients alike can access these resources through this centralized system. The CAS has been pivotal in its approach, connecting Sacramento’s service providers and partners to create a more accessible, efficient, and person-centered system for those experiencing or at risk of homelessness. In addition to the ability to connect households experiencing homelessness to emergency services quickly, the system also includes a greater emphasis and coordination on diverting households away from homelessness through problem-solving and prevention options, whenever possible.
On May 28, 2024, SSF presented the 2023 Year One Annual Report to City Council. Per this report, support via 2-1-1 was available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year starting in November 2023. During the calendar year 2023, CAS connected 37,310 callers to homelessness and housing services. 98% of callers were either experiencing homelessness or expected to experience homelessness within 30 days. 2,133 households were moved into housing during the year.
The 2024 CAS improvement plan includes onboarding additional programs to help meet the demand, improving the variety and number of resources available to those experiencing homelessness, expediting shelter placement time and decreasing the no-show percentage for Extremely Vulnerable Households.
Beginning in February 2022, the City Council approved funding to support the development and implementation of CAS with a $1 million commitment per year for three years. On July 1, 2022, the City entered into Agreement No. 2022-0818 with SSF providing the first $1 million for CAS. On July 1, 2023 the City entered into Supplemental Agreement No. 1 to Agreement No. 2022-0818 providing the second $1 million for CAS. City staff recommend extending the current agreement with SSF for one additional year, until June 30, 2025 (the third year of the initial three-year plan) for an amount not to exceed $1 million, for a new total not to exceed amount of $3 million.
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PolicyConsiderations
Policy Considerations: The recommendations in this report are in accordance with Sacramento City Code section 3.64.020, any agreement for professional services that is for $250,000 or more requires City Council approval.
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. This item was published for 10-Day review on June 14, 2024, in compliance with the City Code.
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EconomicImpacts
Economic Impacts: Investment into Coordinated Access will positively support the whole community and result in an easier system to navigate, increased diversion from homelessness, and measurable reductions in homelessness. These shifts will support businesses and the local economy overall.
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EnvironmentalConsiderations
Environmental Considerations: This report concerns administrative activities and government fiscal activities that do not constitute a "project" and is not subject to the provisions of California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) (CEQA Section 15378(b)(2)).
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Sustainability
Sustainability: Not applicable.
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Commission/Committee Action
Commission/Committee Action: Not applicable.
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RationaleforRecommendation
Rationale for Recommendation: Continuing the implementation of the Coordinated Access System (CAS) is critical to the local homelessness response system. To respond to local needs more completely, the first necessary step identified by national experts is the importance of having accurate, real-time, local data. CAS will also make the existing system more user-friendly, equitable, and accessible to community members who are unsheltered or at-risk of homelessness, while also furthering identifying gaps and needs in the system.
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FinancialConsiderations
Financial Considerations: Below is the budget breakdown for CAS and the contributing partners:
Annual Budget for Coordinated Access System ($7.15 million)
• $2 million supports 2-1-1 staffing and program infrastructure
• $950 thousand supports SSF HMIS and staffing needs
• $1.2 million in approximately 12-18 Coordinated Access Navigators to help with diversion and system navigation
• $3 million supports one-time financial assistance to rapidly exit or prevent people from entering homelessness
Anticipated Contributing Partners
• $5.15 million annually - Continuum of Care
• $1 million annually - City of Sacramento (year three of the initial three-year plan of contributions)
• $1 million annually - County of Sacramento
There is sufficient funding (Measure U, Fund 2401) in the Community Response Program (I23000100) to execute a supplemental agreement with Sacramento Steps Forward extending the agreement period for one year in an amount not to exceed $1,000,000.
Annual $1 million contributions by the City may be necessary to continue the system going forward in partnership with the CoC, the County of Sacramento, and the other partnering cities in the CoC (Citrus Heights, Elk Grove, and Rancho Cordova). Support for continuing the system with contributing partners in future fiscal years is subject to availability of funding in the adopted budgets for the applicable fiscal years.
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LocalBusinessEnterprise
Local Business Enterprise (LBE): Sacramento Steps Forward and 2-1-1 are local to the Sacramento region.
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