Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Raymond Hodges, Director, Department of Housing
Subject: All Home Regional Action Plan
RECOMMENDATION:
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Adopt a resolution accepting the All Home Regional Action Plan (RAP) developed by the Regional Impact Council (RIC), which outlines eight strategic priorities and a program investment framework to reduce unsheltered homelessness by 75% across the Bay Area, including San Mateo County, by 2024.
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BACKGROUND:
The Bay Area region continues to face a severe housing shortage, increasing rents, and homelessness experienced disproportionately by certain communities. These trends have been further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to these challenges, the non-profit organization All Home was formed to bring together cities and counties in the Bay Area in order to advance regional solutions to disrupt the cycles of poverty and homelessness and create more economic mobility opportunities for extremely low-income people. All Home works with and connects cities and counties, sectors and silos to advance coordinated, innovative service delivery and build coalition-supported momentum to challenge the long-standing systems that perpetuate homelessness.
In 2020, All Home established the Regional Impact Council (RIC), a roundtable of policymakers, housing and homelessness service providers, business and philanthropic partners, and key affordable housing, social equity and economic mobility stakeholders from all nine Bay Area counties. There are currently two San Mateo County representatives on the RIC. Supervisor David Canepa and Louise Rogers, Chief of San Mateo County Health, sit on the RIC Steering Committee and RIC Technical Committee, respectively.
In April 2021, the RIC launched the Regional Action Plan (RAP), as shown in Attachment A, which pushes for a joint-effort, broad-based coalition to advocate for policies, programs and funding guided by eight strategic priorities and a new investment framework to reduce unsheltered homelessness by 75% by 2024. Implementation of the RAP by cities and counties throughout the region is part of the first of two phases proposed by the RIC to meet the goal of reducing homelessness by 75% by 2024.
DISCUSSION:
DOH seeks the Board’s approval to advance the RAP within San Mateo County, in coordination with other Bay Area jurisdictions, towards the goal of reducing unsheltered homelessness in the Bay Area by 75% by 2024. Among other strategies, the RAP introduces the 1-2-4 framework, a funding formula that illustrates proportionate investment in three strategies simultaneously by focusing on residents experiencing unsheltered homelessness and those with extremely low incomes. The 1-2-4 framework proposes that every new unit of interim housing added should be matched by two units of new permanent housing solutions and four units of preventative interventions. The RIC recognizes that local needs and conditions may differ from the standards set by the 1-2-4 formula, as well as other proposed strategies, and encourages jurisdictions to adjust accordingly.
Recognizing the need for affordable housing in the County, the Board has previously approved projects and dedicated resources towards interim housing, permanent housing, and preventative interventions, the same solutions outlined in the 1-2-4 framework. A few of the County’s current projects include:
• Maple Street Navigation Center
Construction of the Maple Street Navigation Center in Redwood City will commence Spring of 2022 and provide interim housing and intensive support services to persons experiencing homelessness to help them navigate from unsheltered life to stable housing.
• Homekey
On October 29, 2020, the County was awarded approximately $33 million in Homekey funding combined with more than $25.6 million in County funding to support the addition of Permanent Supportive Housing for formerly homeless households. The County, in partnership with community-based homeless service providers, implemented new homeless shelter services in the form of hotel-based non-congregate shelter programs, to provide additional shelter capacity for vulnerable people experiencing homelessness during COVID-19 who are at risk of severe illness if they were to contract COVID-19. In addition to two new non-congregate shelters, the County added 92 units of permanent supportive housing for formerly homeless seniors, similarly impacted by COVID-19.
• Affordable Housing Fund
In 2020, the Board approved DOH’s Affordable Housing Fund (AHF) 8.0 commitments of up to $33,666,437 for eight new construction affordable rental housing developments and one new construction affordable multifamily homeownership development. In previous AHF rounds, together with its Preservation sub-fund, DOH has allocated approximately $120.3 million to assist 2,818 units in San Mateo County - supporting the development of 2,403 new affordable rental and homeownership units, and the preservation of 415 multifamily rental units as affordable housing.
• Housing for a Healthy California
On March 6, 2020, the County was awarded approximately $19.9 million from the state’s Housing for a Healthy California (HHC) program to support projects proposing to serve individuals who experience chronic homelessness or experience homelessness, and who are a high cost health use. The HHC award is made available to affordable housing projects through DOH’s AHF program.
• Rapid Rehousing
In 2020, the Board approved a HUD allocation of ESG-CV in the amount of $5,944,187 to support Rapid Re-Housing, Emergency Shelter, and Street Outreach activities for short-term rental subsidies, assistance, and services to help households who have been adversely impacted by COVID-19 to fund and maintain permanent housing.
• Mental Health Services Act (MHSA)
In June 2021 the County added $5 Million of Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) funding designated for projects serving persons with serious mental illness who are homeless or at-risk of homelessness to the funds available through the Affordable Housing Fund (AHF).
• Emergency Housing Vouchers
Through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, the Housing Authority of the County of San Mateo (HACSM) was awarded 222 Emergency Housing Vouchers (EHV’s) from the federal EHV Program. EHVs are managed by the Continuum of Care (CoC), which refers and provides services to eligible individuals which include homeless, at risk of homelessness, victims of domestic violence.
While the Board has actively supported projects and solutions to provide and maintain affordable housing within the County, aligning the County’s goals with the RAP allows the County to join a regional effort solving the same issues. DOH recommends the acceptance of the RAP so that critical resources can be allocated strategically in order to reduce unsheltered homelessness in the Bay Area by 75% by 2024. Acceptance of the RAP is in furtherance of the County’s goals to provide permanent affordable housing, preserve existing affordable housing units, and provide shelter in the County, which are in the best interests of the County and the welfare of its residents.
This resolution has been reviewed and approved as to form by County Counsel.
PERFORMANCE MEASURE:
N/A
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no immediate fiscal impact to accept the RAP.