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Agenda Item
ASR
Control 26-000088 |
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MEETING
DATE: |
03/24/26 |
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legal entity taking action: |
Board
of Supervisors |
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board of supervisors district(s): |
2 |
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SUBMITTING Agency/Department: |
County
Executive Office (Approved) |
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Department contact person(s): |
Doug
Becht (714) 834-2323 |
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Karen
Betances (714) 834-2184 |
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Subject: Approve Contract for Yale
Navigation Center Operations and Services
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ceo CONCUR |
County Counsel Review |
Clerk of the Board |
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Concur |
Approved
Agreement to Form |
Discussion |
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3
Votes Board Majority |
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Budgeted: N/A |
Current Year
Cost: N/A |
Annual Cost: FY 2026-27 $9,820,851 |
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Staffing Impact: |
No |
# of Positions: |
Sole Source: No |
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Current Fiscal Year Revenue: N/A
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Prior Board Action: N/A |
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RECOMMENDED
ACTION(S):
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1. |
Authorize the
County Procurement Officer or Deputized designee to execute Contract with
PATH, for Yale Navigation Center Operations and Services, effective July 1,
2026, through June 30, 2029, in an amount not to exceed $30,346,429,
renewable for two additional one-year terms. |
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2. |
Pursuant to
Contract Policy Manual Section 3.3-113, authorize the County Procurement
Officer or Deputized designee to exercise a contingency contract cost
increase, not to exceed a total of 10 percent of the Contract amount for the
first year of the Contract, for the entire term of the Contract, including
renewals, and within the scope of work set forth in the Contract. The use of
this contingency cost interest is subject to approval requirement established
by the County Procurement Office. |
SUMMARY:
Approval of the Contract for Yale
Navigation Center Operations and Services will provide individuals experiencing
homelessness in Orange County’s Central Service Planning Area with access to
emergency shelter, comprehensive case management and linkages to resources and
services that promote placement into permanent housing and housing stability.
BACKGROUND
INFORMATION:
The County of Orange (County) first
opened the Yale Navigation Center (Yale), in January 2021. Since then, Yale has
provided 425 emergency shelter beds, comprehensive case management and
supportive services for adult (ages 18 and over) individuals and adult only
households experiencing homelessness in the Central Service Planning Area (SPA)
of Orange County.
On September 8, 2025, the Office of
Care Coordination issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to seek qualified
providers for the provision of County Emergency Shelter Operations and
Services. The RFP solicited two program components:
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a. |
Program A:
Bridges at Kraemer Place |
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b. |
Program B: Yale
Navigation Center |
There was one respondent to the RFP
for Program B: Yale Navigation Center submitted by PATH. The standard
evaluation process was waived as permitted by the County Contract Policy
Manual, the Office of Care Coordination has completed successful negotiations
and recommends award of the Yale Navigation Center Operations and Services
Contract to PATH. Department staff have conducted the appropriate due
diligence, and the non-profit has been verified to be in good standing.
Reference checks were satisfactory and completed with the City of San Jose,
Housing Department, the County of Los Angeles, Health Services and the County
of Los Angeles, Homeless Initiative regarding similar projects. A Notice of
Intent to Award was issued on January 23, 2026, no protests were received. The
award for Program A is being submitted on a separate agenda staff report.
Scope
of Services:
Under the proposed Contract, the
Yale Navigation Center Operations and Services (Program) is designed to provide
safe, temporary shelter services for up to 425 adults with the goal of
connecting participants to housing, supportive services and resources that
assist in ending their episode of homelessness. The Program is the incumbent
provider and will continue to be low barrier by having minimal eligibility
criteria required at Program entry and will facilitate a referral process with
community partners, including law enforcement, street outreach providers and
Coordinated Entry System (CES) access points. The Program will continue to be
equipped to serve participants who may have extensive behavioral, physical, or
medical issues, and as a result, may face significant barriers to housing.
The Program incorporates a
multi-service center approach that provides supportive and stabilizing services
to meet the complex needs of participants while enrolled. The Program will
provide comprehensive, evidence-based case management services — including
motivational interviewing, progressive engagement, trauma-informed care, harm
reduction, and risk management — to support participants in identifying and
overcoming barriers to housing stability and economic self-sufficiency.
Services will be individualized, client-centered, and strengths-based,
prioritizing participant choice, safety, and dignity while promoting sustained
engagement, improved well-being, and long-term stability.
The proposed Contractor will
provide the following services, at minimum, as part of the Program:
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a. |
Process
referrals into Yale through identified referral partners and the Bed
Reservation System to ensure equity and accessibility of beds. |
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b. |
Support the
County's regional strategies and ensure all referring partners in the Central
SPA can seamlessly access the Program. |
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c. |
Intake and
assessment to understand the participants' history of participation in other
homeless service assistance programs, collection of needed demographic
information, and determination of what supportive services would be most
beneficial for the participants. |
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d. |
Establish an
Individualized Housing and Service Plan (IHSP) to assess and re-evaluate the
participants' housing, supportive service, and resource needs and help inform
case management activities and referrals and linkages. |
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e. |
Provide
housing-focused case management to support program participants with
evaluating housing options that meet the participant's individuals needs and
completing the necessary process and tasks to access housing. |
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f. |
Provide housing
navigation services to support the participant in identifying available
housing units and community resources, completing needed forms and
applications for housing, as well as providing support through in-person or
teleconference meetings relating to housing search and placements. |
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g. |
Refer and link
participants to the most appropriate services and resources across the
Homeless System of Care, including behavioral health, healthcare, local
benefits and mainstream services, housing navigation, and providing advocacy
and support as necessary. |
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h. |
Function as a
CES Access Point to support participants in accessing the CES through the
completion of an assessment and the collection of required documentation to
verify length of homelessness, homelessness status and/or disabling
condition(s). |
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i. |
Follow a Good
Neighbor Policy to ensure the Program is operated in a safe, orderly, and
respectful manner that minimizes impacts on the surrounding community and its
resources. |
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j. |
On an annual
basis, at minimum, solicit participant feedback to assess program operation
changes to better support and meet the needs of participants and evaluate how
to best meet the performance outcomes. |
The Program will operate in
accordance with the County of Orange's Standards of Care for Emergency Shelter
Providers (Standards of Care); a comprehensive set of administrative,
operational, and facility-based standards designed to support the quality and
consistency of program operations, evidence-based participant services, core
organizational and administrative functions, and facility design and
operations.
The Program will operate in
adherence to the Good Neighbor Policy that is included in the Contract (see
Exhibit III). The proposed Contractor will provide services at the Program in a
way that limits its impact on the surrounding neighborhood including but not
limited to environment, safety, and congregation, while still providing high
quality services.
Performance
Metrics:
The
following outcome measures will be a requirement of this Contract and help
ensure that the proposed Contractor prioritizes Participant's housing goals and
exits to permanent housing.
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a. |
Maintain an
average bed night occupancy of 90 percent or higher. |
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b. |
85 percent of
participants will be connected to the CES within 60 days of Program
enrollment. |
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c. |
At minimum, 20
percent of all participants will exit to a permanent housing destination. |
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d. |
At minimum, 75
percent of all participants will engage in the development of an IHSP during
their program enrollment. |
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e. |
At minimum, 15
percent of participants will have increased their income while enrolled in
the Program. |
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f. |
At minimum, 70
percent of participants will be connected to health insurance while enrolled
in the Program. * |
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g. |
At minimum, 50
percent of participants will be referred to and linked to health care
services such as medical care and behavioral health services. * |
*Note: This performance measure was
introduced during the RFP solicitation process.
The agreed upon Scope of Service outlined
in the Contract is in alignment with the Shelter Pillars’ best practices,
guiding principles and commitment as detailed in the Homeless Service System
Pillar Report as approved by the Commission to Address Homelessness.
The Orange County Preference Policy is not
applicable to this Contract Award. The Office of Care Coordination has verified
that there are no concerns that must be addressed with respect to PATH’s
ownership/name, litigation status or conflicts with County interest. The
Contract with PATH does not include subcontractors or pass through to other
providers. See Attachment B for the Contract Summary Form. An analysis was
completed to verify the Contract provides County with persons specially
trained, experienced, expert and competent to perform the special services in
accordance with the law.
The
Office of Care Coordination requests that the Board approve the Contract with
PATH for Yale Navigation Center Operations and Services as referenced in the
Recommended Actions above. Approval of the Contract will continue to support
the County’s effort to build a responsive System of Care that meets the needs
of different segments of the homeless population in accessing shelter, securing
housing and increasing income.
FINANCIAL
IMPACT:
Appropriations for this Contract
will be included in Budget Control 018 FY 2026-27 and will be included in the
budgeting process for future years.
The proposed Contract includes
provisions allowing the County Executive Office (CEO) to terminate the
Contract, reduce the level of services, and/or renegotiate the levels of
services provided, as necessary. This includes a notice that allows CEO adequate
time to transition or terminate services to clients, if necessary.
Funding
Source:
State: 7% (Behavioral Health
Services Act (BHSA) and Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP)
funding allocation to the County)
County General Fund: 93%
STAFFING
IMPACT:
N/A
ATTACHMENT(S):
Attachment
A - Contract MA-017-26010919 with PATH
Attachment B - Contract Summary Form