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Agenda Item
ASR
Control 24-000831 |
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MEETING
DATE: |
05/20/25 |
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legal entity taking action: |
Board
of Supervisors |
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board of supervisors district(s): |
All
Districts |
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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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Zulima
Lundy (714)834-6805 |
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Subject: Amendment to Contract for
Coordinated Entry System for Individuals and Survivors
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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: Yes |
Current Year
Cost: $9,290 |
Annual Cost: FY 2025-26 $18,581 |
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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: 12/3/2024 #33, 3/12/2024 #21,
8/22/2023 #27, 4/25/2023 #41 |
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RECOMMENDED
ACTION(S):
Authorize the County Procurement
Officer or Deputized designee to execute Amendment No. 14 to amend the Contract
with Friendship Shelter, Inc. for Coordinated Entry System Services for
Individuals and Survivors increasing the Contract by $9,290 for the current
term of July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025, and increase the Contract amount
by $18,581 for the term July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026, for a revised
cumulative Contract total of $2,783,963.
SUMMARY:
Approval of the Amendment No. 14 to
the Contract with Friendship Shelter, Inc. for Coordinated Entry System
Services will provide increased administrative support and will facilitate the
participant-centered process in the prioritization and coordination of
appropriate shelter, housing and supportive services interventions for
Individuals and Survivors experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness
in Orange County.
BACKGROUND
INFORMATION:
The Coordinated Entry System (CES)
provides a streamlined system to access emergency shelter, permanent housing,
and supportive services resources to assist individuals and families who are
experiencing homelessness or at risk of experiencing homelessness throughout
Orange County through a regionally coordinated process. Households are assessed
using a standard and objective tool that identifies their length of
homelessness, vulnerability, and barriers to housing. This information is used
to prioritize access to available housing interventions and supportive services
as these become available.
The County of Orange’s (County)
Office of Care Coordination (OCC) serves as the CES lead and contracts with
Friendship Shelter, Inc. (Friendship Shelter) for the implementation of CES
Services for Individuals and Survivors (Survivors of Domestic violence).
The CES Services for Individuals
and Survivors facilitates a participant-centered process that streamlines
access and connections to the most appropriate supportive services and housing
interventions for individuals experiencing homelessness or at risk of
experiencing homelessness in Orange County. Individuals refers to adult (ages
18 and older) only households and Survivors refers to people who are fleeing,
attempting to flee or are victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual
assault, stalking, or human trading, etc.
Given the unique experiences of
those experiencing homelessness and the characteristics and resources of each
Service Planning Area (SPA) (North, Central and South), the OCC recognized the
need to have more robust service coordination within and across SPAs to support
access to services, decrease the length of time individuals experience
homelessness and maximize the appropriate use of available housing resources.
This includes alignment with CES requirements and leading collaborative efforts
that facilitate access to the System of Care, primarily with housing resources.
On February 23,
2021, your Honorable Board of Supervisors (Board) approved the selection of and
Contract with Friendship Shelter for provision of CES Services. Please see the
prior Board actions and Amendments to the Contracts listed in the table below.
Prior
Board Actions
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Board
Date |
Contract/
Amendment |
Term |
Maximum
Obligation |
Action
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2/23/2024 |
Contract No. MA-042-21011195 |
2/23/2021 to 6/30/2023 |
$1,076,333 |
Approved as Recommended |
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N/A |
Amendment No. 1 to amend Exhibit A.
Section II. Budget and Section VI. Staffing |
2/23/2021 to 6/30/2023 |
N/A |
Deputy Purchasing Agency (DPA) Delegated
Authority Administrative |
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N/A |
Amendment No. 2 to amend Exhibit A.
Section III. Payments |
2/23/2021 to 6/30/2023 |
N/A |
DPA Delegated Authority Administrative |
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N/A |
Amendment No. 3 to change administrating
agency from OC Health Care Agency to County Executive Office (CEO) and change
the Contract Number |
2/23/2021 to 6/30/2023 |
N/A |
DPA Delegated Authority Administrative |
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N/A |
Amendment No. 4 to amend Exhibit A.
Section VI. Staffing |
2/23/2021 to 6/30/2023 |
N/A |
DPA Delegated Authority Administrative |
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4/25/2023 |
Amendment No. 5 to renew Contract and
amend Exhibit A, Section. I. Common Terms and Definitions, Section II.
Budget, Section III. Payment, Section V. Services, and Section VI. Staffing. |
2/23/2021 to 6/30/2024 |
$1,507,543 |
Approved as Recommended |
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8/22/2023 |
Amendment No. 6 to increase funding and
amend Exhibit A. Section II. Budget |
2/23/2021 to 6/30/2024 |
$1,570,543 |
Approved as Recommended |
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N/A |
Amendment No. 7 to amend Exhibit A.
Section II. Budget |
2/23/2021 to 6/30/2024 |
N/A |
DPA Delegated Authority Administrative |
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3/12/2024 |
Amendment No. 8 to renew Contract and
amend Exhibit A Section II. Budget, Section II. Payments, Section VI.
Staffing, and add Attachment B |
2/23/2021 to 6/30/2025 |
$2,064,753 |
Approved as Recommended |
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N/A |
Amendments No. 9 -12 to amend Exhibit A,
Section II. Budget and Section VI. Staffing |
2/23/2021 to 6/30/2025 |
N/A |
DPA Delegated Authority Administrative |
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12/3/2024 |
Amendment No. 13 to renew Contract and
amend Exhibit A, Section. I. Common Terms and Definitions, Section II.
Budget, Section V. Services, and Section VI. Staffing. |
2/23/2021 to 6/30/2026 |
$2,756,092 |
Approved as Recommended |
The OCC is requesting this
amendment to correct an oversight in the calculation of the budget and staffing
that exceeds the previously Board approved 10 percent contingency pursuant to
Contract Policy Manual Section 3.3-122.
The increase in funding primarily makes changes to the staffing table
within the amendment. Approval of this amendment will support the Contractor to
operate the CES Services for Individuals and Survivors at its intended
capacity.
Scope of Services:
Friendship Shelter will provide
services related to the administration of a county-wide CES for Individuals and
Survivors with a regional SPA coordination for eligible program participants,
as defined by the regulations governing the CoC Program and under the direction
of the Orange County CoC Board, in coordination with the OCC. Friendship
Shelter will primarily be responsible to ensure that CES is accessible to and
serves individuals and survivors who are experiencing homelessness or at risk
of experiencing homelessness and assist in the facilitation of the CES
processes and operations. These activities will at minimum include:
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i. |
Coordination so
that the CES operates with an efficient, clear and consistent process. |
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ii. |
System support
and guidance around the CES core competencies to ensure ease of access to
CES, consistent use of the CES assessment tool and data entry into CES and
facilitating care coordination between CES partnering agencies and housing,
shelter and/or supportive service providers. |
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iii. |
Facilitating
SPA-level meetings to increase regional engagement and alignment with CES and
to disseminate information at a regional level. The primary goal of these
meetings will be to facilitate care coordination to support participants with
connections to appropriate housing resources. This will allow for SPA-level
discussions and problem-solving strategies that reflect unique needs and
available resources of the SPA. |
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iv. |
Foster system
partnerships and collaborate across public and private agencies within each
SPA to support people experiencing homelessness and special subpopulations
such as veteran, transitional aged youth (TAY) and survivors. This will be
done through the development of a SPA-specific Referral Network that includes
representative from different sectors within the System of Care. |
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v. |
Support the
ongoing expansion and increased capacity for CES for Individuals and
Survivors. |
The agreed upon Scopes of Work and
Services outlined in the proposed Amendment are in alignment with the Outreach
and Supportive Services Pillar’s best practices, guiding principles and
commitments as detailed in the Homeless Service System Pillar Report.
The recommended Amendment makes no
changes to the Scope of Work as approved by the Board on December 3, 2024.
Performance
Outcomes:
To determine success for CES for
Individuals the following performance measures will be a requirement of this
contract:
|
i. |
Complete an
annual evaluation to ensure compliance and effectiveness of CES for both CES
for Individuals and CES for Survivors. |
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ii. |
Distribute
protocols and conduct an assessor training at least once a year which may be
conducted in-person, a live or recorded online sessions or a self-administered
training, to participating staff at organizations that serve as access points
or otherwise conduct assessments. |
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iii. |
At minimum 10
percent of program participants will be prevented from experiencing
homelessness or diverted from experiencing ongoing homelessness with
resources available outside of CES. |
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iv. |
Average length
of time between program start date and date of housing move in date will be
less than 280 days, with the goal of reducing length of time year over year
by two percent. |
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v. |
Increase
permanent housing outcomes by three percent, year over year. |
Friendship Shelter achieved the following performance
outcomes during the Contract term from July 1, 2021, to February 28, 2025:
|
Metric |
FY 2021-22 |
FY 2022-23 |
FY 2023-24 |
FY 2024-25* |
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Number
of unduplicated participants served |
5,055 |
8,666 |
9,645 |
9,489 |
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Percent
of participants diverted from the homeless service system |
9% |
10.6% |
7.8% |
3.2% |
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Average
length of time between initial entry date and move in date |
319 days |
237 days |
361 days |
356 days |
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Number
of unduplicated participants placed in permanent housing |
1,159 |
1,262 |
1,072 |
495 |
*Note: FY 2024-25 is in progress and data
provided is for 7/1/2024-2/28/25.
Since the end of all COVID-19
response funding for additional housing resources, there has been a dramatic
decline in housing opportunities which has impacted the current success of the
performance metrics for FY 2024-25. Additionally, traditional support networks
and community resources have been more limited in their ability to assist
people at risk of homelessness and experiencing homelessness due to overall
increased costs from inflation and the increasing high costs of housing.
Friendship Shelter is working diligently to foster existing relationships with
housing partners and develop new relationships and creative ideas to support
the people experiencing homelessness and people at risk of homelessness engaged
with CES to connect to resources. In addition, OCC in partnership with
Friendship Shelter implemented a new process to track in detail all CES
matches, provide additional training to CES partners and cultivate stronger
relationships with the Public Housing Authorities, Housing providers and
Developers, to further support the most vulnerable people experiencing homelessness
to be matched quickly to available housing opportunity. This includes weekly
operational meetings to review progress on CES activities and engagement with
the CES stakeholders, as well as joint meetings with technical assistance
providers and consultants for the development of Orange County CES Academy
Training Platform that was launched in March 2025.
The Contractor’s performances have
been confirmed as satisfactory. The County Procurement Office (CPO) has
verified there are no concerns that must be addressed with respect to
Contractor’s ownerships/names, litigation status or conflicts with County
interests. The non-profit has been verified to be in good standing.
The Contract with Friendship
Shelter includes subcontractors (see Attachment B for Contract Summary Form).
The Orange County Preference Policy is not applicable to this amendment to
renew the Contract. The OCC has worked to incorporate the Homeless Service
System Pillars Attestations into the Amendment as detailed in the recommended
actions, for the Outreach and Supportive Services Pillar as applicable to the
CES Services for Individuals and Survivors being provided.
The County Executive Office (CEO) requests
the Board to approve the Amendment to the Contract as referenced in the
Recommended Action above. Approval of this Amendment will continue to support
the County’s effort to build a responsive and coordinated System of Care that
meets the needs of different segments of the homeless population seeking access
to emergency shelter, permanent housing and supportive services.
FINANCIAL
IMPACT:
Appropriations for this Contract
are included in the Budget Control 018 FY 2024-25 Budget and will be included
in the budgeting process for future years.
The proposed Contract includes
provisions allowing 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.
This Contract will be funded by:
Federal: 90% Continuum of Care
(CoC) Program
State: 10% Homeless Housing,
Assistance and Prevention-Continuum of Care (HHAP-CoC)
STAFFING
IMPACT:
N/A
ATTACHMENT(S):
Attachment
A - Amendment No. 14 to MA-017-22011885
Attachment B - Contract Summary