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Agenda Item
ASR
Control 24-000991 |
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MEETING
DATE: |
02/11/25 |
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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): |
Douglas
Becht (714) 834-2323 |
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Amanda
Sanchez (714) 834-3268 |
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Subject: Renewal
Contract for Housing and Disability Advocacy Program for Families
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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 2025-26 $550,000 |
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Staffing
Impact:
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No |
#
of Positions: |
Sole
Source: No |
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Current Fiscal Year Revenue: N/A
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Prior Board Action: 9/12/2023 #27 |
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RECOMMENDED
ACTION(S):
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1. |
Authorize the
County Procurement Officer or Deputized designee to execute Amendment No. 4
to Contract with Volunteers of America of Los Angeles for Housing and
Disability Advocacy Program Services for Families to renew and amend the
Contract in an amount not to exceed $550,000, effective July 1, 2025, through
June 30, 2026, for a revised cumulative total amount not to exceed
$3,123,306, effective October 15, 2023, through June 30, 2026. |
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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 Officer. |
SUMMARY:
Approval of
Amendment to renew the Contract for Housing and Disability Advocacy Program
Services for Families will support eligible families experiencing homelessness
or at risk of homelessness in Orange County with increasing their income
through disability benefits and accessing housing resources to be permanently
and stably housed.
BACKGROUND
INFORMATION:
The Housing and
Disability Advocacy Program (HDAP) is a County of Orange (County)-administered
state program that provides housing assistance and disability benefits
application assistance to people with a disability who are experiencing
homelessness or at risk of homelessness. HDAP requires four program components
– outreach, case management, disability benefits advocacy, housing assistance –
and prioritizes people experiencing chronic homelessness or people experiencing
homelessness who rely most heavily on government-funded services. HDAP is a key
component of the County's System of Care as it allows the County to better
serve those experiencing homelessness in Orange County and increases care
coordination between the Social Services Agency (SSA), OC Community Resources
(OCCR), Health Care Agency and County Executive Office (CEO), Office of Care
Coordination.
Prior Board of Supervisors (Board) Action
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Board Date |
Contract or Amendment |
Action |
Term |
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September 12,
2023 |
Approve Contract
with Volunteers of America of Los Angeles (VOALA) for HDAP Services for
Families |
Approved as
Recommended |
October 15,
2023, through June 30, 2025 |
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N/A |
Amendment No. 1
to Contract with VOALA for HDAP Services for Families |
Deputy
Purchasing Agent (DPA) Delegated Authority Administrative |
October 15,
2023, through June 30, 2025 |
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N/A |
Amendment No. 2
to Contract with VOALA for HDAP Services for Families |
Deputy
Purchasing Agent (DPA) Delegated Authority Administrative |
October 15,
2023, through June 30, 2025 |
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N/A |
Amendment No. 3
to Contract with VOALA for HDAP Services for Families |
Deputy
Purchasing Agent (DPA) Delegated Authority Administrative |
October 15,
2023, through June 30, 2025 |
Scope of Services
The
HDAP Services for Families (households with at least one adult and one minor
child) are designed to assist families with a member of the household with a
disability, who are experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness apply
for disability benefit programs while also providing housing assistance. HDAP
requires that all four components – outreach, case management, disability
benefit advocacy and housing assistance – be offered to all program
participants. An integral part of HDAP Services for Families is Supplemental
Security Income/Social Security Disability Income (SSI/SSDI) Outreach, Access,
and Recovery (SOAR). SOAR is a national program designed to increase access to
the disability income benefit programs administered by the Social Security Administration
for eligible adults and children who are experiencing or at risk of
homelessness and have a serious mental illness, medical impairment, and/or a
co-occurring substance use disorder.
The
program will include the following service elements:
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1. |
Outreach
activities geared at identifying need, targeting resources, and/or connecting
likely eligible families to HDAP Services, including screening and assessment
activities. |
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2. |
Case
Management activities including the provision of care coordination intended
to help participants navigate and address barriers to housing and disability
benefits, including connections to Medi-Cal, CalFresh, healthcare, behavioral
health agencies, legal aid, etc. |
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3. |
Disability
Benefits Advocacy includes seeking any and all disability benefits the
participant may be eligible to receive as appropriate, including SSI/SSDI,
Social Security Retirement or Survivors Benefits, Veteran's Disability
Compensation benefits, and the Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants (CAPI).
This includes filing complete and timely applications and appeals, obtaining
and submitting medical evidence, filing appeals and requests for hearings,
including appeals to the Social Security Appeals Counsel, representing
individuals at administrative hearings, establishing good working
relationships with the Social Security Administration and Disability
Determination Services (DDS), and contracting with legal services providers
as needed to ensure adequate representation. |
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4. |
Housing
Assistance includes assisting participants in finding and securing interim
and permanent housing, maintaining current housing, and stabilizing new
housing. Housing assistance activities include, but are not limited to,
direct financial assistance such as rental subsidies, rental arrearages,
interim housing, landlord mediation, landlord incentives, landlord outreach,
and housing identification and search activities. |
The
agreed upon Scope of Work and Services outlined in the provider's proposed
Amendment are in alignment with the Prevention, Outreach and Supportive
Services, Shelter and Housing Pillars' best practices, guiding principles and
commitments as detailed in the Homeless Service System Pillar Report.
Performance Metrics
As
part of the Renewal Contract, VOALA will provide HDAP services to a minimum of
110 families during the one-year term. The target goals for the performance
metrics are detailed below. Two performance metrics have been revised from the
original contract term and are noted below.
From October 15,
2023, to October 31, 2024, the following performance outcomes were achieved:
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Performance Metrics |
HDAP for Families |
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185 households
enrolled in the program |
131
(70%) |
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100 Percent of
households that established an Individualized Housing and Service Plan within
30 days of program enrollment* |
93% |
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100 Percent of
participants who have a disability and were assisted with submitting an
application or appeal for the first time within 120 days of program
enrollment** |
49% |
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40 Percent of
approved disability benefit applications |
56% |
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50 Percent of
participants enrolled into an emergency shelter or temporary housing
destination while enrolled in the program |
50% |
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50 Percent of
participants who transitioned to a permanent housing destination |
23% |
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50 Percent of
participants who moved into permanent housing destinations within 120 days of
enrollment to the program |
60% |
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50 Percent of
participants with increased income at program exit |
0% |
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50 Percent of
families who were at-risk of homelessness at program enrollment will remain
housed |
N/A |
*Note: The
performance metric for the percentage of participants that established an Individualized
Housing and Service Plan within 30 days of program enrollment has been reduced
from 100 percent to 90 percent.
**Note: The
performance metric for the percent of participants who submit a disability
benefits application or appeal has been reduced from 90 percent to 50 percent
and the timeframe for submissions has increased from 120 days to 150 days.
VOALA is currently
meeting four (4) contract metrics for the outlined performance outcomes
including households to be enrolled in the program, enrollment in emergency
shelter or temporary housing, and
transitions to permanent housing destinations within 120 days of program
enrollment. VOALA is making significant progress toward achieving the metric
for individualized housing and services plans within 30 days of program
enrollment. In alignment with the Regional Care Coordination Services Contracts
which are also funded by HDAP and implement the SOAR model, this metric has
been reduced to 90 percent in the Amendment. VOALA is currently low performing
on four (4) of the outlined performance outcomes including metrics related to
the disability application or appeal process occurring within 120 days of
program enrollment, participants transitioning to permanent housing
destinations and increasing income. One of the contract performance metris is
not applicable, as no families at risk of homelessness have been served through
the program.
This program was
designed to operate as a pilot that would introduce an innovative strategy to
the County's System of Care to primarily serve families experiencing
homelessness whose ability to increase their income is limited due to a
disability in the household. As a new program, it can take time to produce the
necessary lessons learned and maximize results. As the program moves forward,
the Office of Care Coordination anticipates continuous improvement towards
achieving contract metrics. Additionally, external factors have influenced
program outcomes such as the process of applying for disability benefits being
lengthy and daunting, resulting in many participants taking longer than 120
days to complete the necessary steps to submit a complete application or
appeal, including obtaining documentation and connecting with a primary care
physician. While VOALA is falling short of this metric, VOALA is actively
assisting eligible households to navigate the process and constrained by
external factors. The performance metric for the percent of participants who
submit a disability benefits application or appeal has been reduced from 100
percent to 50 percent and the timeframe for submissions has increased from 120
days to 150 days in the Amendment. These changes also aligned with the Regional
Care Coordination Services Contracts. Additionally, the low vacancies in the
housing market, the high cost for multi-bedroom rental units that families
need, and the complexities of identifying appropriate units for families with
unique needs has impacted VOALA’s ability to support families secure permanent
housing. The Office of Care Coordination anticipates improvement in the
performance in this metric as families increase their income and are supported
through the housing search process.
The Office of Care
Coordination continues to actively work with VOALA to review practices related
to the program operations and implement strategies that will assist in
improving performance outcomes. The Office of Care Coordination continues to
monitor performance outcomes closely and meets monthly with VOALA to discuss
the program and current performance.
The Contractor’s
performance has been deemed satisfactory. The County Procurement Office 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.
This Contract does
not currently include subcontractors or pass through to other contractors. See
Attachment B for the Contract Summary Form. The Orange County Preference Policy
is not applicable to this Contract award. The Office of Care Coordination has
worked to incorporate the Homeless Service System Pillars Attestations into the
Amendment for the renewal of the Contract as detailed in the recommended
actions, for the Prevention, Outreach and Supportive Services, Shelter and
Housing Pillars as applicable to the HDAP for Families Services being provided.
CEO requests the
Board approve Amendment for the renewal of the Contract with VOALA as
referenced in the Recommended Actions above. Approval of the Amendment 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
achieving housing stability. CEO is also requesting the Board's approval for a
10 percent contingency cost increase in the event of an increase in state
allocation for these services.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Appropriations for
this Contract will be included in Budget Control 018 FY 2025-26 Budget Request.
This Contracts has no impact on the County General Fund.
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.
STAFFING IMPACT:
N/A
REVIEWING
AGENCIES:
Social Services Agency
ATTACHMENT(S):
Attachment A - Amendment No. 4 to
Contract MA-017-24010639 with VOALA
Attachment B - Contract Summary Form for MA-017-24010639