TITLE
Recommendation to authorize City Manager, or designee, to execute a contract, and any necessary documents including any necessary amendments or subgrants, with Volunteers of America Los Angeles, of Los Angeles, CA, for providing homeless services for the Continuum of Care Homeless Assistance Program, in an amount not to exceed $430,008 for the period of July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022. (Citywide)
DISCUSSION
City Council approval is requested to enter into a contract with Volunteers of America Los Angeles (VOALA) for providing homeless services for the Continuum of Care (CoC) Homeless Assistance Program. The CoC Homeless Assistance Program funds the following homeless service components: (1) permanent housing; (2) supportive services; (3) transitional housing; and, (4) the Homeless Management Information System. The City's Homeless Services Advisory Committee (HSAC) oversees the grant allocation process, in collaboration with the CoC General Membership and Board, comprised of diverse community stakeholders to award part of the grant to subrecipient vendors to provide homeless services.
The Department of Health and Human Services (Health Department) released a competitive request for proposals (RFP), and Alliance for Housing and Healing (AHH) was selected to provide permanent supportive housing services for the period of July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022. AHH informed the Homeless Services Division (HSD) that they would no longer have the ability to continue to provide services effective July 1, 2021, due to financial hardship from the ongoing pandemic, thereby surrendering their subcontract for the next grant fiscal year. On November 5, 2020, the Health Department released RFP HSD-2020-002 to select a provider to replace AHH and received no responses. To avoid any interruption to these critical services and ensure the City continues to comply with its obligations under its agreement with the CoC, the HSD issued an open and informal solicitation to the CoC agencies, and VOALA submitted a letter of interest (LOI) to take over the project from AHH. HSD reviewed the LOI and determined that the best course of action would be to execute a contract with VOALA for program services surrendered by AHH for the next grant fiscal year.
This matter was reviewed by Deputy City Attorney Taylor M. Anderson on April 8, 2021, Business Services Bureau Manager Tara Mortensen on April 1, 2021, and by Revenue Management Officer Geraldine Alejo on April 5, 2021.
TIMING CONSIDERATIONS
City Council action is requested on May 4, 2021, to ensure a contract is in place expeditiously.
FISCAL IMPACT
The total contract amount will not exceed $430,008 for the period of July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022. Sufficient funds are appropriated in the Health Fund Group in the Health and Human Services Department. Expenses for this service are offset by grant funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Continuum of Care program. This CoC sub-recipient contract with VOALA support jobs in Long Beach. This recommendation has no staffing impact beyond the normal budgeted scope of duties and is consistent with existing City Council priorities.
SUGGESTED ACTION
Approve recommendation.
Respectfully Submitted,
KELLY COLOPY
DIRECTOR
HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
APPROVED:
THOMAS B. MODICA
CITY MANAGER