Fiscal Note
The proposed resolution will amend the 2019 Adopted Operating Budget to transfer $275,250 from Contingent Reserve to CDD for purchased services contracts to provide case management and various support service contracts for residents of the Tree Lane Apartments. These funds will be used for the following purposes:
Case Management & Mental Health Services
Youth Programming
Misc Programming to be identified by the Case Management Agency
The anticipated cost of annualizing the City share of these contracts is $429,500, this funding is subject to the adoption of future budgets. The attached Tree Lane Budget document shows the budget broken out by component; the document also shows the cost of annualizing each budget component.
The proposed resolution seeks to award these funds through non-competitive contracts with the Road Home Dane County, Lussier Community Education Center, and the Wisconsin Youth Company. These contracts are only intended to provide services through the remainder of 2019; CDD plans to issue requests for proposals (RFPs) to identify the service providers starting in 2020.
In addition to these funds, Legistar file 53955 seeks to authorize $165,000 in City funding for security services at Tree Lane Apartments. If adopted, total City funding for Tree Lane in 2019 will be $440,250.
Following the transfer of these funds the remaining balance in 2019 Contingent Reserve will be $1,489,500
Title
SECOND SUBSITUTE - Amending the 2019 Adopted Operating Budget to transfer $275,250 from the Contingent Reserve to the Community Development Division to help pay for family support services at the Tree Lane Apartments, and authorizing non-competitive service contracts with the Road Home Dane County for case management services, and Lussier Community Education Center and Wisconsin Youth Company - Elver Park Neighborhood Center for youth programming for a period of time ending with the conclusion of request for proposals processes undertaken to select providers for those services, but not beyond December 31, 2019.
Body
WHEREAS, through the adoption of the City of Madison’s 2015 Capital Budget, the City launched a new affordable housing initiative, with the stated goal of helping to develop at least 1,000 new units of affordable rental housing, 250 of which were intended to offer permanent supportive housing to persons in Madison experiencing chronic homelessness; and,
WHEREAS, in 2014, the City used a Request for Qualifications process to select Heartland Housing and YWCA of Madison to develop, manage and provide supportive services to the residents of the City’s first permanent supportive housing development designed to serve families; and,
WHEREAS, in June of 2018, Heartland Housing completed construction and opened Tree Lane Apartments, located at 7933 Tree Lane, a 45-unit apartment building for families experiencing chronic homelessness; and,
WHEREAS, in June 2018, 45 formerly homeless families, including 104 children and youth, entered housing at Tree Lane Apartments; and,
WHEREAS, YWCA of Madison began its work at Tree Lane Apartments as the support service provider with financial commitments totaling $165,000, consisting of $90,000 from Heartland Housing’s property budget, $50,000 from City Homeless Services funds, a $25,000 grant from the United Way of Dane County and the expectation that additional funds could be raised from other sources; and,
WHEREAS, other funding sources to help pay for supportive services have, thus far, failed to materialize, preventing YWCA of Madison from fully implementing the service model it had envisioned; and,
WHEREAS, the resulting difficulties in meeting the range of resident service needs, coupled with a variety of issues related to property management, have contributed to a pattern of disturbances and undesirable behaviors at the property that have adversely affected Tree Lane Apartments residents and the surrounding community; and,
WHEREAS, YWCA of Madison informed Heartland Housing in late 2018 that it would withdraw from its role as support service provider, effective March 15, 2019, creating an urgent need to identify a new provider of supportive services for the property; and
WHEREAS, in November 2018 the Mayor formed a response team, comprised of representatives of the Mayor’s Office; the City’s Department of Planning, Community and Economic Development; the Madison Police Department; YWCA of Madison; Heartland Housing and MPI Security, the security firm with whom Heartland contracts for on-site security services, to work with the district alder and formulate recommendations to improve conditions at Tree Lane Apartments; and,
WHEREAS, the work of the response team has prompted numerous enhancements involving building security and improved property management practices, and a request for short-term funding for enhanced security which is expected to add a second security officer on nights and weekends; and,
WHEREAS, City staff and Heartland Housing officials recognize that a safe and secure living environment and access to effective case management, mental health supports and youth-oriented services are integral to the long-term success of families for whom the Tree Lane Apartments property is designed to serve, and that those supportive services cannot be delivered with the resources currently available; and
WHEREAS, City Community Development Division staff have worked with representatives from Heartland Housing and YWCA of Madison to identify the supportive services deemed to be of highest priority to families at Tree Lane Apartments, and have reached out to organizations with recognized experience serving disadvantaged or homeless populations, or that work in the vicinity of Tree Lane Apartments, to determine their interest in and capacity to serve Tree Lane Apartment families, with the goal of ensuring that adequate, accessible services will be available upon YWCA of Madison’s departure; and
WHEREAS, in response to these efforts, several organizations have indicated their willingness to be part of a collaborative effort to serve Tree Lane families and their children on an interim basis until such time as the Community Development Division can complete a request for proposals process to secure longer-term arrangements; and,
WHEREAS, The Road Home Dane County; a service provider that has worked with homeless families in Dane County for 20 years, and which has a 91% success rate in helping households maintain stable housing by offering case management and supportive services that best fit each household’s needs; has responded to a request from the City of Madison to deploy staff to provide case management and supportive services at Tree Lane Apartments for up to six months or until the City identifies a longer-term vendor; and
WHEREAS, the Lussier Community Education Center, with deep roots in West Madison reaching back to the 1970s, serving residents through programs and services such as a food pantry, youth and adult programming, leadership training and others, has capacity to provide youth programming on an interim basis until such time that a competitive process can be conducted; and,
WHEREAS, the Wisconsin Youth Company-Elver Park Neighborhood Center, providing out-of-school time programming focusing on academics, social-emotional learning, and health and wellness to children and families in the greater Elver Park neighborhood, has additional capacity to expand existing elementary age programming on an interim basis until the aforementioned competitive process can be conducted: and,
WHEREAS, the estimated net additional funding needed to support the provision of case management and supportive services to residents of Tree Lane Apartments, and to provide access for children living there to structured, youth-oriented programming through 2019 is $275,250; and
WHEREAS, other sources of funding for these services are likely to emerge from funders supporting permanent supportive housing, private fundraising efforts and Medical Assistance reimbursement that may reduce the need for City support, and the projected budget already reflects a $50,000 increase in the financial commitment by the United Way of Dane County; and,
WHEREAS, during the period in which the Road Home Dane County, Lussier Community Education Center and Wisconsin Youth Company - Elver Park Neighborhood Center provide services on an interim basis the Community Development Division staff will implement an RFP process that will identify longer term providers for an on-site team to include two full-time case managers, a youth services coordinator, and a lead worker/supervisor and provide the means to offer access to supportive mental health services, youth programming and other assistance deemed appropriate and necessary to help resident families achieve long-term housing stability; and,
WHEREAS, the RFP process will be completed by August 31, 2019 with subsequent 3-5 year contracts beginning by October 1, 2019, with the goal of selecting a vendor or vendors in sufficient time to ensure continuity of services; and
WHEREAS, MGO 4.26 requires Common Council approval of service contracts of $50,000 or more if the contractor was not selected through a competitive selection process, and the reasons for selecting this contractor are set forth above and in the attached Noncompetitive Selection Request Form.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Mayor and Common Council recognize that the provision of effective supportive services is an essential component of a successful permanent supportive housing effort; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City’s 2019 Adopted Operating Budget is amended to transfer $275,250 from the Contingent Reserve to the Community Development Division (Service: Affordable Housing and Community Support Services) purchased service budget to fund case management, supportive mental health services, and youth programming, as elements of the provision of support services to the City-initiated permanent supportive housing property at Tree Lane; and,
BE IT STILL FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Common Council authorizes the Mayor and City Clerk to execute the necessary interim agreements and contracts with the Road Home Dane County, Lussier Community Education Center and Wisconsin Youth Company - Elver Park Neighborhood Center to carry out the designated support services at Tree Lane Apartments until such time as another vendor, or vendors, is selected through a request for proposals process, but not beyond December 31, 2019; and,
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the non-competitive contracts amounts are as follows:
• The Road Home: $125,000
• Wisconsin Youth Company: $35,000
• Lussier Community Education Center: $98,000
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that the Common Council authorizes the Community Development Division to undertake a request for proposals process to identify one or more organizations, subject to Council approval, to provide support services deemed appropriate and necessary to help resident families achieve long-term housing stability at Tree Lane Apartments.