Fiscal Note
The proposed resolution authorizes the Mayor and City Clerk to execute an amendment to Youth Homeless Demonstration Program (YHDP)-funded contract LGBT Outreach, Inc. on behalf of Madison/Dane County Continuum of Care (CoC). Additionally, the proposed resolution authorizes the execution of a contract with Briarpatch Youth Services, Inc. in the amount of $525,899 to operate a Joint Transitional Housing/Rapid Re-Housing project.
The amendment to the LGBT Outreach, Inc. contract moves $138,676 of System Navigation Supportive Services Only (SSO) funds from Urban Triage, Inc. to LGBT Outreach, Inc. to hire an additional system navigation staff position. Urban Triage, Inc.'s system navigation staff position will instead be funded with existing Transitional Housing/Rapid Re-Housing (TH/RRH) funds. The total amount of the LGBT Outreach, Inc. contract is $453,556.
The Common Council approved the issuance of an Request for Proposals (RFP) on February 16, 2024 (RES-24-00114, Leg file 81625) in order to reallocate approximately $625,000 in unexpended TH/RRH funds. The CoC's Youth Action Board (YAB) recommended these funds be allocated to Briarpatch's Joint Transitional Housing/Rapid Re-Housing project. The contract amount is $525,899. No additional City appropriation required.
Title
Authorizing the Mayor and City Clerk to execute a 2024 YHDP contract with Briarpatch Youth Services, Inc. to operate a Joint Transitional Housing/Rapid Re-Housing project, and a 2024 YHDP contract amendment with Outreach, Inc. to expand its System Navigation and Youth Drop-in Center Supportive Services Only project.
Body
BACKGROUND
The Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program (YHDP) is an initiative developed by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to reduce the number of youth experiencing homelessness -- both unaccompanied minors and youth ages 18-24 -- in communities across the nation. On May 24, 2021, HUD released a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO #FR-6400-N-35), announcing its FY20 YHDP grant award competition. The Madison/Dane County Continuum of Care (CoC) applied for the grant, with the City of Madison serving as the Collaborative Applicant and Briarpatch Youth Services, Inc. as the Lead Agency, and was awarded $2,293,291.
The CoC's Youth Action Board (YAB) later requested, and the CoC approved, at its June 21, 2022 board meeting, a change in YHDP Lead Agency designation from Briarpatch to the City of Madison for the purposes of managing the FY20 YHDP grant funds. This requested change was subsequently approved by the Common Council on August 2, 2022 (RES-22-00565, Legistar #72663).
The YAB designed two primary project components to utilize the awarded YHDP grant funds, Joint Transitional Housing/Rapid Re-Housing (TH/RRH) and System Navigation, and solicited letters of intent from interested service providers via a YHDP Partner Procurement Process. The YAB submitted its funding recommendations to the Homeless Services Consortium (HSC) Board of Directors, which approved them at its meeting on November 18, 2022. Approval of the HSC Board recommendations for execution of contracts for 2023-2024 was subsequently approved by the Common Council on December 6, 2022 (RES-22-00808, Legistar #74734).
After contract execution, the YAB and community partners proposed changes to the program model for Transitional Housing from a project-based to a scattered-site model. Those changes required a lengthy grant amendment process with HUD, during which time clients could not be enrolled. Additionally, one of the providers operating the housing program ended its contract due to capacity issues. Consequently, nearly $830,000 of YHDP funds were not expended in the grant’s first year (2023) -- nearly $170,000 to be used in the System Navigation Supportive Services Only (SSO) Grant and nearly $670,000 from the Transitional Housing-Rapid Rehousing (TH/RRH) Grant. On January 3, 2024, the YAB and HSC Board of Directors approved a plan to reallocate underspent funds to Outreach, Inc. and Urban Triage and issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) to allocate the remaining TH/RRH funds. These changes were subsequently approved by the Common Council on February 16, 2024 (RES-24-00114, Legistar #81625).
Subsequent to the approval of RES-24-00114, the YAB issued an RFP to reallocate remaining TH/RRH funds and recommended they be used to support Briarpatch Youth Services’ proposal for TH/RRH project. Additionally, the YAB decided to fund Urban Triage’s system navigation staff position within its existing TH/RRH grant instead of the SSO grant, and allocated Urban Triage’s SSO funds to Outreach, Inc. to hire an additional system navigation staff position. The total funding for the Outreach SSO project was accordingly increased from $314,880 to $453,556. These recommendations were approved by the HSC Board of Directors on March 6, 2024.
ACTION
WHEREAS, the Common Council has adopted the 2020-2024 City of Madison Consolidated Plan, which identifies homelessness as a critical issue within the community and outlines a set of strategies and priorities to address those problems using community-based groups; and,
WHEREAS, the City of Madison has long been integrally involved in local efforts to end and prevent homelessness, and is a member and active participant in the Madison/Dane County Continuum of Care (CoC); and,
WHEREAS, the Madison/Dane County CoC applied for and was awarded $2,293,291 in FY20 Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program (YHDP) grant funds via a 2021 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), for the performance period beginning December 1, 2022 and ending November 30, 2024; and,
WHEREAS, on August 2, 2022 (RES-22-00565, Legistar #72663), the Common Council authorized the City of Madison to assume responsibilities as YHDP Lead Agency for the distribution and oversight of YHDP grant funds; and,
WHEREAS, on December 6, 2022 (RES-22-00808, Legistar #74734), the Common Council authorized 2023-2024 contracts with Outreach Inc., Urban Triage Inc., The Road Home, Center for Community Stewardship and Institute for Community Alliances, the agencies selected by the Youth Action Board and Madison/Dane County CoC’s Board of Directors, pursuant to the outcome of an RFP process; and,
WHEREAS, on February 16, 2024 (RES-24-00114; Legistar #81625), the Common Council approved the reallocation of $170,000 of SSO grant funds to Outreach, Inc. to develop a YHDP-funded Youth Drop-in Center, and the issuance of a new RFP to allocate remaining unspent TH/RRH funds; and,
WHEREAS, the YAB issued an RFP, selecting Briarpatch Youth Services as the new TH/RRH provider, and recommended reallocating SSO funds to increase Outreach, Inc.’s funding to $453,556, changes which were approved by the HSC Board of Directors on March 6, 2024.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Common Council authorizes the Mayor and City Clerk to execute a Purchase of Service contract amendment, in the amount of $453,556, with Outreach, Inc. to expand the system navigation and Youth Drop-in Center SSO project, and a 2024 YHDP contract with Briarpatch Youth Services, in the amount of $525,899, to operate a Joint Transitional Housing/Rapid Re-Housing project.