TO: Board of Supervisors
FROM: Ryan J. Alsop, County Executive Officer
REPORT BY: Jennifer Palmer, Director of Housing & Homeless Services
SUBJECT: Bay Area Housing Finance Authority Older-Adult Rental Assistance Pilot Program Funding Competition
RECOMMENDATION
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Director of Housing & Homeless Services requests permission to apply for and accept Bay Area Housing Finance Authority (BAHFA) Older Adult Rental Assistance Pilot Program Grant Funding in the amount of up to $5,000,000 (five million) dollars through June 2028 to prevent homelessness and improve long-term housing stability for extremely-low income senior residents experiencing severe housing burden.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Bay Area Housing Finance Authority (BAHFA) has released a request for proposals (RFP), seeking an eligible entity to finalize program design and administer an Older Adult Rental Assistance Pilot Program (The Program) in one or more counties of the 9-county Bay Area Region. The Program will provide monthly rental assistance to extremely low-income and severely rent-burdened, older adult and fixed income households for up to 48 months. Housing & Homeless Services staff have worked collaboratively with a consortium of community-based organization and public sector partners to design a program and service delivery model using grant funds and other existing funding sources.
Approval of today’s action authorizes and directs the Director of Housing & Homeless Services to apply and execute related grant agreements, if awarded.
FISCAL & STRATEGIC PLAN IMPACT
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Is there a Fiscal Impact? |
Yes |
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Is it currently budgeted? |
No |
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Is it Mandatory or Discretionary? |
Discretionary |
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Discretionary Justification: |
There is no mandate to apply for BAHFA funding. |
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Is the general fund affected? |
No |
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Future fiscal impact: |
If awarded, funds will be budgeted in the coming fiscal year |
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Consequences if not approved: |
Napa County will not apply for this pilot program. |
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County Strategic Plan pillar addressed: |
Healthy, Safe, and Welcoming Place to Live, Work, and Visit |
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION: The proposed action is not a project as defined by 14 California Code of Regulations 15378 (State CEQA Guidelines) and therefore CEQA is not applicable.
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
The Bay Area Housing Finance Authority (BAHFA) was created pursuant to the San Francisco Bay Area Regional Housing Finance Act (Gov Cod 64500, et seq.) (“the Act”) to raise, administer, and allocate funding and provide technical assistance at a regional level for tenant protection, affordable housing preservation, and new affordable housing production. Pursuant to Government Code 64520(j), BAHFA utilizes staff from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.
The Act authorizes BAHFA to provide rental assistance for low-income residents of the Bay Area as part of its central mandate to protect vulnerable residents from displacement and homelessness in the Bay Area. On May 24, 2023, the MTC adopted Resolution 4578 granting $5 million to BAHFA to establish a new Rental Assistance Program to prevent homelessness. BAHFA then adopted Resolution 0030 on June 28, 2023, to authorize the use of these funds to create an Older Adult Rental Assistance Pilot Program.
On August 15, 2023, BAHFA released a request for proposals (RFP), seeking an eligible entity to finalize program design and administer an Older Adult Rental Assistance Pilot Program (The Program) in one or more counties of the 9-county Bay Area Region. The Program will provide monthly rental assistance to extremely low-income and severely rent-burdened, older adult and fixed income households for up to 48 months. Statewide Point-in-Time (PIT) count data shows Seniors are the fastest growing homeless population of any age group, with a 108% increase between 2017-2020 in California. Among extremely low income older adults, the cause of homelessness is most often an financial or health crisis. This pilot project will focus on the senior population because most financial assistance programs are designed for 12-24 months, with a focus on workforce development to stabilize household income. In the case of seniors, returning to work is not a likely or reasonable resolution to acute financial crisis. Housing & Homeless Services staff have worked collaboratively with a consortium of community-based organization and public sector partners to design a program and service delivery model using grant funds and other existing funding sources.
Approval of today’s action authorizes the Director of Housing & Homeless Services to apply for and accept BAHFA’s Older Adult Rental Assistance Pilot Program Grant Funding in the amount of $5,000,000 (five million) dollars to prevent homelessness and improve long-term housing stability for extremely-low income senior residents experiencing severe housing burden.