Title
A Partnership to Provide Services for Homeless Veterans (B)
This is a request for the City Commission to consider and approve the City of Gainesville entering into a partnership with the Alachua County Coalition for the Homeless and Hungry (ACCHH) and the local Veteran’s Administration Office (VA) to provide services for homeless veterans in Gainesville-Alachua County. **ESTIMATED STAFF PRESENTATION 15 MINUTES**
Explanation
On June 18, 2015, Mayor Ed Braddy, Intergovernmental Affairs Coordinator Kelly Ferrel, and Assistant City Manager Fred Murry met with local VA officials, Thomas Wisnieski, Director, Nancy Reissener, Deputy Director, and Vianne Marchese, Chief of Community Care Services, to discuss this subject. The VA officials expressed a need for supportive housing for veterans and asked if that need could be addressed at the Empowerment Center. The VA was interested in providing case management services but they did not have the mechanism to provide supportive housing. The City of Gainesville has the ability to provide buildings and construction funds for VA housing but not the other supportive services.
Recently, ACCHH entered into a contract to provide up to $900,000 in emergency transitional residential services for homeless Veterans. These services are to be provided on a per diem basis and include indoor shelter, meals, case management, showers, laundry, transportation, and other services as may be needed while the Veteran is in residency. With the execution of that contract, the creation of a partnership between the ACCHH, the VA, and the City of Gainesville to provide support services to veterans and their families became a possibility.
In this partnership, ACCHH would be responsible for providing supportive services (shelter, meals, etc.), and for the management of (and all expenses related to) the building. In addition to payments of up to $180,000 per year for the next five years to ACCHH for those services, the local VA would provide case management services to veterans, with the intent to move the veterans to permanent housing in the community. The City’s role in the partnership would be to renovate one of the dorms at the Empowerment Center. The City already has designated funds for water and wastewater improvement through the Connect Free Program at the Empowerment Center. Furthermore, the City could use general funds to install an air conditioning system and plumbing in the building. This partnership would create a place at the Empowerment Center that is specifically designated for veterans who are homeless.
This partnership would require a separate agreement between the City and ACCHH for the use of the building. That agreement would ensure that, in the event the City Commission decides to not renew the contract with ACCHH to operate GRACE Marketplace, ACCHH would still manage the Veterans’ Dorm, under a separate contract with the VA.
In keeping with the recommendation from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that homelessness is and should be addressed as a community-based project, this partnership is an excellent example of government, non-profit, and community collaboration. It proposes 3,597 days of community-based transitional environment for homeless veterans the first year of the agreement, with the number of days decreasing annually as costs increase. This partnership creates a win-win for the community.
When considering this request, the City Commission should consider the following Critical Issues:
1. In the past, other Gainesville nonprofit organizations have applied and received funding for VA housing but were unable to use the funds, which were then reallocated to other communities The negative perception that could be created by the rejection of another HUD grant is of great concern. It is highly possible that this geographic area would not receive grant awards from HUD in the future.
2. We are currently in the second quarter of FY16 and no funds have been expended for the project. Other alternatives would have to be considered if ACCHH is unable to partner with the City for a building.
3. City staff requests that the City Commission consider naming the building/dormitory after a local veteran, on such terms as the Commission deems appropriate, as a way of recognizing that veteran’s contribution to the community, as well as to the Country. City staff would work with the local veterans’ organizations to identify potential names for the building. City staff would present those names to the City Commission for their consideration and approval at a later date.
Fiscal Note
Staff estimates that the necessary repair and construction activities would cost $380,000. The ACCHH would be responsible for interior remodeling costs, and the VA would contribute up to $900,000 in Federal funding for the provision of shelter and other services for homeless veterans, on a per diem basis. Additionally, the VA would provide case management services. The total cost of the project would be more than $1.2 million, including case management. This agreement would be for five years, which is the life of the ACCHH’s grant, and subject to the availability of funding from the VA.
Recommendation
The City Commission: 1) consider and authorize the City of Gainesville to enter into an agreement with Alachua County Coalition for the Homeless and Hungry, Inc. to lease one dormitory for five years, subject to the VA’s provision of funding and case management; 2) authorize City staff to utilize Connect Free Funds in the amount of $247,223 for water, wastewater, and plumbing improvements for the building and utilize up to $132,777 from general or bond funds for HVAC repairs for the dorm; 3) authorize the City Manager to execute the agreement between the City and ACCHH, subject to the City Attorney's review and approval as to form and legalit; and 4) direct City staff to identify possible names for the dorm and bring them back to the City Commission for consideration and approval on such terms as the Commission deems appropriate.