For City Council Meeting July 25, 2023
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
APPROVAL: Arron Brown, Acting City Manager
FROM: Mark P. Kling, Chief of Police
Title
Request City Council to: (1) Approve a one-year Agreement for Professional Services with Social Work Action Group; (2) Approve a Purchase Order for $708,712 for Fiscal Year 2023/2024; (3) Authorize the Acting City Manager, or his Designee, to Execute All Documents.
(ACTION)
Body
BACKGROUND
City Council approved contract services with Social Work Action Group (SWAG) on May 20, 2020, and the Rialto Police Department deployed SWAG into our community on June 1, 2020. SWAG has made a considerable amount of progress in providing quality services to our homeless population. Since SWAG’s deployment their personnel have served a total of 390 clients, connected 157 homeless individuals to substance abuse treatment, 341 to mental health services, and have had 178 street exits, of which 77 were placed into permanent housing plans. See the attached slide presentation for additional detail for in-depth understanding of SWAG’s services to the City.
ANALYSIS/DISCUSSION
SWAG began their services by deploying 4 homeless outreach specialists Monday through Friday. In Fiscal Year 2022/2023 the need arose for homeless outreach specialists to be on duty seven days a week. Staff recommended and Council approved to increase staffing and fund 2 new positions, to make a total of 6 homeless outreach specialists in Rialto. These specialists currently provide outreach services 7-days a week.
SWAG’s successful outreach approach has not only assisted homeless individuals find treatments and housing, but also helped reduce the amount of time police officers spend on calls related to homelessness. This successful approach resulted in officers having more time to respond to priority calls and conduct proactive enforcement. The City of Rialto’s efforts were recently recognized in “The Public Administrator’s Companion,” A Practical Guide, Second Edition” textbook, written by Sandra Emerson, Kathy Van Ness, Georgianna Streeter, Linda-Marie Sundstrom and Parker G. Emerson. The textbook is a required read by graduate students in some Universities. Chapter Three of the textbook, in a subsection, pages 67-72, discusses “Working Relationships with Nonprofit Providing Services to Public Sector” and describes in detail how Rialto’s innovative approach to homelessness is recognized as a winning strategy. The pages of the textbook are attached to your staff report, Exhibit B.
Today, SWAG manages more than 25 homeless individuals. These individuals are in varying stages of their case plans, including substance abuse facilities, emergency shelters and mental health facilities. Without SWAG to assist with their transition into permanent housing, these individuals, and others, will most likely return to the streets of Rialto, causing a quality-of-life problem for residents and businesses that existed before Council’s decision to proactively address homelessness. In just the last 4- months SWAG has placed 11 individuals in permanent housing and another 18 individuals have “exited the streets.” Meaning, these individuals are no longer primarily living on the streets and have found some sort of transitional housing or treatment.
The City of Rialto continues to grow. With this growth comes more shopping centers and businesses that can be impacted by the homeless population. It has and will continue to be the Rialto Police Department’s mission to offer resources and aid to those experiencing homelessness, and at the same time offer a high-quality service and protection to our businesses and residents that live in and traverse our city. The partnership between the City of Rialto and SWAG has proven to be one of the most effective methods for reducing homelessness in San Bernardino County.
Staff’s request for this 1-year contract with SWAG to ensure there will be 6 outreach specialists, each working 40-hour work weeks, 7-days a week, excluding some holidays. The outreach specialists will be tasked with individual case management and have the ability to use multiple resources for housing and treatment services.
In an effort to continue at the forefront of the County in providing homeless services, staff is recommending Council approve this 1-year contract proposal for services through FY2023/2024. Rialto’s homeless service program would lose momentum and risk altering the rapport SWAG and the Police Department’s Community Services Bureau has built with the City’s homeless population, the community and homeless service agencies.
Staff has worked with the city’s purchasing division and determined that this purchase is acceptable as specified under Rialto Municipal Code 2.48.060 - Sole Source Provision.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
The proposed action does not meet the definition of a project as defined by Section 15378 California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). A “Project” means the whole of an action, which has a potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment, and excludes the following:
1) Continuing administrative or maintenance activities, such as purchases for supplies, personnel- related actions, general policy and procedure making.
2) Organizational or administrative activities of governments that will not result in direct or indirect physical changes in the environment.
GENERAL PLAN CONSISTENCY
The proposed action is consistent with the following goal of the city’s general plan:
Goal 5-8: Provide effective and comprehensive policing services that meet the safety. needs of Rialto.
LEGAL REVIEW
The City Attorney has reviewed and supports this staff report.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Operating Budget Impact
Funding in the amount of $708,712 is available in the proposed FY2023/2024 Homeless Program Account No. 010-500-6296-2011 for the professional services agreement with Social Work Action Group for services supplied to the homeless population.
Per Rialto Municipal Code Section: 2.48.145 a vendor disclosure form is attached.
Capital Improvement Budget Impact
This report does not impact the Capital Improvement Budget.
Licensing
Social Work Action Group has a current City of Rialto Business License. No additional taxes are due with the approval of this report.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the City Council:
(1) Approve a 1-year agreement for professional services with Social Work Action Group;
(2) Approve a Purchase Order in the amount of $708,712 for Fiscal Year 2023/2024; and
(3) Authorize the Acting City Manager, or his designee, to execute all documents.