For City Council Meeting June 10, 2025
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
FROM: Tanya Williams, City Manager
AUTHOR: Mark P. Kling, Chief of Police
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Request City Council to: (1) Approve a one-year Agreement for Professional Services with Social Work Action Group Substantially Similar to the Agreement Attached to the Staff Report and Approved as to Form by the City Attorney; (2) Approve a Purchase Order for $746,550 for Fiscal Year 2025/2026; and, (3) Authorize the City Manager, or her Designee, to Execute All Documents.
(ACTION)
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RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1) Approve a one-year Agreement for Professional Services with Social Work Action Group substantially similar to the agreement attached to the Staff Report and approved as to form by the City Attorney;
2) Approve a Purchase Order in the amount of $746,550 for Fiscal Year 2025/2026; and
3) Authorize the City Manager, or her designee, to execute all documents.
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 477 clients, connected 1,171 homeless individuals to substance abuse treatment (96 of which were Substance Abuse Placements), 632 to mental health services and have had 441 individuals exit the street. Additionally, 339 homeless individuals received sheltered housing and 102 were placed into permanent housing plans.
ANALYSIS/DISCUSSION
SWAG began their services by deploying four 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 two new positions, to make a total of six homeless outreach specialists in Rialto. These specialists currently provide outreach services seven days a week. Over the past year, SWAG personnel along with police personnel have incorporated night time services as well, understanding that the need for resources at night are necessary.
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.
Today, SWAG manages more than 30 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 facilitated 15 individuals “exiting the streets.” Meaning, these individuals are no longer primarily living on the streets and have found some sort of transitional housing or treatment.
Staff’s request for this 1-year contract with SWAG will ensure there will be 6 outreach specialists, each working 40-hour work weeks, 7-days a week, excluding some holidays. These specialists will be tasked with individual case management and have the ability to use multiple resources for housing and treatment services. This contract will also include transportation costs and administrative costs. The administrative costs will be used to document all necessary facts, data and work provided. The data will be used to prepare various reports in order for the police department executive staff to continually evaluate effectiveness and make necessary scheduling changes as needed.
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 and successful methods for reducing homelessness in San Bernardino County. Since Council’s decision to contract with SWAG, the City’s unhoused population has continued to reduce yearly. Although the County of San Bernardino has not released the 2025 point in time count numbers, as of the preparation of this staff report, it is anticipated that the City of Rialto will have fewer unhoused individuals than previous years’ counts.
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 FY2025/2026. If services do not continue with SWAG, 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 2.48.280 - 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) (b)(2) Continuing administrative or maintenance activities, such as purchases for supplies, personnel- related actions, general policy and procedure making.
2) (b)(5) 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 $746,550 is available in the proposed FY2025/2026 Homeless Program Account No. 10106296 52011 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.