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HomeMy WebLinkAbout5479 RESOLUTION NO. 5479 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF AUBURN, WASHINGTON, ESTABLISHING A 2020 HUMAN SERVICES WORK PLAN WHEREAS, the Auburn City Council approved the 2019/2020 biennial budget which included a specific budget allocation for the City to perform a Community Needs Assessment that would, at a minimum, collect community data, evaluate existing human service delivery approaches, and identify human service priorities; and WHEREAS, on October 14, 2019 the City of Auburn Community Needs Assessment was presented to City Council; and WHEREAS, the Needs Assessment identifies human services priorities and funding aspirations; and WHEREAS, Auburn City Code Chapter 2.36 creates the Human Services Committee. The purpose of the Committee is to assist and advise elected officials of the City in the identifying the local social service needs and recommending priorities to meet those needs including but not restricted to proposing programs, reviewing and evaluating existing programs, encouraging citizen participation, and performing other assignments referred to the committee by the mayor or council as deemed appropriate; and WHEREAS, on October 14, 2019 the City's Human Services Committee and the City Council held a joint meeting to share and discuss human service issues; and WHEREAS, based on the findings of the Needs Assessment and the discussion points of the October 14, 2019 joint meeting, the Human Services Committee cast a unanimous vote during their November 25, 2019 meeting in favor of a recommendation to transmit to the Auburn City Council; and Resolution No. 5479 December 16, 2019 Page 1 of 4 Rev.2019 WHEREAS, the Committee's recommendation include how to prioritize the human services budget allocation, funding targets for priority areas, overall desired funding levels, setting a minimum grant level, and re-evaluation of community data and measurement of progress; and WHEREAS, the Committee recommends formalizing the Needs Assessment suggested funding priorities that include housing and associated services, homelessness interventions, housing-related supportive services, basic needs, and job training and education; and WHEREAS, the human services grant funding cycle is not in alignment with the timing of the City biennial budget process. The funding level established in the City budget is defined in an offset year as compared to the solicitation, review and award of human service grants. Because Auburn cannot unilaterally realign these cycles, alternative approaches are necessary in order to create more predictability of human service funding levels; and WHEREAS, since 2011 the human service funding level dedicated to awarding grants to human service agencies has remained static and has not grown proportionate to the City's overall budget or the City's population; and WHEREAS, human service funding levels dedicated to human service agencies is of greater importance during periods of recession and high unemployment when a greater percentage of the population is likely to have more need to obtain human services, therefore, it is important to ensure that funding levels are protected and are at less risk of reductions in order to ensure sustained delivery of human services; and Resolution No. 5479 December 16, 2019 Page 2 of 4 Rev.2019 NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF AUBURN, WASHINGTON, RESOLVES as follows: Section 1. The City Council values the contribution of the Human Services Committee and the recommendations that the Committee drafts, deliberates on, and transmits to the Council (attached as Exhibit A). Section 2. The City of Auburn would benefit from exploring ways to identify sustainable funding sources that ensure sustained delivery of human services during both prosperous and challenging economic conditions. Section 3. Based on the findings of the Community Needs Assessment it is important to identify human service priorities and funding targets. Section 4. The City Council values opportunities to create greater efficiency in the delivery of human services within the community and to establish improved methods for evaluating the efficacy of services that are funded by the City. Section 5. The Mayor is authorized to take administrative actions necessary to implement the 2020 human services work plan identified in Exhibit B of this resolution. Section 6. This Resolution will take effect and be in full force on passage and signatures. Dated and Signed: December 16, 2019 CITY OF AUBURN ANCY =+ K S, MAYOR Resolution No. 5479 December 16, 2019 Page 3 of 4 Rev.2019 ATTEST: APPROVED AS TO FORM: ‘h.. Shawn -=--- Campbell, MMC, City Clerk Steven L. ross, City Atf6rney Resolution No. 5479 December 16, 2019 Page 4 of 4 Rev.2019 Exhibit A CITY OF ,..o 0,1 UaNancy Backus,Mayor WASH 1 N GTON 25 West Main,Street *Auburn WA 98001-4998 *wwwauburnwa.guv*253-931-3000 November 27, 2019 To Mayor Nancy Backus and Auburn City Council: Thank you for your time at the October 14th,2019 City Council Study Session.The Human Services Committee was grateful for the opportunity to connect and have deeper conversations. on the needs of our community and how to address them. We are pleased to present you with,a set of recommendations which was unanimously adopted by the.Human Services Committee at the November 25,2019 Committee Meeting. Thank you for your consideration. t /14 4 4 j _ bp f f %f Jason Berry, Chair Sue Miller, Vice-Chair Human Services Committee Human Services Committee cc: Jeff Tate, Director of Community Development Joy Scott, Community Services Manager AUBURN * MORE THAN YOU IMAGINED Human Services Committee Recommendations for Human Services Funding and Priorities Adopted at November 25,2019 Meeting Background: Prior to the start of the human services competitive application process for 2019-2020 funding,the Human Services Committee and City Council discussed the City's human services funding priorities.The Council passed a set of revised funding priorities and requested additional data collection and analysis for future years to ensure that the priorities reflected the most significant current community needs. In 2019,. the City of Auburn contracted with a consulting firm to conduct a Community Needs Assessment.The assessment was intended to support the CDBG Consolidated Planning process, provide a picture of human services needs and gaps in the community,and create funding priority recommendations for the City's competitive human services funding process. Needs Assessment: Key Recommendations from the Needs Assessment include • Increase the Human Services budget to meet the growing need;funding Human Service priorities at a minimum of 1%of General Fund Expenditures (not including CDBG public service funds),adjusting annually to meet increases in population. • Prioritize 75%of budget allocations to enhance and increase housing, emergency shelter, supportive services,and housing related basic needs resources that are evidence-based and align with the local and national best practices. Ensure resources are flexible and rooted in Progressive Engagement, providing what a person needs at the time they request assistance. • Prioritize 25%of budget allocations to meeting non-housing basic needs, iob training programs and education services(food access,youth programming,domestic violence programs, health, legal supports,etc.) • Program and system alignment with the Housing First philosophy,ensuring low barriers and quality supportive services so all people have access to basic housing,shelter and service needs • Implement a system navigation approach that promotes streamlined and trauma-informed access to community resources and housing location services At the October 14,2019 joint meeting of the City Council and the Human Services Committee,council and committee members heard from the Consultants about Needs Assessment findings and discussed the recommendations related to funding for the City's human services competitive application process. Members of both the Council and the Committee were supportive of continuing to discuss how to allocate resources to best meet community need. The Human Services Committee has discussed the findings and recommendations of the Community Needs Assessment and emphasizes the following findings: • "Over half of renters and 1/3 of homeowners in Auburn experience a housing problem (cost burden is overwhelmingly the most common housing problem experienced), resulting in thousands of Auburn households paying a high percentage of their income toward housing costs and unable to afford other necessities.This situation forces difficult household spending decisions on a monthly basis and an increased demand on community resources to meet basic needs.The Human Service system is experiencing more demand from residents than ever before and has become increasingly tapped by service providers to fund additional needs.The upward trend in the cost of living has put a great deal of pressure on Auburn residents,and this trend is expected to continue.To meet this challenge,additional funding to the Human Services budget is imperative,focusing primarily on housing and emergency shelter resources with strong services to support people in addressing housing challenges and connecting to mainstream community resources so they can sustain housing long-term and thrive in the City of Auburn." • The City of Auburn should allocate funding to services that utilize evidence-based best practice models.These models, including Housing First, Housing Problem Solving,and Progressive Engagement,will maximize local impact and be key to making progress in our community on issues of housing and homelessness. • A formal list of Human Service Funding priorities that are clear,concise,and have specific program examples should be adopted.This will help with clear communication between the City,Auburn residents, and human service providers. While proven to be highly effective on a national and local level in ending homelessness,programs that provide rental assistance and wraparound services with a Progressive Engagement model require deeper levels of funding per household than"light touch" interventions such as one-time financial assistance.The Committee is supportive of bringing this model to individuals and families experiencing homelessness in this community. However, as expressed at the October 14th study session,a primary focus of the Committee is to ensure that funding decisions don't destabilize our residents by removing local access to needed basic services. In the last funding cycle,the city allocated$265,685 to the recommended"Basic Needs"category.The recommendations from the Committee take into account the average requests for Basic Needs funding by agencies and the overall funding level required to effectively invest in both housing and non-housing interventions. Recommendations: 1. Allocate 2%annually of the total prior year's general fund expenditures to the City's competitive human services funding process. 2. For the 2021-2022 and 2023-2024 budget cycles,adopt the following human services funding priorities,consistent with Needs Assessment recommendations: a. Housing and Associated Services i. Programs that provide ongoing rental assistance and supportive services for individuals and families experiencing homelessness utilizing the Progressive Engagement model. Programs are characterized by ongoing case management and wraparound services as needed in addition to rental or other housing supports. b. Homelessness Interventions i. Programs that engage individuals and families experiencing homelessness in housing problem solving, including shorter-term, "light touch" models such as diversion and rapid exit from shelter. c. Housing-related Supportive Services i. Programs that meet housing related basic needs, including eviction prevention, utility assistance,shelter,storage, laundry,showers, and other homelessness prevention supports. d. Basic Needs i. Programs that meet a diverse array of non-housing related basic needs, including food access,youth programming,domestic violence advocacy, physical and behavioral health, childcare resources,immigration supports, legal assistance,etc. e. Job Training and Education i. Programs that provide education,job training and placement,or apprenticeship opportunities with the aim of increasing economic opportunities for participants. 3. Attach the following target percentages to priority funding areas(Note:the Committee will score applications according to priority category and provide funding recommendations to City Council consistent with this methodology. However,as funding allocations are dependent upon receiving strong applications from providers,the percentages should be viewed as targets rather than firm requirements.) a. Housing and Associated Services:28% b. Homelessness Interventions:28% c. Housing-related Supportive Services: 15% d. Basic Needs:20% e. Job Training and Education:9% ..... Distributionof Fundsb & PriorityArea Housing and Associated Services � y Homelessness intervention �� Housing related Supportive Services ®Bask Needs Job Training and Education 'moi d d r.' 'Qa 2 7T a .a\ rrg ¢. -a"3" •i Via / 10% 20% 30% ". 4C}^lo 50°q 60% 70" 80% 90%; 100% 4. In order to support agencies in providing deeper service levels and successfully manage a larger allocation within existing staff capacity,set a minimum level of funding per grant and strive to provide larger grant awards per program. 5. Together with the Human Services Committee,revisit community level data and progress towards outcomes in the third quarter of 2023 to evaluate efficacy of existing allocations and adjust as needed to reflect current community need for the 2025-2026 funding cycle. The Committee recognizes that the City Council must balance the increasing human services needs in the community with other priority funding areas.While the Committee believes that a 2%allocation would make the largest community-level impact,the funding allocation strategy provided above could be feasibly implemented with a 1.5%allocation. In this scenario,the Committee recommends allocating 1.5% in the 2021-2022 cycle and 1.75%in the 2023-2024 cycle toward the human services competitive application process,working towards a 2%funding allocation for human services grants in the 2025- 2026 biennial budget. It is important to note that the Committee's analysis of the report concluded that one of the primary homelessness intervention strategies will not be possible to implement at a funding level below 1.5% without significant and deep cuts to basic needs services in the community, including such programs as domestic violence and sexual assault,dental and medical services,and food access. If funding for Human Services is provided at a level below 1.5%,the Committee would need to reassess how to prioritize and distribute funding in order to balance the housing-focused recommendations with other basic needs in the community. Exhibit B — Resolution 5479 2020 Human Services Work Plan In 2020 City Staff and the Human Services Committee will conduct research, evaluate options, and provide alternative recommendations for City Council consideration in the following areas: 1. Bridging Budget Process. The human services grant funding cycle occurs every two years. The City budget is developed every two years as well. Solicitation, review and award of grant applications occurs during the same year that the City budget is developed. This means that when the grant funding cycle begins, City staff, the Human Services Committee and the community are not certain what funding level will be included within the City budget. Furthermore, the grant funding cycle concludes prior to adoption of the City budget. The timing of the budget process cannot be changed. The timing of the grant funding cycle can only be changed if it is done so on a regional basis. Without a regional change or a local solution this misalignment creates budgetary uncertainty and risk because the Committee is operating under a funding assumption rather than funding certainty. 2. Establishing Funding Levels. The pool of human service grant funds has remained static since 2011 while the overall general fund budget and population have increased. As the general fund budget and population increase human services grant funding has not kept pace. Human service grant funds are made available from the City's general fund. Other more sustainable funding options should be explored and implemented in order to develop a balanced package of stable funding sources and strategies that support the delivery of human services consistent with adopted priorities. 3. Formalizing Funding Priorities. City funds are very limited and need to be directed to those areas that have the greatest impact. Staff will develop administrative procedures that ensure that priorities consistent with the Community Needs Assessment guide the Committee's work in their development of recommendations for the distribution of human services funding. 4. Implementing Administrative Efficiencies. Explore opportunities to implement minimum grant funding levels that strike a balance between meaningful grant contributions and the administrative burdens associated with overseeing contracts with each grant that is awarded. With respect to the above, City Council would like to understand the following: Resolution No. 5479 December 16, 2019 Page 1 of 2 Rev.2019 • How Auburn currently compares to the cities of Kent, Federal Way, Renton, Burien, and Tukwila and how any recommendations would compare to these cities. • How these same cities address the budget dilemma described in item#1. • Is there an opportunity for a regional discussion about modifying the timing of the grant funding cycle in order to remove the misalignment, especially since other cities are likely facing a similar dilemma. • How the above items might be addressed if formalized through administrative practice/procedure, council resolution, or adopted ordinance. • How the Committee would address a Council decision if funding were raised to an approximate 1% of general fund, if it were raised to 1.25%, if it were raised to 1.5%, and if it were raised to 2%. • The benefits of basing the human services grant funding level to a percentage of general fund vs. a per capita basis (given that the Committee's recommendation uses percentage of general fund and the stated concern that a general fund budget cut will lead to a human services budget cut). • Identification of funding sources that the other comparable communities have been able to secure in order to boost their human service funding. • How grant funding levels, award processes, and service delivery and outcome monitoring compare to other human services being funded by the City. And how the identified communities have funded other human services besides grant funding. Resolution No. 5479 December 16, 2019 Page 2 of 2 Rev.2019 ' .q- CITY OF UBURNto GEtiq Nancy Backus, Mayor WASHINGTON 25 West Main Street * Auburn WA 98001-4998 * www.auburnwa.gov * 253-931-3000 December 19, 2019 Rob Gannon, General Manager King County Metro Transit King Street Center, KSC-TR-0415 201 S. Jackson Street Seattle, WA 98104-3836 RE: Renton-Kent-Auburn Area Mobility Plan Dear Mr. Gannon: The City of Auburn supports King County Metro's (KCM) Renton-Kent-Auburn Mobility as summarized below: Route 180: The proposed restructure removes a portion of current route 180, which will become route 160, and no longer serve a portion of the original route, will extend service hours and frequencies, and will later become the southern portion of the RapidRide I Line. The southern portion of the original route 180 will become route 184 and remain unchanged. Routes 910 and 917: The northern portion of the route 910 is proposed to be removed which caused City staff to be concerned that elderly and disabled populations may be left without transit options to access the Outlet Collection area. In response to these concerns, KCM staff performed additional onboard and other engagement activities and determined the impact of the removal of this partnership route appears to be minimal, and KCM staff indicated additional services will be identified for individuals not served by other routes and the City looks forward to further discussions on these additional services. The remaining portion of route 910 is proposed to be combined with route 917 and additional trips will be added. This route will no longer connect to proposed route 184, and will expand service beyond Algona to serve White River Junction in Pacific. Route 181: This route will receive Sunday service to benefit Lea Hill and the Green River College community. Routes 915 and 186 will be combined into one single, all day route, with no changes to the schedule. The single route will be route 915. We appreciate the outreach process that included members of City staff, elected officials, and community members, which ensured broad participation during the plan's development. We encourage the King County Council to adopt the proposed Renton-Kent-Auburn Mobility Plan with implementation in September 2020. Respectfully, (Amid) Nancy :'k s Mayor JS/as cc: King County Executive Dow Constantine AUBURN * MORE THAN YOU IMAGINED