Broward County Commission Regular Meeting

A. MOTION TO AUTHORIZE County Administrator to approve and execute Second Amendment to Agreement No. 17-CP-HIP-8470-02 between Broward County and Broward Partnership for the Homeless, Inc., to increase funding in the amount of $11,033, to provide additional emergency shelter essential services under the Emergency Solutions Grant; authorizing the County Administrator to execute amendments that do not increase funding, subject to prior approval of the same by the Office of the County Attorney, and to take the necessary administrative and budgetary actions.

ACTION:  (T-10:26 AM)  Approved.
 
VOTE: 6-0.  Commissioners Geller, Holness and Sharief were not present.

B. MOTION TO AUTHORIZE County Administrator to approve and execute the First Amendment to Agreement No. 17-CP-HIP-8204-01 between Broward County and The Salvation Army, to increase funding in the amount of $11,052, to provide additional emergency shelter essential services under the Emergency Solutions Grant; authorizing the County Administrator to execute amendments that do not increase funding, subject to prior approval of the same by the Office of the County Attorney, and to take the necessary administrative and budgetary actions.

ACTION:  (T-10:26 AM)  Approved.
 
VOTE: 6-0.  Commissioners Geller, Holness and Sharief were not present.

C. MOTION TO AUTHORIZE County Administrator to approve and execute Second Amendment to Agreement No. 17-CP-HIP-8219-01 between Broward County and Women In Distress of Broward County, Inc., to increase funding in the amount of $11,051, to provide additional emergency shelter essential services under the Emergency Solutions Grant; authorizing the County Administrator to execute amendments that do not increase funding, subject to prior approval of the same by the Office of the County Attorney, and to take the necessary administrative and budgetary actions.

ACTION:  (T-10:26 AM)  Approved.
 
VOTE: 6-0.  Commissioners Geller, Holness and Sharief were not present.

D. MOTION TO AUTHORIZE County Administrator to approve and execute Third Amendment to Agreement No. 17-CP-HIP-8414-01 between Broward County and Miami Rescue Mission, Inc., d/b/a Broward Outreach Center (BOC) in the amount of $109,902, to provide Rapid Rehousing services under the Emergency Solutions Grant; authorizing the County Administrator to execute amendments, subject to prior approval of the same by the Office of the County Attorney, and to take the necessary administrative and budgetary actions.

ACTION:  (T-10:26 AM)  Approved.
 
VOTE: 6-0.  Commissioners Geller, Holness and Sharief were not present.

E. MOTION TO APPROVE waivers of conflict under Section 112.313(7)(a), Florida Statutes, for the following Broward County advisory board members holding an employment or contractual relationship with an entity receiving funds for the performance of homeless services under this agenda item:

ACTION:  (T-10:26 AM)  Approved.
 
VOTE: 6-0.  Commissioners Geller, Holness and Sharief were not present.

Motions A - D. In accordance with the Broward County Administrative Code Section 23.7, contracts and amendments with external agencies are subject to approval by the Board of County Commissioners unless otherwise authorized by prior delegation.

Motion E. A waiver of conflict arising under Section 112.313(7)(a), Florida Statutes, requires two-thirds approval by the Board.

Motions A - C reallocates 2017-2018 State of Florida's Department of Children and Family (DCF) Emergency Solutions Grant funding for the three Crisis Shelters to provide emergency shelter essential services and operations.

Motion D allocates 2018-2019 State Emergency Solutions funding to BOC for Rapid Rehousing services.

Approval of Motion E waives the existence of any conflict arising under Section 112.313(7)(a), as authorized under applicable law.

N/A

THE HUMAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT AND THE COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS DIVISION RECOMMEND APPROVAL OF THE ABOVE MOTIONS.

These actions support the Commission Value of "Approaching human services collaboratively and compassionately with special emphasis on the most vulnerable," and the Goal to "Collaborate with public and private partners to find creative, equitable, and responsible solutions to systemic community problems, especially housing for persons experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness." Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) funding will allow providers to provide additional emergency shelter and Rapid Rehousing services for persons experiencing homelessness.

Motion A through Motion C will be effective retroactively to April 25, 2018, through June 30, 2018 in order to ensure full utilization of 2017-2018 ESG grant funding through reallocating the funds that were identified by County staff as underutilized in mid April. DCF approved the budget adjustment to reallocate funding on April 26, 2018.

Agreement JP002 between the County and DCF was approved during the 2016 Summer Recess process and presented to Board on August 16, 2016 (Item No. 81, Exhibits 7 and 8). The First Amendment was approved by the Board on August 22, 2017 (Item No. 13). The Second Amendment to Agreement was approved by the Board on September 26, 2017 (Item No. 3). The Second Amendment also combined the Challenge Grant, Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funding into one Unified Funding Agreement. Four providers were awarded funding by the County under the Unified Agreement: The Broward Partnership for the Homeless, Inc. (BPHI), The Salvation Army (TSA), and Women in Distress of Broward County, Inc. (WID), were awarded funds to provide emergency shelter essential services and operations; and Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami, Inc. (Catholic Charities) was awarded funds to provide Rapid Rehousing services to individuals and families.

On April 5, 2018, Catholic Charities informed the County staff that it could no longer provide rapid rehousing services effective July 1, 2018 for State Grant Year 2018-2019 (Exhibit 1). Additionally, on April 16, 2018, Catholic Charities advised that it had not utilized $33,136 of the 2017-2018 ESG funds.

DCF approved and confirmed reallocation of the remaining 2017-2018 ESG funds from rapid rehousing to three emergency shelter providers on April 26, 2018. The funds will be utilized to provide additional emergency shelter services, from April 25, 2018 to June 30, 2018 (Exhibit 2).

DCF advised that the 2018-2019 ESG rapid rehousing funds must be utilized for Rapid Rehousing effective July 1, 2018. The County met with both DCF's Challenge grant providers, BPHI and BOC, to discuss availability of 2018-2019 ESG Rapid Rehousing funds to support the state funded Housing Navigators located at the Homeless Assistance Centers. BPHI declined the grant funds and BOC agreed to receive the 2018-2019 ESG Rapid Rehousing funds. The County received approval from DCF regarding the allocation of 2018-2019 ESG Rapid Rehousing funding to BOC on May 10, 2018 and will issue an amendment to the County to effect this change. Motion D will be effective commencing July 1, 2018, through June 30, 2019. Approval of the BOC amendment by the County Administrator is contingent upon receipt and execution of the fourth amendment with DCF.

Amendments will be reviewed and approved by Risk Management and the Office of the County Attorney, before execution by the County Administrator. 

Approval of this item would give rise to certain employment conflicts under Section 112.313(7)(a), Florida Statutes, which  provides that “[n]o public officer . . . shall have or hold any employment or contractual relationship with any business entity . . . which is . . . doing business with [ ] an agency of which he or she is an officer or employee.” In accordance with Section 112.313(12), Florida Statutes, Board approval is required to waive any conflict arising under Section 112.313(7)(a), Florida Statutes. An effective waiver requires a two-thirds vote of the County Commission after full disclosure of the conflicting relationship (Motion E). Form 4A attached hereto as Exhibit 4 constitutes full disclosure of any existing conflict.

Mandy Wells, Community Partnerships Division, (954) 357-6398