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Home My WebLink AboutStaff Report 2403-2742CITY OF PALO ALTO Finance Committee Regular Meeting Tuesday, March 19, 2024 Agenda Item 1.Review Council Referral on Recommended Funding Levels of the Human Services Resource Allocation Process (HSRAP) and Other Grants in the General Fund Late Packet Report, Presentation Finance Committee Staff Report Report Type: ACTION ITEMS Lead Department: City Manager Meeting Date: March 19, 2024 Report #:2403-2742 TITLE Review Council Referral on Recommended Funding Levels of the Human Services Resource Allocation Process (HSRAP) and Other Grants in the General Fund BACKGROUND This report will be a special late packet release on Thursday, March 14, 2024. Finance Committee Staff Report From: City Manager Report Type: ACTION ITEMS Lead Department: City Manager Meeting Date: March 19, 2024 Report #:2403-2774 TITLE Late Packet Report: Review Council Referral on Recommended Funding Levels of the Human Services Resource Allocation Process (HSRAP) and Other Grants in the General Fund RECOMMENDATION Finance Committee review the information regarding the Human Services Resource Allocation Process (HSRAP) funding levels in response to the Council referral to consider allocating 1% of the General Fund for human services grant processing. BACKGROUND As part of the FY 2024 Adopted Budget, the Council directed staff to follow-up with additional work to, “Consider pegging HSRAP budget allocations to a benchmark, such as percentage of General Fund budgeted expenditures.” Staff researched previous discussion of this item and found a reference of a recommendation for increasing HSRAP funding as part of a Policy and Services meeting on November 29, 2016 (CMR 72891). There were four options for augmenting the HSRAP funding, but ultimately none of them were approved for recommendation to the Council. The status quo of increasing the funding by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) as funding was available in the General Fund continued. Human Services Resource Allocation Process (HSRAP) The HSRAP process was established in 1983 as a mechanism to incorporate data collection, needs assessment results and priority setting to a process that would bring City funding for human services into one process and guide city funding in the future. The earliest HSRAP grantees were connected to basic need efforts the City was already supporting such as senior nutrition, senior services, childcare, landlord tenant/fair housing, and disability awareness; the latter two connected to work of the City’s Rental Housing Mediation Task Force and the Disability Awareness Force. 1 November 29, 2016 Policy and Services CMR 7289: https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/files/assets/public/v/1/agendas-minutes-reports/reports/city-manager-reports- cmrs/year-archive/2016/id-7289-hsrap.pdf The major tenets of the original HSRAP still guide the process today. In advance of each biennial HSRAP Request for Funding (RFP) period, Human Services Staff and the Human Relations Commission (HRC) identify human services needs through information provided by the community at the HRC’s monthly meetings, findings from the extensive research it conducted for the Human Services Needs Assessment report completed in 2012, and supplemental needs assessments and demographic data collection conducted every two years thereafter. To better inform the FY26/27 HSRAP process, Human Services staff, in collaboration with the HRC, retained a consultant to conduct a thorough Human Services Needs Assessment (HSNA) in the community. Major aspects of the assessment include: •Demographic analysis of Palo Alto and how our current growth and changing demographics impact the type of services needed and provided, as well as future trends. •Cost, accessibility, and availability of services. •Nature and extent of human needs in Palo Alto and how well they are currently being met. •Strengths, needs and challenges of local human service providers. •Needs, gaps, barriers and challenges to accessing and receiving human services. Staff believes the results of this HSNA will provide invaluable information to influence the distribution of HSRAP funds in the future. The consultant will be available to present the results of the assessment to Council. ANALYSIS As part of the FY 2024 Adopted Budget, the Council directed staff to follow-up with additional work to, “Consider pegging HSRAP budget allocations to a benchmark, such as percentage of General Fund budgeted expenditures.” Staff researched previous discussion of this item and found a reference of a recommendation for increasing HSRAP funding as part of a Policy and Services meeting on November 29, 2016 (CMR 72892). There were four options for augmenting the HSRAP funding, but ultimately none of them were approved for recommendation to the Council. The status quo of increasing the funding by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) as funding was available in the General Fund continued. Today, the annual allocation of funding for the HSRAP grants reflects an annual adjustment by CPI based on the prior year December to December increase for the Bay Area3. For the FY 2024 budget, this reflected a 4.9% increase, and for FY 2025 a 2.6% increase has been assumed. 2 November 29, 2016 Policy and Services CMR 7289: https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/files/assets/public/v/1/agendas-minutes-reports/reports/city-manager-reports- cmrs/year-archive/2016/id-7289-hsrap.pdf 3 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: HYPERLINK "https://www.bls.gov/regions/west/news- release/consumerpriceindex_sanfrancisco.htm"https://www.bls.gov/regions/west/news- release/consumerpriceindex_sanfrancisco.htm As the Committee and Council consider funding resources for the HSRAP program and the types of organizations receiving HSRAP funding, staff poses the following questions: 1) What services are desired to be enveloped through this funding? Is it strictly the current program defined under the HSRAP grant program, shall it include prior HSRAP grantees that now receive direct funding, or a different range of services? 2) What is the appropriate funding level? This aligns with the core question referred which was to evaluate if 1% of the City’s General Fund should be dedicated to support HSRAP. 3) How should the City evaluate the grantees’ performance? Services to be enveloped through this funding The City provides supports for community partners--primarily non-profit organizations--in a number of different ways. One element to consider if additional funding is allocated is the types of service the funding should support. Should it simply augment current resources available to organizations that qualify for support under the HSRAP program or is there a desire to support services that extend beyond the current HSRAP program? There are several agencies providing services through City funding that overlap to varying degrees with human services. These include but are not limited to (in alphabetical order): Ada’s Café (direct award through HSRAP), Avenidas, Downtown Streets Team (DST), Environmental Volunteers, LifeMoves, Palo Alto Community Child Care (PACCC), Palo Alto Transportation Management Association (PATMA), Project Sentinel, Project Safety Net, United Nations Association Film Festival (UNAFF), Youth Community Service (YCS). Staff is also aware of other recent funding requests. To date staff are aware of the following requests for additional funding (in alphabetical order): - Ability Path $250,000, as requested in public comment at a Council meeting recently - Magical Bridge $150,000 annually to support adaptive programming. - UNAFF $20,000 ongoing to support programing and events throughout a given year. This would bring total funding to $55,000 plus the installation of banners which is approximately $10,000 annually to support the annual film festival in October and program support. Appropriate Funding Level Staff compiled historical data back to FY 2001 to determine the percentage of funding for human services programs compared to the General Fund expenditures budget in each year, and what amount of funding would be needed if funding for human services programs was pegged to 1% of the General Fund expenditures budget in the future using the base case FY 2025-2034 LRFF numbers in Attachment A. For FY 2025 through FY 2027, numbers from the base case LRFF indicate that human services funding will be approximately 0.72% to 0.62% of the General Fund budgeted expenditures. •To increase HSRAP grant funding to 1% of the General Fund budgeted expenditures in the future, an additional $2.0 million would need to be allocated for human services programs in FY 2025 or $2.3million annually in FY 2026 and FY 2027. This would increase the current projected deficits in FY 2025 through FY 2027 to $8.0 million, $7.4 million, and $5.4 million respectively. •To increase human services funding to 1% of the General Fund budgeted expenditures in the future, an additional $0.8 million would need to be allocated for human services in FY 2025 and $1.1 million annually in FY 2026 and FY 2027. This would increase the current projected deficits in FY 2025 through FY 2027 to $6.8 million, $6.5 million, and $4.5 million respectively. In making a decision as to setting a policy regarding HSRAP funding, staff would like to interject in addition to the financial implications including impacts on the current forecasted deficits, there are also notes on timing of any increase as well as policy implications. •We are currently in year one of a two-year HSRAP funding cycle. Staff would recommend any changes in funding levels to align with the two-year grant process; this would indicate a change beginning in FY 2026. •Staff also has some concern of setting a precedent of fastening one program or service to the annual general fund budget. This constrains flexibility for the City to determine funding allocations based on needs that can change over time and allows for a potential precedent for other programs being fixed. This would potentially reduce funding when it is most desired likely during economic constraints. There are 3 instances in the attachment where the General Fund budget decreased from the prior year, most recently in FY 2021. Alternatively, a policy may identify an intention, however, provide flexibility to adjust based on impacts. An example of this format is the Council approved Retiree Benefit Funding Policy that has stated goals, however, provides guidance for if the policy is resulting in service delivery impacts in the short-term. How should the City evaluate the grantees’ performance? The Office of the City Auditor conducted an audit on the City’s non-profit partnerships 2022. A key tenet of the City Auditor’s recommendations, which mirrored the current HSRAP process, includes more clearly defined service expectations, such as goals, expected activities, performance measures, deliverables, and periodic reporting requirements. In addition, it outlines the City should track performance to identify the risks associated with continuing or discontinuing the contractual relationships with nonprofits and take appropriate actions. Staff intends to resume work on the recommendation in this audit later in calendar year 2024. Setting such expectations will support these findings and be important to any expansion of funding and or areas of desired support. Currently, as stated above, HSRAP Request for Proposals (RFP) are solicited on a biennial basis. It is not uncommon for the combined ask of applicants to far exceed the available budget. While making funding recommendations for HSRAP, Human Services staff and the Human Relations Commission take many factors into consideration, including: •Applicability to the current Priority of Needs (Allocable Funding Categories) •Quality and feasibility of the program/service being proposed •Quality of the application •Past performance of the requestor (if a current HSRAP grantee. This is determined by a review of their Semi-Annual Performance Reports submitted to Human Services staff.) •Whether the amount requested exceeds the percentage of funding allowed for that program (HSRAP guidelines state that the City should not be the majority funder of any program) Once awarded, each recipient has outlined in their scope of work requirements and the Community Services HSRAP staff monitor performance to ensure expected service delivery is met. FISCAL/RESOURCE IMPACT No additional resources are required to support the discussion outline in this report; however, Additional resources will be required to support increased funding levels. Current Human Services staffing is at capacity administering the current level of funding, grant recipients, and oversight of grant compliance. Increasing the funding for human services such as a formula driven 1% of the General Fund would result in an annual cost of $1 million- $2 million, increasing the City’s current forecasted deficit of $6 million in the General Fund. STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT Staff expect to support stakeholder engagement as the follow-up of the Non-Profit Audit recommendation and next steps. ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW Committee action on this item is not a project as defined by California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) because the City’s HSRAP funding policy is a continuing administrative or maintenance activity. CEQA Guidelines section 15378(b)(2). ATTACHMENTS Attachment A: History of HSRAP Funding APPROVED BY: Ed Shikada, City Manager ATTACHMENT A History of HSRAP Funding Prior to FY 2016 funding for Avenidas and Palo Alto Community Childcare (PACCC) were determined as part of the HSRAP grant process; however, starting in FY 2016 these two programs were funded through a direct funding allocation and separated from the HSRAP grant process. To provide an apples-to-apples comparison prior to and subsequent to this change, below shows the total funding for human services with funding projections through FY 2027, inclusive of Avenidas and PACCC. % of GF Budget Fiscal Year HSRAP Grant $’s Avenidas & PACCC $’s Total Funding**** 1% of General Fund Adopted Budget HSRAP Grant Total Funding FY 2001 $386,245 $845,716 $1,231,961 $1,087,780 0.36%1.13% FY 2002 $433,254 $871,088 $1,304,342 $1,257,660 0.34%1.04% FY 2003 $444,862 $897,221 $1,342,083 $1,259,080 0.35%1.07% FY 2004 $335,835 $870,220 $1,206,055 $1,166,860 0.29%1.03% FY 2005 $375,835 $870,220 $1,246,055 $1,160,150 0.32%1.07% FY 2006 $331,453 $845,936 $1,177,389 $1,206,920 0.27%0.98% FY 2007 $331,453 $845,936 $1,177,389 $1,250,740 0.27%0.94% FY 2008 $300,453 $860,941 $1,161,394 $1,391,850 0.22%0.83% FY 2009 $300,453 $860,941 $1,161,394 $1,453,080 0.21%0.80% FY 2010 $285,430 $817,894 $1,103,324 $1,420,890 0.20%0.78% FY 2011 $285,430 $817,894 $1,103,324 $1,467,110 0.19%0.75% FY 2012 $300,737 $809,715 $1,110,452 $1,463,600 0.21%0.76% FY 2013 $300,737 $809,715 $1,110,452 $1,528,000 0.20%0.73% FY 2014 $348,163 $881,950 $1,230,113 $1,597,000 0.22%0.77% FY 2015 $425,594 $890,583 $1,316,177 $1,711,000 0.25%0.77% FY 2016*$436,660 $913,738 $1,350,398 $1,857,000 0.24%0.73% FY 2017 $448,013 $937,495 $1,385,508 $1,942,000 0.23%0.71% FY 2018 $503,213 $960,933 $1,464,146 $2,104,000 0.24%0.70% FY 2019 $515,793 $984,956 $1,500,749 $2,107,000 0.24%0.71% FY 2020 $535,908 $1,023,369 $1,559,277 $2,308,000 0.23%0.68% FY 2021 $549,306 $1,048,953 $1,598,259 $1,969,000 0.28%0.81% FY 2022 $549,306 $1,048,953 $1,598,259 $2,092,000 0.26%0.76% FY 2023 $622,377 $1,093,009 $1,715,386 $2,474,000 0.25%0.69% FY 2024**$896,035 $1,147,660 $2,043,695 $2,795,810 0.30%0.71% FY 2025***$861,664 $1,177,499 $2,039,163 $2,818,870 0.31%0.72% FY 2026 $632,697 $1,208,114 $1,840,811 $2,944,730 0.21%0.63% FY 2027 $649,147 $1,239,525 $1,888,672 $3,044,650 0.21%0.62% * FY 2016 was the first year Avenidas and Palo Alto Community Childcare (PACCC) were funded through separate human service contracts. ** FY 2024 and FY 2025 adjusted to reflect the allocation of $45,000 to Ada’s Café that was awarded by the City Council outside of the grant process. October 16, 2023 City Council Agenda Item #5: https://cityofpaloalto.primegov.com/Portal/Meeting?meetingTemplateId=13038 ***Forecast numbers include removal of $0.2 million of one-time funding approved in FY 2024 and FY 2025 offset by a 2.6% CPI increase based on Bay Area December 2022 to December 2023 CPI change. **** Total Funding is not intended to represent all human services funding. As noted in the staff report, additional contracts exist but at not included in this figure such as but not limited to Project Sentinel, Youth Community Service (YCS), and Project Safety Net (PSN). March 19, 2024 www.cityofpaloalto.org Review Council Referral on Recommended Funding Levels of the HSRAP and Other Grants in the General Fund March 19, 2024 Council Referral As part of the FY 2024 Adopted Budget, the Council directed staff to follow-up with additional work to: “Consider pegging HSRAP budget allocations to a benchmark, such as percentage of General Fund budgeted expenditures.” Currently, funding for Human Services Resource Allocation Process (HSRAP) grants is increased annually by the Consumer Price Index (CPI). 2 3 1) What services are desired to be enveloped through this funding? 3) How should the City evaluate the grantees’ performance? 2) What is the appropriate funding level?1% of GF requires additional funding between $800,000 and $2.3 million annually Questions for Consideration TITLE 40 FONT BOLD Subtitle 32 font March 19, 2024 Finance Committee review the information regarding the Human Services Resource Allocation Process (HSRAP) funding levels in response to the Council referral to consider allocating 1% of the General Fund for human services grant processing. 4 Recommendation Minka Van Der Zwaag Manager Human Services, Community Services minka.vanderzwaag@cityofpaloalto.org Kiely Nose Assistant City Manager Kiely.Nose@CityofPaloAlto.org