Title
Adopt City Council Resolution Approving a Contract with the County of Mendocino for Funding to Operate an Extreme Weather Shelter (EWS) from November 15, 2021 to March 31, 2022
Summary
The Mendocino Coast Hospitality Center (MCHC) has operated a Winter Shelter in the Fort Bragg area for the last two years that provided shelter at local faith-based facilities during winter months. Prior to that they operated a similar shelter that was only opened during more severe winter weather on an as-needed basis. This year, MCHC announced that they would not operate the shelter. In late August, the City reached out to Redwood Community Services, Inc. (RCS) who operates the shelter facility in Ukiah, Building Bridges, to inquire whether they would be interested in providing the service this year by using motel rooms as the facility. RCS developed a proposal, which included shelter every night from November 15, 2021 to March 31, 2021, on-site supervision, housing navigator services, evening meals and covered the administrative costs of the program. The total cost of the program was $215, 400.
The City and RCS submitted the proposal to Mendocino County Department of Social Services for possible funding. Mendocino County responded that funding for a winter shelter on the coast was limited to $40,000 on an ongoing basis and the County was not willing to provide one-time funding for a program that was unsustainable. The revised proposal developed by the City of Fort Bragg eliminates the case management, 24-hour staffing and meals. Further, the shelter will not be available every night but only when necessitated by a severe weather event. The Police Department will provide oversight and check-in services for the shelter and the Hospitality Center will provide support on logging shelter guests in the County's Homeless Management Information System.