Item:
Title
Approval of Contract with Reinvestment Partners in the amount of $450,600 to Provide Non-Congregate Sheltering For Homeless Residents (10min)
Body
Date of BOCC Meeting: October 5, 2020
Request for Board Action:
Agenda Text
The Board is requested to approve the attached contract for 64 hotel rooms in Buildings A and B of the Carolina Duke Inn from Reinvestment Partners affiliate RP Rx Housing, LLC to shelter medically fragile homeless residents during the COVID-19 pandemic. The CDC has provided guidance on the need to provide non-congregate sheltering for this population which is supported by FEMA and NCHHS. This proposed contract aligns with the CDC’s guidance.
County staff have been working for the past several months with Reinvestment Partners on the concept of contracting with them for some number of rooms that they, in turn, have leased for 1-2 years from the owner of the Carolina Duke Inn. Contract negotiations were pursuant to Reinvestment Partners’ response to the June RFP issued by the County and ultimately include the MOU between Reinvestment Partners for both Buildings A and B at the Carolina Duke Inn as well an MOU covering services to be provided by Reinvestment Partners, Urban Ministries of Durham, and Project Access of Durham County. The proposed agreement is for 24 rooms in Building B and up to 40 rooms in Building A that the County will continue to lease and occupy. This brings our total capacity at that site to 64, which brings our homeless housing system closer to housing the same number of homeless individuals as it did pre-COVID. The proposed agreement is through Dec. 31st with options to extend in one month increments as well as a 30 day termination clause.
A combination of new funding sources have made it possible for Durham County to enter into this agreement in a way that should require less County funding. UMD received $329,000 earlier in the summer in ESG-CV funding which will defray the associated costs of food and security and case management at the site. Additionally, we will work with NCEM to receive expedited reimbursements for all eligible costs for non-congregate sheltering operations and associated wrap-around services. This new program was launched in early August by NCEM and NCHHS. The associated MOU with the state to cover these reimbursements will be forthcoming at a coming Board meeting. Currently, the FEMA NCS waiver for the State of NC ends at the end of October 2020. The expectation of NCEM (as of 8/14/2020) is that FEMA will grant an additional waiver extension through the end of the calendar year. If and when the state’s waiver for non-congregate housing expires, the County would have to decide which, if any, of the contracted rooms it would want to continue to contract for using County general funds.
An MOU has been developed with UMD, Project Access of Durham County, and Reinvestment Partners is attached and will govern all aspects of intake and coordinated service provision to the individuals that will occupy the rooms. Alliance Health has leased the remaining 8 rooms in Building B and may be an additional, helpful service partner.
Finally, if and when COVID starts to recede and the need for non-congregate housing starts to decrease, the County can reduce the number of rooms leased in Building A while maintaining the core of rooms in Building B.
Alignment with Strategic Plan: Safe and supportive housing for our homeless population, particularly those whose medical status makes them poor candidates for congregate housing, is strongly aligned with the health and housing goals contained in Goals 1 and 2 of the Durham County Strategic Plan.
Resource Persons: Drew Cummings, Chief of Staff; Jodi Miller, General Manager; Claudia Hager, General Manager; Willie Darby, Senior Assistant County Attorney; and Leslie O’Connor, Emergency Management / COVID-19 Incident Commander
County Manager’s Recommendation: The County Manager recommends that the Board approve the attached contract with Reinvestment Partners affiliate RP Rx Housing, LLC in the amount of $450,600 and authorize the County Manager to execute the approved contract.
Signature
County Manager: ____________________________