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09-2024 HHTF Packet 10210 E Sprague Avenue |Spokane Valley WA 99206 Phone: (509) 720-5000 |Fax: (509) 720-5075 |www.spokanevalleywa.gov SPOKANE VALLEY HOMELESS HOUSING TASK FORCE SPECIALMEETINGAGENDA Thursday, September 26,2024 | 2:00p.m. Spokane Valley City Hall, 10210 E Sprague Ave, Room N212Second Floor Conference Room and virtuallyon Zoom:Click here to: Join the meeting online Meeting ID:823 8451 5204| Passcode:211610 1. Call to Order 2. Roll Call 3.General Public Comment Opportunity This is an opportunity for the public to speak on any subject except agenda action items, as public comments will be taken on those items where indicated. ACTION ITEMS 4.Approval of May 10, June 14, and August 9Meeting Minutes 5.Date Change for Regular Meetings INFORMATION AND DISUCSSION ITEMS 6.Update on Regional 5-Year Plan to Prevent & End Homelessnessand County Consolidated Planning process 7.Regional Coordination Update 8.Adjournment SPOKANE VALLEY HOMELESS HOUSING TASK FORCE RegularMeeting Minutes| May 10, 2024| 9:00am at Spokane Valley City Hall, 10210 E Sprague Ave, Room N212 and on Zoom 1 CALL TO ORDER: Chair MayorPam Haleycalled the meeting to order at 9:05am 2 ATTENDANCE: In attendance were: Task Force MembersGuests (in-person) Lance Beck, Spokane Valley ChamberOfficer Josh Pratt, Spokane Valley George Dahl, Spokane CountyChris McKinney, Spokane County Mayor Pam Haley, Spokane ValleyJennifer Calvert John Parker, Central Valley School Dist. StaffGuests (online) Gloria Mantz, City Services AdministratorJennifer Wilcox Eric Robison, Housing & Homeless CoordinatorGrace Vera Sarah Farr, Budget AnalystTimothy Clouser Tony Beattie, Senior Deputy AttorneyKarin Morris Julie Meyers-Lehman, Executive Assistant 3 GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT OPPORTUNITY Chair Haley called for public comments. Ms. Wilcox thanked the Task Force members for their work in helping to solve homelessness in Spokane Valley. ACTION ITEMS 4 Request for Proposals: Homeless Outreach Services \[public comment opportunity\] Gloria explained that Spokane Valley Partners (SVP) received HHAA funding in 2022 and 2023 to provide homeless outreach services in Spokane Valley by contract which was scheduled to go through 6/30/24. On 3/5/24 SVP notified the city that they would no longer be able to fulfill the contract due to staffing issues. On 5/8/24 the City released a RFP for new service providers and received proposals from Frontier Behavioral Health and Salvation Army. HHAA Task Force members Daniel Aga was scheduled to assist in the provider interviews, but at the last minute was unable to attend. Staff tried to contact Kody Jerred to attend instead buthe was not available to participate in the interviews because of timing. Due to the urgency of getting replacement providers in place, staff proceeded with the interviews. Officer Pratt provided an overview of the homelessness outreachteamprocess. He hopes to pick up Spokane Valley Homeless Housing Task Force 05.10.24Meeting Minutes - DRAFTPage 1 of 3 where the outreach team left off with new providers. Eric spoke about the existing outreach teams from Frontier and Salvation Army, the levels at which the city currently interacts with both organizations, and opportunities for improved communications. Gloria brought attention to the interview summary sheets; she said that staff has recommended Frontier. Officer Pratt spoke about Frontier’s mental health services program. There was discussion about the current funding environment and future funding source alignment. The group compared staffing levels of the prior outreach teams from SVP and 1.5 FTE proposed staffing level with Frontier. It was noted that the SVP outreach team was funded through a grant; this process is a contract arrangement so the city will have more hands-on oversight. Lance Beck commented that he would encourage the outreach program to expand both in staff and scope as soon as is feasible because the homelessness crisis is growing rapidly. Lance Beck made a motion to recommend the Spokane Valley City Council award the Homeless Outreach Services contract to Frontier Behavioral Health, using the Alternative Budget option. John Parker seconded. Mayor Haley called for public comments. There were none. Motion passed unanimously. It was suggested that the difference in staffing levels be brought to the attention of Council when they are asked to take action. INFORMATION AND DISCUSSION ITEMS 5 5-Year Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness Update Eric stated that, as previously discussed, a 5-year homeless housing plan is required by the state in order to be eligible to receive Homeless Housing Assistance Act (HHAA) funding. Currently, Spokane County, the City of Spokane and the Spokane City/County Continuum of Care are working on updating the County’s 5-Year Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness. He spoke about plan development guidance from the WA Dept of Commerce and noted that December 2025 is the deadline to have a plan in place. He said even if Spokane Valley decided to develop its own plan, the city is still part of the Spokane County Consolidated Plan and 5-Year Plan, so adopting that plan as the city plan may be a viable option. Eric spoke about ongoing collaboration with those jurisdictions and reported that the group developing the plan update is seeking feedback from all stakeholders. George Dahl shared information about how Spokane County is evaluating the layers of collective community needs. Gloria asked members to review the draft plan and share their thoughts. The group discussed the pros and cons of developing an independent Spokane Valley 5-Year plan. Members commented about the improved jurisdictional collaboration happening at the regional level, the needs for greater representation of Spokane Valley of various regional homelessness groups/committees, and staffing levels. Task force members recommended to continue to participate Spokane Valley Homeless Housing Task Force 05.10.24 Meeting Minutes - DRAFT Page 2 of 3 regionally and encouraged theparticipation indevelopment of a regional plan, rather than separate plans. 6 ADJOURNMENT: There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 10:00am. Julie Meyers-Lehman, Executive Assistant Spokane Valley Homeless Housing Task Force 05.10.24 Meeting Minutes - DRAFT Page 3 of 3 SPOKANE VALLEY HOMELESS HOUSING TASK FORCE RegularMeeting Minutes| June 14, 2024| 9:00am at Spokane Valley City Hall, 10210 E Sprague Ave, Room N212 and on Zoom 1 CALL TO ORDER: Committee Chair,MayorPam Haley,called the meeting to order at 9:00 am. 2 ATTENDANCE: In attendance were: Task Force MembersGuests (in-person) Mayor Pam Haley, Spokane Valley (Chair)Chris McKinney, Spokane County Daniel Aga, Mighty to Save Ministry John Parker, Central Valley School Dist.Guests (online) George Dahl, Spokane CountyChris Harbert, Family Promise Jennifer Wilcox Staff Gloria Mantz, City Services Administrator Eric Robison, Housing & Homeless Coordinator Julie Meyers-Lehman, Executive Assistant 3GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT OPPORTUNITY- Chair Haley called for public comments. There were none. ACTION ITEMS 4Approval of May 10, 2024 Meeting Minutes As there was not a quorum, this item was tabled until the next meeting. INFORMATION AND DISCUSSION ITEMS 5Regional Collaboration Update Ms. Mantz shared information about the multi-jurisdictional group consisting of City of Spokane Valley, City of Spokane, Spokane County, and other entities that met multiple times in 2023 to discuss the possibility of forming a single organization to address homelessness in the region. The group recommended developing a PDA structure witha 13-member governing board and a CEO. Discussions were paused in November 2023 but resumed in May 2024. Staff from all agencies have been working to coordinate the funding and planning components and there is still a significant amount of development, including public outreach, to be done. Members discussed and comments included: Concerns that staff changes could delay the conversation; there should be an expectation of on-going collaboration between governmental entities regardless of the specific staff involved. Spokane Valley Homeless Housing Task Force 06.14.24Meeting Minutes-DRAFTPage 1 of 2 Transitional funds and collaborating with non-profit agencies. City of Spokane leadership seem reluctant to continue the multi-jurisdictional collaboration without a specific project in mind. Three key members of the group are no longer involved. Need for coordination with RFPs in terms of provider response – maybe one RFP instead of each jurisdiction having their own. Desire for a MOU, formalizing the partnerships to the regional approach The City of Spokane plans to close the Trent Ave shelter later this year. 6Outreach Contract Status Update Mr. Robison provided a background of the need for a new homeless services outreach contract after Partners Inland Northwest had to terminate participation due to staffing issues. He reported that the Council awarded the contract to Frontier Behavioral Health (FBH) which will be formalized shortly and expect to be in effect July 1 or earlier. It was suggested to hold an outreach kick-off meeting with FBH and other service providers. Ongoing regional coordination of services is part of the FBH contract. 7Potential Composition of Permanent Task Force Mr. Robison explained that the existing task force was created as an interim group from the start. The Department of Commerce recently released draft guidance 2025-2029 Local Homeless Housing Plan Guidance, which includes requirements for task force composition. The guidance states that in addition to representation from local governments, the following must sit on the local homeless housing task force: A representative of a behavioral health administrative service organization; and A representative from a “by and for” organization (an organization operated by and for the specific community they were created to serve) within the lead entity’s jurisdiction; and One or more representatives from homeless service provider organizations such as emergency shelter operators, domestic violence/sexual assault shelter and housing providers, homeless outreach providers, rental subsidy administrators, permanent supportive housing providers/operators and coordinated entry staff. The group was asked to start thinking about people or organizations that fit these definitions and that could be approached to consider membership. 8Family Promise FLASH Program Update Mr. Chris Harbert reported on the development of the FLASH program, which was developed with the idea that every family’s needs are different. It is a move away from the traditional shelter model to meeting families where they’re at and getting them sheltered as quickly as possible. The program is not tied to the federal definition of homelessness; sometimes they work with families in midst of an eviction process to get them housing before the eviction occurs. He spoke about their involvement with the school district, which helps identify needs early on. All families that they help receive two years of follow-up case management. He gave an overview of funding spent, people served, average costs to prevent a family from becoming homeless, rental assistance providedand average time to re-housing. 9ADJOURNMENT: There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 9:57 am. Julie Meyers-Lehman, Executive Assistant Spokane Valley Homeless Housing Task Force 06.14.24 Meeting Minutes - DRAFT Page 2 of 2 SPOKANE VALLEY HOMELESS HOUSING TASK FORCE RegularMeeting Minutes| August 9, 2024| 9:00am at Spokane Valley City Hall, 10210 E Sprague Ave, Room N212 and on Zoom 1 CALL TO ORDER: As theChair was not in attendance, Julie Meyers-Lehman,called the meeting to order at 9:07am 2 ATTENDANCE: In attendance were: Task Force MembersGuests (in-person) Lance Beck, Greater Spokane Valley ChamberKarin Morris, George Dahl, Spokane CountyChris McKinney, Spokane County StaffGuests (online) Eric Robison, Housing & Homeless CoordinatorJennifer Calvert Sarah Farr, Accounting and Finance Program ManagerKitten Wildes Julie Meyers-Lehman, Executive Assistant 3GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT OPPORTUNITY- There were no comments. ACTION ITEMS 4Approval of May 10, 2024and June 14, 2024Meeting Minutes As there was not a quorum, this item was tabled until the next meeting. INFORMATION AND DISCUSSION ITEMS 5Regional 5-Year Plan to Prevent & End Homelessness -update Ericexplained the plan is required to be updated to be updated every five years; plan participants are City of Spokane Valley, City of Spokane, Spokane Couty and the County Continuum of Care. Guidance for plan updates is provided by the Washington Department of Commerce, they are still in process of finalizing the plan guidance and expect it to be released on late September. Therefore, the update deadline has been extended to December 2026. The County is leading the effort to develop the update and there will be many opportunities for public feedback. There is some overlap between this plan and the 5-Year Consolidated Plan, but they are separate from each other. Eric outlined some of the metrics being tracked through the CMIS system. There was discussion about the CMIS system and availability of the metrics reporting on the City of Spokanerunonline dashboard. Spokane Valley Homeless Housing Task Force 08.09.24Meeting Minutes-DRAFTPage 1 of 2 6Homeless Outreach Contract - update Eric reported that the first Frontier Behavioral Health (FBH) outreach staff startedon July 15 and is already working in conjunction with SVPD Officer Pratt. Partners INW and FBH have an agreement for FBH staff to use an office and storage space at the Partners INW facility. Lance requested that the committee receive regular reports regarding the team’s outcomes. There was discussion regarding the recent Supreme Court ruling on the Grants Pass v. Johnson case. Eric said Spokane Valley continues to maintain contracts for shelter beds in the region and provided examples of the flexibility of the city’s municipal code regarding camping in public spaces. He said the court ruling will not impact the day-to-day interactions between staff or law enforcement with homeless individuals in Spokane Valley. 7Housing RFP Process - update rd Eric summarized the recent purchase of a 1.35-acre parcel at 3 Ave and Carnahan Rd and a previously owned st 0.15 parcel at 4908 E 1 Ave. Both parcels are zoned as Corridor Mixed Use, which is very flexible for the types of housing permitted and includes mixed use developments. The purchase was made with funds earmarked for affordable housing. The City Council as directed staff to issue a request for proposals for mixed income housing development projects for this land for senior housing, missing middle housing and/or to provide home ownership opportunities. Members discussed the definition of “workforce housing”, median income levels, real estate developments which incorporate affordable housing, and use of GIS to track parcel zoning. Staff is coordinating with the Spokane County Housing & Community Development department to plan for RFPs from both Spokane Valley and Spokane County to be released this fall. Other comments George shared an update on the HEAR (Home Electrification and Rebate) grant, which provides funds for eligible families to upgrade to energy efficient home appliances. The County is administering this program in conjunction with SNAP. He also spoke about a Washington State Dept. of Agriculture RFP for food banks and summarized the outcomes of the Regional Governance Committee meeting. 8ADJOURNMENT: There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 9:44am. Julie Meyers-Lehman, Executive Assistant Spokane Valley Homeless Housing Task Force 08.09.24 Meeting Minutes - DRAFT Page 2 of 2 AGENDA ITEM 5 10210 E Sprague Avenue |Spokane Valley WA 99206 Phone: (509) 720-5000 |Fax: (509) 720-5075 |www.spokanevalleywa.gov SPOKANE VALLEY HOMELESS HOUSING TASK FORCE Meeting Date:September 26, 2024 AGENDA ITEM TITLE: Regular Meeting Date Change BACKGROUND:In late 2023the Task Force voted to set the regular monthly meeting dates on the second Friday of the month at 9:00am. There have been several meetings without a quorum of voting members, and it may be that the existing date/time is no longer as convenientfor members. Staff distributed a poll to members to identify a different meeting date/time. The results identified the fourth Thursday of the month at 2:00pm as a preferable meeting time. In the event of the fourth Thursday falling on a holiday when city hall is closed, the meeting can be moved to the third Thursday (or alternate date as needed). RECOMMENDED ACTION:Move to set the regular meeting date for the Spokane Valley Homeless Housing Task Force for the fourth Thursday of each month at 2:00pm. STAFF CONTACT: Eric Robinson, Homeless & Housing Coordinator ATTACHMENTS:None AGENDA ITEM 6 10210 E Sprague Avenue |Spokane Valley WA 99206 Phone: (509) 720-5000 |Fax: (509) 720-5075 |www.spokanevalleywa.gov SPOKANE VALLEY HOMELESS HOUSING TASK FORCE Meeting Date:September 26, 2024 AGENDA ITEM TITLE: Update on Regional 5-Year Plan to Prevent andEnd Homelessness and County Consolidated Planning process BACKGROUND:Both the Regional 5-Year Plan to Prevent andEnd Homelessness and the Spokane County Consolidated Plan (which also runs for five years)are undergoing revisions for the years 2025-2029. As part of this work, organizers have been soliciting and facilitating community input and participation to help form priorities for the new plans. The Regional 5-Year Plan to Prevent & End Homelessness is required to spend both state and federal dollars related to homelessness, including the recording fee dollars that the City uses to fund outreach and shelter bed contracts. This 5- Year Plan is beingdeveloped under leadership of the regional Continuum of Care board (CoC). The City participates in the CoC, both at the board level and in the sub-committees where much of the input form stakeholders is collected. The City currently uses the regional 5-Year Plan to comply with state laws but could create and use a plan of the City’s own making in the future if desired. The County Consolidated Plan is required for jurisdictions that spend federal dollars sent to communities related to housing, homelessness, and community development. This is separate fromthe 5-Year Plan described above, but there is overlap between the goals, and funding for service providers in the housing/homeless field. With the County taking the lead, City staff have been assisting in organizing events and soliciting feedback from Spokane Valley residents that will be used to help form priorities for funding for the next five years. The funding sources governed by theConsolidated Plan include Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), Home Investment Partnership Program(HOME), and Emergency Services Grant (ESG) funds. Staff invites the task force and the public to complete a Quick Survey to share their thoughts. The City supported an application from the Spokane Low Income Housing Consortium (SLIHC) for funding from the Washing Department of Commerce to help pay for staff time focused on coordinating the efforts of these two separate but related planning processes. SLIHC is using the award to help pay the salary of a staff member who is involved in these regional efforts, helping toimprove coordination and collaboration. The ultimate goal is for thesetwo plans tosupport the goals of each otherand produce more efficient and effective use of resourcesregionwide. RECOMMENDED ACTION:None –discussion only STAFF CONTACT: Eric Robinson, Homeless & Housing Coordinator ATTACHMENTS:Consolidated Plan Rack Card Hey, Spokane Valley – We need your feedback to inform Spokane County’s Consolidated Five-Year Plan about: SpokaneValleyWA.gov/713 AGENDA ITEM 10210 E Sprague Avenue | Spokane Valley WA 99206 Phone: (509) 720-5000 | Fax: (509) 720-5075 | www.spokanevalleywa.gov SPOKANE VALLEY HOMELESS HOUSING TASK FORCE Meeting Date:September 26, 2024 AGENDA ITEM TITLE: Regional Coordination Update BACKGROUND:Conversations about the possibility of forming a regional authorityto address homelessness that began in 2023 were put on hold in the fall of 2023. In the summer of 2024, regional leaders and stakeholder met to discuss next steps. Mayor Haley, Deputy Mayor Hattenburg, City Manager John Hohman, and City Services Administrator Gloria Mantz have all been participating in these discussions. There is now a focus on coordination and collaboration between jurisdictions through an interlocal agreement. Staff from City Spokane, City of Spokane Valley and Spokane County have been meeting every other month. Recent examples of this collaboration include coordination related to the development of the Consolidated Plan, aligning upcoming request for proposals, collecting consisting data from providers, to name a few. Timing of the respective RFPs will be coordinated so that prospective applicants can potentially make use of both opportunities at the same time, leveraging resources for potential projects. Recently, the City of Spokane and Spokane County released a Request For Information (RFI) asking providers to detail what surge capacity they may have to assist during inclement weather events in the future, whichwas another example of this reginal collaboration. The City of Spokane Valley was part of these discussions and is also interested in learning what resources may be available in the community to help address emergency needs. Moving forward, City leadership will continue to meet with area jurisdictions and stakeholders to look for ways that the community can gain efficiencies through additional coordination. City staff will continue to support other area jurisdictions through participation on advisory boards and committees, and then bring that information back to the City to help inform leadership about current interventions, funding considerations, progress and challenges. RECOMMENDED ACTION: None – discussion only STAFF CONTACT: Gloria Mantz, CityServices Administrator ATTACHMENTS:None