COUNTY OF SAN MATEO

Inter-Departmental Correspondence

Health Services Agency

DATE:

September 23, 2004

BOARD MEETING DATE:

October 19, 2004

TO:

Honorable Board of Supervisors

FROM:

Charlene A. Silva, Director of Health Services

Gale Bataille, Director of Mental Health Services

SUBJECT:

Agreement with InnVision, The Way Home – Clara-Mateo Division

Recommendation

Adopt a resolution:

A) Authorizing the President of the Board to execute an agreement with InnVision, The Way Home – Clara Mateo Division.

B) Authorizing the Director of the Health Services Agency to execute subsequent amendments and minor modifications not to exceed $25,000 and to make minor changes in the type of services and activities provided under the Agreement.

Background

Since 1996, the VA Palo Alto Health Care System, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, and the cities of Menlo Park, San Jose, Palo Alto, and Redwood City have collaborated to provide a regional, multi-jurisdictional, community-based rehabilitation shelter on the Menlo Park campus of the Veterans Administration. With the goal of ending homelessness, the mission of InnVision, The Way Home – Clara Mateo Division is to provide shelter and supportive services to people in need and to assist them in obtaining stable housing and self-sufficiency. Since opening in 1997, Clara-Mateo has served thousands of homeless individuals and has been successful in helping them find and maintain stable housing. Housing resources for seriously mentally ill individuals on fixed incomes are critically scarce in San Mateo County. The result is that many of these individuals are homeless or at high risk of becoming homeless. Since FY 1999-00 Mental Health Services has contracted with Clara-Mateo to provide specialized shelter beds for mentally ill San Mateo County residents.

In 2004 Clara Mateo Alliance, Inc. merged with InnVision, The Way Home to become InnVision, The Way Home – Clara Mateo Division.

Discussion

Under this agreement, InnVision, The Way Home – Clara Mateo Division will provide, on an as needed and as available basis, 5 transitional beds for short-term housing, and 3 emergency beds for seriously mentally ill clients who require immediate shelter. Clients are assisted in securing medical, psychiatric and social services, and Clara-Mateo collaborates with other agencies and resources to assist these clients in finding permanent housing and securing other basic needs.

This component of the housing continuum allows a cost efficient alternative to using more costly emergency services (i.e. Psychiatric Emergency Services, inpatient administrative days, and Corrections). Placement in this and other Mental Health adult residential service facilities is managed within the budget for these services, which is $3,233,844 in the approved budget for FY 2004-05.

The performance objectives are as follows:

Performance Measure

FY 2003-04 Objectives

FY 2003-04 Actuals

FY 2004-05 Objectives

Minimum percentage of clients who shall obtain stable (permanent or transitional) housing upon discharge.

70%

72%

70%

* Mental Health follows State guidelines for client satisfaction data collection. These services are exempt from the State Department of Mental Health data collection process. This performance measure has been deleted from the Agreement.

Vision Alignment

This Agreement with InnVision, The Way Home – Clara Mateo Division keeps the commitment to Ensure Basic Health and Safety for All and goal number 8: Help vulnerable people – the aged, disabled, mentally ill, at risk youth, and others – achieve a better quality of life. The agreement contributes to this commitment and goal by providing transitional and emergency housing for this vulnerable population at risk of homelessness.

Fiscal Impact

The term of this Agreement is from July 1, 2004, through June 30, 2005. The Agreement has been reviewed and approved by Risk Management and County Counsel.

The Agreement maximum of $114,136 has been included in the Mental Health adopted FY 2004-05 budget. The SAMSHA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services) grant will fund $12,564 of this contract. Realignment will fund the balance of $101,572. There is no net County cost.