The Housing and Community Development Department (HCDD) recommends Council approval of an Ordinance approving a Construction Contribution Agreement between the City of Houston (City) and The Coalition for the Homeless of Houston/Harris County (Coalition) to provide a total of $4,236,332.17, including (1) up to $3,500,000.00 in Emergency Solutions Grant under the Cares Act (ESG-CV) funds and (2) $736,332.17 in City of Houston insurance claim proceeds, including $432,977.84 previously appropriated June 23, 2020 under Ordinance 2020-512, for the renovation of a 27,200 SF facility located at 2903 Jensen Drive. The project also includes $1,950,000.00 from the United Arab Emirates (through the Complete Communities – Mayor’s Fund to Reduce Homelessness administered by the Greater Houston Community Foundation) which will be provided directly to the Coalition for the Homeless
Due to pervasive, underlying health conditions and a lack of access to adequate facilities, people experiencing homelessness are especially susceptible to the coronavirus and are at higher risk of experiencing severe symptoms. Per guidance from the Center of Disease Control and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, it is imperative during the current pandemic to move at-risk individuals experiencing homelessness off our streets and out of our shelters.
In response, the city partnered with Harris County to launch the Community COVID-19 Homeless Housing Program (CCHHP). In just over a year, more than 6,500 individuals experiencing homelessness were housed, setting a new local, state and national standard. To sustain and enhance these life-saving efforts, a Housing Navigation Center is needed.
The Housing Navigation Center provides Bridge Beds for clients to stay during the housing process, “bridging” the time from housing assessment to placement into permanent housing through CCHHP. The Housing Navigation Center is a brief “pit stop” on the road to being housed, designed to assist and expedite the housing process by providing a safe, stable, and consistent location for case managers to work with clients on their housing. The Center is strategically designed to both – increase the number of unsheltered individuals placed into permanent housing and reduce the amount of time it takes to place a client into permanent housing.
The Housing Navigation Center will be a coed, secular, low-barrier, and ADA accessible facility, providing temporary, semi-private accommodations for up to 100 individuals who are actively working with case managers on placement into non-congregate, permanent supportive housing units throughout the region. The following additional services will be provided: transportation to-and-from, three meals a day, one-on-one intensive case management, job training classes, laundry, healthcare, and more. Operations will include 24-7 security and onsite, professional management. The Center will not serve “walkups,” as potential clients must be referred and transported by homeless agencies and first responders.
Additionally, the Housing Navigation Center will feature an overflow space for up to 13-26 clients (if needed), a health clinic operated by Harris Health, and two community classrooms. The Center is designed to double as a neighborhood emergency disaster shelter, able to accommodate 60 additional individuals and withstand category three hurricane wind speeds.
The health clinic and classrooms will serve the greater community, with a private entrance for the public. In addition to Harris Health, the Harris Center and the Houston Recovery Center will provide services for the surrounding neighborhood at the facility. In tandem with this project (through a separate, forthcoming council item), a new community park will also be developed on adjacent, city-owned property.
The City and the Coalition will execute a renovation, operations, and management agreement to lease the facility to the Coalition to manage renovations. Upon completion of renovations, the Coalition will operate and manage the Housing Navigation Center to mitigate the impacts created by COVID and reduce street homelessness. Building improvements at the site will include a major renovation to the facility, update to mechanical, electrical, and plumbing infrastructure, and the build-out of the interior. The city-owned facility was selected based on the following characteristics: square footage; centralized, urban-core location; vacant status (for more than three years); and existing infrastructure (for expedited utilization). Capital improvements are slated to be completed by the end of July, with the facility starting operations thereafter.
The Coalition for the Homeless serves as the lead administrative, planning, and coordination agency of The Way Home – our regional homeless response system. Through the Coalition’s tireless work, the city and its partners have successfully reduced homelessness more than any other major city in the nation. Since 2012, more than 24,000 individuals have been permanently housed (with nearly a 90% long-term, success rate), leading to more than a 55% reduction in homelessness. However, more must be done, and the Housing Navigation Center will aid and expedite efforts to address street homelessness.
The total project budget is $6,186,332.17 In addition to $3,500,000.00 of ESG-CV funding, project capital includes $736,332.17 in insurance proceeds (for damage caused to the building by vandals in July 2019), including $432,977.84 previously appropriated June 23, 2020 under Ordinance 2020-512, and $1,950,000.00 from the United Arab Emirates (through the Complete Communities – Mayor’s Fund to Reduce Homelessness administered by the Greater Houston Community Foundation) which will be provided directly to the Coalition for the Homeless. The funds being appropriated from the Reimbursement of Equipment/Projects Fund will be reimbursed once the final insurance payments are received
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Sources:
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Amount:
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Uses:
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Amount:
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COH HCDD: ESG-CV
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$3,500,000.00
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Hard Cost
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$4,790,887.00
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COH Insurance
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$ 736,332.17
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Soft Cost
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$ 1,395,445.17
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United Arab Emirates
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$1,950,000.00
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Total
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$6,186,332.17
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Total
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$6,186,332.17
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This item was reviewed by the Housing and Community Affairs Committee on September 21, 2021
Fiscal Note
No Fiscal Note is required on grant items.
No significant Fiscal Operating impact is anticipated as a result of this project.
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Keith W. Bynam, Interim Director