Item 20 - First Amendments to the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025-26 Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG)

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First Amendments to FY 2025-26 ESG Subrecipient Agreements and MOU with SAPD December 2, 2025 Page 2 5 4 4 8 at-risk of homelessness, enabling them to swiftly regain stability in permanent housing after experiencing a housing crisis and/or homelessness. Recipients of ESG Program funding in Orange County include the following entitlement jurisdictions: the County of Orange, City of Anaheim, City of Irvine, City of Santa Ana, and City of Garden Grove. Collectively, this group is referred to as the Orange County ESG Collaborative that was formed over ten years ago. HUD provides Santa Ana and these other jurisdictions with ESG Program funds to address homelessness under the federal Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act of 2009. On June 3, 2025, the City Council approved the FY 2025-26 ESG Program Funding Plan. Specifically, City Council authorized the City Manager to prepare and approve FY 2025-26 ESG Subrecipient Agreements with five nonprofit organizations and a Memorandum of Understanding with the Santa Ana Police Department as part of the FY 2025-26 ESG Program Funding Plan to provide shelter, outreach, and support services to Santa Ana residents experiencing homelessness (Exhibit 1). The City's ESG allocation for FY 2025-26 is $377,331. The FY 2025-26 ESG Program Funding Plan includes funding for five homeless service providers (Interval House, Covenant House, Volunteers of America Los Angeles, WISEPlace, and Orange County United Way) and the Santa Ana Police Department (SAPD) Homeless Evaluation Assessment Response Team (HEART) Program. The FY 2025-26 ESG Program Funding Plan was based upon applications received by the ESG Collaborative during the 2019 Request for Proposals process, taking into account performance metrics and current needs as identified by staff. At the close of FY 2024-25, there was $45,591 in unspent funds from ESG Program subrecipients available for redistribution. These funds were a result of prior year ESG Program subrecipients not fully expending their funding in FY 2024-25. Staff recommends reallocating this balance of $45,591 in FY 2024-25 unspent funds to WISEPlace, the Orange County United Way, and the SAPD HEART Program to expand services for people experiencing homelessness. Specifically, staff are recommending reallocating $15,197 to WISEPlace, $15,197 to the Orange County United Way, and $15,197 to the SAPD HEART Program. These recommendations were based upon performance metrics and current needs as identified by staff. The additional $15,197 recommended for WISEPlace will expand shelter and support services to survivors of domestic violence from the City of Santa Ana for a new total contract amount of $72,197 (Exhibit 2). For FY 2025-26, WISEPlace received $57,000 in ESG Program funds from the City to provide trauma-informed care and services to unaccompanied women experiencing homelessness. The organization provides case management, employment support, and financial empowerment to women from age 18 to 65 and older. The women served include young women leaving foster care, those who have suffered from domestic violence or human trafficking, those who experienced a financial catastrophe, or women recovering from drug abuse, alcohol abuse, or incarceration. WISEPlace’s rapid rehousing services include case management, financial empowerment curriculum, housing search support and placement, financial support,