DATE: March 28, 2023
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Assistant City Manager
SUBJECT
Title
Adopt a Resolution Authorizing the City Manager to Negotiate and Execute an Agreement with Centro Legal de la Raza in an Amount Not-to-Exceed $500,000 to Administer a Multi-Agency Legal Assistance and Anti-Displacement Program
End
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
That the Council adopts a resolution (Attachment II) to authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute an agreement with Centro Legal de la Raza in an amount not-to-exceed $500,000 to administer a multi-agency legal assistance and anti-displacement program.
End
SUMMARY
The Alameda County Board of Supervisors (BOS) recently rejected an amendment to an agreement with Centro Legal de la Raza, Inc., (Centro Legal) to administer an umbrella contract with four partner agencies for legal services through a program called AC Housing Secure (ACHS). Rejection of additional funding for this program was unexpected since the ACHS has been funded by the County since 2018. As the Alameda County temporary eviction moratorium sunsets on April 29, 2023, it is anticipated that it will be followed by a significant increase in evictions County-wide. The Alameda County Community Development Agency (CDA) brought the funding increase to the BOS as a mechanism for providing legal services to tenants at risk of unlawful or unnecessary evictions following the end of the moratorium. Since the BOS neither adopted nor failed the item, it may return to the BOS for another vote; however, at the time of this report writing, it is unclear if it will be heard again and, if so, if it will be adopted.
Based on analysis of data from the Census Bureau, Superior Court of Alameda County, and ACHS providers, staff estimate that Hayward tenants are at disproportionate risk for eviction following the end of the local moratorium. Approximately one-third of Hayward residents previously served through ACHS were served by partner agencies that will no longer be able to serve the Hayward community without additional funding. With no increase in funding to ACHS, Hayward renters are left vulnerable to displacement, homelessness, and a number of other negative financial and social impacts associated with eviction. This risk is even higher for Black and Hispanic renters, who are more likely to be cost-burdened (i.e., spending 30% or more of their income on rent) and who experience evictions at greater rates than other racial groups.
Staff recommends that the Council adopt a resolution authorizing the City Manager to negotiate and execute an agreement with Centro Legal de la Raza in an amount not-to-exceed $500,000 to administer the multi-agency legal assistance and anti-displacement program known as AC Housing Secure. Funding for the agreement would come from an available $3 million in uncommitted American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds intended for Housing programs. This use of funds aligns with the Homelessness-Housing Task Force’s (HHTF) recent request of staff to evaluate uses of these ARPA funds for renters at risk of eviction with the looming end of the temporary eviction moratorium. The $500,000 not-to-exceed amount is based on best estimates for service need. In collaboration with ACHS providers and the Superior Court of Alameda County, staff will monitor contract expenses and eviction rates and may return to Council with a recommendation for additional funding should the need for service continue.
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment I Staff Report
Attachment II Resolution