Costa Mesa Council selects Volunteers of America LA to operate Bridge Shelter, 6–1

The Costa Mesa City Council voted 6–1 on May 19 to approve a professional services agreement with Volunteers of America Los Angeles (VOALA) to operate the city's Bridge Shelter, following a staff recommendation that ranked VOALA first in the RFP process.

Neighborhood Improvement Manager Nate Robbins, who led the staff presentation, said VOALA’s proposal would consolidate several services under a single operator and reduce the city's current operations cost. "VOA came in with the second lowest bid at just over $2,000,000," Robbins told the council, adding that the city’s current annual cost is $2,383,180 and VOALA’s proposed budget would be roughly $316,000 less per year than the current contract.

Why it matters: VOALA’s bid included in‑house community supports and enhanced care management (CS and ECM), programs such as the Homeless Disability Advocacy Program (HDAP) to assist clients in applying for disability benefits, and a quality assurance unit to audit shelter operations. Staff said some of those services are currently provided by outside partners, and consolidating them with the shelter operator would reduce coordination friction for clients.

Council debate and votes: Council members asked detailed questions about reimbursable program costs, staffing flexibility tied to shelter utilization, and revenue offsets. Robbins summarized revenue sources that help fund shelter operations, including county and state grants and per‑diem contracts with neighboring cities. "We received county funding to add behavioral‑health beds and that revenue stream offsets a portion of the annual cost," he said.

Mayor Pro Tem Manuel Chavez moved to award the contract instead to Mercy House in recognition of Mercy House’s prior work with the city; the substitute motion failed for lack of a second. Mayor Pro Tem Chavez said he struggled with the decision: "I do not feel comfortable supporting anyone other than Mercy House because they were there for us when it was the hardest," he said. The main motion to approve VOALA’s contract carried 6–1, with Chavez voting no.

Contract terms and next steps: The approved professional services agreement is for an initial three‑year term with two optional one‑year extensions, not to exceed $2,066,864 annually under the motion as described in staff materials; the council authorized the city manager and city clerk to execute the agreement and any amendments, and approved a provision allowing up to a 5% annual increase tied to employee salary adjustments. Staff will proceed with contract execution and implementation oversight.

Public comment: Shelter and housing providers, including Eric Richardson of VOALA, spoke in favor of VOALA’s capacity and experience operating multiple county shelters and coordinating veteran services.

What’s next: Staff will finalize the contract documents and begin transition activities per the agreement. Council did not set a different policy vote on capacity or program changes at the meeting.