Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Homelessness Hap6 topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
County officials warn new HAP6 rules will limit use of funds for new shelters and increase reporting burden
Summary
Alameda County staff said HAP Round 6 priorities and state sustainability rules reduce flexibility for new interim housing and require monthly reporting and encampment inventories; county plans targeted interim housing and cautioned that abatements without housing resources can worsen harm.
Alameda County briefed supervisors on state HAP Round 6 priorities and the implications for local homelessness planning, saying new administrative requirements and sustainability tests will constrain how the county can use the forthcoming state funds.
"It is roughly $45,000,000 in projected amounts for Round 6," Jonathan Russell, director of Health Housing and Homelessness Services, told the board, noting approximately 51% of the allocation typically flows to the City of Oakland and the remainder is split between the county and the Continuum of Care.
Russell warned that the state has moved from quarterly to monthly reporting for HAP funds and imposed stringent requirements that applicants demonstrate long-term financial sustainability for permanent housing across the region if they want to spend HAP money on new interim housing or non-housing services. "There's a significant administrative burden," he said, adding that the county currently lacks dedicated staff to meet the new monthly reporting cadence.
The director flagged other HAP constraints: applicants must inventory encampments (addresses, estimated populations and plans to address them) and propose encampment policies aligned with state guidance. Russell said the county is awaiting a state FAQ to clarify jurisdictional boundaries but currently expects the policy requirement to apply to the unincorporated county.
Russell and his team emphasized that evidence shows poorly planned encampment abatements without housing and services can be counterproductive. He cited studies (RAND and JAMA) showing that repeated abatements without housing pathways can increase unsheltered populations and harm vulnerable people.
To respond, county staff proposed pursuing a targeted expansion of interim housing and encampment-resolution resources — an initial concept of 250 geographically dispersed interim beds with service-rich programming and transitions to permanent housing — and close coordination with cities (including the City of Oakland) to align applications and budgets for the August HAP Round 6 application deadline.
Supervisors asked about privacy concerns with publicly listing encampment locations and sought assurance that county offices representing unincorporated areas would be closely involved; county staff said they would include board offices and local partners in planning and that the county recommends focused, resource-backed encampment responses rather than broad, unfunded clearances.
Public commenters and local providers at the meeting urged the board to prioritize Measure W and other local funding to preserve existing programs and support prevention, interim housing and pathways to permanent housing.
