To: Board of Supervisors
From: DHHS: Social Services
Agenda Section: Consent
SUBJECT:
title
Agreement with the Bay Area Social Services Consortium Emergency Response Mutual Assistance Committee to be a Partner in their Mutual Support Agreement for California Office of Emergency Services Region II
end
RECOMMENDATION(S):
Recommendation
That the Board of Supervisors:
1. Approve and authorize the Department of Health and Human Services - Director of Social Services to sign a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Bay Area Social Services Consortium to be a part of their mutual aid initiative.
Body
SOURCE OF FUNDING:
Social Services Fund
DISCUSSION:
In January 2018 the Bay Area Social Services Consortium (BASSC) began to develop a mutual support agreement to address the requirement in Section 6 of Assembly Bill No. 607 that county human services agencies create mutual aid regions consisting of two or more counties to ensure that there are sufficient resources necessary to continue adequate access to Social Services benefits during a disaster. The BASSC Emergency Response Mutual Assistance Committee was formed in March 2018 to draft a Mutual Support Agreement between BASSC members in times of disaster. In July of 2018, in order to better align the BASSC mutual aid support region with the existing California Office of Emergency Services (CalOES) Region II, they agreed to extend an invitation to Lake, Del Norte, Mendocino and Humboldt Counties to partner in this initiative.
All parties to this MOA agree:
A. That a disaster occurring for one or any number of the members is treated as a disaster for all the members.
B. To provide support to members requesting disaster aid to the best of their available means.
C. To create a Mutual Aid Plan to guide the delivery of disaster support under this Mutual Support Agreement.
D. To form and utilize a Disaster Support Task Force organization to deliver the most efficient management and the most effective support to Member Counties dealing with disasters.
E. To utilize the CalOES Emergency Management Mutual Aid Plan to manage and record all requests for support.
F. That requested Social Services support may require remote and/or onsite support, and may consist of any combination of support personnel, supplies, communications and transportation, as able.
All parties to this MOA are responsible to:
A. Provide requested Social Services support and assistance to requesting Member Counties during disasters to the best of their respective abilities.
B. Participate as members of the BASSC Emergency Response Mutual Assistance Committee in drafting a BASSC Mutual Aid Plan that meets or exceeds the requirements of Section 6 of Assembly Bill No. 607.
C. Participate as contributing members of the BASSC Disaster Support Task Force organization as able.
D. Document the costs of all support delivered to or received from Member Counties under the BASSC Mutual Aid Plan for inclusion in any submittals for State and Federal disaster relief under the California Emergency Mutual Aid Plan. Supported members agree to coordinate reimbursement requests with the BASSC membership before submittal.
E. Participate in semi-annual exercises of the BASSC Mutual Aid Plan, as able.
F. Participate in monthly meetings of the BASSC Emergency Response Mutual Assistance Committee until the BASSC Mutual Aid Plan is drafted and approved. Thereafter to participate in regular quarterly meetings to support exercise planning and execution.
This agreement will become effective on the date the last signature is received and will continue in effect indefinitely thereafter, or until terminated by majority vote of all the Principal Representatives. Individual members will provide 60 days’ notice to all other members of any decision to unilaterally withdraw from this agreement.
The Parties will jointly review this Agreement at least once every 3 years, or sooner if requested by any Member County.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
There is no specific dollar amount associated with this MOA. Funds under this MOA would primarily be funded through federal and state disaster relief funds associated with fund 1160, budget unit 505, California Work Opportunities and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) and fund 1160, budget unit 511 with CalFresh. CalWORKs is funded by Federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and the state General Fund. CalWORKs funding requires a Maintenance of Effort (MOE) by the County. The MOE requirement is approximately 0.06% of the total CalWORKs yearly allocation. CalFresh is funded with Federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funds from the United States Department of Agriculture. Administrative costs for CalFresh are shared between the federal government (50% share), state (35% share) and county (15%). There is no anticipated impact to the county General Fund.
STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK:
This action supports your Board’s Strategic Framework by building interjurisdictional and regional cooperation.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
CalOES and various other county Social Services Departments
ALTERNATIVES TO STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS:
The Board can choose not to approve this partnership with the BASSC Emergency Response Mutual Aid Assistance Committee. This is not recommended by DHHS - Social Services as a mutual aid agreement is required by law and needed to ensure that we can continue to provide needed services in the event of a disaster.
ATTACHMENTS:
Community Resiliency and Disaster Preparedness Regional Memorandum of Agreement
PREVIOUS ACTION/REFERRAL:
Board Order No.: N/A
Meeting of: N/A
File No.: 19-1186