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Page 2 of 6 City of Redwood City 1017 Middlefield Road, Redwood City, CA. 94063 Tel: 650-780-7000 www.redwoodcity.org The City Council initially established HSFA Program funding in the Fiscal Year 1974-75 budget with a $38,900 annual budget, which grew to a peak amount of $310,500 in Fiscal Year 2002-03. Funding declined in subsequent years, and the program was discontinued entirely during Fiscal Years 2013-14 and 2014-15 as the result of General Fund budget challenges. In Fiscal Year 2015-16, the City Council allocated $1 million with the idea of creating an endowment with the initial "seed" money of $1 million and a goal to raise an additional $1 million from the community. Upon further research, the Housing and Human Concerns Committee (HHCC) determined that it was not feasible to try to create an endowment to fund HSFA in the future. As a result, the original $1 million was utilized to fund HSFA with $100,000 each year from Fiscal Year 2015-16 through Fiscal Year 2024-25. Because the $1 million allocation was exhausted last fiscal year, for Fiscal Year 2025-26 staff recommended and the City Council approved an ongoing allocation of $150,000 for HSFA as part of the annual operating budget, funded by the General Fund, increasing the previous decade’s annual allocation by $50,000. Based on available records, the focus on direct services to address basic human needs has been unchanged over the last 20 years. A Fiscal Year 2003-04 City Council budget study session regarding HSFA funding highlighted homeless/housing, emergency assistance, supportive services, disabled, seniors, and youth as the areas of focus for the funding, and the current funding recommendations continue to reflect those community needs. The annual Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) summarizes the goals and philosophy of HSFA funding as follows: “In establishing the Human Service Financial Assistance Program, the City of Redwood City recognizes that: 1. The availability of basic human service programs is a key-determining factor in the overall quality of life of Redwood City residents; 2. The most cost-effective and efficient manner to ensure that these services are available to local residents is through the development of agreements with existing non-profit agencies; 3. Contractual agreements with non-profit agencies allow the City to influence the human service programs offered to Redwood City residents; and 4. Financial assistance grants demonstrate the City's support of the activities of specific non- profits and make it possible for these agencies to leverage additional funds that will benefit local residents.” At least as far back as Fiscal Year 2003-04, this statement of goals and philosophy has remained unchanged. The Fiscal Year 2025-26 NOFA also specified HSFA eligibility criteria: 1. All applicants must be formally incorporated non-profit entities based in Redwood City or agencies that provide services throughout the County of San Mateo who can demonstrate a significant Redwood City client base. 2. All applicants must provide a service that is not a duplication of an existing public sector program, OR if the service is duplicated, the applicant must show why it is not an unnecessary duplication of service. 9.C. - Page 2 of 27 455