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Extracted from Consolidated Report
This investigation was originally published as part of a larger consolidated report containing multiple investigations. View the consolidated PDF for the complete document.
⚠️ Translation Notice: This content has been automatically translated. The original English text is the official version. Translation may contain errors.
⚠️ Este contenido ha sido traducido automáticamente. El texto original en inglés es la versión oficial. La traducción puede contener errores.
Findings and Recommendations 4 findings
F1
Page 60
Respondents to the 2019-2020 Grand Jury’s Report Findings and Recommendations do not consistently follow Penal Code timeline requirements. 60
No recommendations for this finding
F2
Page 61
Responses to the 2019-2020 Grand Jury’s Report Findings and Recommendations do not consistently follow Penal Code response format and language requirements, leaving interpretation to the reader.
Related Recommendations (3)
R1
Page 69
Continue recommendation R4 of the 2017-18 Fresno County's Grand Jury Report No. 3: “Per California Government Code, Section 36929 as amended, Fresno County Auditor Controller/Treasurer-Tax Collector's Office should either perform financial audits on special districts or contract with a certified public accountant to have the missing audits completed." (F2) County's Response The County has been working with the special districts to resolve the issue of past due/missing audits, as noted in our response to F2. The Auditor-Controller/Treasurer Tax Collector's Office will continue to work closely with County Counsel to improve upon our policies and procedures regarding the timing in which we step in to either perform or contract with a certified public accountant to perform the audits. Due to the vast number of special districts and the limited staffing and resources of both the special districts and the Auditor-Controller/Treasurer-Tax Collector's Office, this will be an ongoing project to ensure compliance.
R2
Page 69
Audits not completed in a timely manner by special districts should be referred to Fresno County LAFCo as "potentially inactive" in order that Fresno County LAFCo may commence the dissolution process for chronic non-compliance, if needed. (F2) me The County will work closely with LAFCo with regards to potentially inactive districts due to continued non-compliance. Our most recent discussion with LAFCo regarding a potentially inactive district occurred in December 2020. This concludes the Fresno County Auditor-Controller/Treasurer-Tax Collector's responses to the
R3
Page 76
The Street2Home organization positions of executive director, facilitator, and data manager should be filled by no later than March 31, 2021. (F2) The following is our joint response to Recommendations 1-3 (R1, R2, and R3): In the report which the City of Fresno co-commissioned in 2018, Street2 Home Fresno County, A Framework for Action (www.street2homefresno.org), it was recommended that the City of Fresno join with the County of Fresno to organize and convene a collective impact initiative of influential community leaders who can deploy human or financial resources and keep track of the big picture. Prior to the COVID-19 crisis, an initial board of directors of a backbone organization was assembled and met, including multi-sector representatives as recommended in the report. With the COVID-19 emergency homeless response, this work was put on hiatus. We anticipate that the board of the backbone organization will become fully operational in FY 21/22 and will develop a flexible and dynamic structure with clear delineation of The Honorable Arian L. Harrell, Presiding Judge Response to Fresno County Grand Jury Report No. 4: Solving Homelessness Challenges Threatened by Too Many "Helping Hands" July 30, 2021 leadership and decision-making roles, as well as opportunities for extensive community engagement and participation with the first task to implement a dynamic staffing structure to support the collective impact structure. Though in favor of a functional collective impact structure with a board of directors, we are not in favor of calling this backbone organization "Street2Home," as there are some factors that have called this particular name into question. 76
F3
Page 61
The process followed by the Superior Court to delay publishing responses to the Grand Jury's Reports could lead to the false assumption that the governing body of a public agency or an elected county officer, public agency head or department head was not meeting its statutory obligations to provide a timely response.
No recommendations for this finding
F4
Page 61
The 2021-2022 Grand Jury commends the Superior Court for changing the procedure on posting responses to the report Findings and Recommendations so those responses are made available to the public much sooner.
Related Recommendations (1)
R7
Page 77
Street2Home should develop a plan for regular dialogue with the Fresno County community to educate and inform the public about what is being done to resolve homelessness in the community. (F4) We anticipate that the collective impact structure's board and staff, once operational, will engage the entire community in solutions to addressing homelessness. Working with our robust network of agencies to address homelessness, the collective impact structure will be committed to full community engagement, with all partners, elected officials, and community leaders.
Additional Recommendations 4
These recommendations are not explicitly linked to specific findings.
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R4Page 73The Fresno Madera Continuum of Care should update its website with current member information; meeting agendas and minutes, and current funding opportunities and awards no later than March 31, 2021. Response 4: The recommendation has been implemented. The FMCoC website is functional and contains the above-mentioned information. www.fresnomaderahomeless.org
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R5Page 78The City of Fresno and the County of Fresno should perform and publish quarterly audits of all homeless grants to ensure that funds are being spent appropriately, services are being provided, and goals are being met. This should be ongoing beginning with Fiscal Year 2020-21 and findings should be posted on their website as well as the CoC website. Office Location: 205 West Pontiac Way, Clovis, California 93612 Phone: (559) 600-2300 – FAX: (559) 600-2310 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 1912, Fresno, California 93718-1912 www.co.fresno.ca.us The County of Fresno is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer 78 Response #5: The recommendation has not yet been implemented but will be partially implemented by July 1, 2021. The Department audits monthly invoices and activity reports including outcomes. A more complete audit and site visit are completed annually, and those annual reports will be published. This concludes the Fresno County Department of Social Services comments on the
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R6Page 73The Fresno Madera Continuum of Care ought to consider complying with the Brown Act guidelines for posting meeting notices, and also inform the members and the public about the application and ranking process for organizations that apply for HUD awards. This should be ongoing and begin no later than 90 days after the publication of this report. Response 6: The recommendation has not yet been implemented but will be partially implemented by July 1, 2021. The FMCoC will consider complying with the Brown Act guidelines. Additionally, the FMCoC will post the application and ranking process for the HUD awards on its website during the next cycle of funding. This concludes the Fresno Madera Continuum of Care comments on the findings and recommendations of the Fresno Grand Jury Report No. 4, October 2020. Respectfully submitted, Laura Moreno Laura Moreno, Chair C: Elizabeth Vecchio, County Administrative www.fresnomaderahomeless.org 73 THOMAS ESQUEDA CITY MANAGER July 30, 2021 The Honorable Arian L. Harrell, Presiding Judge Fresno County Superior Court 1100 Van Ness Avenue Fresno, CA 93724-0002 RE: Response to Fresno County Grand Jury Report No. 4: Solving Homelessness Challenges Threatened By Too Many “Helping Hands," October 2020 Dear Judge Harrell: The City of Fresno thanks the Grand Jury for its investigation related to the critical issue of homelessness in our community. The Grand Jury's report reflects findings and recommendations regarding the challenge of coordinating services addressing homelessness across jurisdictions. My apologies for not forwarding to you the City's response to the Grand Jury's request sooner. Our delay is due primarily to the joint challenges associated with preventing the spread of COVID-19 among our homeless population during the pandemic and the turnover in Mayoral administrations here at the City of Fresno at the end of 2020. Nevertheless, we are grateful for the Grand Jury's attention to this most critical issue. The Fresno Grand Jury requested responses to the following findings and recommendations: F1, F2, F4; R1, R2, R3, R7, R8. The following are responses to those items:
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R8Page 65Tardy Yes in Part Follow up to determine if City of implemented Fresno, Street2Ho me 65 WHO IS RUNNING PARLIER? The 2019-2020 Civil Grand Jury investigated the Parlier City Council's development and maintenance of administrative policies and procedures; hiring of qualified management; budget and finance procedures; and policies about filling unexpected Council vacancies. Pursuant to Penal Code Section 933.05, the Fresno County Grand Jury required responses to each of the specific findings and recommendations. It is required that responses from elected county officials and public agency/department heads are due of the receipt of the report and for other governing bodies of a public agency. The report was issued in October 2020, with responses required from the Parlier City Council. The Parlier City Council (City Council) did not respond in compliance with Penal Code Section 933.05. WHO IS RUNNING PARLIER?