SR 01-14-2020 3C
City Council
Report
City Council Meeting: January 14, 2020
Agenda Item: 3.C
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To: Mayor and City Council
From: Andy Agle, Director, Housing and Economic Development, Housing Division
Subject: Approval of Modification to MRI Software Contract for additional Software
Support and Services for the Housing and Economic Development
Department
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council authorize the City Manager to negotiate and
execute a first modification to agreement #10786 in the amount of $52,495 with MRI
Software, LLC, a New York-based company, for additional software support and
services for the Housing and Economic Development Department. This will result in a
five-year amended agreement and a new total amount not to exceed $320,328, with
future-year funding contingent on Council budget approval.
Summary
The Santa Monica Housing Authority, which manages rental-assistance programs in
Santa Monica, contracts with MRI Software, LLC for software licensing, maintenance,
and technical support services to administer its operations. Functional technology is key
to efficient and timely processing of the extensive record-keeping, approvals,
compliance, and payments involved in Federal and local housing assistance. Staff
recommends modifying the agreement to add one-time custom programming that will
efficiently implement the Section 8 and Preserving Our Diversity waitlists, as well as
implement a new feature that will reduce the cost and time required to run background
checks for prospective participants.
Discussion
The Santa Monica Housing Authority (SMHA) uses HAPPY software to administer
housing voucher programs, maintain housing waitlists, and manage the P reserving Our
Diversity (POD) cash-based assistance, pilot program for seniors. The software retains
all relevant records electronically, facilitating simultaneous access by multiple staff,
eliminating the need for paper files, and enabling more efficient processing and faster
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response time. HAPPY software also helps to ensure compliance with federal
regulations and audits tied to federal funding of the housing-voucher programs.
Concurrently, the City is working with another software developer, Main Street
Computing, to create an online software solution for the City-administered waitlist for
deed-restricted affordable housing owned and operated by for-profit and non-profit
housing providers.
HAPPY’s integrated waitlist feature, waitlistcheck.com, is currently used to manage the
Housing Choice Voucher Program (HCV) waitlist. The HCV waitlist has been closed
since January 2017, when it was opened for one day and received mor e than 18,000
applications. As staff formulate plans for opening the waitlist in 2020, changes have
been identified that will implement the new Council-approved waitlist priorities, make the
waitlist application more user-friendly for applicants, and reduce the administrative
burden of reviewing the applications. Incorporating the changes into the HAPPY
software package will require custom programming at a one-time cost not to exceed
$5,665.
On July 24, 2018, City Council approved expansion of the POD cash-based assistance
program. Expansion of the program is underway and additional functionality is required
to conduct rolling lotteries in HAPPY to select participants for the program. Adding the
feature will require custom programming at a one-time cost not to exceed $16,830.
The SMHA is required to run background checks for participants in its voucher
programs. MRI Software recently added a new feature in HAPPY called ResidentCheck,
which the SMHA has been testing. In addition to reducing paperwork and staff time due
to the integration of ResidentCheck within the HAPPY software, the cost is also lower
than the service currently being used. Staff recommends adding the ResidentCheck
module with a budget not to exceed $14,000 for the first year due to an increased
allocation of vouchers and in anticipation of opening the waitlist , and $4,000 annually
thereafter for a total cost not to exceed $30,000.
Past Council Actions
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Meeting Date Description
12/10/2019 (attachment A) Approved Draft Santa Monica Housing Authority
Administrative Plan for the Housing Choice Voucher
Program.
12/18/2018 (attachment B) Approved HAPPY Software Contract with MRI Software,
LLC, for License, Maintenance, and Support to
Administer Housing Voucher Programs.
07/24/2018 (attachment C) Approved Proposed Housing Trust Funds Initial Plan,
which established priority goals and funding allocations
among target populations for the use of housing trust
funds.
Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
Staff seeks authority to approve funding from the General Fund to increase the amount
of the agreement with MRI Software, LLC to add custom programming and background
check services.
Contract/Agreement/Purchase Order Modification Request
Agreement
#
Current
Authorized
Amount
Modified
Request
Amount
FY 2019-20 Account
#
Total Revised
Contract
Amount
10786 $267,833 $52,495 SO019102.689000 $320,328
Future-year funding is contingent on Council budget approval.
Prepared By: Melinda Espinoza, Staff Assistant lll
Approved
Forwarded to Council
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Attachments:
A. Staff Report 12.10.2019 (Web Link)
B. Staff Report 12.18.2018 (Web Link)
C. Staff Report 07.24.2018 (Web Link)
D. Oaks Initiative
REFERENCE:
Modified
Agreement No. 10786 (CCS)