NorCal Continuum of Care selects T.E.A.C.H, Inc. as new administrative entity

Continuums of Care are all about relationships — and the one between the NorCal Continuum of Care (CoC) and the City of Redding as an administrative entity was a great one — said longtime nonprofit consultant Teddie Pierce at the close of the CoC executive board meeting on Thursday, June 26. 

As the City of Redding prepares to step away from the lead administrative role for the CoC after two years, the board chose to designate Modoc-based Training, Employment and Community Help, Inc. (T.E.A.C.H.) to the position. The nonprofit’s team will include Pierce, as well as former Redding city council member, Kristen Schreder, and T.E.A.C.H. director, Carol Madison. The organization was recently honored by Assembly member Heather Hadwick as nonprofit of the year for community impact.

In an email to Shasta Scout on Thursday after the meeting, Schreder confirmed the organization will start its work as the new administrative entity in a little over a month, on August 1. This will allow T.E.A.C.H. to submit the CoC’s application for a new round of Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention grants due August 29, rather than having the city sign and then go through the process of transferring. Schreder said the transfer of all CoC activities from Redding staff to T.E.A.C.H. staff could likely take several months.

The T.E.A.C.H. proposal was considered and ranked alongside a second proposal from the Colusa-based nonprofit coalition, the Ministerial Association of California Counties. 

Representatives from both organizations were in attendance at this week’s meeting, along with NorCal CoC executive board members from all seven participating counties, except Sierra. The board’s decision to choose T.E.A.C.H. as the new administrative agent, largely revolved around the current involvement of T.E.A.C.H team members with the CoC and their resulting knowledge of the systems in place. 

The T.E.A.C.H. Proposal 

Madison, the executive director at T.E.A.C.H. since 1995, introduced the organization’s proposal to CoC leaders by focusing on experience. She described the entity as an umbrella agency for other programs, and said that T.E.A.C.H has extensive existing financial systems that could be configured for any necessary CoC reporting. The proposal offered contractual lead administrative services for a cost of about $333,000 annually.

The lead agency also plays the role of fiscal agent, monitoring grants and entering state and federal agreements on behalf of the CoC. Madison indicated that T.E.A.C.H. has a high standard for fiscal management and is accustomed to having their services and grants audited, as they participate in many state and federal programs. 

Schreder, who has been chair of the NorCal CoC executive board for a little over two years, resigned at the start of the meeting to help avoid a conflict of interest. She spoke on behalf of T.E.A.C.H. during the meeting, explaining she has 25 years of experience as an elected official, which includes high level budget management. She is also a professional grant writer and helped organize the structure and process for the NorCal CoC when the City of Redding began its tenure as the administrative entity two years ago.

Schreder emphasized that choosing T.E.A.C.H. would mean choosing a team already deeply involved in CoC management that would continue the CoC’s work for a budget of about $150,000 less than the City of Redding could. She said one of her team’s strengths is that their budget is already complete with no unknowns as a result of team members having worked closely with the CoC over recent years.

In her new role with T.E.A.C.H., Schreder will continue to prepare agendas, work with subcommittees and track and prepare budgets. She said she would like to further examine the CoC’s system performance along the way. 

Schreder introduced Pierce to the CoC team, describing the nonprofit consultant as the T.E.A.C.H. team’s “extra sauce.” Pierce has contracted with the NorCal CoC over the last few years to help with applications for funding and said she would work to ensure different aspects of the CoC are aligned by streamlining data, policies and procedures. 

The T.E.A.C.H. team also spoke about looking at private fundraising options to add to the CoC’s existing resources. Schreder said an important element to that process will be telling the story of what the coalition is doing. If they are going to ask for private funds, Schreder said, people will want to see documented evidence of successful programs something she believes is within reach.

The MACC Proposal

Jason McMullan, CEO of the Colusa-based nonprofit MACC, said he realized his organization was the “new kid on the block,” when it comes to the local CoC. Regardless, he said, the association — which works across eight counties, including Shasta — has expertise with a variety of programs and nonprofits. Their proposal offered CoC lead administrative services at a cost of about $190,000 annually.

McMullan listed MACC’s strengths as including strong financial and grant teams and a good donor base, explaining that the association has experience on the receiving side of CoC services, as some programs they administer receive CoC funding in Trinity and Tehama counties. Additionally, McMullan is an executive board member for the Dos Rios CoC, which includes Colusa, Glenn and Trinity counties.

He said that MACC would focus on bringing the correct players forward to help lead, including consultants with CoC experience, like consultant Brenda Enriquez of Aspire Innovators who was also in attendance. 

McMullan said he would want to reduce any disconnect between local advisory boards and the managing executive board and ensure equal and equitable access to resources. He also emphasized that MACCs lack of background with the current CoC could be a strength, as his organization didn’t have any existing political concerns and could come in with fresh viewpoints.

McMullan encouraged the board not to consider friendships or relationships in their decision-making process but instead to focus on opportunities to move forward.

The Board’s Decision Making Process

In their ranking and discussion, board members considered both organizations’ relevant experience, but felt that T.E.A.C.H. had more specifically applicable experience given members deep existing involvement with the NorCal CoC. That factored in to their consideration of the ease of transition during a handover process from Redding to a new administrative lead.

The MACC proposal offered the CoC a much lower cost, at about half of T.E.A.C.H.’s price, but executive board members were concerned the program design was less complete, worrying that the proposed budget may not be enough to meet CoC needs and wondering if MACC’s budget was based on the full picture of what’s actually needed for CoC management. 

At the close of the meeting, the attending members of the executive board voted unanimously to move forward with T.E.A.C.H. as the administrative entity. Madison, who represents Modoc County as  a member of the NorCal CoC executive board, abstained from voting on all items related to the proposal. 

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