CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM
ACTION REQUESTED:
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Approve the proposed CY2025 Social Service Grant and Opioid Remediation Grant funding allocations
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DEPARTMENT: Community Services
SUBMITTED BY: Miranda Barfuss, Community Grants Coordinator
BOARD/COMMISSION REVIEW:
N/A
BACKGROUND:
The City Council established a $250,000 Social Service Grant (SSG) program in 2005 to enhance the ability of local agencies to provide needed services to the Naperville community. In 2012, the Council increased funding to $300,000 to allow for a $50,000 set-aside for projects that target current specific community needs. Grant funding was then increased to $500,000 in 2015. In 2024, an additional $250,000 specifically for mental health projects was added to the Social Service Grant fund. The Social Service Grant fund remains at $750,000 for 2025, with $250,000 specifically for mental health.
The City Council established a $100,000 Opioid Remediation Grant program in 2024. As a result of a national opioid lawsuit brought by state and local governments, the City is receiving settlement payments. The City anticipates receiving annual payments totaling more than $650,000 through 2038. The Opioid Remediation Grant fund remains at $100,000 for 2025. These funds must be used for substance abuse response and prevention efforts.
Applications for 2025 Social Service Grant and Opioid Remediation Grant funding were open from September 12, 2024 to October 11, 2024. Social Service Grant applications must meet the objectives of the grant fund and address a perceived need or problem in the community. Projects for mental health funding are required to impact mental health needs and serve Naperville residents. Projects for opioid remediation funding are required to qualify as an approved abatement program, meeting the terms of the opioid settlement, and serve Naperville residents.
DISCUSSION:
The City received 47 applications requesting a total of $1,789,999 for the SSG program and four applications requesting a total of $122,350 for the Opioid Remediation Grant program. A team of representatives from the Human Rights & Fair Housing Commission, Senior Task Force, Accessible Community Task Force, School District 203, Community Services Department, and a non-scoring City Council member, Nate Wilson, reviewed the applications.
After ensuring each application fulfilled a funding priority of the respective grant program, reviewers scored each application on a 100-point scale and made funding recommendations based on the resulting point scores.
SSG and Opioid Remediation Grant Scoring Criteria
1) Project goals and objectives are clear, measurable, realistic and address the program priorities and documented community need
2) Project need and community benefit are justified and fully documented
3) Project provides a new or improved service to the target population that does not duplicate existing services and encourages collaboration with other organizations
4) Project provides services to Naperville residents conveniently and in sufficient numbers or provides crucial services to a subset of Naperville residents
5) The applicant has sufficient experience, resources and staffing to successfully implement the project within a one-year timeframe and can manage the grant, including documentation of benefits, compliance and reporting
6) The applicant has made efforts to secure other funding for the activity
7) Application is complete, with all required attachments
All available grant funds were allocated. Of the $750,000 allocated for SSG, a total of $299,500 was allocated for mental health projects. For SSG, no applications scoring under 80 were awarded funding. Due to the small number of Opioid Remediation Grant applications received, applications scoring under 80 were awarded funding albeit less funding than higher scoring applications received.
This process is in accordance with Resolution 24-06 that holds that the City Council will retain final allocation authority of Social Service Grants but will no longer review applications or individually recommend funding prior to approval.
FISCAL IMPACT:
$750,000 from annual Food and Beverage tax revenue will be allocated to Social Service Grant recipients.
$100,000 from opioid lawsuit settlement payments will be allocated to Opioid Remediation Grant recipients.