CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM
ACTION REQUESTED:
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Approve the award of $296,985 in Community Development Block Grant CARES Act funds (Item 2 of 2)
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DEPARTMENT: City Clerk’s Office
SUBMITTED BY: Ruth Broder, Community Grants Coordinator
BOARD/COMMISSION REVIEW:
N/A
BACKGROUND:
On March 27, 2020, President Trump signed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act Public Law 116-136. The CARES Act allocated $5 billion in supplemental Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus pandemic. Of the $5 billion, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) allocated $2 billion directly to entitlement communities. These supplemental funds are referred to as CDBG-CV funds.
The City of Naperville received a CDBG-CV allocation of $315,985. In addition to the CDBG-CV funds, the City had a balance of $81,000 in Program Year 2019 funds available resulting in a total of $396,985 to be used to alleviate the effects of the public health crisis.
On July 21, 2020, City Council approved a Substantial Amendment to the City’s Program Year 2019 CDBG Annual Action Plan. The amendment allocated CARES Act funding to three categories of projects, as follows:
1) Public Services - $236,985
Program assistance to individuals, households, and businesses
• $50,000: Shelter - Up to 3 months of rent/mortgage/utility assistance to households
• $50,000: Shelter - Motel/hotel expenses for domestic violence and homeless persons
• $60,000: Food - Meal preparation and delivery to seniors, people with disabilities and low- and moderate-income residents
• $76,985: Other Public Services: Employment/job counseling assistance, mental health, childcare, etc.
2) Economic Development - $100,000
Assistance to small business and assistance to enable job creation/retention
3) Public Facilities - $60,000
Assistance to nonprofits for capital improvements and costs associated with preventing, preparing for, and responding to the impacts of COVID-19
The Substantial Amendment was submitted to HUD and was approved on July 31, 2020. A Funding Agreement between the HUD and the City was executed on August 7, 2020.
DISCUSSION:
On August 24, 2020, the City Clerk’s Office released a grant application for the Public Services and Public Facilities categories. Applications were due on September 4, 2020.
A total of 22 applications were received. Of these, nine were declined for a variety of reasons, including late submissions, incomplete applications, ineligible requests and lack of active nonprofit status.
A total of 13 applications were evaluated and scored by a six-person evaluation team including Councilman Krummen and representatives of the City Clerk’s Office, a Naperville Police Department Social Worker, and Senior Task Force member. Scoring results are attached.
The team recommended that $296,985 be awarded to the following seven projects:
Shelter:
DuPage PADS - Emergency Temporary Housing for Homeless $ 50,000
Loaves & Fishes - Emergency Financial Assistance Program $ 50,000
Food:
Loaves & Fishes - Food Assistance Program $ 60,000
Other Public Services:
DuPage PADS - Career/Employment Solutions for Homeless $ 25,854
Little Friends - Reimbursement for CILA Staff in Naperville Homes $ 30,000
Samaritan Interfaith Counseling - Mental Health Access Program $ 50,505
Public Facilities:
Bridge Communities - Client IT Infrastructure Improvements $ 30,626
TOTAL $296,985
These funds will provide a variety of assistance, including, but not limited to the following:
1. Helping homeless assistance providers that have had to close their shelters pay the added costs of housing people in hotels/motels
2. Providing up to six months of rent and utility assistance on behalf of households that have lost income due to the pandemic
3. Delivering food assistance to vulnerable senior citizens and children from low and moderate-income families
4. Providing job counseling and training to homeless individuals
5. Assisting an organization providing housing for disabled adults to pay the cost of additional staff to provide mental health services to their clients
6. Subsidizing the costs of mental health counseling for senior citizens experiencing mental health symptoms due to the pandemic
7. Upgrading internet and wi-fi connectivity in buildings housing homeless families to enable them to work from home and participate in e-learning
The remaining funding, $100,000, allocated for small business assistance will be distributed through a separate application process that is currently being developed.
FISCAL IMPACT:
$296,985 in CARES Act (CDBG-CV) funds.