Explanation
Background
This Ordinance authorizes an appropriation from the Recreation and Parks Operating fund to the Recreation and Parks Grant Fund in support of the Central Ohio Area Agency on Aging’s (COAAA) Title III-A Project Grant match, Housing Assistance Program (HAP), and Specialized Program Assessing Resource Connectivity (SPARC).
Title IIIA is a federal grant awarded from the Older American's Act. Title III grants include IIIA, IIIB, IIIC, IIID, and IIIE. The IIIA portion is awarded exclusively for Area Agency on Aging administrative expenses. The other Title III grants are primarily used for services provided to clients who are over 60 years of age. As a designated "Area Agency on Aging" the Central Ohio Area Agency on Aging is earmarked to receive these funds on an annual basis. The funds originate at the federal level and are passed to the Ohio Department on Aging, who then passes the monies to the 12 "AAA's" in the State of Ohio. There are over 600 "AAA's" in the United States.
The Department of Recreation and Parks, on behalf of the City of Columbus, is obligated to pay a portion (a match) of the Title III-A Grant which includes salaries of certain employees of the Central Ohio Area Agency on Aging. This ordinance transfers matching funds from the Recreation and Parks Operating Fund to the Recreation and Parks Grant Fund for the Title III-A Project so that both grant and matching expenditures will appear under the same project account in order to pay those salaries.
The COAAA Housing Assistance Program includes preventative efforts to reduce eviction, displacement, and homelessness for Columbus older adults. The focus is diversion, which is keeping older adults out of the shelter, as well as prevention, to keep from reaching a housing crisis. COAAA has staff working daily on supporting older adults through housing crises. With staffing already in place, these funds address needs such as a missed rent or mortgage, rent or utility deposit, housing...
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