Explanation
This ordinance authorizes the City Clerk to enter into a grant agreement with The Center for Healthy Families, Inc. a non profit corporate entity, in support of the organization’s 2023 Collective Project for Black Girls & Young Women.
The Center for Healthy Families engages parenting teens and their children in opportunities to acquire self-sufficiency capabilities of health and well-being, positive networks, education and employment through a coordinated network of the most effective community services.
The 2023 Collective Project for Black Girls & Young Women will enroll up to 25 Black girls and young women (BG/YW), ages 11-24, from across Columbus, reflecting 20+ zip codes and diversity (e.g., socioeconomic LGBTQIA+, immigrants, refugees, physical/cognitive disabling conditions).
The 2023 Collective Project for Black Girls & Young Women will empower BG/YW to advocate for themselves, their peers, and their community. Outcomes will include increased self-awareness, skills, and aspirations. The program will provide safe, healthy experiences. Deliverables include:
1. Empowerment, social justice, and leadership workshops for engaging BG/YW in skill-/knowledge-building
2. Boot Camps on Financial, Social, and Human Capital for BG/YW life skills aligned with mental health, well-being, financial literacy, and workforce readiness
3. Philanthropy and grant-making training to use new skills and award nonprofits small grants and train on DEI
4. Advocating/raising awareness for issues of concern like child abuse prevention
To ensure a youth-led/centered project, a monthly Youth Advisory Council will plan “for girls, by girls” events, including events for BG/YW such as Paint Your Mind Self-Care Celebration and Back-to-School Pop-Up Shop.
Emergency action is necessary to provide operating funds to pay for operating expenses covering staff, training materials and programming expenses incurred since August 1, 2023.
Fiscal Impact: Funding is available within the Neighborhood Initiatives subfund.
Title
To authorize the City Clerk to enter into a grant agreement with The Center for Healthy Families, Inc., to provide operating funds to pay for operating expenses incurred between August 1, 2023 and July 31, 2024 in support of the organization’s 2023 Collective Project for Black Girls & Young Women; to authorize an appropriation and expenditure within the Neighborhood Initiatives subfund; and to declare an emergency ($150,000.00)
Body
WHEREAS, The Center for Healthy Families engages parenting teens and their children in opportunities to acquire self-sufficiency capabilities of health and well-being, positive networks, education and employment through a coordinated network of the most effective community services; and
WHEREAS, Black girls and young women are four times (20.3%) more likely to live below poverty versus white peers-5.9% (U.S. Census) and daily, they face intersecting challenges and institutional/system disparities, such as youth pregnancy, poverty, housing instability, racism, and sexism; and
WHEREAS, The 2023 Collective Project for Black Girls & Young Women will empower BG/YW to advocate for themselves, their peers, and their community; and
WHEREAS, an emergency exists in the usual daily operation of the City Clerk's Office in that it is immediately necessary to authorize the City Clerk to enter into a grant agreement with The Center for Healthy Families in support of The 2023 Collective Project for Black Girls & Young Women to provide operating funds to pay for operating expenses incurred since August 1, 2023 all for the immediate preservation of the public health, peace, property, safety and welfare; and NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
SECTION 1. That the City Clerk is hereby authorized to enter into a grant agreement with The Center for Healthy Families, a non profit entity, to provide operating funds to pay for operating expenses incurred between August 1, 2023 and July 31, 2024 in support of the organization’s 2023 Collective Project for Black Girls & Young Women.
SECTION 2. That the appropriation and expenditure of $150,000.00, or so much thereof as may be needed pursuant to the action authorized in SECTION 1, is authorized in the Neighborhood Initiatives subfund, fund 1000, subfund 100018, per the accounting codes in the attachment to this ordinance.
SECTION 3. That the funds necessary to carry out the purpose of this ordinance are deemed appropriated, and the City Auditor shall establish such accounting codes as necessary.
SECTION 4. That the City Auditor is authorized to make any accounting changes to revise the funding source for all contracts or contract modifications associated with this ordinance.
SECTION 5. That for the reason stated in the preamble hereto, which is hereby made a part hereof, this ordinance is hereby declared to be an emergency measure and shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage and approval by the Mayor, or ten days after passage if the Mayor neither approves nor vetoes the same.