Explanation
BACKGROUND: This legislation authorizes the Director of the Department of Development to modify a grant agreement with The Tony R. Wells Foundation to modify the scope of service to allow for the purchase of fuel-only cards for participants in an amount up to $10,000.00 and increase funding for all other aspects of the agreement in an amount up to $2,835,000.00. This part of a planned modification, as it was anticipated that additional funding would be needed to continue providing emergency assistance to prevent eviction, homelessness, and help at-risk residents find new housing without interruption and authorize the advancement of funds.
Original Agreement $2,761,076.15 PO534332 Ordinance 2012-2025 Amended 2449-2025
Modification No. 1 $ 00.00 Ordinance 0819-2026
Modification No. 1 $ 2,845,000.00
Total $5,606,076.15
In accordance with C.C. 329.09(a):
1. The increase in funding is needed to provide uninterrupted emergency assistance to prevent eviction, homelessness, and help at-risk residents find new housing.
2. The additional funding is needed to provide services within the contract period the spenddown of funds is needed and will be utilized as this is still an ongoing crisis for our residents. This program is ongoing and is a priority of the Mayor as well as Council in the assistance of at risk residents facing eviction, homelessness, and helping our residents find new housing.
3. It is in the City’s best interest to continue with The Tony R. Wells Foundation as the public need continues and this time extension will allow the City to help those in need without interruption, which cannot be completed by existing City employees.
It is the priority of the City to increase housing stability by assisting residents by helping them stay housed and prevent displacement. Housing Stability is vital to everyone’s lives, it contributes to social connection, health, and prosperity. The lack of housing stability contributes to disconnection, poor health outcomes, economic distress and in most critical situations homelessness. The region is experiencing a housing crisis in which our residents face rising rents, record rates of eviction, a severe lack of affordable housing and an overburdened homeless shelter system. With these current realities, investing in homelessness prevention can limit housing crisis damage and relive the impacts of emergency shelter stays.
The Resilient Housing Initiative (RHI) provides homelessness prevention services to residents of Columbus. The program includes housing crisis coaching, financial assistance, and housing-focused management. The Tony R. Wells Foundation currently acts as fiscal manager for the RHI program to provide financial assistance to eligible residents. Disbursement of payments are made directly to landlords, utility companies, and other service providers on behalf of eligible residents. There is a continued need for this service, and this modification will allow this to happen without interruption and not cause any further distress upon our residents.
There is also a need for the purchase of up to $10,000.00 of fuel-only cards for participants. This line item will be segmented within the Wells accounting system, and they will be ordering the fuel-only cards through Blackhawk Network and will be in denominations of $50 to $100 per card. Blackhawk Network is an online platform that tracks all transactions incurred for the cards. The Wells Foundation will store the cards in a locked location that only Mr. Wells and one other approved person has access to. The cards will also be tracked on a spreadsheet that will reflect the card number, amount, the person receiving the card, and the date distributed. The agreement will contain all of the safeguards mentioned above as well as stipulating the reconciling of the cards as well as submitting required reporting for the cards monthly.
Emergency Designation: An emergency exists in that the program needs to provide uninterrupted emergency assistance to prevent eviction, homelessness, and help at-risk residents find new housing.
Contract Compliance: the vendor number is 038668 and expires 05/22/2027
Fiscal Impact: Funding is available within the department’s General Fund Budget as well as the Neighborhood Economic Development Fund.
Title
To authorize the Director of the Department of Development to enter into a planned modification of a grant agreement with The Tony R. Wells Foundation, increase funding in an amount up to $2,835,000.00 and to continue to act as fiscal manager for the RHI program in providing financial assistance to eligible residents facing eviction, homelessness, and helping them find new housing; to authorize the expenditure in an amount up to $2,835,000.00; to authorize the modification of the scope of service in an amount up to $10,000.00 to allow fuel-only cards to be issued to participants; to authorize the appropriation and expenditure in an amount up to $10,000.00 within the Neighborhood Economic Development Fund; to authorize the advancement of funding on a predetermined schedule; and declare an emergency. ($2,845,000.00)
Body
WHEREAS, Ordinance 2012-2025 authorized the Director of the Department of Development to enter into a grant agreement with the Tony R. Wells Foundation dba The Wells Foundation to act as a fiscal manager for the disbursement of funds to eligible recipients of the Columbus Resilient Housing Initiative (RHI); and
WHEREAS, ordinance 2449-2025 authorized the amendment of ordinance 2012-2025 by reducing the total authorized contract amount as well as added the provision for reasonable food and non-alcoholic beverages; and
WHEREAS, ordinance 0819-2026 authorized the modification to extend the termination date of the agreement from March 31, 2026 to March 31, 2027; and
WHEREAS, this modification is needed to increase funding in an amount up to $2,835,000.00 and to authorize the expenditure and advancement of funds; and
WHEREAS, this modification also is needed to add to the scope of service the issuance of fuel-only cards to participants the total funding allocated for this scope change is in an amount up to $10,000.00 within the Neighborhood Economic Development Fund; and
WHEREAS, an emergency exists in the usual and daily operation of the Department of Development in that it is immediately necessary to authorize the Director to modify a grant agreement with The Tony R. Wells Foundation to increase funding to continue to act as fiscal manager for the RHI program and in providing uninterrupted emergency assistance to prevent eviction, homelessness, and help at risk residents find new housing, all for the immediate preservation of the public health, peace, property, safety and welfare; NOW THEREFORE,
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
SECTION 1. That the Director of the Department of Development is hereby authorized to modify to increase funding of a grant agreement with The Tony R. Wells Foundation dba The Tony Wells Foundation in an amount up to $2,835,000.00 and authorizes the advancement of funds on a predetermined schedule.
SECTION 2. That the Director of the Department of Development is hereby authorized to modify the scope of service within the contract in an amount up to $10,000.00 to allow for the issuance of fuel-only cards to participants.
SECTION 3. That all other aspects of the existing agreement authorized by ordinance 2012-2025 and amended by ordinance 2449-2025 and ordinance 0819-2026 are still in effect.
SECTION 4. That for the purpose stated in Section 1., expenditure in an amount up to $2,835,000.00 or so much thereof as may be needed, is hereby authorized within the General Fund (100010), Dept-Div 44-12 (Housing Stability), in object class 05 (Other) per the account codes in the attachment to this ordinance.
SECTION 5. That for the purpose stated in Section 2., the appropriation and expenditure in an amount up to $10,000.00 or so much thereof as may be needed, is hereby authorized within the Neighborhood Economic Development Fund (2237), Dept-Div 44-12 (Housing Stability), in object class 05 (Other) per the account codes in the attachment to this ordinance.
SECTION 6. That this agreement and modification is awarded pursuant to the relevant provisions of Columbus City Code related to awarding grants.
SECTION 7. That the funds necessary to carry out the purpose of this ordinance are hereby deemed appropriated, and the City Auditor shall establish such accounting codes as necessary.
SECTION 8. 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 legislation.
SECTION 9. That for the reasons stated in the preamble hereto, which is hereby made a part hereof, this ordinance is hereby declared to be an emergency measure which 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 it.