Explanation
This ordinance authorizes the Director of the Department of Development to enter into contract with the Community Shelter Board (CSB) in support of the Moms2B program.
Pregnant women experiencing homelessness are less likely to have adequate prenatal care and more likely to have a baby born premature and low birth weight. In a recent study, the stress of homelessness “was more strongly predictive of preterm birth and low birth weight than even smoking and substance abuse.” Unfortunately, homelessness affects Black women disproportionately in Columbus and elsewhere, further contributing to the high infant death rates experienced by Black families.
For pregnant women who already have children, another concern is the stress and negative effects that homelessness and shelter stays have on children. Homeless children are four times more likely to experience delayed development and two times as likely to repeat a grade compared to non-homeless children. They also attend an average of two different schools in a single year, affecting the continuity of their academic attainment. Housing is an effective healthcare intervention. Fifty percent of school-age homeless children experience anxiety, depression, or withdrawal compared to 18% of non-homeless children.
By helping pregnant women stay housed, prevention programming results in short term and long-term socio-economic benefits that ripple out to the community. CSB will work directly with Moms2B to identify pregnant women who are in an unstable housing situation that endangers them or the health of their baby. Once identified, case managers from CSB’s homeless system will work intensively with these women and their families for up to 18 months to develop and implement a plan that addresses and resolves hurdles that brought the family near homelessness. Pregnant women and their families will receive rent and utility assistance for up to 12 months to retain housing, combined with links to supportive services such as tenant education and relocation, landlord and housing resources, employment and education linkages, and access to public benefits. Through Moms2B, pregnant women will receive weekly neighborhood based education and support, with connection to fresh food, medical, mental health and job training opportunities, breastfeeding encouragement and motivation to develop a reproductive health plan, along with their partners.
Emergency action is requested in order to immediately provide Community Shelter Board with the resources necessary to avoid any delay in serving at-risk pregnant women.
Fiscal Impact: Funding is available within the Neighborhood Initiatives subfund.
Title
To authorize the Director of the Department of Development to enter into contract with the Community Shelter Board in support of the Moms2B program; to authorize an appropriation and expenditure within the Neighborhood Initiatives subfund; and to declare an emergency. ($75,000.00)
Body
WHEREAS, pregnant women experiencing homelessness are less likely to have adequate prenatal care and more likely to have a baby born premature and low birth weight; and
WHEREAS, homelessness affects Black women disproportionately in Columbus and elsewhere, further contributing to the high infant death rates experienced by Black families; and
WHEREAS, the Community Shelter Board (CSB) will work directly with Moms2B to identify pregnant women who are in an unstable housing situation that endangers them or the health of their baby; CSB Case managers from the homeless system will work intensively with pregnant women and their families for up to 18 months to develop and implement a plan that addresses and resolves hurdles that brought the family near homelessness; and
WHEREAS, through Moms2B, pregnant women will receive weekly neighborhood based education and support, with connection to fresh food, medical, mental health and job training opportunities, breastfeeding encouragement and motivation to develop a reproductive health plan, along with their partners; and
WHEREAS, an emergency exists in the usual daily operation of the Department of Development in that it is immediately necessary to authorize the Director to enter into a contract with Community Shelter Board to avoid any delay in the provision of services to at-risk pregnant women; 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 enter into contract with the Community Shelter Board in support of the Moms2B program.
SECTION 2. That the City Auditor be and is hereby authorized and directed to appropriate $75,000.00 in the Neighborhood Initiatives subfund, fund 1000, subfund 100018, to Columbus City Council, in Object Class 03 - Contractual Services, per the accounting codes in the attachment to this ordinance.
SECTION 3. That the expenditure of $75,000.00 or so much thereof as may be needed pursuant to the actions authorized in SECTION 1, is hereby authorized in the Neighborhood Initiatives subfund, fund 1000, subfund 100018, in Object Class 03 - Contractual Services, per the accounting codes in the attachment to this ordinance.
SECTION 4. That this contract is awarded pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 329 that relate to not-for-profit service contracts.
SECTION 5. 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 6. That for the reason stated in the preamble here to, 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.