Explanation
In the fall of 2019, President Pro Tempore Elizabeth Brown, the Mayor’s Office, and the Columbus Women’s Commission were awarded a CityStart grant from Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund (CFE Fund) supporting the creation of a financial empowerment roadmap to help women and families achieve financial security. Prior to the pandemic, one in four women were financially insecure, with women of color disproportionately struggling. With the knowledge that an extreme economic shock such as a global health crisis would likely to have an outsized impact on families who were already living with financial insecurity, CFE Fund created another grant opportunity for existing grantees soon after the pandemic struck. The City of Columbus applied successfully for an additional $80,000 to launch a financial navigation initiative to support families’ increased need for resource navigation during the health crisis.
The City intends to partner with HandsOn Central Ohio to embed enhanced resource navigation for residents within the existing 211 information and referral service line. HandsOn Central Ohio will hire and dedicate staff capacity for program management and a financial navigator position in order to help residents understand and connect to new and existing federal, state, and local resources intended for residents who are struggling financially.
This service agreement is being entered into per the provisions of Section 329.30 of Columbus City Codes. The City does not currently have the capacity to operate its own referral line for resource navigation, and HandsOn has the ability and experience needed due to their existing 211 information and referral line service?.
Emergency action is in order to allow HandsOn Central Ohio to begin providing this public service as soon as possible.
FISCAL IMPACT: Funding is available within the private grant fund.
Title
To authorize the Office of the Mayor to enter into a service contract with HandsOn Central Ohio for ...
Click here for full text