Explanation
BACKGROUND: This legislation authorizes the Director of the Department of Development to enter into a grant agreement with the Community Shelter Board to provide programmatic support for people experiencing homelessness who have COVID-19, or have been exposed, and to operate social distancing shelters. The agreement will cover costs from March 1, 2020, to December 30, 2020. The total amount of this grant is $1,000,000.00 and will be funded from CARES Act funds.
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused unforeseen needs among Columbus and Franklin County residents. In addition, human service agencies working to meet those needs have been impacted by both revenue losses and unforeseen and unbudgeted costs. The Community Shelter Board is one of those agencies. These CARES Act funds will be used to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) among individuals and families who are experiencing or at-risk of homelessness and to support additional homeless assistance and homelessness prevention activities to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19.
The Community Shelter Board (CSB), a non-profit organization, has been selected because of their history with the city and the homeless service community in the funding and coordination of services to homeless individuals and families, as well as, their established administrative procedures to effectively and efficiently implement such services.
The Community Shelter Board (CSB) will work with its partners to continue to operate existing emergency shelters, a shelter for isolation and quarantine to care for people experiencing homelessness who have COVID-19 or have been exposed, and to operate social distancing shelters.
The services included in this agreement cannot be provided by existing city employees because these services are beyond the City’s current staffing capacity to provide.
Emergency Designation: Emergency legislation is requested in order to encumber funds in a timely manner so the Community Shelter Board can expend the funds before the end of the year.
Contract Compliance: the vendor number is 004795 and expires 1/8/2021.
FISCAL IMPACT: Funding is provided to the City of Columbus from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and
Economic Security (CARES) Act passed by Congress and signed into law March 27, 2020 and available in the Department of Development’s CARES Act budget (fund 2207, subfund 220702).
Title
To authorize the Director of Development to execute a grant agreement with the Community Shelter Board to provide programmatic support for people experiencing homelessness who have COVID-19, or have been exposed, and to operate social distancing shelters; to authorize an expenditure up to $1,000,000.00 from the CARES Act Fund; to authorize the payment of expenses starting March 1, 2020; and to declare an emergency. ($1,000,000.00)
Body
WHEREAS, the COVID-19 pandemic is causing unforeseen needs among Columbus and Franklin County residents. In addition, human service agencies working to meet those needs have been impacted by unforeseen and unbudgeted costs; and
WHEREAS, expenditure of CARES Act funding will be used to provide programmatic support for people experiencing homelessness who have COVID-19, or have been exposed, and to operate social distancing shelters in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency; and
WHEREAS, the Director of the Department of Development desires to enter into a ten month grant agreement with the Community Shelter Board, which will cover expenses from March 1, 2020 and will terminate on December 30, 2020; and
WHEREAS, such expenditures of funds has not been previously accounted for the 2020 budget; 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 grant agreement with the Community Shelter Board in order to encumber funds in a timely manner so the Community Shelter Board can expend the funds before the end of the year, all for the 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 be and is hereby authorized to enter into a grant agreement with the Community Shelter Board in an amount up to $1,000,000.00 to provide programmatic support for people experiencing homelessness who have COVID-19, or have been exposed, and to operate social distancing shelters, with the agreement beginning March 1, 2020.
SECTION 2. That for the purpose as stated in Section 1, the expenditure of $1,000,000.00 or so much thereof as may be necessary is hereby authorized in fund 2207, subfund 220702 (CARES Act Fund), Dept. 44-01 (Administration), in Object Class 03 (Services) per the accounting codes in the attachment to this ordinance.
SECTION 3. Funds are hereby deemed appropriated and expenditures and transfers authorized to carry out the purposes of this ordinance 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 reasons 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 approval by the Mayor, or ten days after passage if the Mayor neither approves nor vetoes the same.