Explanation
This ordinance authorizes Columbus City Council to enter into a grant agreement with Legal Aid Society of Columbus in support of the Financial Navigator program.
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 $80,000 to launch a financial navigation initiative to support families’ increased need for resource navigation during the health crisis, per ordinance number 1198-2020.
The City has partnered with Legal Aid Society of Columbus to provide financial navigation services in order to help residents understand and connect to new and existing federal, state, and local resources intended for residents who are struggling financially.
Emergency action is in order to allow Legal Aid Society of Columbus to continue providing this public service as soon as possible.
Fiscal Impact: Funding is available within the Neighborhood Initiatives subfund.
Emergency action is requested in order to avoid interruption to the Financial Navigator program and the resources it provides to those afflicted with COVID-19.
Title
To authorize Columbus City Council to enter into a grant agreement with Legal Aid Society of Columbus in support of the Financial Navigator program; to authorize an appropriation and an expenditure within the Neighborhood Initiatives subfund; and to declare an emergency. ($28,500.00) (AMENDED BY ORD. 0278-2022; PASSED 1/31/2022)
Body
WHEREAS, the health of Columbus is tied to the wellbeing of its families; and
WHEREAS, the global health pandemic is resulting in a major economic shocks for residents, especially for those who were already financially insecure before it struck and may suffer disproportionately severe consequences because of it; and
WHEREAS, a critical means of supporting families who are struggling during the crisis, and therefore also to support the Columbus economy, is to help them navigate the new and existing federal, state, and local programs and resources available to them; and
WHEREAS, Legal Aid Society of Columbus is a well-known community resource that provides related services to the public currently, and is an ideal partner for providing financial navigation to residents who are struggling financially due to the COVID-19 crisis; and
WHEREAS, it is estimated that the Financial Navigator program will have conducted 1200 session by June 2021 and, with additional funding provided for by this ordinance, the program will be able to continue to support low-income residents as the health crisis continues into 2021; and
WHEREAS, an emergency exists in the usual daily operation of CIty Council in that it is immediately necessary to authorize a grant agreement to avoid interruption to the Financial Program and the flow of resources it provides to those impacted by COVID-19; now, therefore,
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
SECTION 1. That Columbus City Council is hereby authorized to enter into a grant agreement with the Legal Aid Society of Columbus in support of the Financial Navigator program.
SECTION 2. That the City Auditor is hereby authorized and directed to appropriate $28,500.00 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 $28,500.00 or so much thereof as may be needed pursuant to the actions authorized in SECTION 1, is hereby authorized per the accounting codes in the attachment to this ordinance.
SECTION 4. 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 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 passage and approval by the Mayor, or ten days after passage if the Mayor neither approves nor vetoes the same.