Explanation
BACKGROUND
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 facing disproportionate financial challenges. With the knowledge that an extreme economic shock such as a global health crisis could have an outsized impact on families already experiencing financial insecurity, CFE Fund developed a new funding opportunity for existing grantees shortly after the pandemic struck. The City of Columbus applied successfully for $80,000 to launch the Financial Navigator program to support families’ increased need for resource navigation during the health crisis.
The City successfully launched the Financial Navigator program in the Fall of 2020 with the partnership of HandsOn Central Ohio, Inc., and the Legal Aid Society of Columbus and is now seeking to continue the program through at least the end of the year. This ordinance provides funding to HandsOn Central Ohio, Inc. for their continued work to embed enhanced resource navigation within the existing 211 information and referral service line. In doing so, residents will be able to continue to seek the help of trained financial navigator staff to understand and connect to new and existing federal, state, and local resources intended to support them through financial struggles.
This legislation authorizes the Office of the Mayor to modify a contract with HandsOn Central Ohio, Inc. for the Financial Navigator Program to modify the scope of services based upon lessons learned, extend the contract end date, and to add additional funds, in an amount up to $28,364.00.
Original contract amount $57,760.50 Ord. 1563-2020 PO232810
Modification No. 1 amount $28,364.00
Tot...
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