Explanation
This ordinance modifies an existing grant agreement with Columbus Urban League originally ordained via ordinance 0472-2021 and increases the funding amount to support additional programming.
Ordinance 0472-2021 continued the Right to Recover program, a Council initiative to provide income replacement to low-income residents afflicted with a positive COVID-19 diagnosis. Since its creation in late 2020, the program has provided assistance to almost a thousand Columbus residents, and while the city’s positivity rate has declined significantly, the need remains to provide these types of social supports in order to achieve complete recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. This ordinance extends the use of existing funds remaining from ordinance 0472-2021 until December 31, 2021.
In addition, the grant agreement will be modified to include new provisions to serve as incentives for vaccination. There is empirical data that suggests a significant degree of vaccine hesitancy, or a resistance to acquiring the vaccine because of fears of the short-term adverse effects sometimes associated with the COVID-19 vaccine. Vaccine hesitancy is especially high within low-income minority communities. However, improving vaccination rates is demonstrably the fastest, most effective means by which to slow the spread of COVID-19 within the community, particularly within those communities that have been disproportionately impacted by the spread of the virus.
The modified grant agreement will provide Columbus Urban League with the funding necessary to incentivize full vaccination for low-income residents.
Fiscal Impact: Funding is available within the Neighborhood Initiatives subfund.
Emergency action is requested in order to immediately modify the grant agreement and deploy vaccine incentives.
Title
To authorize the Director of the Department of Finance and Management to modify a grant agreement with Columbus Urban League originally authorized under ordinance 0472-2021; to ...
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