Explanation
This ordinance authorizes the Executive Director of the Office of CelebrateOne to enter into a contract with The Homeless Families Foundation for the Housing Pregnant Women (HPW) program. The contract amount of $75,000.00 is funded from the general fund and will be for the period of July 1, 2021 through March 31, 2022.
In late 2020, the City of Columbus awarded ESG-CV funds to the Community Shelter Board (CSB) in an effort to establish a new program - HPW. The goal of this program is to ensure that pregnant women who are at imminent risk of homelessness receive homelessness prevention assistance and avoid entering emergency shelter. They will receive rapid re-housing services to quickly re-house and stabilize the household. CSB is partnering with CelebrateOne to manage this project and the contracted support services being provided by The Homeless Families Foundation (HFF).
Specifically, these funds will be used to establish a client assistance fund for participants enrolled in the HPW program. The fund is intended to be a flexible set of resources to be used for payment of expenses that serve as barriers to stable housing like unexpected or unmet financial needs. The fund is administered by HFF to help HPW clients remain stably housed.
Emergency designation: This ordinance is submitted as an emergency so as to not delay program services and to allow the financial transactions to be posted to the City’s accounting system as soon as possible.
FISCAL IMPACT: Funding for this program is available in the general fund. This ordinance is contingent on the passage of Ordinance 1911-2021.
Title
To authorize the Executive Director of the Office of CelebrateOne to enter into contract with The Homeless Families Foundation for the Housing Pregnant Women program; to authorize the expenditure of $75,000.00; and to declare an emergency. ($75,000.00)
Body
WHEREAS, $75,000.00 is available in the general fund for the Housing Pregnant Women Program contract for the period of July 1, 2021 through March 31, 2022; and
WHEREAS, The Homeless Families Foundation has provided services for the previous Healthy Beginnings at Home Program and is familiar with the needs of the target population; and,
WHEREAS, this ordinance is being submitted as an emergency measure so that timely services can begin and to allow the financial transactions to be posted in the City’s accounting system; and
WHEREAS, an emergency exists in the usual daily operation of the Office of the Mayor in that it is immediately necessary to authorize the Executive Director of CelebrateOne enter into contract with The Homeless Families Foundation for the immediate 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 Executive Director of the Office of CelebrateOne is hereby authorized to enter into contract with The Homeless Families Foundation in the amount of $75,000.00 for the Housing Pregnant Women program, for the period of July 1, 2021 through March 31, 2022.
SECTION 2. That to pay the costs of said contract, the expenditure of $75,000.00 or so much thereof as may be needed, is hereby authorized form the general fund, per the accounting codes in the attachment to this ordinance.
SECTION 3. 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 4. That the City Auditor is authorized to make any accounting changes to revise the funding source for all contract or contract modifications associated with this ordinance.
SECTION 5. That for 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.