Explanation
This ordinance authorizes the Director of the Department of Development to enter into a subrecipient grant agreement with Besa Community, Inc. in support of the Community Recovery and Neighborhood Initiative.
This past year has underscored the critical role community services play in supporting the social well-being of vulnerable populations and communities. The pandemic has disproportionately affected communities of color and low-income communities across the nation. This has shed light on deep-rooted, pre-existing racial, gender, income, and geographic disparities from one neighborhood to the next. This year, Besa Community, Inc. seeks to evolve its programming to better address the prevailing problem of inequity in the accessibility and distribution of community resources.
In the last year, Besa has expanded nonprofit partnerships in many of Columbus’ lowest-income neighborhoods, such as Linden, the Southside, the Near East Side and the West Side (primarily the Hilltop). Besa Community, Inc. has also significantly increased engagement with New Salem Baptist Church’s Food Pantry (Bread of Life Food Pantry) in North Linden and LifeCare Alliance in the South Hilltop. While this work, and these partnership expansions, have fallen under the umbrella of Besa Community, Inc.'s “COVID response,” Besa Community, Inc. cannot simply end these engagements when COVID is no longer a threat to the community.
Through the end of 2021, Besa Community, Inc. anticipates managing approximately 20 Community Recovery/Basic Needs projects per month, which will yield the following annual outcomes:
• 240 volunteer engagement events with basic needs and critical service providers
• 2,000 community residents activated through volunteerism
• 5,000 collective service hours dedicated to essential service providing nonprofits
• $100,000 in tangible goods donations through our COVID/Community Recovery supply drives
Besa anticipates the majority of this work will continue to be centered on food security (food bank capacity), housing stability (shelter capacity, projects at family centers) emergency safety support (packaging masks, PPE distribution), and workforce development (projects with job placement and career development partners).
Fiscal Impact: Funding is available within the Recovery fund.
Emergency action is requested in order to avoid any delay in providing critical resources to sustain Besa’s Community Recovery and Neighborhood Initiative.
Title
To authorize the Director of the Department of Development to enter into a subrecipient grant agreement with Besa Community, Inc. in support of the Community Recovery and Neighborhood Initiative; to authorize an expenditure within the Recovery fund; and to declare an emergency. ($250,000.00)
Body
WHEREAS, this past year has underscored the critical role community services play in supporting the social well-being of vulnerable populations and communities; and
WHEREAS, the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in disproportionate negative economic impacts in communities of color and low-income communities across the nation. These communities are experiencing overwhelming barriers to access basic needs like food, supplies and shelter during the pandemic; and
WHEREAS, expenditure of American Rescue Plan Act funding to provide essential frontline services, volunteers, and supplies to the City’s nonprofit organizations and public sector necessary to address the significant inequities in the accessibility and distribution of community resources in the City of Columbus’ most distressed neighborhoods, which have been left critically under-resourced caused by the COVID-19 public health emergency; and
WHEREAS, Besa Community, Inc. has expanded nonprofit partnerships in many of Columbus’ lowest-income neighborhoods; and
WHEREAS, with this support, Besa Community, Inc. anticipates managing approximately 20 Community Recovery/Basic Needs projects per month; 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 subrecipient grant agreement with Besa Community, Inc. to avoid any delay in providing critical resources to sustain the Community Recovery and Neighborhood Initiative in order to preserve the public health, 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 is hereby authorized to enter into a subrecipient grant agreement with Besa Community, Inc. in support of the Community Recovery and Neighborhood Initiative.
SECTION 2. That the expenditure of up to $250,000.00 or so much thereof that may be necessary in regard to the action authorized in Sections 1, be and is hereby authorized and approved from the Recovery Fund 2209 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 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 passage and approval by the Mayor or ten days after passage if the Mayor neither approves nor vetoes the same.