Explanation
BACKGROUND: This legislation authorizes the Director of the Department of Development to enter into Beneficiary Agreements with numerous social service agencies using federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to support and increase the organizational capacity of non-profit organizations that experienced revenue losses such as cancelled fundraising events, decreases in donor support, and increased expenditures such as PPE, virtual meeting licenses, and related hardware caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. See attached Exhibit A for the list of 45 social service agencies included in this ordinance. The total amount to be awarded to these agencies is $4,600,000.00.
Ordinance 1201-2021 authorized the City of Columbus to accept and appropriate approximately $187,030,138.00 of federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds as signed into law by the President of the United States on March 11, 2021.
The Notice of Financial Award (NOFA) was advertised from April 22, 2022, through May 13, 2022, on the City’s Website (Dept. of Development webpage), the Human Service Chamber of Franklin County’s website, and by press release. The City received 86 proposals for $9,875,000 in requests. Forty-eight community agencies were recommended for the $5,000,000.00 in available funding. Forty-five community agencies are listed in this ordinance with funding for three agencies included in two other ordinances (Ordinances xxxx-2022 and xxxx-2022). Pending future funding availability and City Council approval, these Beneficiary Agreement agreements may be renewed for two additional years.
The City of Columbus continues to see increases in the number of residents who lack access to affordable housing. Advocates report that anywhere between 300-600 people are living unsheltered in Columbus every day; the majority desire safe and affordable housing. Additionally, infant mortality rates in Columbus and Franklin County remain alarmingly high for black babies. Immigrants and ...
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