Explanation
BACKGROUND: This legislation authorizes the Director of the Department of Development to enter into two housing counseling not-for-profit service contracts with Homes on the Hill Community Development Corporation (Homes on the Hill CDC) and The Columbus Urban League for a combined total of $145,000.00 and to authorize payment of expenses starting January 1, 2025.
Homes on the Hill CDC and The Columbus Urban League are non-profit organizations that provides U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) certified housing counseling services, including but is not limited to, pre-purchase/post-purchase home buyer education, tenant counseling, troubled homeowner counseling, financial literacy, and foreclosure counseling.
Homes on the Hill CDC and Columbus Urban League provide HUD certified services to Columbus area individuals, families, or groups who are tenants, homeowners, homeless, or homebuyers in need of such services.
Homes on the Hill and Columbus Urban League have a long and successful track record of providing comprehensive housing counseling services to the community. For the City’s Down Payment Assistance Program and Homeownership Development Programs, pre-purchase education is required. Housing Counseling also assists financially distressed household which reduces the number of foreclosures and evictions.
These services included in this not-for-profit service contract cannot be provided by existing city employees as they are beyond the City’s current staffing capacity to provide.
The Department of Development advertised a Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA)/Request for Proposal (RFP) from October 18, 2024, through November 27, 2024, on the City’s Vendor Services and Bonfire websites. The City received two (2) proposals. The proposals were evaluated and scored in accordance with the relevant provisions of Chapter 329 of the Columbus City Codes. The Director of Development desires to enter into two (2) not-for-profit servi...
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