Fiscal Note
The proposed resolution authorizes the City, on behalf of the Dane County Continuum of Care (CoC), to accept up to $664,228 in EHH grant award funding from the State of Wisconsin Department of Administration. The resolution further amends the Community Development Division's 2024 Adopted Operating Budget to reflect the actual award:
Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG): -$1,228 (Munis account 62112101-42210-83024)
Homeless Prevention Program (HPP): -$2,378 (Munis account 62112101-42210-83124)
Housing Assistance Program (HAP): $50,000 (Munis account 62112101-42210-83224)
The aggregate increase to the revenues and commensurate expenditures is $46,394.
The proposed resolution further authorizes the execution of contracts with ten (10) community agencies to provide the specified services to those experiencing homelessness and to those at risk of becoming homeless.
Title
Authorizing the City of Madison, on behalf of the Dane County Continuum of Care (CoC), to accept an aggregate EHH grant award of up to $664,228 from the State of Wisconsin Department of Administration; authorizing the Mayor and City Clerk to execute agreements with specific Dane County CoC agencies selected by the CoC Board of Directors to receive the EHH funds; and amending the Community Development Division's 2024 Adopted Operating Budget to reflect receipt of the funds (citywide).
Body
BACKGROUND
The City of Madison works closely with Dane County Continuum of Care (CoC) member agencies that serve people experiencing homelessness and those at risk of becoming homeless, and provides leadership and administrative support to the group. This collaborative work includes the City's administration of the State of Wisconsin EHH grant (EHH) on behalf of the Dane County CoC.
EHH funds combine the HUD Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG), the State of Wisconsin Homeless Prevention Program (HPP), and the Housing Assistance Program (HAP). These funds are used to support a range of homeless services activities, including emergency shelter services, street outreach initiatives, homeless prevention efforts, rapid re-housing programs, other housing programs, and administration.
Annually, the State Department of Administration's Division of Energy, Housing, and Community Resources ("the State") distributes available funds across four Wisconsin Continua of Care (CoC) serving Dane, Milwaukee, Racine, and the Balance of State regions. The allocation among these CoCs is determined through a comprehensive formula, taking into account various factors such as Point in Time survey counts and system performance. Within the Dane County CoC, the allocation and utilization of the funds are determined by the CoC Board of Directors through an open and competitive process.
For the 2024-2025 grant cycle, the State has allocated $664,228 in EHH funds to the Dane County CoC. The local allocation was determined through a competitive RFP held by the Dane County CoC in 2022. For the 2024-25 EHH grant funding, the program funding amount was determined through proration based on the changes in the State's allocation amount. This allocation plan was approved by the Dane County CoC Board of Directors on June 5, 2024. Following the approval from the Common Council, the City will proceed to establish contracts with the nonprofit agencies listed below. There will be a new local competition in 2025 to allocate funds for the following two years.
2024-2025 EHH funds ($315,071 ESG + $149,157 HPP + $200,000 HAP = $664,228)
(for use during the period from October 1, 2024 through September 30, 2025)
• Briarpatch Youth Services - Up to $12,368 (ESG) for street outreach services targeting youth experiencing homelessness; and up to $46,789 (HPP) for homelessness prevention rent assistance projects for youth.
• Catalyst for Change - Up to $6,761 (ESG) for street outreach services for people experiencing unsheltered homelessness.
• Focus Counseling - Up to $180,558 (HAP) for Rapid Rehousing housing payments and services for individuals.
• Legal Action of Wisconsin - Up to $29,063 (ESG) for homelessness prevention legal services.
• MACH OneHealth, d.b.a. Madison Street Medicine - Up to $6,183 (ESG) for street outreach and service coordination for people experiencing unsheltered homelessness.
• Porchlight, Inc. - Up to $6,183 (ESG) for case management services for guests at the Men's Drop-In Shelter.
• The Salvation Army Dane County - Up to $18,551 (ESG) for case management services at the Family Shelter; up to $18,551 (ESG) for case management services at the Single Women’s Shelter; up to $137,538 ($118,096 ESG and $19,442 HAP) for Rapid Rehousing housing payments and services for households with children and households without children; and up to $6,183 (ESG) for medical motel vouchers for persons who, because of medical needs, cannot be accommodated in traditional shelter settings.
• Tenant Resource Center - Up to $24,735 (HPP) for housing mediation services; and up to $92,758 ($15,125 ESG and $77,633 HPP) for homelessness prevention rental assistance and housing relocation and stabilization services.
• Urban Triage - Up to $43,286 (ESG) for street outreach services for people experiencing unsheltered homelessness.
• YWCA Madison - Up to $25,269 (ESG) for Family Shelter.
• The City's Community Development Division will administer the above contracts and will retain up to $9,452 of the ESG funds for administration costs associated with contract management.
ACTION
WHEREAS, the Common Council has adopted the 2020-2024 City of Madison Consolidated Plan, which identifies homelessness as a critical issue within the community and outlines a set of strategies and priorities to address those problems using community-based groups; and,
WHEREAS, City Community Development Division staff has worked collaboratively with the Dane County CoC to assess community needs and develop a list of projects for submission to the State for EHH funds on behalf of the CoC; and,
WHEREAS, the Dane County CoC Board of Directors, which is charged with determining the content of the CoC's EHH application, approved the slate of projects listed above at its June 5, 2024 meeting;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Common Council authorizes the Mayor and City Clerk to execute a grant agreement with the State of Wisconsin to formally accept the EHH awards described above; and,
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Common Council authorizes the Mayor and City Clerk to enter into Purchase of Services (PoS) contracts with the specific nonprofit agencies identified herein to provide the specified services for people experiencing homelessness and those at risk of becoming homeless; and,
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that the Common Council amends the 2024 Adopted Operating Budget of the Community Development Division to reflect the differences between the State grant revenue and commensurate expenditures described in this resolution and those originally adopted in the Operating Budget for these funding sources.