Fiscal Note
The proposed resolution approves providing up to $427,000 of Community Development Block Grant-CV (CDBG-CV) funds to Porchlight for the agency's continued operation of the First Street temporary men's shelter through the end of 2021. Porchlight recently participated in a local Dane County Continuum of Care (CoC) funding process, through which it requested supplemental funds for shelter operations and was ultimately awarded, $162,000 leaving a significant gap in financing to operate the shelter through 2021. Funding for the proposed $427,000 disbursement is included in the community development grants fund in CDD’s 2021 adopted operating budget. No additional City appropriation is required for the proposed resolution.
Title
Authorizing an allocation of up to $427,000 in federal Community Development Block Grant-CV (CDBG-CV) funds, authorized via the CARES Act, to Porchlight, Inc. to support the agency's operations at the First Street temporary men's homeless shelter through the end of 2021; and authorizing the Mayor and City Clerk to execute an agreement with the agency for this purpose.
Body
BACKGROUND
For the past 35 years, the Madison/Dane County community has relied on the generous support of downtown churches for space to accommodate homeless men overnight. The COVID-19 pandemic created the need for safer space for men facing housing insecurity. The most vulnerable shelter users were relocated to hotels, and the City established alternative temporary shelter space, first at Warner Park Community Recreation Center and subsequently at the former Fleet Service building at First Street.
The unprecedented circumstances brought about by the pandemic forced Porchlight, the agency that has operated local men's shelter sites for the last 35 years, to alter its service structure to limit the exposure and ensure the safety of shelter guests and staff within a congregate setting. Those changes included, for example, developing screening protocols at ...
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