Fiscal Note
Cost of the projects and a portion of the program administration will be covered by the grant and administered through a segregated fund. The amount of funding available to the City for administration is $16,834.
Title
Authorizing the CD Division to submit an application to the state Division of Housing for Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG), Transitional Housing Program (THP) and Homeless Prevention Program (HPP) funds on behalf of specific agencies providing housing and services to homeless persons.
Body
Background: The city of Madison has worked closely with a group of community-based non-profit agencies that provide services and housing to homeless persons and those at risk of becoming homeless. This cooperation involves City sponsorship and administration of an annual application to the State of Wisconsin for federal and state funds for various projects.
This year the Division of Housing made awards based on a formula using data from monthly homeless census counts, poverty data, unemployment data, and population data. Dane County was awarded $478,759
The application is comprised of four initiatives: 1) homelessness prevention; 2) street outreach, 3) rapid re-housing; and 4) emergency shelter. The Division of Housing states that a minimum of $237,507 must be spent in Dane County on prevention activities. The CDD proposes that the City continues its relationship with Community Action Coalition of South Central Wisconsin (CAC) as the lead agency for providing financial assistance and housing stabilization services to persons at risk of homelessness. A requirement in the City's contract with CAC is that a portion of the grant funds are set aside for use by a consortium of homeless services agencies to refer eligible applicants for assistance.
There are 13 projects in the City's application that will serve homeless and at-risk populations by offering a specialized approach or set of services to strengthen the continuum of care for homeless persons in the community. These agencies include: Community Action Coalition for South Central Wisconsin, Inc.; Dane County Parent Council, Inc.; Legal Action of Wisconsin, Inc.; Porchlight, Inc.; The Road Home Dane County, Inc.; The Salvation Army of Dane County; Stoughton United Ministries; Tellurian UCAN, Inc.; Tenant Resource Center, Inc.; United Way of Dane County; YWCA of Madison, Inc.; and Youth Services of Southern Wisconsin, Inc.
Action:
Whereas, the Common Council has adopted a five-year Community and Neighborhood Development 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, the Common Council has accepted the Community Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness in Dane County which includes goals and objectives representatives of these activities: and
Whereas, the CD Division staff have worked collaboratively with interested Homeless Services consortium agencies and jointly developed a prioritized list of projects for submission to the State for funding:
Now, therefore, be it resolved that the Common Council accept the following projects as part of the City's application for funding with the State and authorize the mayor to sign the application; accept Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) and Homeless Prevention Program (HPP) funds when awarded from the WI Department of Administration and authorize the Mayor and City Clerk to execute agreements with the state and specific non-profit agencies providing housing and services for homeless persons as set forth below.
Community Action Coalition for South Central WI - Rentable Program; $222,166 for financial assistance to help prevent homelessness through payment of back rent for those facing eviction and security deposits to move persons from homelessness to housing and for case management staff to assist households obtain and maintain stable housing.
Dane County Parent Council - Hope House Services; $20,000 for case management and resident manager to assist young women with children enrolled in HeadStart to obtain and maintain stable housing.
Legal Action of WI - Eviction Prevention; $10,000 for legal services to prevent evictions that lead to homelessness.
Porchlight - STABLE Program; $24,217 for staff and operating expenses for the STABLE Program which provides supportive housing for homeless single adults with substance abuse issues.
Porchlight - Outreach Program; $25,000 for emergency mental health and AODA services for homeless individuals identified through Porchlight's outreach program.
The Road Home Dane County - Shelter Case Management; $20,000 for case management services for homeless families with children who are sheltered at the IHN shelter system.
The Salvation Army of Dane County - Medical Vouchers; $10,500 for motel vouchers for homeless families with children and single adults with medical issues who are not physically able to use conventional emergency shelter.
Stoughton United Ministries - Pathways to Self-Sufficiency; $20,000 for partnership with Stoughton Area Resource Team and Shalom Holistic Health Services to provide case management for households at risk of homelessness.
Tellurian - Employment and Benefits Coordinator; $18,000 for staff costs to provide assistance to homeless single adults residing at the Transitional Housing Program to find and maintain employment or apply for mainstream benefits.
Tenant Resource Center - Housing Mediation Program; $15,000 for costs associated with operating the housing mediation program to assist tenants involved in small claim eviction court.
United Way of Dane County - Rapid Re-Housing Program; $25,000 as lead agency for partnership with YWCA of Madison/The Salvation Army/ The Road Home to provide supportive services and rent subsidies for homeless families with children to help them obtain and maintain stable housing.
Youth Services of Southern Wisconsin - Case Management; $25,000 for case management services for homeless unaccompanied youth.
YWCA of Madison - Second Chance Tenant Workshop Case Management;$25,000 for support services for persons who graduate from the tenant workshops in helping them find and maintain stable housing.