Fiscal Note
Resolution #37731 authorized the City to accept ETH funds in the amount of $471,453 from the Wisconsin Division of Administration, Division of Housing on behalf of Homeless Services Consortium (HSC) agencies. An award letter dated 5/8/2015 indicated an award of $468,153. The award will provide funding for programs serving homeless and at-risk individuals and families as well as associated grant administration costs. It provides $6,344 in administrative funds to the City to contract with local nonprofits, monitor activities, disburse funds, and report to the State. Up to $500,000 in ETH grant revenues and commensurate expenditures were authorized and approved as part of the Community Development Division’s 2015 Adopted Operating Budget.
Title
Authorize Mayor and City Clerk to sign contracts with specific Homeless Services Consortium agencies for services funded with proceeds from the 2015-16 ETH (Emergency Shelter Grant Program Transitional Housing Program & Homelessness Prevention Program) Award from the Wisconsin Department of Administration, Division of Housing.
Body
The city of Madison worked closely with a group of community-based nonprofit agencies that provide services and housing to homeless persons and those at risk of becoming homeless. This cooperation involved City sponsorship and administration of an annual application to the State of Wisconsin for federal and State funds for various projects.
The Division of Housing determines awards based on a formula using data from monthly homeless census as well as poverty, unemployment and population data. The total HSC award of $468,153 will allow the City’s Community Development Division to enter into contracts with participating nonprofits for services provided from July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2016.
The award will fund five initiatives: 1) homeless prevention, 2) street outreach, 3) rapid re-housing, 4) emergency shelter, and 5) transitional housing programs. A minimum of 30% of the grant must be spent on rapid re-housing activities in Dane County. Rapid re-housing activities are those that move homeless persons from the street or emergency shelter into permanent housing in as short a time possible thereby minimizing their time homeless.
The Division of Housing requires that each applicant select one agency to receive all financial assistance to prevent homelessness. The Community Development Division recommends that the City continues its relationship with Community Action Coalition of South Central Wisconsin as the lead agency for providing financial assistance and housing stabilization services to homeless persons and those at-risk.
A small portion of these funds is designated to partially fund HMIS (Homeless Management Information Services) activities. The City and Dane County agencies participate in entering client-level data into Wisconsin ServicePoint (WISP) which is administered through contracts between each of the state’s CoCs and the Institute for Community Alliances (ICA). ICA is a non-profit that serves as the lead HMIS administrator for CoC’s in Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin. An email was sent on 2/26 with a reminder on 3/23 to the HSC distribution list announcing the availability of funds with attachments outlining priorities and regulations related to applying for ETH funds. Two planning meetings were being held 3/24 and 3/30 for the purpose of determining which proposals for activities will be included in the application. The decision as to which proposals comprise the City’s application is determined by the planning group by census. For 2015-2016, the Division of Housing required an expedited submission date for proposals.
Resolution # 37731 noted that a full list would be available to the Common Council at a later date. These agencies, attached to this resolution, include: Briarpatch Youth Services, Inc.; CareNet, Inc.; Community Action Coalition for South Central Wisconsin, Inc.; Dane County Parent Council, Inc.; Employment and Training Association, Inc.; Institute for Community Alliances; Legal Action of Wisconsin, Inc. Porchlight, Inc.; The Road Home Dane County, Inc.; The Salvation Army of Dane County; Stoughton United Ministries, Tenant Resource Center, Inc.;and YWCA of Madison, 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 represented in these activities; and
WHEREAS, the Community Development Division worked collaboratively with interested Homeless Services Consortium agencies to analyze current unmet needs and jointly develop a list of projects for submission to the State for ETH funds; and
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Common Council accept the projects listed below as part of the City’s application for ETH funding with the State Department of Administration, Division of Housing; and authorize the Mayor and City Clerk to execute agreements with the specified nonprofit agencies to provide housing and services for homeless persons as follows:
Briarpatch Youth Services, Inc. - $22,000 Youth Street Team provides outreach workers to engage 100 unsheltered homeless youth under age 18 and young adults; and $23,100 Transitional Living Program for Youth Adults in Co--op Housing which combines Briarpatch’s efforts with Madison Community Cooperative to provide housing for 12 homeless youth between 18-21 years of age.
Community Action Coalition for South Central WI, Inc. - $131,209 for the Rentable Program which provides financial assistance and housing stabilization services to 161 households who are: 1) at-risk of homelessness in the form of rent in arrears and/or rent subsidies or 2) homeless persons in the form of a security deposit and/or rent subsidy; a portion of these funds are being set-aside for use by The Road Home and Tenant Resource Center to provide financial assistance to move homeless clients into housing; in return the agencies will provide support services to encourage housing stability.
CareNet, Inc. - $10,000 for Support Services to house and provide support services to 8 homeless pregnant women between the ages of 18-26.
Dane County Parent Council, Inc. - $13,500 for Support Services offered to 75 young homeless mothers and children enrolled in the Early Head Start program.
Employment and Training Association, Inc. - $20,000 Employment Coordination to work with 30 homeless participants connecting them to employers and providing job coaching.
Institute for Community Alliances, Inc. - $3,900 for HMIS lead agency services including Wisconsin ServicePoint (WISP) training and support.
Legal Action of WI, Inc. - $20,000 for Legal Services to prevent evictions as possible for 32 at risk households.
Porchlight, Inc. - $23,300 for the STABLE Program to pay for staff and operations to serve 12 homeless single women with substance abuse issues and $25,000 for Outreach Services serving 60 homeless single men identified through the men’s Drop-In Shelter.
The Road Home Dane County, Inc. - $16,800 Shelter Case Management to serve 22 homeless families using the IHN Shelter Program or on the waitlist.
The Salvation Army Dane County - $16,800 Shelter Case Management for 50 homeless families on the shelter waitlist; $18,800 Shelter Case Management for 100 homeless single women who use the Single Women’s Shelter; and $8,100 Medical Vouchers which provides motel vouchers for 25 homeless persons with medical needs that cannot be accommodated in traditional shelter.
Stoughton United Ministries - $12,400 Pathways to Self Sufficiency provides rapid re-housing and case management to 5 homeless households.
Tenant Resource Center, Inc. - $10,100 for Housing Mediation supporting 140 tenant households through mediation at Small Claims Eviction Court and $20,000 for Outreach to Chronically Homeless Persons serving 10 long-time homeless single adults by providing supportive services.
YWCA of Madison, Inc. - $16,800 Family Shelter Case Management to serve 60 families who reside in emergency shelter; and $50,000 Rapid Re-housing Program to move 12 homeless families from shelter to permanent housing as quickly as possible to minimize the length of homelessness.