Title
Approval of a Substantial Amendment to Program Year 2021 Community Development Block Grant Annual Action Plan
Recommended Action
Committee Recommendation:
Not referred to a committee.
City Manager Recommendation:
Move to approve the proposed amendment to the Program Year (PY) 2021 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Annual Action Plan to reallocate existing CDBG CV funds to the new proposed public service activity, expansion of the Familiar Faces Program.
Report
Issue:
Whether to approve the proposed substantial amendment which reallocates CDBG funds to a new activity.
Staff Contact:
Anastasia Everett, CDBG Program Specialist, 360.280.6197
Presenter(s):
None - Consent Calendar Item.
Background and Analysis:
The CDBG Public Service Activity "Evening Downtown Ambassadors" originally received an award of $100,000 of CDBG-CV funds. The pilot program ended in April of 2022 before the award was fully spent. The $14,916.91 of unspent funds are being proposed to be allocated to the City's Familiar Faces Program. An additional $6,685.36 of unallocated CDBG-CV funds are also being proposed to fund the activity, for a total of $21,602.27.
The funds would provide for a temporary expansion of the Familiar Faces Program. One temporary peer specialist position would be created, and the position would serve low-income individuals who are street dependent or experiencing homelessness in downtown Olympia. The funds expand the ability of the City to provide a compassionate and effective trauma-informed response to needs and impacts related to homelessness and street dependency in downtown, an important part of recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. The project is designed to test the concept of expanding the Familiar Faces program to provide a dedicated resource for non-threatening but more time-consuming individuals in the downtown core.
Amendments to the CDBG Annual Action Plan normally require at least a 30-day process. The public comment period will begin on July 18 and end on August 19 at 12:00pm. The amendment will be brought to Council for consent approval on August 23.
Neighborhood/Community Interests (if known):
CDBG funds can be spent to meet the needs of low to moderate income individuals throughout the community.
Options:
1. Move to approve the proposed Substantial Amendment to the PY 2021 Annual Action Plan.
2. Provide staff with feedback and provide alternative direction.
3. Take other action.
Financial Impact:
$21,602.27 of CDBG-CV funds are proposed to fund the Familiar Faces program. Upon successful allocation and spenddown of these funds, all the City’s CDBG-CV award will be fully allocated, which helps us meet our timeliness goal of 80% spenddown by 2023.
Attachments:
Draft PY21 Substantial Amendment