Title
Public Hearing - Program Year 2021 Community Development Block Grant Annual Action Plan Substantial Amendment
Recommended Action
Committee Recommendation:
Not referred to a committee.
City Manager Recommendation:
Hold a public hearing for a proposal to amend the Program Year (PY21) Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Annual Action Plan to reallocate existing CDBG-CV (Covid) Funds to a new Public Service activity.
Report
Issue:
Whether to hold a public hearing t a public hearing for a proposal to amend the Program Year (PY21) Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Annual Action Plan to reallocate existing CDBG-CV (Covid) Funds to a new Public Service activity.
Staff Contact:
Anastasia Everett, CDBG Program Specialist, 360.233.6197
Presenter(s):
Anastasia Everett, CDBG Program Specialist
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. Hold a Public Hearing.
2. Hold a Public Hearing at a later meeting date.
3. Do not hold a Public Hearing and provide City staff with feedback on the proposed allocations
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