Title
Consideration of a grant in the amount of $86,518 for COMCARE'S Safety Net Program.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Approve the application for the grant, and authorize the Chairman to sign all necessary documents, including the grant award, and authorize the establishment of budget authority as provided in the Financial Considerations section of this Request. Per County Resolution 64-2013, this will be submitted to the County Manager for final approval.
Body
Grant Renewal: No
Never Applied: Yes
Applied; not awarded: No
Grant Bacgkround:
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has issued a Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for the 2013 Continuum of Care Homeless Assistance Program. This NOFA makes funds available for Homeless Assistance Grants which include transitional housing, supportive services for homeless persons, and permanent supportive housing. The community application will be submitted to HUD through the United Way of the Plains by February 3rd, 2014.
One component of the community application has been United Methodist Open Door's (UMOD) Safety Net program, which provides permanent housing for 11 chronically homeless individuals who have a mental illness and/or substance use disorder. Because of changes this year in HUD regulations, UMOD can no longer operate the Safety Net program. In order to avoid losing this funding and beds for the community, COMCARE has been collaborating with UMOD to take over operations for this program. The Grant Agreement Amendment officially transfers the ownership of this program to COMCARE of Sedgwick County.
The project's goal is to effectively address the complex needs of the chronically homeless by offering integrated treatment services to improve housing stability and increase access to mainstream resources. The apartments will be leased by COMCARE from community landlords at scattered sites. Because it is considered permanent housing, residents may stay in the program as long as necessary to effectively address their mental health and/or substance use disorders so that they can maintain long-term recovery. Participants will be supported by .40 FTE of a case manager.
COMCARE is requesting $86,518 from HUD through the community application to operate the Safety Net program in Sedgwick County. The majority of these dollars will be used for rental assistance, with a small amount set aside for administration and a portion of the salary of one case manager. This will not be a new position, but will be administered by an existing staff person at COMCARE's Homeless Program.
Summary:
This item includes two documents for approval related to the Safety Net program.
1- First is the Grant Agreement Amendment. This amendment amends the agreement between UMOD and HUD transferring ownership to COMCARE.
2- Second is the Safety Net application to HUD for the next grant year, beginning May 1, 2014.
Financial Considerations (Grant Transfer Amendment):
Grant period starts: 01/01/14
Grant period ends: 04/30/14
Source of funding
Grant: $22,404 (Amount expected to be expended between 01/01/14 and 04/30/14)
Required Match: $0
Required Cash Match: $1,444
Required In-Kind Match: $0
Other funding:$0
TOTAL SOURCES: $23,848
Uses of funding
Operational costs: $23,848
Personnel: $6,556
Contractual services: $17,292
Operational supplies: $0
Equipment:$0
Indirect administrative costs:$0
Capital projects cost:$0
TOTAL USES: $23,848
Source of matching funds: Unencumbered cash
Source of other funding: N/A
Financial Considerations (Grant Application):
Grant period starts: 05/01/14
Grant period ends: 04/30/15
Source of funding
Grant: $86,518
Required Match: $0
Required Cash Match: $4,328
Required In-Kind Match: $0
Other funding:$0
TOTAL SOURCES: $90,846
Uses of funding
Operational costs: $0
Personnel: $20,146
Contractual services: $69,206
Operational supplies: $0
Equipment:$0
Indirect administrative costs:$1,494
Capital projects cost:$0
TOTAL USES: $90,846
Source of matching funds: Unencumbered cash
Source of other funding: N/A
Budget Authority Adjustment: Authorize the necessary budget authority adjustment as described in the Financial Considerations section to be managed through a new cost center.
Personnel considerations: No new staff will be added with this grant. Exisiting staff at COMCARE's Homeless Program will provide the .40 FTE case management services associated with the project.
Expected measurable outcomes: Research has shown that people who are dually diagnosed (with a mental illness and substance use disorder) have the most difficulty maintaining housing accessing services. It is expected that by participating in this program, individuals who had been previously considered chronically homeless will improve their self-sufficiency by increasing their income, through competitive employment or accessing appropriate benefits, and maintaining their housing so that they can focus on long-term recovery.
Alternatives: Should the grant application not be approved, the community would lose this housing resource for homeless clients. Currently there is no other funding source for this lease subsidy, and as many clients served are indigent, they would more than likely not be able to access housing and/or treatment services without this program. The community would lose these 11 beds to house the homeless.
Policy considerations: All Sedgwick County policies were followed in the development of this grant application.
Legal considerations: The authority for this action is K.S.A. 19-101 and Resolution 64-2013.