Item Description:
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JPA A2311995 with the City of Minneapolis for $250,000 of federal ARPA funding and $320,000 of HUD ESG funding for winter shelters and drop-in centers, 11/01/23-12/31/24
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Resolution:
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BE IT RESOLVED, that Agreement A2311995, a Joint Powers Agreement, with the City of Minneapolis accepting a sub grant of $250,000 from the Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery Fund available under section 603 of the Social Security Act, as added by section 9901 of the American Rescue Plan Act (“Federal Pandemic Funds”), and a sub grant $320,000 of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Emergency Solutions Grant (“ESG”), in the total receivable amount of $570,000 to support the operation and staffing of winter seasonal shelters and drop-in centers by competitively selected service providers, for the term of November 1, 2023 through December 31, 2024, be approved; that the Chair of the Board be authorized to sign the agreement on behalf of the county; and that the Controller be authorized to disburse funds as directed; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a supplemental appropriation of $200,000 to the 2023 Human Services and Public Health budget be approved; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that sponsorship and acceptance of grant funding for this program by the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners does not imply a continuing funding commitment by Hennepin County for these programs if these grant funds are not made available or when grant funds are no longer available.
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Background:
Hennepin County and the City of Minneapolis jointly work together to make homelessness rare, brief and nonrecurring. Hennepin County acts as the lead entity in setting strategy and providing services, while the City supports the effort by working to build permanent supportive housing, supporting shelter capital improvements, and directing federal funds that it receives for responding to homelessness, in consultation with Hennepin County and community partners. The City and County, together with state, nonprofit and philanthropic partners, have fundamentally reshaped the homelessness response system since the start of March 2020. These requests will serve to streamline homelessness response activities to enable the County to oversee funds and services that are best match for the County’s expertise and where it is best situated to do so.
This Board Action Request supports this strategy by allowing for the transfer of $570,000 in City funding to Hennepin County staff to manage. Hennepin County is contributing $858,569 in federal ARPA, in combination with City funding to support projects selected through the Winter Warming Centers Request for Proposals (RFP) posted by Hennepin County in June 2023. The RFP aimed to identify providers who, with one-time funding, could provide additional nighttime and daytime warming centers to be operated during the 2023-2024 winter season, which was defined as approximately November 15, 2023, through April 15, 2024. An evaluation panel, including people with lived experience, community providers, and City and County staff, selected four providers to offer these services: 2 daytime warming centers and 2 nighttime warming centers.
Current Request:
This action is to approve the A2311995 Joint Powers Agreement with Minneapolis and accept sub grants of federal ARPA and ESG funding totaling $570,000. This funding will support 2023-24 winter seasonal shelters and drop-in centers in Hennepin County.
Impact/Outcome:
These actions will better coordinate resources and services for people experiencing homelessness, resulting in safer conditions, improved access to the homelessness response system and better housing outcomes.
Disparity Reduction:
This request reduces disparities in the housing domain by providing assistance and services for people experiencing homelessness. Most often these are people who are members of groups disparately impacted by homelessness and housing instability.
recommendation
Recommendation from County Administrator: Recommend Approval