5-A
TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
ATTENTION: Jeffrey L. Stewart, City Manager
FROM: Jim DellaLonga, Director of Economic Development
SUBJECT: Consideration and possible action to provide direction to the City Manager regarding a spending plan and implementation plan for Community Development Block Grant Coronavirus Relief funds (CDBG-CV) for Youth/Family/Senior Services.
DATE: January 20, 2022
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
At the June 28, 2021, Regular City Council meeting, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 21-42 to approve the FY 2020-2021 Annual Action Plan Substantial Amendment and adjust the FY 2021-2022 Operating Budget to re-allocate $825,784 of available CDBG-CV funds remaining from the Emergency Resident Assistance Program . Of the re-allocated CDBG-CV funds, $150,000 was designated to fund various community services to assist Bellflower youth, families, and/or senior citizens who were negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Staff sent a Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) to six local, nonprofit providers of community services and received four applications for funding by the NOFA deadline.
Staff evaluated the submitted applications and determined that three of the four applications were for proposed activities that would adhere to CDBG-CV rules and administrative requirements.
Due to a concern that the limited number of submitted proposals may be too narrowly focused, staff is seeking direction from City Council as to how to expend the available $150,000 in CDBG-CV funding to deliver community services.
RECOMMENDATION TO CITY COUNCIL
1) Authorize the City Manager to enter into CDBG-CV subrecipient agreements with the three responsive community service providers, in forms approved by the City Attorney; or
2) Extend the NOFA application period for another three weeks to solicit proposals from additional local and/or regional nonprofit providers of community services; or
3) Alternatively, discuss and take other action related to this item.
Staff Report – CDBG-CV3 Community Services NOFA
January 20, 2022
FISCAL IMPACT
CDBG-CV funds in the amount of $150,000 were allocated to fund community services for Bellflower youth, families, and/or senior citizens as part of the FY 2020-2021 Annual Action Plan Substantial Amendment.
DISCUSSION
At the May 24, 2021, City Council meeting, staff notified the City Council that there would be $825,784 in CDBG-CV funds remaining after the completion of the Emergency Resident Assistance program. The City received these CDBG-CV funds from HUD through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act for local governments to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus.
The City Council formed an Ad Hoc Committee to explore different programs and community needs. The Ad Hoc Committee met and recommended specific programs and actual amounts for activities that are needed in the community to respond to the coronavirus pandemic. The recommended programs and activities included assistance for small business start-ups, food insecurity, youth/family/senior services, emergency rental assistance, and business grants.
To facilitate the use of the CDBG-CV funds, HUD requires the City to prepare a Substantial Amendment to the current Annual Action Plan before the City may re-program CDBG-CV funds. The Substantial Amendment establishes the specific activities and programs to be undertaken using CDBG-CV funds. Staff prepared a Draft Substantial Amendment to the Fiscal Year 2020-2021 Annual Action Plan for the City Council’s consideration, which incorporated the Ad Hoc Committee’s recommended programs and funding.
At the June 28, 2021, Regular City Council Meeting, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 21-42 to approve the FY 2020-2021 Annual Action Plan Substantial Amendment and adjust the FY 2021-2022 Operating Budget to re-allocate the $825,784 in available CDBG-CV funds. The Substantial Amendment included $150,000 for community services to assist Bellflower youth, families, and/or senior citizens who have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
On September 16, 2021, staff sent a Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) to six local, nonprofit providers of community services that were based in Bellflower and/or serviced Bellflower residents. The six local, nonprofit providers were Community Family Guidance Center, Human Services Association, Kingdom Causes Bellflower, Los Cerritos YMCA , Niños Latinos Unidos, and Olive Crest. Staff received funding proposals from four nonprofits by the NOFA deadline of October 7, 2021: Community Family Guidance Center, Human Services Association, Kingdom Causes Bellflower, and Los Cerritos YMCA.
Staff Report – CDBG-CV3 Community Services NOFA
January 20, 2022
DISCUSSION – Continued
Staff evaluated the submitted proposals and determined that three of the four proposals submitted were for activities that would be eligible for CDBG-CV funding. Kingdom Causes Bellflower’s proposed activities were determined to be incompatible with CDBG-CV rules and administrative requirements. The three eligible proposals for community services and their respective funding requests were from Community Family Guidance Center ($50,000), Human Services Association ($50,000), and Los Cerritos YMCA ($44,800). The three eligible proposals combined represent a total of $144,800 in requested funds.
Should City Council authorize the City Manager to enter into CDBG-CV subrecipient agreements with the three providers described above, staff recommends the remaining $5,200 in available CDBG-CV funds be distributed evenly among the three grantees as long as each grantee can demonstrate use of the additional funds would adhere to CDBG- CV rules and requirements.