ORIGINATING DEPARTMENT
To Committee(s)
| # | Committee Name | Meeting Date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business, Inspections, Housing & Zoning Committee | Feb 16, 2021 |
Action Item(s)
| # | File Type | Subcategory | Item Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Action | Grant | Approving up to $773,838 in Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) grant funds to Aliveness for its rapid rehousing program. |
| 2 | Action | Grant | Approving up to $123,686 in Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) grant funds to HousingLink for its rapid rehousing program. |
| 3 | Action | Grant | Approving up to $1,105,355 in Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) grant funds to Vail Place for its rapid rehousing program. |
| 4 | Action | Grant | Approving up to $402,687 in Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) grant funds to Youth Link for its rapid rehousing program. |
| 5 | Action | Contract/Agreement | Authorizing a Joint Powers Agreement with Hennepin County to administer Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG-CV) Rapid Rehousing Funds. |
Previous Actions
Ward / Neighborhood / Address
| # | Ward | Neighborhood | Address |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | All Wards |
Background Analysis
Under the federal 2020 Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, the federal government, through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awarded the City of Minneapolis multi-million dollar Emergency Solutions Grant funding to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus among individuals and families who are homeless or receiving homeless assistance, and to support additional homeless assistance and homelessness prevention activities to mitigate the impacts created by coronavirus.
In April 2020, the City of Minneapolis received notice of supplemental funding of $3,349,493 in CARES Act Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG-CV) funds ("CARES Act ESG Round 1"). The City's 2020 Consolidated Plan Action Plan was amended in June to account for this additional funding, and the Grant was approved by Council on July 17, 2020. In June 2020, the City was notified of an additional $9.69 million in CARES Act ESG-CV funds ("CARES Act ESG Round 2"). The City's 2020 Consolidated Plan Action Plan was further amended to account for this additional funding and the Grant was approved by Council on August 3, 2020.
On July 10, 2020, the City and County issued a joint ESG-CV RFP to facilitate strategic allocation of a portion of these resources, along with ESG funding received by the County. Responses to that RFP were due July 24, 2020. Proposals were evaluated by a review panel comprised of representatives from the City of Minneapolis, Hennepin County, community members with lived experience in homelessness, and subject matter experts selected by the City and the County.
Staff issued a second RFP on October 22, 2021 seeking proposals specifically for Rapid Rehousing, which is an eligible use of ESG funds. Awardees were selected by a review committee made up of City and County staff and members of the community, who did not have conflicts of interest with any of the organizations that applied for funding. Rapid re-housing (RRH) assistance aims to help individuals or families who are homeless move as quickly as possible into permanent housing and achieve stability in that housing through a combination of rental assistance and supportive services.
Aliveness
Staff recommends up to $773,838 in funding for Aliveness to assist 53 households currently experiencing homelessness, through the provision of short-term rental assistance (3-6 months) and ongoing housing case management services for up to 12 months (with the expectation that more intensive support will be needed for the first six months, and that support will taper off during the remainder of the year).
Aliveness targets people who are homeless and have an HIV positive diagnosis. This RRH program will prioritize such households and can also serve other eligible homeless household referred to them through the community’s Coordinated Entry System (CES) as needed. Aliveness has prior experience with RRH through its HIV Housing Project, and this funding will allow them to expand existing services and rental assistance provided to people experiencing homelessness.
Housing Link
Staff recommends up to $123,686 in funding for HousingLink to assist 30 households currently experiencing homelessness, through housing navigation and location, mental health support, and landlord connections and mediation. Housing Link will work to connect these households to rental housing in Hennepin County, will provide ongoing case management to these households (up to 12 months), and through this program will seek to engage 20 landlords, who will then provide rental housing opportunities to these households.
Housing Link intends to target people experiencing homelessness who have mental health issues. , This RRH program will prioritize such households and can also serve other eligible homeless household referred to them through the community’s Coordinated Entry System (CES) as needed. Housing Link has prior experience with RRH through its Beyond Backgrounds program, which they use to provide housing navigation, case management and landlord engagement and mediation services.
Vail Place
Staff recommends up to $1,105,355 in funding for Vail Place to assist 355 households currently experiencing homelessness, through the expansion of its existing rapid re-housing program. Vail Place will focus on meeting the needs of high acuity clients through this program, and will provide housing identification, rental and move-in assistance, and case management services from a housing navigation specialist, to ensure the long term housing stability of each of the 355 households served through this program.
YouthLink
Staff recommends up to $402,687 in funding for YouthLink to assist 120 households currently experiencing homelessness through the expansion of its existing rapid re-housing program, which partners with its drop-in center to connect youth to permanent housing opportunities in the community. Youth Link focuses on working with youth between the ages of 18-24. This RRH program will prioritize such households and can also serve other eligible homeless household referred to them through the community’s Coordinated Entry System (CES) as needed. Through this program, Youth Link will provide rental assistance and comprehensive case management services, to ensure the long term housing stability of each youth.
Joint Powers Agreement
Staff recommends entering into a Joint Powers Agreement (JPA) with Hennepin County that will allow the City to coordinate grant administration activities through the County’s Office to End Homelessness. The City has an existing JPA with Hennepin County to administer Rapid Rehousing for the City's regular Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) funds.