REPORT TO THE HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION
April 12, 2017
FROM: JENNIFER CLARK, Director
Development and Resource Management Department
THROUGH: KELLI FURTADO, Assistant Director
Development and Resource Management Department
BY: Thomas Morgan, Housing Division Manager
Housing and Community Development Division
Dannye Casey, ESG/HOPWA Project Manager
Housing and Community Development Division
SUBJECT
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Actions pertaining to the FY 2018 (2017-2018) Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) and Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS/HIV (HOPWA) Programs. Recommend that the City Council adopt the ESG/HOPWA Evaluation Panel’s ranking and funding recommendations.
1) Fund through ESG, WestCare California, Inc. in an amount not to exceed $360,512 or the appropriate percentage based on actual HUD allocations for FY2018;
2) Fund through ESG, Marjaree Mason Center in an amount not to exceed $135,820 or the appropriate percentage based on actual HUD allocations for FY2018;
3) Fund through ESG, the Poverello House in an amount not to exceed $10,000 or the appropriate percentage based on actual HUD allocations for FY2018;
4) Fund through HOPWA, WestCare California, Inc. in an amount not to exceed $751,342 or the appropriate percentage based on actual HUD allocations for FY2018.
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RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the Housing and Community Development Commission (HCDC) recommend to the City Council to adopt the ESG/HOPWA Evaluation Panel’s ranking and funding recommendations.
1) Fund through ESG, WestCare California, Inc. in an amount not to exceed $360,512 or the appropriate percentage based on actual HUD allocations for FY2018;
2) Fund through ESG, Marjaree Mason Center in an amount not to exceed $135,820 or the appropriate percentage based on actual HUD allocations for FY2018;
3) Fund through ESG, the Poverello House in an amount not to exceed $10,000 or the appropriate percentage based on actual HUD allocations for FY2018;
4) Fund through HOPWA, WestCare California, Inc. in an amount not to exceed $751,342 or the appropriate percentage based on actual HUD allocations for FY2018.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The City of Fresno is the annual recipient of federal entitlement program funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). As a condition of receiving these funds, the City is required to prepare an Annual Action Plan detailing program expenditures and the benefit to low and moderate-income persons.
One of the steps in developing the Annual Action Plan is for HCDC to review: 1) ESG and HOPWA Evaluation Committee scoring results, and 2) provide funding recommendations to the Mayor and City Council. This item requests that the HCDC consider the ESG and HOPWA Evaluation Committee scoring results and approve funding recommendations to the Mayor and City Council.
BACKGROUND
The City of Fresno is the annual recipient of federal entitlement funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). These funds are provided through the Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) and the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS/HIV (HOPWA) programs. As a condition of receiving these funds, the City is required to prepare an Annual Action Plan detailing the uses of the federal dollars and the benefits to low and moderate income persons.
Citizen Participation
City staff began preparation of the FY 2018 Annual Action Plan by conducting Community Workshops on January 10, 2017 and January 17, 2017. The workshops provided basic information on the CDBG, HOME, ESG and HOPWA programs, the citizen participation process, and the steps and anticipated timeline for identifying and selecting activities for FY 2018 funding. These two workshops were followed by a Community Needs Public Hearing at the January 25, 2017 meeting of the HCDC. The process continued with the release of the Consolidated Notice of Funding Availability and Information Guide on February 10, 2017. Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) and Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS/HIV (HOPWA) applications were due on March 6, 2017.
Four agencies submitted ESG applications and one agency submitted a HOPWA application. Of the amount estimated to be available for ESG subrecipient contracts ($517,242), the City received $942,375 in applications.
Scoring Process
On March 16, 2018, the ESG / HOPWA Evaluation Panel determined threshold eligibility, reviewed and evaluated the ESG and HOPWA applications, and provided a score of up to 100 points based on the qualifying criteria. The ESG and HOPWA application scoring results were prepared by a panel with experience in working with programs and persons experiencing homelessness and/or AIDS/HIV. This panel included City staff, as well as members of the Fresno-Madera Continuum of Care Executive Committee and a Fresno County ESG representative. During the evaluation panel, several opportunities for improving the process and better coordinating with the County and the Continuum of Care were also identified and work to incorporate those improvements is already under way.
During the March 22, 2017 HCDC Meeting, staff presented a verbal report on the ESG/HOPWA Scoring and Ranking process. Commissioners requested that staff provide a written report outlining the ESG/HOPWA process at the next scheduled HCDC meeting on April 12, 2017, and that applications received by the City be provided to the HCDC in advance of the meeting. The HCDC will provide recommendations for ESG and HOPWA funding awards to the Mayor and City Council as part of the Annual Action Plan process.
Forecasted FY 2017-2018 Federal Entitlement Funding
Because HUD has not yet announced the annual allocation, the City of Fresno does not have confirmed annual allocation amounts. However, the City has estimated the allocation amount expected to be received for FY 2018 ESG and HOPWA funding as follows:
Forecasted 2017 - 2018 ESG / HOPWA Funds
− ESG: $565,293
− HOPWA: $387,290
Forecasted Rollover Funds
− ESG: $ -0-
− HOPWA: $ 375,672
Attachments:
Exhibit A - FY 2018 ESG and HOPWA Applications
Exhibit B - Evaluation Panel Summary (ESG)
Exhibit C - Evaluation Panel Summary (HOPWA)