Background: The City of Columbus and Open Door Community House has formed this strategic partnership to provide decent, safe, and sanitary housing to individuals and families who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. The U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) has adopted the Housing First approach that emphasizes stable, permanent housing as a primary strategy for ending homelessness. Housing First is an approach to ending homelessness that centers on providing people experiencing homelessness with housing as quickly as possible – and then providing services as needed. This approach has the benefit of being consistent with what most people experiencing homelessness want and seek help to achieve. The City and Open Door Community House have identified, through their various programs, that providing permanent housing for the homeless is an urgent need within our community. Open Door Community House is currently housing nineteen (19) individuals or families utilizing this program. Analysis: The Tenant Based Rental Assistance (TBRA) Program will target families who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. The program can assist these individuals or families by providing utility deposits, security deposits, and rental subsidies for up to two (2) years. The program will help the homeless, or those at risk of becoming homeless, find permanent housing. They will also receive case management to assist them with finding the services they may need to prevent them from becoming homeless again in the future. Financial Considerations: The City will provide $80,000 in HOME funds to carry out the program for two (2) years. The HOME funding is from prior years grant allocations that were not utilized and will expire if not committed to a project by September 30, 2016. Legal Considerations: The City Attorney will review and approve the proposed HOME Written Agreement prior to obtaining signatures. Recommendations: Approval is requested to enter into a HOME Written Agreement, between the Columbus Consolidated Government and Open Door Community House, to award $80,000 for the Tenant Based Rental Assistance (TBRA) Program.
That the City Manager is hereby authorized to enter into a written agreement with Open Door Community House to utilize $80,000 in HOME funds for the administration of a Tenant Based Rental Assistance (TBRA) Program to provide rental assistance to an additional (5) five homeless, or at risk of being homeless, individuals or families.
Councilor Allen voting __________. Councilor Baker voting __________. Councilor Barnes voting __________. Councilor Davis voting __________. Councilor Garrett voting __________. Councilor Henderson voting __________. Councilor Huff voting __________. Councilor Thomas voting __________. Councilor Turner Pugh voting __________. Councilor Woodson voting __________. _______________________________ ____________________________ Tiny B. Washington, Clerk of Council Teresa Pike Tomlinson, Mayor