Title
Resolution to Approve and Appropriate FY 22 Budget and Allocations for 6-month Transition Grants to Non-Profit Entities for Human Services - $1,093,021.50 (General Fund) (8 Votes Required)
Memorandum
The City and the County have worked together for many years to provide human services funding to local non-profits, and therefore, the funding decisions that the County makes and the funding decisions that the City makes have an impact on local non-profit service providers. With Coordinated funding ending, and the onset of the pandemic, both the City and the County provided 6-month transition grants (R-21-202) to previous Coordinated Funding grantees which expire on December 31, 2021. The additional transition grants provide additional time for the County and City to work together to develop a new funding model. The original intent was to issue a new Request for Proposal and allocate funds prior to the December 31, 2021 transition grant expiration date. To prevent a gap in services to the community, staff is recommending additional transition grants for an additional six months, to provide time to formalize the New Human Services Partnership, develop a new RFP(s) and review process, to recommend and allocate funds by July 1, 2022.
HISTORY:
Over the last few years, the Coordinated Funding partners (including City of Ann Arbor) had identified the desire to change and redirect the partnership, adding in a focus on equity and a focus on addressing racism, poverty and trauma. Work had started on shifting the partnership and model, however, that work was put on hold last year as the COVID-19 shifted staff priorities to immediate pandemic response activities in 2020 and 2021.
In early fall 2020, the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation announced that they were exiting the partnership, and the end of Coordinated Funding was announced to the Community. Several partners expressed interest in seeing if there can be a future partnership for human services funding with more of an equity focus, however those details are yet to be formalized.
In the summer of 2021, planning began in earnest, first by convening the County and City leadership teams separately, then together to work through goals and process for the New partnership. In August, 5 community sessions were held with more than 150 participants attending the sessions to provide feedback, ask questions and respond to proposed new direction (https://www.washtenaw.org/3422/New-Human-Services-Partnership-Planning), to focus on addressing root causes of oppression: poverty, racism and trauma. The proposed model recommended three funding rounds:
• Safety net grant round in fall of 2021,
• Mini grants to support BIPOC lead organizations and designed to provide opportunities for new grantees as well as a means to try out new ideas.
• High-impact funding round scheduled for the spring of 2022 that would look to achieve a significant impact over five years of funding to enable grantees to scale in new ways to change the base conditions of county residents.
The proposed model would include inviting in additional funding partners and contracting with an outside evaluator to support collection of metrics and review of outcomes for all funding opportunities.
The planning process slowed in September and October, partially due to the attention and focus on ARPA funding process at the County, as well as other emergent community issues. In September, County and City leadership met with potential community funding partners, who requested more information about the partnership, and details about the roles, timing, and investment.
The staff recommendation below is for six months of additional funding for all agencies awarded in the last Coordinated Funding grant round that serve Ann Arbor residents. Grantees would receive half of the FY21 (ending June 30, 2021) funding amount, which is a slight increase over the original 6-month transition grants, which were funded at approximately 93% of FY21 grants. The total cost is $1,093,021.50. Staff proposes funding in the following ways:
o $613,764 which is already budgeted and allocated for Coordinated Funding in the FY22 General Fund budget
o $350,499 to be appropriated from the County Mental Health Millage fund allocated to affordable housing but unspent
o $128,759 to be appropriated from the General Fund, fund balance for the remaining portion
Staff recommends the above allocations and budget appropriations as needed for the allocation to providers listed below, and that the City execute contracts with listed providers for amounts listed below prior to the end of the calendar year 2021.
Washtenaw County administration and staff is also recommending 6-month transition grants to Coordinated Funding grantees. Both the City, County and Washtenaw Urban County funding recommendations are listed below.
Staff
Prepared by: Teresa Gillotti, Director, Office of Community & Economic Development
Reviewed by: Derek Delacourt, Community Services Area Administrator
Approved by: Milton Dohoney Jr., City Administrator
Body
Whereas, Ann Arbor City Council, the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation Board of Directors, the United Way of Washtenaw County Board of Directors, the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners, the Washtenaw Urban County Executive Committee, and the Saint Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor Board of Directors approved a coordinated Funding process in the fall of 2017 for FY 2019 and FY 2020 human services funding;
Whereas, Current Coordinated Funding grants and the partners’ Memorandum of Understanding were extended through June 30, 2021;
Whereas, The Coordinated Funding partnership and process ended in the fall of 2020, and both City Council and the County Board of Commissions acted in June of 2021 to provide 6-month transitional grants ending December 31, 2021;
Whereas, Significant planning process began in earnest over the summer, including community engagement, additional time is needed to formalize a new human services funding process to ensure impactful investment of City general funds for Non-Profit Entities for Human Services;
Whereas, Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners will be receiving recommendations to for 6-month transition grants for previous Coordinated Funding grantees in the amount of $768,267.50;
Whereas, The Washtenaw Urban County will continue to utilize Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) for agencies providing homelessness shelter based on the annual HUD allocation (currently 6-month allocation of $161,285.50;
Whereas, Staff recommends utilizing $1,093,022 to provide funding to local non-profit human services agencies in FY22 as listed below; and
Whereas, Ann Arbor City Council and the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners retain the authority to approve their own allocations;
RESOLVED, That City Council approve the following allocations in the FY 22 budget, to the non-profit entities listed below:
Agency Name 6-months
Avalon Housing $161,756.50
Catholic Social Services $158,125.00
Community Action Network $77,482.50
Foundations Preschool of Washtenaw County $82,500.00
Home of New Vision $45,035.00
Housing Bureau for Seniors $18,050.00
Jewish Family Services $89,254.00
Legal Services of South Central Michigan $95,500.00
Michigan Ability Partners $48,197.00
Ozone House $48,647.50
Peace Neighborhood Center $16,875.00
SOS Community Services $79,940.00
Student Advocacy Center $111,264.00
Washtenaw Literacy $8,082.00
Washtenaw ISD Early Head Start $45,000.00
Washtenaw Area Council for Children $7,313.00
Subtotal $1,093,022.50
RESOLVED, That City Council appropriate $350,499 from the County Mental Health Millage fund balance to the FY22 County Mental Health Millage budget for the purpose of coordinated funding;
RESOLVED, That City Council appropriate $128,759 from the General Fund fund balance to the FY22 Community Development General Fund budget for the purpose of coordinated funding;
RESOLVED, That all amounts herein are without regard to fiscal year;
RESOLVED, That the Mayor and City Council authorize the City Administrator to direct the Washtenaw County Office of Community & Economic Development to negotiate contractual agreements with the funded entities, subject to approval as to substance by the City Administrator, and approval as to form by the City Attorney;
RESOLVED, That this contract may be achieved through delegation of contracts and administration of funds to Washtenaw County on the City’s behalf, subject to approval of the City Administrator and City Attorney;
RESOLVED, That the Mayor and City Council support the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners in their funding recommendations below:
Washtenaw County 6-month transition funds for Coordinated Funded Grantees
Agency Name 6-months
Aid in Milan $9,500.00
Ann Arbor Meals on Wheels $13,337.00
Ann Arbor YMCA - The Collaborative-Ypsilanti YMCA
Early Childhood Development Center $48,750.00
Corner Health $138,462.00
Faith in Action $10,000.00
Food Gatherers $147,693.00
Growing Hope $8,877.00
Housing Access for Washtenaw County $52,500.00
Manchester Resource Center $13,707.00
Mentor2Youth $6,800.00
Milan Seniors for Healthy Living - Social Connectivity $15,000.00
Ozone House $78,179.50
Packard Health $33,188.00
PATH/Port (WCMH) $50,000.00
Shelter Association of Washtenaw County $60,757.00
Washtenaw Community College Foundation -
The Parkridge Youth Program (PYP) $33,294.00
Ypsilanti Meals on Wheels $48,223.00
Subtotal $768,267.50
6-month funding (Jan-June) for Washtenaw Urban County (Community Development Block Grant)
CDBG 6-months
Shelter Association of Washtenaw County (SAWC) $26,743.00
Alpha House/IHN $53,625.00
Safehouse $46,986.00
SOS Community Services $18,385.50
Unified $15,546.00
Subtotal $161,285.50
; and
RESOLVED, That the City Administrator, or his designee, be authorized to take necessary administrative actions and to execute any documents necessary to complete this transaction and to implement this resolution.