NewCityLogo-August2008

Council
Communication

Office of the City Manager

 
 

Date

July 13, 2009

 

Agenda Item No.       41

Roll Call No.              09-

Communication No.  09-478

Submitted by:  Chris M. Johansen, Assistant City Manager

 

 

AGENDA HEADING:

 

Approval of transferring $50,000 of funding from the United Way of Central Iowa to the Polk County Housing Trust Fund to fund the Polk County Housing Continuum Coordinator.

 

 

SYNOPSIS:

 

Recommend Council approval of transferring $50,000 of funding from the United Way of Central Iowa to the Polk County Housing Trust Fund to fund the Polk County Housing Continuum Coordinator. This position is working with Technical Assistance Collaborative, Inc. on the creation of the action plan that addresses homelessness and will work on implementing the plan once it’s created. 

 

 

FISCAL IMPACT:

 

Amount:  $50,000      

 

Funding Source:  Grant received from the United Way of Central Iowa

 

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

 

On June 23, 2008 the City Council approved an agreement with United Way of Central Iowa to co-fund a housing consultant to create a Homelessness Action Plan.  In discussions with United Way of Central Iowa, it is being recommended that this funding be transferred to the Polk County Housing Trust Fund to fund the Polk County Housing Continuum Manager.  The Polk County Housing Continuum Manager works with the Polk County Housing Continuum and serves as a homeless coordinator and will be implementing the action plan that is being developed by Technical Assistance Collaborative, Inc.

 

On November 19, 2007 the City Council approved a CDBG allocation of $50,000 for the purpose of hiring a consultant to advise on the development of an integrated supportive housing system.  The City has worked with the United Way and Polk County to develop a Request For Purchase (RFP) to hire a consultant to meet the following objectives:

 

1)       Recommend a long-term, sustaining process of leadership for addressing the homeless population.

2)       Identify alternative organization structures for managing the homelessness needs and recommend a structure that would be most successful.

3)       Identify the funding stakeholders and recommend how each will contribute to the effort.

4)       Identify service providers and recommend ways for them to best cooperate with this planning effort, coordinate their service delivery, and eliminate duplication.

5)       Define and clarify roles and responsibilities of funders, stakeholders, service providers and other participants.

6)       Identify the services available and unavailable for all populations of the homeless (children, families, inventory of the number of units for these populations, e.g.).  This identification will include the services available and unavailable for chronic homelessness, emergency sheltering and transitional housing.

 

This CDBG allocation has been utilized to pay for the consulting contract with Technical Assistance Collaborative, Inc.

 

The 2009 CDBG allocations included $50,000 for the Polk County Housing Trust Fund to fund the Polk County Housing Continuum Manager. 

 

To date, the City of Des Moines has allocated $100,000 of CDBG funding to the development of an action plan to address homelessness and fund the Polk County Housing Continuum Manager.  The United Way of Central Iowa has allocated $100,000 for the Polk County Housing Continuum Manager.

 

 

PREVIOUS COUNCIL ACTION(S): 

 

Date:  June 23, 2008 

 

Roll Call Number:  08-1111      

 

ActionAgreement with United Way of Central Iowa to co-fund a Housing Consultant to create a Homelessness Action Plan.  (Council Communication No.  08-383) Moved by Vlassis to adopt.  Motion Carried 7-0.

 

 

BOARD/COMMISSION ACTION(S): NONE 

 

 

ANTICIPATED ACTIONS AND FUTURE COMMITMENTS:  NONE 

 

 

 

For more information on this and other agenda items, please call the City Clerk’s Office at 515-283-4209 or visit the Clerk’s Office on the second floor of City Hall, 400 Robert D. Ray Drive.  Council agendas are available to the public at the City Clerk’s Office on Thursday afternoon preceding Monday’s Council meeting. Citizens can also request to receive meeting notices and agendas by email by calling the Clerk’s Office or sending their request via email to cityclerk@dmgov.org.