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A resolution appropriating $3,148,980 in American Recovery Plan Act funds from Covid American Rescue Plan Fund #30216 to the Office of Family Safety for the Metropolitan Government, to be used to address increased demand for therapy and services for victims of abuse, human trafficking and interpersonal violence.
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WHEREAS, on June 15, 2021, the Metropolitan Council passed Resolution RS2021-966, a resolution which accepted grant funds for local government support from the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds established by the American Recovery Plan (“ARP”) Act of 2021 from the U.S. Department of the Treasury to The Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson Count, which was subsequently signed into law by Mayor John Cooper on June 16, 2021; and,
WHEREAS, Resolution RS2021-966 established a COVID-19 Financial Oversight Committee ("the Committee") whose role is to collect, consider, and recommend appropriate uses of the ARP Funds as designated by the Metropolitan Council disbursement plan. The Committee will submit its reports and recommendations to the Mayor, the Director of Finance, and the Metropolitan Council not later than June 30, 2025; and,
WHEREAS, there are federal requirements for use of American Rescue Plan Act funds that require that these funds be expended or obligated on or before December 31, 2024; and,
WHEREAS, the Office of Family Safety of the Metropolitan Government (“OFS”) provides vital crisis intervention services to victims of interpersonal violence, including financial assistance to pay for the costs to attend court hearings and the provision of mental health services through nonprofit partners; and,
WHEREAS, the COVID-19 pandemic has placed additional financial burdens on this vulnerable population, resulting in depletion of the OFS financial assistance reserve, as well as additional mental health burdens, resulting in long waits for victims to receive proper mental health services through OFS nonprofit partners; and,
WHEREAS, OFS has identified the annual funds necessary to adequately fill its financial reserves and to allow its nonprofit partners to address the mental health and crisis intervention needs of those victims who need it; and,
WHEREAS, OFS has identified these needs as the best and most appropriate use of emergency assistance funds for its department; and,
WHEREAS, the Committee recognizes and recommends that it is in the best interests of the Metropolitan Government that sufficient funds be allocated for these programs to operate for the next two years; and,
WHEREAS, it is to the benefit of the citizens of The Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County that this resolution containing the recommendations of the Committee be approved.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT OF NASHVILLE AND DAVIDSON COUNTY:
Section 1. The Metropolitan Council accepts this resolution as a recommendation of the COVID-19 Financial Oversight Committee.
Section 2. That $3,148,980 from the Covid American Rescue Plan Fund #30216 is hereby appropriated to the Office of Family Safety for the Metropolitan Government to be used in described in Exhibit A.
Section 3. The Office of Family Safety shall provide the COVID-19 Financial Oversight Committee with a quarterly report that shows the recipients of the grant awards, amounts allocated and total amount remaining, the current wait times at each of the nonprofit partners, and the demographics of victims served including Age, Race, Sex and Zip Code.
Section 4. This resolution shall take effect from and after its final passage, the welfare of the public requiring it.
Agenda Analysis
Analysis
This resolution accepts the recommendation of the COVID-19 Financial Oversight Committee to appropriate $3,148,980 in American Recovery Plan Act (ARP) funds to the Office of Family Safety (OFS) to address increased demand for therapy and services for victims of abuse, human trafficking, and interpersonal violence. OFS has requested four high risk case managers, funding for transportation and emergency needs of clients, therapy clinicians for children and adults impacted by interpersonal violence, and two additional AGAPE overnight and afterhours order of protection advocates.
Fiscal Note: This appropriation, along with the appropriation per Resolution No. RS2021-1150 would be the 3rd and 4th resolutions appropriating from the American Recovery Plan Act (ARP) Fund for a cumulative total of $13,807,096. The total grant award is $259,810,600 and the first half of this amount was received in July 2021.