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A resolution appropriating $7,000,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds from Fund #30216 to the Metro Homeless Impact Division of Metro Social Services to establish a low barrier housing collective and to fund competitive grants for support services.
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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 Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (“ARP Funds”) from the U.S. Department of the Treasury to The Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, 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 ARP Funds that require that these funds be expended or obligated on or before December 31, 2024; and,
WHEREAS, the Committee recognizes the importance of housing navigation support services to a housing first approach to reducing homelessness; and,
WHEREAS, the Metropolitan Homeless Impact Division (MHID) of Metro Social Services seeks to support its Landlord Engagement Team, which facilitates and coordinates the Low Barrier Housing Collective, by employing a Program Manager and Housing Navigators to assist clients in obtaining, maintaining, and retaining housing, as well as providing various landlord and tenant incentives, as described in Exhibit A; and,
WHEREAS, MHID seeks to use proposed funds to issue competitive grants to 8-10 local nonprofit agencies with historical data to support services such as trauma-informed care, critical time intervention, recovery opportunities, harm reduction and education support, and Workforce Readiness opportunities, as described in Exhibit B, as well as to build staff capacity and for grant management; and,
WHEREAS, it is to the benefit of the citizens of The Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County that this resolution 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 $ 3,000,000 from the Covid-19 American Rescue Plan Fund #30216 is hereby appropriated to Metro Social Services for the purposes outlined in Exhibit A.
Section 3. That $ 4,000,000 from the Covid-19 American Rescue Plan Fund #30216 is hereby appropriated to Metro Social Services for the purposes outlined in Exhibit B.
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 appropriates $7,000,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (“ARPA”) funds from Fund #30216 to the Metro Homeless Impact Division of Metro Social Services (“MHID”). MHID has proposed that the funding be used to support its partnership with the low barrier housing collective and to fund competitive grants for support services.
MHID proposes using $3,000,000 to fund a program manager and 2-4 housing navigators for the low barrier housing collective to assist clients in obtaining, maintaining, and retaining housing as well as providing landlord and tenant incentives.
MHID also proposes using $4,000,000 to issue competitive grants to eight to ten local nonprofit agencies with historical data to support services such as trauma-informed care, critical time intervention, recovery opportunities, harm reduction and education support, and Workforce Readiness opportunities, as well as to build staff capacity and for grant management.
The COVID-19 Financial Oversight Committee has recommended this request be funded through ARPA funds.
Fiscal Note: This $7,000,000 appropriation, along with the appropriations per Resolution No. RS2022-1696, Resolution No. RS2022-1697, and Resolution No. RS2022-1698 would be the 27th, 28th, 29th and 30th resolutions appropriating from the American Recovery Plan Act (ARP) Fund for a cumulative total of $160,508,686. The total grant award is $259,810,600. The first half of this amount was received in July 2021 and the second half was received in July 2022.