The Housing and Community Development Department (HCDD) recommends Council approval of an Ordinance authorizing a First Amendment to the Agreement between the City of Houston (City) and The Montrose Center, to provide up to an additional $269,992.22 in Community Development Block Grant - Disaster Recovery 2017 (CDBG-DR17) funds for the administration and operation of a recovery support program to serve an additional 55 low-to-moderate income individuals who were directly or indirectly affected by Hurricane Harvey. In their first year of funding, the Montrose Center served 218 clients. The additional funding will enable the program to serve a total of 273 clients. Services include but are not limited to case management, job training and education.
The initial term of this Agreement was April 1, 2020 - March 31, 2021, with a one-year administrative extension approved on May 6, 2021, to extend the Agreement through March 31, 2022. This First Amendment will fund the extension period. The Montrose Center has received funding from the City since 2012.
As of September 2021, Montrose Center has expended approximately 92% of their funds and achieved 87% of their client service goal. Service goals were lower than anticipated due to impacts of COVID-19 and safety/social distancing requirements. Outreach efforts were hindered due to the risk posed by face-to-face interaction. Potential clients faced technology barriers, limiting their ability to provide signed required documentation and proper identification to enroll in job training and education classes.
To ensure the success of the program going forward, The Montrose Center provides additional technology support to assist with service delivery needs, virtual meetings, and online trade school classes. There were no findings on the annual compliance monitoring.
No Fiscal Note is required on grant items. This item was reviewed by the Housing and Community Affairs Committee on September 21, 2021.
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Keith W. Bynam, Interim Director