The Housing and Community Development Department (HCD) recommends Council approval of an Ordinance authorizing a First Amendment to the Subrecipient Agreement between the City of Houston (City) and Northwest Assistance Ministries (NAM), providing up to an additional $100,000.00 in Community Development Block Grant - CARES Act (CDBG-CV) funds to provide diversion services to a minimum of 45 additional households, and increasing the total number of households served to 135 for the term of the Agreement.
Diversion services assist clients in crisis to identify immediate alternative housing arrangements in order to avoid emergency shelter or unsheltered living. Diversion services can include but are not limited to, flexible direct financial assistance, family mediation, and counseling services.
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CATEGORY
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AMOUNT
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PERCENT
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|
Program Services
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$100,000.00
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100.00%
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Administration
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$0.00
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0.00%
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Total
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$100,000.00
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100.00%
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Through The Way Home, a collaborative partnership between the City of Houston, Harris County, and the Coalition for the Homeless of Houston/Harris County (Coalition), the CCHP was developed specifically to prevent and respond to COVID-19’s impacts on the homeless. For CCHP Phase 2, a joint Request for Expression of Interest (REI) from qualified agencies was released in March of 2022 by the Coalition. NAM was one of the applicants selected by the CCHP partners to receive funding for Diversion services.
The initial Agreement term was October 15, 2022 through September 30, 2023, which was extended to September 30, 2024. This First Amendment will provide additional funding.
As of July 1, 2023, NAM achieved 135.56% of its goal and expended approximately 34% of its funding. NAM began receiving funding through the City of Houston in 2020, and there were no findings on the annual compliance monitoring.
Fiscal Note:
No Fiscal Note is required on grant items.
This item was reviewed by the Housing and Community Affairs Committee on August 22, 2023.
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Keith W. Bynam, Director