TITLE: Title
Second Public Hearing on CDBG-CV Grant Application for Emergency Housing Assistance
PURPOSE: The purpose of this item is to (1) hold a public hearing on the draft application from the Town of Carrboro for Federal Community Development Block Grant - Coronavirus (CDBG-CV) Funds, and (2) to authorize the Town to submit an application for CDBG-CV funds.
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DEPARTMENT: Housing and Community Services
CONTACT INFORMATION: Rebecca Buzzard, Housing and Community Services Director, rbuzzard@townofcarrboro.org <mailto:rbuzzard@townofcarrboro.org>, 919-918-7438
INFORMATION: On August 25, 2020, Governor Roy Cooper announced funding for three initiatives to help North Carolinians with rental and utility payments in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. See link here <https://governor.nc.gov/news/governor-cooper-announces-175-million-assist-rental-utility-payments-north-carolinians>. One of these initiatives provided the availability of $27.5 million from a federal Community Development Block Grant - Coronavirus (CDBG-CV) to be administered by incorporated municipalities with under 50,000 residents and counties with under 200,000 residents, through the North Carolina Department of Commerce. Local governments were encouraged to prioritize the support of rental and utility payments. Excerpted guidelines for the grant are included as Attachment B.
Carrboro staff proposes applying for the CDBG-CV funds to be used with the County’s existing Emergency Housing Assistance (EHA) program, which provides financial assistance to help Orange County residents with low incomes secure and maintain stable housing (see Attachment C). Assistance is available to households in Orange County that earn no more than 60% of the area median income, have an urgent COVID-19 related need for housing assistance, and do not have adequate savings to cover the cost of their housing need.
The $300,000 in Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act allocated for EHA by the Town Council on June 23, 2020 and August 18, 2020 has been expended and the need for rental and utility assistance has not abated (see Attachment D). The application period for this grant opened on September 1, 2020, and the CDBG-CV funds will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. EHA is a collaborative, successful, and established program that has contracted with experienced CDBG administrators and is ready to use the funds, if approved.
Before submitting an application, the Town of Carrboro must hold two (2) public hearings to obtain public comments. The first public hearing was held on October 27, 2020, at the beginning of the application process. The second public hearing - this hearing - must occur after the application is drafted but prior to its submission. The draft application is available online at: <https://www.townofcarrboro.org/2490/CDBG-CV-for-Emergency-Housing-Assistance>.
The Town Council must also authorize the Town to submit an application for CBDG-CV funds through a resolution (Attachment A). All public comments received during the public hearing today, the prior hearing, and throughout the entire public comment period will be considered and incorporated into the Town’s final application.
FISCAL & STAFF IMPACT: If the Town of Carrboro is awarded CDBG-CV funds, up to $900,000 would be available for Emergency Housing Assistance.
RECOMMENDATION:r Staff recommends that the Town Council (1) conduct the public hearing and accept comment on the draft application for CDBG-CV funds to be used for Emergency Housing Assistance and (2) pass the attached resolution authorizing the Department of Housing and Community Services to submit an application for CDBG-CV funds for Emergency Housing Assistance and to contract with Orange County to administer the program and funds.