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Public Notice – County Of Union – Substantial Amendment To The Fiscal Year 2019 Consolidated Plan

Public Notice – County Of Union – Substantial Amendment To The Fiscal Year 2019 Consolidated Plan

The County of Union will be amending the Fiscal Year 2019 Consolidated Plan for the following program:

Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) $3,739,745

PROPOSED USE OF FUNDS

The Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) will provide: emergency shelter nights with case management supports to stabilize program participants; street outreach as a bridge to linking consumers with the Continuum of Care system for homelessness services; Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) to provide staffing for HMIS data entry; and tenant based rental assistance in order to obtain housing and/or retain it.  The funds under this program are intended to target two (2) populations of persons facing housing instability:

  1. Individuals and families who are currently in housing but are at risk of becoming homeless and need temporary rent or utility assistance or assistance to move to another unit (prevention), and
  2. Individuals and families who are experiencing homelessness (residing in emergency or transitional shelters or on the street) and need temporary assistance in order to obtain housing and retain it (rapid re-housing).

On March 27th, 2020, President Trump signed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to help the Nation respond to the coronavirus outbreak.  The CARES Act made available an additional $4 Billion in Emergency Solutions Grant – CARES Act (ESG-CV) funds to supplement the Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 ESG funding provided under the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 (Public Law 116-94).

Of this amount, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) immediately allocated $1 Billion for ESG-CV grants based on the FY2020 ESG formula. The rest of the funding for ESG-CV grants will be allocated directly to States or units of local government by a separate formula developed by the HUD Secretary.

Union County was awarded ESG-CV program funds and HUD has allocated $3,359,923 as authorized by the CARES Act, Public Law 116-136.  These special ESG-CV funds are to be used to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) among individuals and families who are homeless or receiving homeless assistance; and to support additional homeless assistance and homelessness prevention activities to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19.

Given the immediate needs faced by our communities, HUD has announced the first and second allocations of funds, which are subject to the following flexibilities and conditions provided by the CARES Act:

  • The funds may be used to cover or reimburse allowable costs incurred by a State or locality before the award of funding (including prior to the signing of the CARES Act) to prevent, prepare for, and respond to COVID-19;
  • The funds are not subject to the spending cap on emergency shelter and outreach under 24 CFR 576.100(b)(1);
  • Up to 10 percent of funds may be used for administrative costs, as opposed to 7.5 percent as provided by 24 CFR 576.108(a);
  • The funds are exempt from the ESG match requirements, including 24 CFR 576.201;
  • The funds are not subject to the consultation and citizen participation requirements that otherwise apply to ESG. However, each recipient must publish how its allocation has and will be used, at a minimum, on the Internet at the appropriate Government web site or through other electronic media;
  • The funds may be used to provide homelessness prevention assistance (as authorized under 24 CFR 576.103 or subsequent HUD notices) to any individual or family who does not have income higher than HUD’s Very Low-Income Limit for the area and meets the criteria in paragraphs (1)(ii) and (1)(iii) of the “at risk of homelessness” definition in 24 CFR 576.3;
  • That recipients may deviate from applicable procurement standards when using these funds to procure goods and services to prevent, prepare for, and respond to COVID-19, notwithstanding 24 CFR 576.407(f) and 2 CFR 200.317-200.326;
  • Individuals and families experiencing homelessness must not be required to receive treatment or perform any other prerequisite activities as a condition for receiving shelter, housing, or other services for which these funds are used, notwithstanding 24 CFR 576.401(e).

In addition, the CARES Act authorizes the HUD Secretary to grant waivers of and specify alternative requirements for statutes and regulations the HUD Secretary administers in connection with the use of ESG funds (except for requirements related to fair housing, nondiscrimination, labor standards, and the environment).  These waivers and alternative requirements can be issued when necessary to expedite and facilitate the use of funds to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus.

The overall funding in the amount of $3,739,745, which includes the $379,822 in annual ESG and the $3,359,923 in ESG-CV.  These funds will be utilized and allocated as listed below:

  1. Emergency Shelter (Operations & Essential Services): $1,177,881
  2. Street Outreach: $47,022
  3. Homeless Management Information System (HMIS): $27,339
  4. Rapid Re-Housing-Housing Relocation & Stabilization Services: $191,172
  5. Rapid Re-Housing-Tenant-Based Rental Assistance: $697,673
  6. Homelessness Prevention-Housing Relocation & Stabilization Services: $297,320
  7. Homelessness Prevention-Tenant-Based Rental Assistance: $1,189,279
  8. Administration: $81,036

ESG-CV funds are not subject to the consultation and citizen participation requirements that otherwise apply to the ESG funds for Substantial Amendments.