Title
Resolution Approving the City of Hampton, Virginia's Participation in and Appropriation of the 2018 Virginia Housing Trust Fund Homeless Reduction Grant through the U. S. Department of Housing and Community Development
Purpose
PURPOSE/BACKGROUND:
The Virginia Housing Trust Fund Homeless Reduction Grant program goal is to reduce homelessness in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) will support continuum of care (CoC) and balance of state local planning group (LPG) strategies, for homeless service projects that are a part of an effective emergency crisis response system in communities to ensure that homelessness is rare, brief and non-recurring.
The Homeless Reduction Grant program must be coordinated with other community-based activities. The homeless services grantees use a local centralized or coordinated assessment/entry system. A local centralized or coordinated assessment/entry system is the best practice for a housing-focused approach targeted to helping households experiencing homelessness quickly regain stability in permanent housing. This project proposes to serve the residents of Hampton and Newport News, which can include the service areas of James City and York Counties and the Cities of Poquoson and Williamsburg. Services will be provided through the Hampton and Newport News Departments of Human Services in conjunction with both Hampton and Newport News School systems. The Hampton and Newport News School systems were awarded a Homeless Children and Youth Program grant (IMPACT) for the period of July 2017 to June 2020. This grant was written as the first step in a collaborative effort to target students (18 to 22) and families experiencing homelessness, or at risk of experiencing homelessness. The local Workforce development has also agreed to participate as a lead partner.
The Homeless Reduction Grants are funded through Virginia's Housing Trust Funds, a state appropriation of $5,500,000 per annum for the 2017-2018 biennium budget. The DHCD anticipates awarding approximately $850,000 for the Homeless Reduction Grant portion of the Housing Trust Fund in Fiscal year 2017, of which Hampton has been earmarked to be awarded $100,000. There is no financial match required by the City of Hampton.
Discussion:
The Housing Trust Fund Grant will serve at-risk youth between the ages of 18 and 24. Currently there are no housing grants within the CoC that are specific to addressing the needs of Homeless Youth. As a result, many fall through the cracks and end up dropping out of high school. Unemployment rates continue to become a barrier to affordable housing and even more so for youth. This grant will allow participants to obtain stable housing for up to one year while they work to build marketable job skills that will enable them to be self-sufficient.
Impact:
This grant impacts the Federal Strategic Plan to reduce/end homelessness. It will contribute to the primary goal of ending homelessness targeting youth (ages 18 to 24) as an aid to the Greater Virginia Peninsula Homelessness Consortium goal of ending youth homelessness by 2020.
Recommendation:
Rec
Approve
Body
WHEREAS, the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development ("DHCD") has awarded the 2018 Housing Trust Fund Homeless Reduction Grant to the City of Hampton, Virginia in the amount of $100,000 with no local match required; and
WHEREAS, the grant award covers the period of January 1, 2018 through December 31, 2018.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of Hampton, Virginia accepts and appropriates the 2018 Housing Trust Fund Homeless Reduction Grant in the amount of $100,000 with no local match required, for a total grant amount of $100,000, and any related supplemental funding , by DHCD in accordance with the grant agreement.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City Council authorizes the City Manager, or her designee, to take th necessary steps to implement this grant award.