DEPARTMENT: Neighborhood and Housing Services
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Ver?nica R. Soto, FAICP, Director
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: City-Wide
SUBJECT:
COVID 19 Emergency Housing Assistance Program
SUMMARY:
An ordinance approving the creation of the COVID 19 Emergency Housing Assistance Program to provide housing assistance to individuals and families impacted by COVID 19, accepting up to $2,000,000.00 from the San Antonio Housing Trust Foundation and Public Facilities Corporation to be included in the proposed budget for the Program totaling $15,833,834, authorizing the acceptance of any additional funds that may result from the solicitation of private donations for the COVID 19 Emergency Housing Assistance Program, and amending the FY2020 Affordable Housing Budget to reflect reallocations and reductions in funding from the General fund, Tax Increment Reinvestment Zones, and Community Development Block Grant that are necessary as a result of the COVID 19 pandemic. The COVID 19 Emergency Housing Assistance Program is only temporary and it expires on July 31, 2020.
This ordinance also authorizes a funding agreement with Family Independence Initiative (FII) for an initial amount of $1,900,000. The $1,900,000 is from the $15,833,834 Program budget. The funding agreement will help leverage additional funds for local non-profits and the Department of Human Services will coordinate with FII on which non-profits will receive funding.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
The CARES Act provides relief to individuals and businesses that have been negatively impacted by COVID 19. Specifically, it provides one-time payments to qualifying individuals or families and expands unemployment benefits to include an additional $600 per week. This financial assistance is crucial for many in the San Antonio community, as over 84,000 Bexar County residents have filed for unemployment. Additionally, requests to the City's Risk Mitigation Fund for housing assistance have increased from an...
Click here for full text