DEPARTMENT: City Manager’s Office
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Maria Villagómez, Deputy City Manager; Colleen M. Bridger, MPH, PhD, Assistant City Manager
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: City Wide
SUBJECT:
Recovery and Resiliency Plan
SUMMARY:
An ordinance approving a Recovery and Resiliency Plan for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, including steps to address second-order effects impacting the San Antonio Community, and supplemental initiatives to further the objectives of the plan. The ordinance also authorizes the City Manager to negotiate and execute any necessary agreements, appropriate funds, and approve budget expenses to implement the programs and priorities within the Recovery and Resiliency Plan and any supplemental initiatives.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
A proposed Recovery and Resiliency Plan for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic was presented to City Council on May 28th, 2020 to assist residents and business negatively impacted by the pandemic. The plan is developed around the five Guiding Principles of: 1) Public Health and Safety; 2) Equity; 3) Braided Funding; 4) Community Resilience and 5) Well-being.
The work is comprised of four pillars Workforce Development, Housing Security, Small Business Support, and Digital Inclusion.
Workforce Development. This pillar is proposed at an amount of $80 Million and it will provide workforce training to approximately 10,000 individuals negatively impacted by COVID-19. The program includes funding to cover costs for intake, referral, wraparound support and career navigation at an amount of $8 million; education and training at an amount of $14 million; and training subsidies to participants in the amount of $48 million. Some of the organizations the City intends to partner with include the following:
• Intake and Referral Services: Workforce Solutions Alamo
• Career Navigation/Local Business Intelligence/Job Placement Opportunities: SA Works, BioMed SA, Cyber Security San Antonio
• Wraparound Support and Case Management: Project Quest
• Education and Training: Alamo Colleges
Additionally, a 3-month child care program is included to allow parents to pursue training and/or workforce opportunities in the amount of $10 million. An estimated 4,000 children would participate in the program.
Housing Security. This pillar is proposed at an amount of $50.5 Million. The strategies included in this pillar include:
• Fair-housing Counseling Center and Family Resource Center will provide assistance to an estimated 10,000 residents at a budgeted amount of $27.9 million
• Family Independence Initiative, Up Together investment for 1,000 families in the amount of $4 million
• Virtual and place-based financial recovery hub to serve approximately 6,500 residents in the amount of $4 million
• Program to connect up to 700 residents to low cost products in the amount of $120,000
• A door-to-door engagement initiative to help educate marginalized and vulnerable populations about COVID-19 -related resources in the amount of $500,000
• Digital Referral Platform for Joint Case Management in the amount of $1.5 million
• Homeless shelter options with services for 500 residents in the amount of $9.2 million
• Domestic Violence prevention and intervention strategies in the amount of $3.3 million
Small Business. This pillar is proposed at $33.1 million. The strategies included in this pillar are:
• Micro Business Support budgeted at $27 million to provide grants ranging from $10,000 to $75,000 to businesses with 20 or less employees.
• Protective Equipment and Sanitizer for businesses in the amount of $2 million
• Arts Support grant program in the amount of $2.6 million.
• Door-to-Door engagement in the amount of $1.3 million is anticipated to reach up to 5000 businesses.
• Virtual and place-based financial recovery and resilience hub for small business is included in the amount of $200,000
Digital Inclusion. This pillar is proposed at $27.3 million. The strategies included in this pillar are:
• Distance Learning in-home interned access to students K-12 and college. A total of 50 neighborhoods are included in this program in the amount of $27,047,546.
• City of San Antonio (COSA) recovery portal of information for San Antonio residents and business is included in the amount of $250,000.
ISSUE:
An ordinance approving a Recovery and Resiliency Plan for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, including steps to address second-order effects impacting the San Antonio Community, and supplemental initiatives to further the objectives of the plan. The ordinance also authorizes the City Manager to negotiate and execute any necessary agreements, appropriate funds, and approve budget expenses to implement the programs and priorities within the Recovery and Resiliency Plan and any supplemental initiatives.
FISCAL IMPACT:
This ordinance appropriates funds for the Recovery and Resiliency Plan for the ongoing COVID-19 and creates a separate fund to track the expenses associated with this plan. Funds are appropriated as follows:
|
Pillar |
Federal Funds |
General Fund |
Total |
|
Workforce Development |
$12.7 Million |
$67.3 Million |
$80 Million |
|
Housing Security |
$50.5 Million |
|
$50.5 Million |
|
Small Business |
$33.1 Million |
|
$33.1Million |
|
Digital Inclusion |
|
$27.3 Million |
$27.3 Million |
|
Total |
$96.3 Million |
$94.6 Million |
$190.9 Million |
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends approval of the Recovery and Resiliency Plan for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic as presented to City Council at the May 28th “A” Session