DEPARTMENT:
Neighborhood & Housing Services Department
DEPARTMENT HEAD:
Verónica R. Soto, FAICP, Neighborhood & Housing Services Department Director
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED:
Citywide
SUMMARY:
Briefing and discussion on updates and proposed changes to the Emergency Housing Assistance Program.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
In response to COVID 19, City Council approved an ordinance on April 23, 2020 that created the COVID-19 Emergency Housing Assistance Program (EHAP). The EHAP Budget is $52.5 million. As of September 9, 2020, the EHAP has helped 15,186 households and provided $43.3 million in direct assistance which left $7.6 million of which $1.8 million is available for applicants not eligible for federal funding and $5.8 million is available for those applicants that are eligible for federal funding.
The chart below provides the breakout by City Council District.
|
Emergency Housing Assistance Program |
|
CD |
Avg AMI % |
Approved |
Avg HH Size |
Avg Age |
Approved $ |
|
1 |
26.9 |
1520 |
3 |
40 |
4,224,078 |
|
2 |
27.6 |
1974 |
3 |
39 |
5,515,578 |
|
3 |
28.9 |
1671 |
3 |
40 |
4,627,815 |
|
4 |
28.4 |
1362 |
3 |
39 |
3,990,633 |
|
5 |
24 |
1124 |
3 |
41 |
2,895,457 |
|
6 |
31.1 |
1562 |
3 |
38 |
4,555,646 |
|
7 |
28.1 |
1638 |
3 |
39 |
4,638,966 |
|
8 |
31.2 |
1775 |
2 |
36 |
5,150,063 |
|
9 |
31.3 |
1211 |
2 |
38 |
3,652,713 |
|
10 |
31.9 |
1349 |
3 |
38 |
4,077,616 |
|
Totals |
|
15,186 |
|
|
$ 43,328,564 |
ISSUE:
As staff enters Phase 3 of the EHAP, the priority remains on the most vulnerable in our community. With that in mind and considering the September 9th budget discussion staff is recommending the following eligibility criteria for Phase 3:
– Reside within the San Antonio city limits
– Provide documentation of hardship due to COVID-19
– Assistance is available for both rental and mortgage
– Must make less than 80% of the AMI for the past 2 months
– Assistance is tiered based on the applicants AMI:
– If an applicant’s AMI is at or below 50% AMI, the applicant is eligible for 1 month of rental or mortgage assistance, utility (SAWS, CPS, Internet) assistance, and a cash grant (up to $300). If a second month of assistance is needed, the applicant is eligible for a $500 cash grant only.
– If an applicant’s AMI is between 51% and 80%, the applicant is eligible for 1 month rental or mortgage assistance. If a second month of assistance is needed, the applicant is eligible for a $250 cash grant only.
|
Emergency Housing Assistance Program Amendments |
|
AMI |
1st Month |
2nd Month |
|
|
Rent/Mortgage |
SAWS |
CPS |
Internet |
Cash Grant |
Cash Grant |
|
<50% |
X |
X |
X |
X |
Up to $300 |
$500 |
|
51% - 80% |
X |
|
|
|
|
$250 |
In addition to the abovementioned adjustments, staff will aggressively market workforce development to all EHAP applicants.
For those cases that proceed to the eviction courts as part of our right to counsel program, defendants will be eligible for up to $5,000 in rental assistance to help address arrears.
Another update to the EHAP is the Dashboard, which went live on July 10, 2020 and included information on the amount of applications received, approved, denied, funding expended, and the amount of funding that went to each of the following categories: Rent and Mortgage, CPS, SAWS, Internet, and Cash Assistance. As of September 10, 2020, the dashboard now includes a breakdown by City Council. The dashboard is updated real time and is available at <https://dhs.mendixcloud.com/p/dashboard>.
ALTERNATIVES:
This item is for briefing purposes only.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The proposed budget for the program is $21.9 million and will be considered on Thursday, September 17th.
|
EHAP |
Total |
|
General Fund (FY21 Housing Budget) |
5,050,000 |
|
CDBG (FY21 Housing Budget) |
5,875,000 |
|
CRF |
10,000,000 |
|
SAHT |
1,000,000 |
|
Total |
21,925,000 |
RECOMMENDATION:
This item is for briefing purposes only.