60A - AMEND COVID-19 RESPONSE FUNDING

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Adopt First Amendment to COVID-19 Response Funding Plan August 18, 2020 Page 2 compliance purposes. On June 9, 2020, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awarded the City with a second allocation of ESG-CV program funds in the amount of $11,598,442 as authorized by the CARES Act (Exhibit 1). In compliance with the federal regulations, these federal ESG-CV2 funds are to be used to prevent, prepare for, and respond to 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. To most effectively address the needs of the community while complying with the eligible uses for this source of federal funds, staff has identified the following four general activities for the use of these funds: 1. Operating costs to start up the Year -Round Homeless Navigation Center and Recuperative Care Facility at 1815 Carnegie Avenue 2. Operating costs to extend the interim 200-bed shelter at The Link beyond October 31, 2020, while the new Homeless Navigation Center on Carnegie Avenue is under development 3. Eviction Prevention for Very -Low Income Families until August 2022 (Santa Ana Zero Eviction Program) 4. Eviction Defense Fund for Very -Low -Income Families qualified under Santa Ana Zero Eviction Program 5. Administrative Costs Allowance The costs to start-up the Year -Round Homeless Navigation Center and Recuperative Care Facility at 1815 Carnegie Avenue consist of payment to Illumination Foundation for on -going operations and services that will be provided. This is the same for the extension of the Link beyond October 31, 2020. In regards to the Eviction Prevention for Very -Low Income Families until August 2022, staff are tentatively referring to this program as the Santa Ana Zero Eviction Program, or Safely Home in Santa Ana as another possible name. The goal of this program is to ensure that no very -low income families are evicted for non-payment of rent in the City of Santa Ana until August 2022, the expenditure deadline for this source of funds. Following a procurement process, staff plans to enter into an agreement with a single nonprofit organization to provide assistance to any very -low income family who has been notified in writing that their right to occupy their current housing unit will be terminated. The partner organization will be required to income qualify the family as a very -low income household earning no more than 50% of the Area Median Income in compliance with the federal regulations for this source of funds. If the family is eligible and has been notified in writing that their right to occupy their apartment will be terminated, the City will be able to provide rental assistance paid to the family's landlord to ensure that the family remains stably housed. For the Eviction Defense Fund, if a landlord refuses to accept payment by the City through this program, the law firm contracted by the City for this program will provide legal services to the family to require the landlord to accept payment. The City will seek to inform the Court, in partnership with the contracted law firm, that the City has funds available to pay off the family's rent owed under their lease agreement such that the family not be legally evicted. The outcome 60A-2