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Emergency Housing Vouchers <br />July 20, 2021 <br />Page 2 <br />1 <br />8 <br />8 <br />7 <br />3. Authorize the City Manager to execute a future agreement with the Orange County <br />United Way or another designated Service Provider to utilize Emergency Housing <br />Voucher Service Fees in an amount not to exceed $311,500 to provide housing search <br />assistance for Emergency Housing Vouchers issued by the Housing Authority, subject <br />to non-substantive changes approved by the City Manager and City Attorney. <br />4. Direct the City Attorney to finalize and authorize the City Manager to enter into <br />negotiations, execute agreements, and approve any other required actions necessary <br />with various service providers, contractors, and sub-recipients, who will support the <br />Housing Authority to issue and lease the eighty-nine Emergency Housing Vouchers, <br />subject to non-substantive changes approved by the City Manager and City Attorney. <br />DISCUSSION <br />On March 11, 2021, the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (“ARPA”) was signed into law <br />and appropriated $5 billion for new incremental Emergency Housing Vouchers (“EHVs”) <br />across the nation. ARPA included funding for the renewal of these EHVs and fees for the <br />cost of administering the EHVs and other eligible expenses to prevent, prepare, and <br />respond to the coronavirus and facilitate the leasing of the EHVs, such as security deposit <br />assistance and other costs related to the retention and support of participating <br />owners. As a result, on June 10, 2021, the Housing Authority received a direct allocation <br />of $1,316,892 in EHV Housing Assistance Payments (“HAP”) funds to assist up to eighty- <br />nine (89) new voucher holders (Exhibit 1). The Housing Authority also received an <br />allocation of administrative fee funding for other eligible expenses that are not normally <br />eligible administrative expenses under the Housing Choice Voucher (“HCV”) program, as <br />well as standard administrative fees for the cost of administering the EHVs. The <br />administrative fee funding included a single, one-time preliminary fee of $400 per EHV <br />allocated to the Housing Authority; a one-time services fee to support the Housing <br />Authority’s efforts to implement and operate an effective EHV services program that will <br />best address the needs of EHV eligible individuals and families equal to $3,500 per EHV; <br />and on-going administrative fees calculated in the same manner as the regular HCV <br />Program. <br />Eligibility for these EHVs is limited to individuals and families who are (1) homeless; (2) <br />at risk of homelessness; (3) fleeing, or attempting to flee, domestic violence, dating <br />violence, sexual assault, stalking or human trafficking; or (4) recently homeless and for <br />whom providing rental assistance will prevent the family’s homelessness or having high <br />risk of housing instability. All individuals and families may only be referred to the Housing <br />Authority from the Orange County Continuum of Care’s Coordinated Entry System, and <br />the Housing Authority is prohibited from having a local residency preference for Santa <br />Ana residents. After September 30, 2023, the Housing Authority may not reissue any <br />previously leased EHV, regardless of when the assistance for the formerly assisted family <br />ends or ended.