Bloomington City Council — Transcript
Tuesday, December 10, 2024
Story
Bloomington allocates final $175,000 in federal homelessness funds
Votes (1)
American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Homelessness Response and Prevention Services Agreements
Dissent: None
Moved by Commissioner Musa [6:30] · Seconded by Commissioner Mueller [6:31]
Staff presented a recommendation to allocate the remaining $175,000 of ARPA funds. These funds, part of a larger $500,000 allocation, must be committed by year-end 2024 and spent by June 2025, with a possible three-month extension. The recommendation was to fund three community organizations: Oasis for Youth, Home Line, and Touchstone Mental Health Services, with two at full request and one at 85%. Commissioner Mueller raised concerns regarding the vetting process for organizations, referencing recent high-profile fraud cases. Staff reassured the board about the robust, standardized RFP and contracting processes, emphasizing the known reputation of the selected providers and the city's monitoring systems.
Notable Quotes (3)
There's a remaining $175,000 to commit yet this year these contracts do need to be executed by the end of 2024 and so we have staffers according to an RFP process and received three applications.
CAN YOU START TO SHARE A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW WE REVIEW RFP AND WHAT WE DID TO VET THE ORGANIZATIONS TO ENSURE THE FUNDS WILL BE USED PROPERLY AND WE'LL BE SUPPORTING RESIDENTS IN BLOOMINGTON
BUT I THINK OUR SYSTEMS ARE PRETTY ROBUST HERE TO MONITOR THAT AND IT'S A FOCUS OF OUR NEW STAFF TO MAKE SURE WE'RE WE'RE FOLLOWING OTHER CONTRACTING LAWS AND WORKING WITH THE ALL TO MAKE SURE WE'RE ON.
Ordinances & Resolutions (3)
Authorizing staff to enter into service agreements for homelessness response and prevention services.
Federal legislation providing funding for various recovery efforts, including homelessness response.
Contracts with service providers (Oasis for Youth, Home Line, Touchstone Mental Health Services) for ARPA-funded services.