Allows other funds to achieve supportive housing goals
Clackamas County Commissioners have allocated more than $2.23 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to cover the costs of a hotel/motel emergency sheltering program.
ARPA funds that the county has received thus far – $40.6 million this past May – are meant to provide emergency relief funding to local governments. Federal government regulations detail how this money can be used, but prior to today, the county had allocated $17,150,000. More information is at www.clackamas.us/recovery.
With today’s action, $2,234,455 in other funding can be reallocated to make progress toward county goals involving our Supportive Housing Services programs. This is the point of this action.
Specifically, these reallocations will go toward:
- Supportive Housing Services/Case Management: Helps vulnerable residents successfully transition into permanent housing with ongoing supportive services (or “wraparound” services), including assistance accessing behavioral and physical health care services, connecting to education and employment assistance, and landlord communication/dispute resolution.
- Long Term Rent Assistance: Provides flexible and continued rent subsidy that will significantly expand access to housing for households with extremely and very low incomes across the region.
- Short Term Rent Assistance: Rental assistance and supportive services that can be used to prevent a household from becoming homeless.
- Eviction Prevention: Helping those at risk of being evicted. Includes supplying such resources as back-rent, unpaid utility bills, etc.
- Housing Placement/Navigation: Efforts to help residents find rental units. Can range from paying back-rent, application fees, rental opportunities. Aimed at getting people housed and connected to rent assistance.
- Emergency/Transitional Shelter: Immediate safety off of the streets for people experiencing homelessness, fleeing domestic violence, and transitioning out of institutional settings.
- Outreach: Connecting directly with people experiencing homelessness to help them access housing assistance and other resources.
The hotel/motel emergency sheltering program is a continuation of efforts that started in response to the COVID-19 pandemic as a way to provide highly vulnerable people experiencing homelessness with a safe place, off the streets, in a non-congregate setting.
The action was taken at a Policy Session earlier today, after being discussed last week. Full materials can be viewed at https://bit.ly/31pbI0B (today’s materials) and https://bit.ly/31pbZ3D (last week’s materials). Please note that the figures in the chart for last week’s materials are estimates and subject to change.