Department: Management and Budget
Department Head/Elected Official: Daniel Ramos, Executive Director
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Regular RCA
Type of Request: Grant
Project ID (if applicable): N/A
Vendor/Entity Legal Name (if applicable): N/A
MWDBE Contracted Goal (if applicable): N/A
MWDBE Current Participation (if applicable): N/A
Justification for 0% MWDBE Participation Goal: N/A - Goal not applicable to request
Request Summary (Agenda Caption):
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Request by the Office of Management and Budget for approval to transfer remaining Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERA2) grant funds in the estimated amount of $3,000,000 to the Housing and Community Development Department (HCDD), and for HCDD to assume ERA2 program management and implementation.
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Background and Discussion:
In January 2021, the U.S. Treasury Department established the Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) program to provide funding to state and local governments to assist eligible renter households impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, funded via the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021. Commissioners Court established the 2021 Houston-Harris County Emergency Rental Assistance Program on February 9, 2021, in collaboration with the City of Houston. The program administrators were BakerRipley, Catholic Charities, and the Alliance.
Additional funding was allocated to the ERA program via the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA), and subsequently allocated to state and local governments. Harris County received a total of $71M as part of this ERA2 funding. Due to limited grant funds remaining at the end of 2022, Catholic Charities became the sole ERA2 program administrator beginning in 2023.
Nearly 4 years since the start of the pandemic, high eviction rates and housing instability for Harris County households impacted during COVID-19 continue. To ensure that the limited ERA2 funds remaining are utilized efficiently and effectively, the Catholic Charities contract was reduced by $3,3...
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