Title
Adopt City Council Resolution Approving Update to Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Utility Assistance Program Guidelines
Summary
The City of Fort Bragg was awarded CDBG-CV funding for a Utility Assistance Program in response to COVID-19 under awards #20-CDBG-CV1-00124 and #20-CDBG-CV2-3-00235. In total, the City was awarded $177,534 toward the program. As of 9/30/2022, $73,065.26 has been expended and $104,468.74 remains. The Utility Assistance Program provides one-time subsistence payments that are made directly to utility providers on behalf of qualified households. During program implementation, staff found that the amount of households in arrears was lower than expected and the amount of arrearages were higher that expected. In response, HCD and the City Manager have executed an Amendment to allow for the City to update Program Guidelines in order to increase the household limit from $500 to $1,000. Households that have already received aid under the program may reapply and, if eligible at the time of re-application, may be eligible for a second subsistence payment. The overall award budget will not increase, thereby decreasing the number of households that may receive aid. There is no impact to the General Fund. Staff will conduct outreach to inform the community and past applicants of the update if approved. Updates to the Program Guidelines are included as Track Changes.