Item:
Title
Approval of Contract to Award Housing for New Hope a Grant under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Nonprofit Grant Program Phase 3 - Homeless Services Grant Program
Body
Date of BOCC Meeting: November 25, 2024
Request for Board Action:
Agenda Text
The Board is requested to approve the grant agreement contract between the County and Housing for New Hope, Inc. as the recipient of the County’s ARPA Nonprofit Grant Program Phase 3 - Homeless Services Grant Program award. The grant award will total $2,000,000 with a period of performance ending September 30, 2026.
In recognition of the significant health and economic impacts of the COVID-19 on the County’s population of individuals experiencing homelessness, $2,000,000 was included as part of the Board’s strategic plan for administering the County’s ARPA funding for the purposes of providing a grant to an organization to support the provision of daytime services for individuals experiencing homelessness in Durham County. On May 2, 2024, the County published a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the ARPA Homeless Services Grant Program to solicit applications for grant awards to expand daytime services for individuals experiencing homelessness within Durham County.
At the time of the closure of the solicitation on June 3, 2024, the County had received 4 eligible proposals that were subsequently evaluated and scored by a review panel using an approved evaluation rubric. Based on the panel’s review, it was determined that the Housing for New Hope application was the highest scoring application submitted in response to the RFP. As such, Housing for New Hope was recommended for selection by the Board as a grant recipient for the ARPA Homeless Services Grant program.
On September 9, 2025, the Board approved the selection of Housing for New Hope as a grant recipient under the County’s ARPA Nonprofit Grant Program - Phase 3 - Homeless Services Grant program. In the following weeks, County staff worked with Housing for New Hope to complete the grant agreement development process, including completion of the risk assessment required under 2 CFR 200.332(b), refinement and finalization of the grant Scope of Work and Project Budget, and creation of the grant agreement contract. Accordingly, it is now recommended that the Board approve the grant agreement contract with Housing for New Hope.
Alignment with Strategic Plan: This item aligns with Goal 2, Healthy and Inclusive Community - Objective 1 (Increase healthy outcomes and quality of life for residents), Objective 2 (Increase equitable outcomes through County operations and services), and Objective 3 (Expand and provide services that support residents across their entire lifespans).
Resource Persons: Claudia Hager, County Manager; John Keefer, County Grants Administrator
County Manager’s Recommendation: The County Manager recommends that the Board approve the grant agreement contract with Housing for New Hope as the recipient of the ARPA Homeless Services Grant Program, and to authorize the County Manager to execute all documents required to enter into a grant agreement with the selected organization.
Signature
County Manager: ____________________________