The Housing Authority of Champaign County approved memoranda of understanding with four community partners to fund emergency housing, hotel stays, rental assistance and supportive services, agency staff said.

Staff presented MOUs with Cunningham Township, Champaign Regional Planning Commission, Champaign County Health Care Consumers and Champaign Township, seeking direct-service funding to support overflow shelters, “bridge to home” units, hotel stays for medically fragile residents, security deposits and rental assistance. In total, staff said the approved MOUs exceed $1 million.

Jolena, a Housing Authority staff presenter, described the proposals and the authority’s recommended funding levels. She said the Cunningham Township request included rental subsidies for four bridge-to-home units, utility payments for those units, hotel stays for workforce-development participants and security-deposit and rental-assistance funds; the board’s recommended MOU amount for Cunningham was $367,760. For the Champaign Regional Planning Commission comfort-corner overflow shelter, the presented MOU amount was $431,000. Champaign County Health Care Consumers was presented at $104,000 for hotel stays, supportive services and rental assistance for medically fragile people. Champaign Township’s MOU was presented at $160,000 to cover supportive services, facility utilities, a $10,000 contingency and rental assistance.

Staff emphasized that the grants are reimbursement-based and intended solely for direct services; “None of it is for administrative fees. None of it is for staffing or salaries,” a staff member said. Organizations will invoice after expenditures and provide receipts and demographic reporting as part of monthly reimbursement requests, staff said. The MOUs must be reviewed by the authority’s MTW (Moving to Work) field office at HUD before final execution, staff added.

Board members asked how the authority would ensure funds are spent and tracked. Staff said each MOU will include reporting requirements, monthly reimbursement schedules, receipts and demographic data. The authority also said it plans to issue a second request for proposals in January to allocate remaining funds; staff noted all funds must be expended by Dec. 31.

Community representatives who spoke during public comment thanked the authority for the funding. Claudia Lenhoff, identified in public comment, described using hotel stays to support medically fragile clients and said limited benefits such as SSI (cited at $967 a month in her remarks) make deposits and move-in costs significant barriers. Rob Kowalski, a representative of the City of Champaign, thanked the authority and noted the wider system remains strained.

The board voted to approve the MOUs (items B through E) by roll call. Staff will proceed with HUD/MTW field office review and monthly reimbursement procedures, and will notify commissioners when HUD provides approval.