Albany council reallocates $50,000 in ARPA funds to sustain rental-assistance through 2026

The Albany City Council on Oct. 20 approved a staff request to reallocate $50,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money from the temporary business assistance program to the citys temporary public assistance program to support rental-assistance services through December 2026.

The measure, described as Resolution 2025-66 in the meeting, was moved by Councilmember Jordan and seconded by Vice Mayor McQuade. The city clerk recorded the motion as passing on a roll call vote; the clerk read "Yes" for each member and announced the motion carries.

The reallocation brings the rental-assistance fund balance to about $230,000, staff said. Assistant City Manager Isabelle Leduc told the council the city received slightly more than $4.7 million in ARPA funds and had spent roughly 79.5 percent of the allocation as of September. Leduc said the request is intended to cover immediate rental-assistance needs while staff prepare a recommended approach for sustaining high-priority programs after ARPA funding ends.

Kate Miller, recreation supervisor, and Bridal Brown, assistant to the city manager, presented details on how the ARPA public-assistance dollars have been used. Miller said ARPA-funded public-assistance programs targeted low- and moderate-income residents and were designed to address housing, food and childcare needs that persisted after the pandemic. She said Albany Cares, the city's centralized navigation and referral program, helped expand outreach and connect residents to services.

Through ARPA-funded programs, staff reported the city helped 668 unduplicated clients in 2024 and continues to see steady demand. The city referred an average of four households per month to ECHO Housing for the financial-assistance application; about half of those referred were approved, Miller said. Of 77 approved financial-assistance applications to date, Miller said the majority were for rental assistance and that the program's average award has been about $8,200 per household.

City staff recommended reallocating $50,000 from business grants to the rental-assistance fund in order to sustain rental help through December 2026. Brown told the council that staff estimate the cost to maintain Albany Cares and associated programs at their current service level would be about $350,000 annually, with some of that amount covering program staffing and the rest direct assistance. Staff said they would return with a FY 2026-27 budget recommendation that identifies how much ongoing support would be required and whether the citys operating budget or other sources could help.

Public commenters at the meeting included Margie Marks, who said she had met families helped by the program and urged the council to continue the funding. A commenter who identified themself as Francesco Papalia asked for a clear breakdown of how much of proposed funding would pay for staff versus direct assistance; staff said they would provide that information in follow-up materials.

Council members expressed broad support for the recommendation during deliberations. Several members and the mayor described the rental-assistance program as preventive and important to housing stability in Albany.

Staff said the city will continue to coordinate with partner agencies. Albany Cares will continue to work with ECHO Housing on rental assistance applications and with Insight Housing for Albany Project Hope, the city's outreach and navigation program for unhoused residents. Staff will monitor program demand and return to council in the FY 2026-27 budget process with recommended adjustments.

The council approved the reallocation and asked staff to provide the requested budget details for future consideration.