Committee recommends deeper, larger human-services grants; caps awards at $200,000 and 50% of org budgets

Members of the Climate, Environment and Infrastructure Committee received a presentation on the city’s Human Services funding recommendations during a committee meeting, where officials and the United Way outlined a shift toward larger, deeper grants and stronger monitoring.

“We have set aside 1.5% of the city's budget to do this work,” the committee chair said, describing the statutory set-aside and the city’s human-services priorities. Deanna White, director of the Office of Human Services, said the Human Services Advisory Committee (HSAC) was instructed this cycle “to go deep,” meaning reviewers should consider funding the full amount requested for high-scoring applications rather than partially funding many projects.

The nut graf: HSAC and the United Way recommended funding 73 programs from 68 agencies across three priority categories — comprehensive workforce development; youth gun-violence prevention and reduction; and supporting, securing and stabilizing housing for high-risk populations — using a scoring rubric tied to council priorities and…