Detroit officials recommend about $5 million in homeless-services funding; Legal Aid files appeal

Detroit housing officials on the Committee of the Whole presented funding recommendations for the city’s Homelessness Solutions Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA), proposing roughly $2.7 million in Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) funding combined with about $2.4 million in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) dollars — just over $5 million total — to support emergency shelter, warming centers, street outreach, rapid rehousing and homelessness-prevention activities.

Tara Linsner, Homelessness Solutions Division director in the Housing and Revitalization Department, told council, “we expect approximately $2,700,000 to be allocated under emergency solutions grant or ESG funding. And then as emergency solutions grant requires a dollar to dollar match, we do have $2,400,000 of community development block grant funding that is combined with this NOFA for an anticipated expected amount to be over just, just over $5,000,000.”

The recommended awards cover 31 activities across multiple program components and list 21 subrecipients HRD proposes to fund. Linsner said HRD also recommends two noncompetitive awards: $185,000 to the Homeless Action Network of Detroit (HAND) for required data entry into the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), and $200,000 to Wayne Metro Community Action Agency for coordinated entry and the CAM call center. "This is a federal, this is a federal requirement," Linsner said of HMIS reporting.

Why it matters: the Council must adopt a resolution to finalize awards so HRD can issue contracts in time for warming-center operations to begin Nov. 1. Linsner told council she is recommending two-year…