City staff says services will continue while Red River Valley Community Action reorganizes

Grand Forks city staff told the City Council on Sept. 2 that Red River Valley Community Action has suspended operations but not formally dissolved and that partner agencies will temporarily administer several of its programs to keep services available to residents. Colin Hansen, Grand Forks Community Development manager, said the city and state are in “triage mode” to maintain housing, energy and supportive services for low-income residents across the four-county service area of Nelson, Pembina, Walsh and Grand Forks counties. "Above all else, we've been working to try to maintain access to housing, energy, and supportive services for our low income residents in the 4 county area," Hansen said. The council was told the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and weatherization work is being transferred, on a short-term basis, to other community action agencies: Fargo Community Action Agency (Region 5/SENCA) will finish five active weatherization projects and the agency has been asked to step in for three to six months to ensure winter heating assistance and emergency repairs. Jamestown Community Action Agency (Region 6) has taken on the Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) and the HOME-ARP program for families experiencing or at risk of homelessness; program staff are temporarily located at United Way offices in Grand Forks. North Dakota Housing Finance Agency is administering a roughly $250,000 homeless-prevention and rapid-rehousing fund for the region and has authorized Jamestown to administer it locally for now. Hansen said other programs — a Helping Hands rehab program for low-income homeowners, home-rehab and the Homeowner Assistance Fund for accessibility modifications — have open cases in Grand Forks and that the city has asked Devils Lake Community Action Agency to consider temporarily administering those programs. City staff will temporarily answer incoming calls routed to Red River Valley Community Action and direct residents to available services while the Department of Commerce, Community Action Partnership of North Dakota and other agencies work on longer-term solutions. Hansen said the Red River Valley board continues to meet. The council did not take formal action; staff said they will return with a fuller briefing at the Sept. 15 council meeting.