Municipal staff gave three grant and procurement updates: pending rental assistance awards, a competitive capital grant round for HUD CDBG funds and a new online procurement platform.

Rental assistance and services funding

Health department staff told commissioners they are negotiating awards that should reach the assembly on March 18. Staff said the first batch of rental assistance awards will begin going out in April and that the initial allocation is roughly $4,200,000 that will expire in September; staff said an additional $1.5 million has been negotiated with a longer timeframe for use. The department asked grantees to prioritize unsheltered people and those currently in emergency shelter.

CDBG capital solicitation and housing acquisition

Jen Joy (new systems program manager, NHL department, government) and other staff summarized three concurrent grant solicitations. Staff said they selected two recommended housing acquisition proposals that will be scheduled for assembly action and that they are moving quickly to finalize agreements so funds can be distributed. Separately, an open request for grant proposals for 2025 CDBG capital projects is seeking projects that increase permanent housing or shelter capacity; staff estimated about $800,000 may be available, but said HUD allocations were not final.

Procurement platform and deadlines

Staff noted that the purchasing department launched a Gate Express platform for online solicitation submissions and that one capital solicitation deadline is March 27. Jen Joy asked applicants to consult the purchasing website for submission instructions.

Ending

Staff asked the commission and community partners to share solicitations and to participate in the March 20–21 summit hosted by Southcentral Foundation. Commissioners were told rental assistance awards will be routed to the assembly March 18 for approval and that awardees should be prepared to begin issuing assistance in April.