Council backs competitive grant approach for managed resting site and navigation services; staff to return with draft and public forum

Councilors directed staff to draft a competitive grant program to fund one or more community proposals to provide managed resting sites and navigation services for people experiencing homelessness, a city staff attorney said after a presentation of options.

Stephanie (city attorney) framed the options and legal risks, saying a competitive grant process would minimize city liability compared with purchasing or leasing property directly or giving a single noncompetitive grant. She described elements council would need to decide: the city’s objective (for example, whether the primary goal is to remove people from city property, reduce homelessness overall, or expand services), who may apply (nonprofits, businesses or partnerships), allowed uses of city funds (capital costs, acquisitions, operations), award structure (reimbursement, advance, milestone payments), required performance measures, and timelines. She said the city must set objective measures of…