Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Family Crisis Fund topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
City staff say review of water‑outage aid applications is ongoing; thousands of requests received
Summary
Staff told the committee the city received a large volume of Family Crisis Fund requests after a water outage, is verifying eligibility and debts, and will process payments after verification; staff said the fund’s criteria have not changed and that eviction‑diversion funds are managed separately.
Council staff and administrators updated the Education and Human Services Standing Committee on the city’s Family Crisis Fund, which the city used to accept requests for assistance after a recent water outage.
Council staff said administrators opened the Family Crisis Fund application window on Jan. 31 and closed it on Feb. 3 and that “thousands” of requests were submitted. Staff said they are actively reviewing applications, verifying eligibility with referral partners and contacting creditors when necessary to confirm debts. Staff cautioned the committee that processing payments takes time because of the large volume of applications and the need to verify documents and creditor information.
Eva Cohen said the Family Crisis Fund’s purpose and payment criteria did not change for the water‑outage response; the fund continues to be available for rent, mortgage, car repairs, medical bills and other qualified debts. She clarified that the eviction‑diversion fund is managed by the Department of Housing and Community Development and a separate partner organization.
Staff committed to return with more specific statistics — including median or average payment amounts — once review of all applications is complete.
Ending: Committee members requested a follow‑up report with summarized payment metrics and an accounting of how the Family Crisis Fund and eviction diversion programs are being used to target the same households.
