City staff told the committee that changes to federal competitive funding will reshape which projects receive renewals and could leave a large share of local renewal contracts at risk.

Natalia Miram, identified as the LASA program lead, said the city learned in mid-November that the timing and priorities for federal competitive awards changed this cycle and that applications were due in mid-December (via the eSnaps portal) and final awards could arrive months later. She warned that some federal prioritization changes — described in the presentation as a 30% set-aside limiting how much the city may request for permanent supportive housing — mean that “el 70 por 100 de nuestras renovaciones van a tener que competir con el resto de la nación,” and that agencies and providers face an interim cash-flow and reimbursement risk because “No hay manera de pedir un reembolso, y esto es el riesgo que estas agencias toman.”

Pedro Torres, the CEO, presented the Insight Safe emergency account report and identified available balances and recommended actions to keep providers paid through year-end. In the report Torres recommended transferring funds from the Insight Safe reserve to the Housing Authority to cover provider and hotel costs and asked for authority to route payments through the mayor’s office to speed invoices. Several council members pressed Torres and municipal administration staff on controls, who would retain decision-making authority, and the timing of payments.

A councilmember moved to modify the CEO report by striking recommendation number 1 (the provision that would have authorized mayoral transfer authority). The motion to approve the Insight Safe report as modified passed in committee. The committee’s action removes the specific transfer authorization described in the CEO recommendations while approving the remainder of the report as amended.

Council members asked staff to provide clearer follow-up reporting that specifies which providers will receive funds, exact dollar allocations by provider, and the legal authorities that would apply to any expedited payment process. Staff said they would provide additional detail in future reports and coordinate with county and state officials and legal counsel as needed.

The committee’s vote on the modified Insight Safe report was recorded in the meeting minutes as approved; no recorded roll-call names beyond the vote totals appear in the transcript excerpt.