Office of Violence Prevention recommends repurposing remaining awards; nonprofits request appeals and follow‑up

The Office of Violence Prevention told the Housing, Urban Development and Zoning Committee it has identified multiple ARPA‑funded vendor contracts unlikely to spend their full awards before federal deadlines and recommended repurposing portions of those awards.

Commissioner Marvin Tier said OVP reviewed roughly 33 contracts and identified 10 vendors with projected remainders. He recommended conservative repurposing amounts so providers would retain operational capacity if invoices materialize. "We have 10 vendors that are going to have issues with spending down the remainder of their contracts," Tier said, and OVP proposed repurposing line items while leaving a buffer for pending invoices.

OVP program manager Claudine Allen explained that a behavioral health program had been shifted to general revenue and therefore could not be paid from ARPA; she said other remainders resulted from staffing gaps, delayed hires or low client volumes that constrained monthly invoicing.

Aldermen questioned timing and communication. Several members, including Alderman Aldridge and Alderman Browning, emphasized the importance of clear notices and offered that some programs (for example, summer youth programming) may be slow to ramp during winter months but could spend quickly in spring and summer. Alderman Aldridge said he had received calls from organizations concerned about losing funds and urged the administration to continue working with grantees on spend‑down plans.

Nonprofit leaders who testified asked for appeal pathways and a fair opportunity to reconcile spend‑down forecasts. An Urban League representative said the organization is preparing an appeal and will present a spend‑down plan to OVP. The executive director of Northside Youth and Senior Service said his organization had not been informed of an appeal process and asked for time to meet with OVP staff to resolve outstanding documentation.

OVP and mayoral staff said departments had undertaken spend‑down conversations beginning in October and December 2025, that termination notices were sent in late December and mid‑February where appropriate, and that certified letters were used to ensure formal notification. The commissioner and the mayor’s policy adviser emphasized that some reappropriations were proposed out of necessity to avoid returning funds to the federal government if they cannot be obligated in time, and that the committee’s hold would allow staff to continue follow‑up.