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DeSoto council weighs widening eligibility for Helping Hands emergency aid
Summary
City staff proposed broadening eligibility for the Helping Hands of DeSoto program after data showed only 10 of 64 applicants qualified under shutdown-specific rules; council asked staff to return with outreach, fund-split and applicant-makeup details before deciding.
Dr. Esther Williams, the city’s director of community services and external affairs, told the DeSoto City Council on Feb. 26 that the Helping Hands relief program launched for residents on Jan. 21 and was created as a temporary, city-funded safety net for people affected by the federal government shutdown, SNAP reductions, furloughs and related job losses. "So as of February 5, 64 total applications have been received, 10 total were approved," Williams said, adding that seven approved requests were for rent or mortgage assistance and three were SNAP-related vouchers. She reported roughly $34,042.62 had been expended to date.
Williams said the city contracted Found A Way Foundation to accept applications, track applicants and report weekly service counts. She told the council staff is recommending authorizing the city manager to amend eligibility to allow alternative hardship verification (including a hardship affidavit) and to include income-qualified households experiencing temporary financial instability so that residents who cannot produce shutdown-specific documentation can access assistance.
Council members pressed staff for details before changing the program. Council member Perrette Parker asked that the slides be posted online and for updated application counts; Williams said the numbers in the presentation came from the Feb. 5 weekly report and that no additional fully completed applications had been processed since then. Parker and others also asked for the outreach list and for a breakdown of how the program’s funds are split among funding sources.
Mayor Pro Tem Crystal Chisholm and others cautioned against opening the program so broadly that it would exhaust the fund that was drawn from rainy-day reserves for a shutdown-specific emergency. "That puts us in a real 501(c)(3)-ish type of realm," Chisholm said, arguing for a narrower, clearly defined target if the council pivoted. Several council members suggested narrower targeting options, including seniors or people with disabilities, or splitting the allocation to protect funds for residents specifically affected by the shutdown.
Council member Andre Byrd Sr. and Council member Deborah North asked staff to report the makeup of the 64 applications (how many were seniors, disabled, rental versus utilities, and whether SNAP benefits were retroactive for some applicants). Williams said Found A Way retains applicant demographics and that staff would provide more complete data. Williams also confirmed that Community Development Block Grant funds of $21,000 were designated for SNAP vouchers and have usage requirements and timelines.
City staff did not seek a vote to change eligibility at the Feb. 26 meeting. Instead, council members gave direction for staff to return with: the outreach log, the split of funding sources (CDBG versus other funds), the demographic composition of applicants, application timing, and proposed, specific eligibility criteria if the council were to expand the program (examples suggested included seniors and disabled households). Williams said administrators are paid 15% of eligible expenditures as they bill the city.
Next steps: staff will provide the requested data and options for a narrower eligibility or split-funding approach at a future council meeting; the March internal target date for program expiration was described as flexible and staff noted the next full council packet availability would be in April.
