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DeKalb Operations Committee okays $929,460 contract with Operation Hope for homeownership, financial counseling
Summary
The DeKalb County Operations Committee voted to award a three‑year contract (with an option to renew) to Operation Hope to provide homeownership counseling, financial literacy and credit counseling to residents and small businesses, at a cost not to exceed $929,460.
The DeKalb County Operations Committee approved CEO item 261070 to award a multiyear contract to Operation Hope for financial empowerment services, a staff presentation said. The contract — not to exceed $929,460 — will fund classroom training, individual case management and three one‑on‑one counseling sessions for adults in households, with long‑term tracking of outcomes.
"Recommend award to the highest, score on proposal Operation Hope Inc. Amount not to exceed $929,460," staff noted during the presentation. Staff framed the program as "additive" to existing county partnerships and said it will expand financial literacy, credit counseling and technical assistance for small businesses in DeKalb County.
Commissioners asked how Operation Hope’s services would interact with ongoing efforts by NACA, which has already provided homeownership counseling and housing identification services. A committee member asked whether the new contract would replicate NACA services and whether Operation Hope could bring investment infusions similar to a prior 2019 effort. Staff replied the programs are complementary: "I think it's additive…the financial literacy, the credit counseling, and really the technical assistance for small businesses are gonna be key components that…expand on those services," and promised to provide an estimate of the number of families and businesses expected to be served before the next meeting.
The committee also discussed program delivery and outcomes measurement. Staff said classroom training will be offered on a first‑come, first‑served basis and that some participants will receive individual case management and longer‑term tracking to measure homeownership and program impact.
A motion to approve the item was made and seconded; the committee approved the award by voice vote. The item will now proceed to the full Board of Commissioners for final action as part of the county’s contracting process.
The county did not provide a breakdown of funding sources in committee; staff said the dollar figure is based on Operation Hope’s cost estimate for delivering services and that more program detail (including projected participant counts) will be provided to commissioners as implementation plans are finalized.
