Public Hearing: YES ☐ NO ☒ Department: Human Services
SUBJECT:
Title
Commission District(s): All
Awarding of the 2019 Human Services Grants- Fund 250 Cost Center 67510 at a Cost to the County of $617,808
Body
Information Contact: Damon Scott, Human Services Department Director
Phone Number: (404) 270-1178
PURPOSE:
To award fifty (50) Human Services grants for 2019 in an amount not to exceed $617,808. The grant period for all awards will be one year from the date of BOC approval.
NEED/IMPACT:
In the County’s 2019 Adopted Budget, $617,808 was approved for human services grants to support the work of local non-profits. This year marks the 15th consecutive year that the Human Services Grants Program has presented recommendations for grant awards. The service areas designated for the awards include: youth, family/human services, elderly, disability, homelessness, and advocacy/planning and education.
There were 100 people in attendance at the Grant Program Orientation which was held in May 2019. All attendees received a copy of the grant application instructions and program guidelines, which included a list of every question on the evaluation tool. Applications were due on June 21, 2019. The Department received 63 applications and 3 did not meet minimum threshold requirements. The Human Services Coordinating Committee (HSCC) which is comprised of subject matter experts began evaluating the remaining 60 applications on July 10, 2019.
The Human Services Grant Program evaluation policy states that “grant applications must have a composite score of 80 to be recommended for funding”. Each application is read and scored independently by 3 different members of the committee and the composite score is obtained by averaging these scores. At the conclusion of the evaluation period, which was approximately six weeks, the HSCC recommended 50 non-profits whose applications received a composite score of 80 or more. These Human Services Grant Awards, once approved, will assist individuals and families living in DeKalb with needed services and supports.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The transfer of funds from the General Fund to the Human Services Grant Fund will help avoid the delay of payments. There is no fiscal impact, as this action only transfers already appropriated funds.
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommended Action
Award the Human Services Grants for 2019 in an amount not to exceed $617,808. Authorize disbursements under the terms of the grant agreement and authorize the Chief Executive Officer to execute all necessary documents.