The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is allocating $5.2 million in federal response funding to Fairfax County as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The funds are made available through $3.5 million in supplemental Community Development Block Grant (CDBG-CV) funding and $1.7 million in additional Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG-CV) funding to help prevent, prepare for and respond to the impacts of the global COVID-19 pandemic.
In order to put those funds to use, the county is opening a period of public comment – beginning at 8 a.m. on Thursday, April 30, 2020 and running through 4 p.m. on Monday, May 11, 2020 – to review and provide feedback on two critical actions which must occur including amending the Consolidated Plan One-Year Action Plan for FY 2020 and amending the Citizen Participation Plan.
County leadership has made the decision to allocate the funds to the following activities to support the county’s overall coordinated COVID-19 response:
CDBG-CV ($3,506,542)
Emergency rent and utility assistance for households who have lost income due to COVID-19. Assistance will be administered through Coordinated Services Planning;
Operating expenses for non-profit partners who have been financially impacted by COVID-19 and provide targeted public services to prevent, prepare for, and respond to COVID-19;
Income replacement for affordable housing providers whose tenants are unable to pay their rent during the crisis due to COVID-19; and
Funding to support administrative costs, if needed, to implement and monitor the activities.
ESG-CV ($1,699,586)
Expansion of shelter capacity by using hotels, which is the primary need and eligible activity that will be prioritized;
Additional supplies, equipment, and transportation services needed to operate this expanded shelter capacity; and
Other eligible activities, including eligible administrative costs, permitted by HUD as needs arise.
The county is seeking public comment on the amendments to both the Consolidated Action Plan One-Year Action Plan for Fiscal Year 2020 and the Citizen Participation Plan. Comments are being accepted online, by phone, email and hand-delivered hardcopy. Complete summaries on the amendments to these policies and instructions for submitting comments are available at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/housing/news/2020/public-comment-cares-act-funding.
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