ACTION REQUESTED:
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Communication from the City Manager and the Community Development Director with a Request to APPROVE the Award of HUD CDBG FUNDS to DREAM CENTER PEORIA, in the Total Amount of $400,000.00. (Council District 1)
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BACKGROUND: As approved in the 2017 HUD Annual Action Plan (7/25/2017 item # 17-231), the City released a Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) in 2018 for homeless shelter renovations located within the City of Peoria, with $400,000 available.
This funding is in response to recent changes in the homeless services in Peoria. The Salvation Army Peoria had operated a day drop-in center where homeless individuals could receive services during the daytime hours since the early 1990s. Because overnight shelters required people to exit their premises in the morning and return in the evening, the drop-in center provided a safe, temperate place for homeless individuals when other shelters were not accessible to them. In 2016, the day drop-in center did not receive funding from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) due to a change in federal homeless policy, causing the center to close its doors. This development left homeless individuals in our community with no dedicated location to go during the day, and many began to populate surrounding locations such as the library or were forced to stay outside in inclement weather.
A few months later, a partnership was formed with community groups, including the City of Peoria, Peoria County, the United Way, the Continuum of Care, and other local homeless providers, to re-establish the drop-in center as a temporary solution. The City of Peoria contributed funding to this effort and committed to continuing the discussion for a permanent solution.
Community partners continued the conversation around how to best provide services to this vulnerable population. This conversation led both the Salvation Army and the Dream Center to revamp their services and hours, becoming faci...
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