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TO: Mayor Mayor Richard C. Irvin
FROM: Adrienne M. Holloway, Ph.D., Chief Innovation Officer
DATE: August, 17, 2020
SUBJECT:
A Resolution to amend the grant agreement with the Cities for Financial Empowerment to accept $80,000 in additional funding to support the Aurora Financial Empowerment Center.
PURPOSE:
To increase available financial counseling services at the Aurora Financial Empowerment Center, staff applied to and was subsequently awarded additional funds in the amount of $80,000 to support the addition of one counselor to the Aurora FEC counseling staff.
BACKGROUND:
On December 17, 2019, City Council approved a resolution to accept a two year matching grant from the Cities for Financial Empowerment to create a Financial Empowerment Center (FEC) in the city of Aurora. In the approval was the agreement to contract with the Neighbor Project to administer counseling services as part of the Aurora FEC. Subsequent to approval, the Neighbor Project hired staff who then completed requisite training, enabling us to launch the Aurora FEC in May, in the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic.
DISCUSSION:
The Aurora FEC counselors have steadily increased their respective caseloads, providing our residents with much needed counseling services and referral activity to partner agency services. The CFE recognizing the increase in request for counseling services being experienced by FEC’s countrywide, successfully secured additional corporate funding that in turn, was made available by application, to current FECs to increase counseling staff. The Innovation Department applied for additional funding and was granted $80,000. A portion of the additional funds, up to $62,000, will be used to augment our current Neighbor Project contract, increasing the contractual amount from $239,454 to up to $301,454. The additional not to exceed amount of $62,000 will fund salary, benefits and technology tools for one additional Aurora FEC counselor for one year. The balance of the CFE award ($18,000) will remain in the Innovation Department FEC budget to fund requisite training and professional development, supplies and office support for Aurora FEC counselors.
IMPACT STATEMENT:
Our FEC counselors are currently at capacity and cannot take on additional clients; thus placing interested persons on a waitlist for services. The additional counselor will allow the FEC to increase its counselling capacity and delay the need to establish a waitlist.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Approval is requested to accept CFE grant funds in the amount of $80,000 and to augment the Neighbor Project contract by an amount not to exceed $62,000 to hire an additional counselor for the Aurora FEC.
cc: Finance Committee
CITY OF AURORA, ILLINOIS
RESOLUTION NO. _________
DATE OF PASSAGE ________________
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A Resolution to amend the grant agreement with the Cities for Financial Empowerment to accept $80,000 in additional funding to support the Aurora Financial Empowerment Center.
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WHEREAS, the City of Aurora has a population of more than 25,000 persons and is, therefore, a home rule unit under subsection (a) of Section 6 of Article VII of the Illinois Constitution of 1970; and
WHEREAS, subject to said Section, a home rule unit may exercise any power and perform any function pertaining to its government and affairs for the protection of the public health, safety, morals, and welfare; and
WHEREAS, City Council approved a resolution to accept a two year matching grant from the Cities for Financial Empowerment to create a Financial Empowerment Center (FEC) in the city of Aurora and to contract with the Neighbor Project to administer counseling services as part of the Aurora FEC; and:
WHEREAS, the City of Aurora applied for and was awarded additional funds in the amount of $80,000 from the Cities for Financial Empowerment to fund one additional counselor for the Aurora FEC; and
WHEREAS, the City of Aurora will augment the existing Aurora FEC contract with the Neighbor Project increasing the contractual amount by up to $62,000 for a new contractual amount not to exceed $301,454 to be used to hire, train and equip one additional Aurora FEC counselor; and
WHEREAS, the balance of the CFE grant award ($18,000) will remain in the Innovation Department FEC budget to be fund training and professional development and office support for Aurora FEC counselors; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Aurora, Illinois, as follows: enter approves the amended grant agreement with the Cities for Financial Empowerment to accept the additional grant funds and to augment the contract with the Neighbor Project to hire and support one additional counselor for the Aurora FEC.