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TO: Mayor Richard C. Irvin
FROM: Betty Hart, Director, Innovation & Strategy
DATE: December 10, 2021
SUBJECT:
A Resolution authorizing an extension of the current contractual agreement with The Neighbor Project (TNP) to continue services to the Aurora Financial Empowerment Center (FEC) and to allocate $100,485 of budgeted funds for The Neighbor Project through April 30, 2022.
PURPOSE:
To alleviate a break in services of financial counseling at the Aurora Financial Empowerment Center, CoA recognizes the value of our successful partnership with TNP and requests to continue our work together to serve the community and fulfill the term of the recently extended grant agreement with the Cities for Financial Empowerment through April 30, 2022.
BACKGROUND:
On December 17, 2019, City Council approved a resolution to accept a two-year matching grant from the Cities for Financial Empowerment (CFE) to create a Financial Empowerment Center (FEC) in the city of Aurora (ref. R19-412; Legistar 19-1079). The Neighbor Project was hired as the servicing contractors for the grant agreement with CFE which was executed in January 2020. The original term for this contractual agreement was set to expire on December 31, 2021. CFE has issued a second grant amendment to Aurora FEC and CFE Fund is providing a no-cost extension to City of Aurora ending the program grant no later than April 30, 2022. The City of Aurora, recognizing the value of our partnership with TNP and in order to alleviate a break in services, has prepared a contractual extension with TNP to match the new CFE term through April 30, 2022.
DISCUSSION:
The Aurora FEC counselors have successfully outperformed other cities despite their increasing caseloads, providing over 800 residents with essential professional 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, has granted an extension their original agreements with Aurora FEC to alleviate breaks in services into the new fiscal year. Therefore, the Aurora FEC will continue to successfully operate from the Thrive Collaborative Center with a contractual partner under the CFE program model through April 30, 2022. A carry-over $142,958 was successfully executed in November 2021 to secure funds into the new fiscal year to continue services with current partners. From this amount $100,485 has been earmarked to support this request for extension to reduce break in service with TNP counselors. This amount is estimated to cover project costs through April 30, 2022.
Funding for this program will be paid from 101-1304-419.32-20.
IMPACT STATEMENT:
FEC service program was originally set to expire December 31, 2021. A contract extension with TNP will eliminate breaks in service to our eligible residents, reduce impact to our service partners and allow FEC staff to continue to operate at full capacity and strategize for funding and expansion of services and partnership throughout the City of Aurora.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Resolution authorizing execution of a service contract extension between the City of Aurora and the Neighbor Project in the amount of $100,485 to extend their scope of work to the Aurora Financial Empowerment Center through April 30, 2022.
cc: Finance Committee
CITY OF AURORA, ILLINOIS
RESOLUTION NO. _________
DATE OF PASSAGE ________________
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A Resolution authorizing an extension of the contractual agreement with The Neighbor Project to provide services to the Aurora Financial Empowerment Center through April 30, 2022 and providing for the disbursement of $100,485 of budgeted funds for such purpose.
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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, the City Council approved a resolution to accept a two-year matching grant from the Cities for Financial Empowerment (CFE) 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 Neighbor Project (TNP) was hired as the servicing contractors for the grant agreement with CFE which was executed in January 2020 (R19-412); and
WHEREAS, the original term for this contractual agreement with TNP was set to expire on December 31, 2021; and
WHEREAS, CFE has issued a second grant amendment to Aurora FEC and CFE Fund is providing a no-cost extension to the City ending the program grant no later than April 30, 2022; and
WHEREAS, the City of Aurora, recognizing the value of our partnership with TNP and to alleviate a break in services, have prepared a contractual extension with TNP to match the new CFE term through April 30, 2022.
WHEREAS, if approved, the contract extension will secure our current servicing partner, TNP, through the new term to alleviate a break in services which are essential to the residents and staff of the City;
WHEREAS, funding will be paid from accounts 101-1304-419.32-20.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Aurora, Illinois, as follows: that an extension the contractual agreement with the Neighbor Project to provide services to the Aurora Financial Empowerment Center as described in this Resolution shall be and hereby is approved ; and further
BE IT RESOLVED, that $100,485 of budgeted funds for the Neighbor Project to fulfill the recently extended service agreement with Cities for Financial Empowerment through April 30, 2022, shall be and hereby are encumbered and authorized for disbursement consistent with the purposes of this Resolution.