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Home My WebLink AboutCommunity Development Block Grant Commission - Minutes - 04/12/2019CDBG COMMISSION SPECIAL MEETING (Rescheduled from 4/10/19) Friday, April 12, 2019 5:15pm 222 Laporte Avenue Colorado River Meeting Room, First Floor 04/12/2019 - MINUTES Page 1 1. CALL TO ORDER & ROLL CALL At 5:23 PM the meeting was called to order by Amy Dondale. • COMMISSION MEMBERS PRESENT: o Serena Thomas o Olga Duvall o Margaret Long o Steve Backsen o Joshua Johnson o Amy Dondale o Anita Basham • COMMISSION MEMBERS ABSENT: o Sara Maranowicz o Pat Hastings • AFFORDABLE HOUSING BOARD MEMBERS: o Catherine Costlow • STAFF MEMBERS: o Adam Molzer, Staff Liaison – City of Fort Collins o Janet Freeman, Staff – City of Fort Collins o Rob Hope, Staff – City of Fort Collins Due to the duration and extent of the human services preliminary grant review, the summary of the meeting reflected in the minutes below may not include all details of the CDBG Commission’s discussion. For further information, details and insight, audio recording resources are available by contacting the CDBG Commission staff liaison. 2. AGENDA REVIEW Amy Dondale reviewed the agenda with the Community Development Block Grant Commission (“CDBG”). The Commission accepted the agenda without modification. CDBG COMMISSION REGULAR COMMISSION MEETING 04/12/2019 – MINUTES Page 2 3. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION No members of the public were in attendance. 4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – April 3, 2019 Regular Meeting minutes reviewed. Josh Johnson moved to approve the minutes with suggested changes; Olga Duvall seconded. The vote passed unanimously. 5. UNFINISHED BUSINESS Adam Molzer distributed a revised budget document for housing proposal HO-2, which was requested by staff. Adam then reviewed the deliberations protocol summary, structure and guidelines that the Commission had developed at their April 3, 2019 meeting. This is the deliberation guidance that will be used at the April 24, 2019 deliberation meeting. 6. NEW BUSINESS a. Affordable Housing Board Proposal Rankings Catherine Costlow from the Affordable Housing Board (AHB) was introduced and proceeded to share AHB’s ranking and remarks on the grant proposals under consideration in the housing category. Copies of the memo from AHB were distributed (attached). Catherine shared that AHB deemed all three proposals worthy of funding and ranked them in the following order: #1-Volunteers of America #2 -Villages LTD #3-Habitat for Humanity. The CDBG Commission did not have any follow-up questions for Catherine. Anita Basham asked Adam Molzer if final dollar amounts were available yet for the housing category. Adam shared that final numbers were not yet available, but staff projections are that there will be adequate funding to support the three housing applications. b. Preliminary Review and Discussion of Human Services Proposals for Funding through the Competitive Grant Process Adam Molzer began by iterating that the goal of the evening will be a “high-level,” collaborative discussion to review 47 funding applications for human service programs. The second goal for the meeting is formulating a list of questions extracted from the applications. Specifically, he asked that the group refrain from discussing funding for any proposal. Adam distributed green and red cards and asked that the Commission members raise one card as each grant proposal was introduced. Green would indicate to the group that the Commission member did not have any questions or items for discussion, and red would indicate to the group that they had questions or discussion items to share. Janet Freeman documented the CDBG COMMISSION REGULAR COMMISSION MEETING 04/12/2019 – MINUTES Page 3 specific questions that were identified, and Adam would then forward the questions the following day to each organization, with responses expected back by April 17, 2019. The responses would be compiled and sent via email to the Commission members. HS-1: A Little Help Amy Dondale sought clarification on how the program works. Olga Duvall provided her insights into the program. Steve Backsen sought budget clarification on a specific item. Olga and Anita Basham shared their interest in the names of the tough talk seminars. The following questions were posed for the applicant to address: • Clarify the expense of member and volunteer support for $7400 • And the expense for volunteer appreciation as well • How old is A Little Help? Are they only in CO? • 3,000 community volunteers – are they all in Ft Collins? • How much is the director’s time spent in Ft Collins? HS-2: Alliance for Suicide Prevention- Prevention Education Programs Amy Dondale and Olga Duval sought clarification about AMI figures. Serena Thomas sought clarification on whether there is an effort to move towards online materials. The following questions were posed for the applicant to address: • Please clarify how AMI levels are projected • Are you moving to online materials? • How do you measure the success of the booklet content/curriculum? HS-3: B.A.S.E. Camp Steve Backsen sought clarity about the benefit of the CRM system. Margaret Long sought clarification about why no clients served in the proposal are below 30% AMI. The following questions were posed for the applicant to address: • Please tell us more about the customer relationship system (cost of $150K) you’re going to implement and the benefits you expect • Why no scholarships to <30% of AMI • What’s the organization’s total budget for 2019-2020? • Will the $70k request serve 181 children? If so, cost per child is $386. The $750k 2019- 2020 budget is estimated to serve 580 (500 last year + 8-15% growth) = $1,293 / child. Please clarify / correct this calculation. • Please explain revenue categories from the audit page 3. Provide additional information to understand how scholarships (approx. $140k in 2018) are identified compared to the application question #10 re: $723k in tuition assisted programming. CDBG COMMISSION REGULAR COMMISSION MEETING 04/12/2019 – MINUTES Page 4 HS-4: Bike Fort Collins Serena Thomas and Steve Backsen sought budget clarifications on specific line items. Josh Johnson sought clarification on the location of this project. Margaret Long asked for clarification about the minimum amount they would accept. Amy Dondale raised interest in the applicant’s projected numbers. The following questions were posed for the applicant to address: • Clarify the $23k for infrastructure gaps (is that something the City should be paying for?) • Also, on the $62k for consultants • And the $56k for programs and events • What is the minimum grant amount you would accept from the City of Fort Collins? • How do you know the projected numbers you intend to serve if the beneficiaries have yet to be identified? HS-5: Boys & Girls Clubs- Great Futures Start Here Amy Dondale sought clarification about the perception of the clubs to parents. Steve Backsen inquired about fee considerations, as well as specific 990 items. The following questions were posed for the applicant to address: • What percent in Fort Collins are highly engaged members? • Have you considered a sliding fee for your membership fee? • Re: 990 - Can you tell us where the investment income of 48,506 comes from? • For current officers/directors’ compensation of $224,295 – please provide a breakdown of that figure • It is noted there is $10k in your budget to secure an undetermined new foundation support, can you describe progress on this? HS-6: CASA of Larimer County- Court Appointed Special Advocates Serena Thomas sought clarification about the long-term results after a case closes, and to explain the transportation costs in the budget. Amy Dondale sought clarification on how the City of Fort Collins’ funding is factored into the proposed budget. The following questions were posed for the applicant to address: • After a case closes, are you able to follow up with long term results? • Transport Patient Services – asking for $10k: can you explain what the funds are specifically used for? • Can you clarify your budget, the discrepancy between revenue and expenses do not balance when reconciled against the $52k request. CDBG COMMISSION REGULAR COMMISSION MEETING 04/12/2019 – MINUTES Page 5 HS-7: CASA of Larimer County- Harmony House The following questions were posed for the applicant to address: • Can you clarify your budget, the discrepancy between revenue and expenses do not balance when reconciled against the $49,031 request. HS-8: Catholic Charities- Senior Services Serena Thomas sought budget item clarifications. Steve Backsen sought clarification on the numbers served, as well as 990 details. The following questions were posed for the applicant to address: • In question 11, please clarify the hours of compensation worked by staff • In the pre-application, item 2, it’s indicated you helped over 400 seniors stay housed but in question 7 it reads you plan to serve 250. Please explain this discrepancy. • Re 990: compensation of current officers/directors, please provide a breakdown of the allocated amount of $439,910. HS-9: Catholic Charities- The Mission Shelter No questions for this applicant. HS-10: Center for Family Outreach- Scholarship Program Anita Basham shared the observation that 23 clients are projected to be over 80% AMI. Serena Thomas sought clarification on how the full-time hours are justified. The following questions were posed for the applicant to address: • Please provide a brief overview (org chart is fine) of current staffing structure. Explain how the Crisis Intervention Specialist role fits within the structure. • What is the organization’s total budget for the request timeline? Per the 2017 990, total expenses were $471k. The project budget in the proposal (for Fort Collins only) is $472k. Please explain. • How did you project the need for a new FTE and do those projections support a full time position? HS-11: ChildSafe- Child Sexual Abuse Treatment Program Amy Donale sought clarification about whether the mission is broadening to include any types of abuse and clarification about the ages of those being served (child or adult). Amy also sought budget line item details. The following questions were posed for the applicant to address: • Does Medicaid or CHIP cover any costs for low-income clients? CDBG COMMISSION REGULAR COMMISSION MEETING 04/12/2019 – MINUTES Page 6 • Is your mission still to serve children of sexual assault or has it expanded to serve children abused in other ways? • Of the numbers served, are some clients adults who were abused as children? • Clarity on printing cost of $50k, $6k for food, professional fees totaling about $18k and misc for $20k. How did you arrive at those categories so we can understand them better? HS-12: Colorado Health Network- Northern Colorado AIDS Project • No questions for this applicant. HS-13: Crossroads Safehouse- Advocacy Project Amy Dondale asked for insight into how their budget has been reduced by $100k. Serena Thomas sought insight into whether a housing plan is addressed with clients. Amy asked the group if there were any concerns about funding budget items that are not client-direct. The following questions were posed for the applicant to address: • Please clarify the #s served via different strategies and within different geographic areas. i. Pre-application question #2 notes 66% of clients are Fort Collins residents. General application question #6 suggests 1200 out of the 3000 clients served are Fort Collins residents, or less than 1/3. ii. How many of the 500 Fort Collins residents in question 7 are served via the shelter, via Crisis hotline, or via other education / outreach efforts? Table below highlights a few #s provided in the application. Total # served Fort Collins (66% - PA #2) Beyond Fort Collins All Geographic Areas Total 1200 (#6) 3000 (PA #2) Shelter 400 (PA #1) Non-Shelter (outreach, ed) 1300 Crisis Hotline 1300 (#6) HS-14: Disabled Resource Services- Access to Independence • No questions for applicant. CDBG COMMISSION REGULAR COMMISSION MEETING 04/12/2019 – MINUTES Page 7 HS-15: Early Childhood Council of Larimer County Steve Backsen shared that he recognizes the value of investing in teacher training and mentoring, and believes that salaries are the bigger issue to address. Anita Basham noted a discrepancy between mentor teacher numbers in the proposal. The following questions were posed for the applicant to address: • #6: 15 mentor teachers but #11 reads there will be 10 new mentor teachers. Please explain the discrepancy. HS-16: Easter Seals Colorado Olga Duvall inquired about the lack of donations in their revenue budget. Steve Backsen inquired about whether there is duplication of services. The following questions were posed for the applicant to address: • Why are there no donations listed in the revenue? • Do you have donor support? • Can you clarify what constitutes general fundraising? • Is this duplicating other services? HS-17: Elderhaus Adult Day Program- Community Based Therapeutic Care The following questions were posed for the applicant to address: • Please explain why the food program is listed as a revenue source under earned income. Where are “Food Services” listed in the expense portion of the budget? HS-18: Faith Family Hospitality Amy Dondale inquired about case management relative to other providers, financial literacy program structure and budget clarification. The following questions were posed for the applicant to address: • How is your case management different than what the Murphy Center provides? • Can you please explain how your financial literacy program is structured? • Is your funding in question #11 for a program manager or a case manager? HS-19: Food Bank of Larimer County- Kids Café • No questions for this applicant. CDBG COMMISSION REGULAR COMMISSION MEETING 04/12/2019 – MINUTES Page 8 HS-20: Health District of Northern Larimer County Steve Backsen sought clarification about the potential for reserves being used to cover the interim request. The following questions were posed for the applicant to address: • Why would you not use your reserves to cover the cost of this program? HS-21: Homeward Alliance Programs Olga Duvall inquired about funding model for OVOF and support from ‘villages’. The following questions were posed for the applicant to address: • Why are you requesting $5k for one village/one family housing assistance funding if villages have the responsibility to fundraise? • Why do you request $2500 for children-in-need product purchase instead of getting it donated? HS-22: Homeward Alliance Murphy Center Programs • No questions for applicant. HS-23: Jacob Family Services Margaret Long inquired about geographic area served, and diversified funding sources. Steve Backsen also asked about diverse funding sources. Serena Thomas noted that the application did not list strategic board goals. Josh Johnson asked for a breakdown of overhead expenses.The following questions were posed for the applicant to address: • Do you serve kids outside of Fort Collins? • If so, how does that relate to your budget request? • Are you intending to explore other funding source? • Have you considered pursuing donations from motorcycle groups and the like? • Question #16 – are there any strategic goals for your board? • Re: expenses in the budget – almost 30% is on overhead. Can you provide a breakdown of your overhead expenses. • Please explain your private nonprofit designation. • Is this program a reward or therapy for clients? • Please clarify your presumed benefit status (abused children). HS-24: Larimer County Partners CDBG COMMISSION REGULAR COMMISSION MEETING 04/12/2019 – MINUTES Page 9 Olga sought clarification on the costs of program evaluation. Amy Dondale inquired about services to youth beyond one year, as well as definition clarification. The following questions were posed for the applicant to address: • Please explain your program evaluation – what is this money used for? • How many youth stay on for more than one year? • Can you explain if “at-risk” and “in-crises” are synonymous or do they mean different things? HS-25: Light of the Rockies Christian Counseling Margaret Long inquired about who is included in key employee expenses. Steve Backsen sought clarification on 990 items and diversified funding sources. Amy Dondale and Josh Johnson inquired whether they can meet the City’s grantee requirements. Adam Molzer responded that he believed they would be compliant given conversations with the director, and that coaching would be offered to ensure compliance with the funding agreement. The following questions were posed for the applicant to address: • Compensation to directors and key employees is a large part of expenses. Who all does this include? • Re 990: Compensation of current officers is $160,292 – can you give a breakdown of that expense? • Application indicates referrals from 40 churches but on budget there is no breakdown of church support. Can you give a revenue number for that? HS-26: Meals on Wheels for Fort Collins Amy Dondale sought budget clarification. Steve Backsen raised a general question about the Community Foundation’s endowments. The following questions were posed for the applicant to address: • On the budget sheet, your income is over your expenses by the amount requested on the grant. Can you explain? HS-27: Neighbor to Neighbor- Homelessness Prevention Amy Dondale sought budget clarification, which Adam Molzer answered. Steve Backsen inquired about the 990. The following questions were posed for the applicant to address: CDBG COMMISSION REGULAR COMMISSION MEETING 04/12/2019 – MINUTES Page 10 • Are any of the reserves board designated reserves for maintenance of units or other unit-related expenses? (Trying to figure out the % of reserves that are truly unrestricted reserves, either via donor restriction or board designation.) • Re 990: compensation of current officers of $174,927 – please provide a breakdown. • Please clarify what is folded into overhead and indirect costs of $14k. HS-28: Neighbor to Neighbor- HomeShare Serena Thomas inquired about whether the program still partners with CSU. Amy Dondale inquired about how they came to their clients projection. The following questions were posed for the applicant to address: • Are you still partnering with CSU? • How did you project 47 people to serve? HS-29: Project Self Sufficiency- Creating Pathways to Self Sufficiency Amy Dondale sought clarification on numbers served. The following questions were posed for the applicant to address: • Please clarify if the average income increases for graduates is $26k or $29k. On average, how many years do PSS clients spend in the program before graduating? • Question #7, reads will help 220 people but question #11 reads 80. Which is accurate? HS-30: Project Smile Corporation Josh Johnson inquired about diversified funding to support the expansion, and whether this is a new service at these two schools. Steve Backsen inquired about the reserves and need for funding. Serena Thomas inquired about potential service duplication. The following questions were posed for the applicant to address: • Why are you not applying for other funds if you don’t receive CFC funds? • Is it a new program for Irish and Putnam? Or ongoing? • With $155k in unrestricted cash representing 2 years of reserves, why do you need City dollars to fund this project? • Is this a duplication of services? HS-31: Respite Care- Childcare Scholarships • No questions for applicant. HS-32: Sexual Assault Victim Advocate Center Victim Services CDBG COMMISSION REGULAR COMMISSION MEETING 04/12/2019 – MINUTES Page 11 • No questions for applicant. HS-33: Sexual Assault Victim Advocate Center Education • No questions for applicant. HS-34: SummitStone Health Partners- Comm. Beh. Health Treatment Program Josh Johnson asked for a prior year 990. Serena Thomas inquired about firm numbers to be included in their outcomes. Steve Backsen inquired about reserves and the need for City funds. Olga Duvall noted the mismatch figures in their budget. The following questions were posed for the applicant to address: • Can you submit your 990 for the previous fiscal year (15-16)? • Questions 4 & 5: Do you have metrics to accompany the benefits? • With $5 million in reserves, please clarify your need for City funding. • Revenue and expenses do not match. Please explain. HS-35: SummitStone Health Partners- Mental Health Services (Murphy Center) Olga Duvall noted the mismatch figures in the budget. Steve Backsen inquired about reserves and the need for City funds. Olga also noted the limited information in their measurable outcomes. The following questions were posed for the applicant to address: • What is SummitStone’s staffing model at the MC? Include staff providing direct services at the MC and also supervisory staff. • How many FTEs are included in the $371k budget? • Can you submit your 990 for the previous fiscal year (15-16)? • With $5 million in reserves, please clarify your need for City funding. • Revenue and expenses do not match. Please explain. • Please provide more clarity on measurable outcomes – what’s listed seems general. HS-36: Teaching Tree ECLC- Childcare Scholarships • No questions for applicant. HS-37: TEAM Wellness & Prevention- Engaging Families for Prevention Amy Dondale inquired about the numbers of clients attending/completing courses and the facilitator’s role. Olga inquired about reaching low-income families. Serena Thomas inquired about revenues from the gala event. The following questions were posed for the applicant to address: CDBG COMMISSION REGULAR COMMISSION MEETING 04/12/2019 – MINUTES Page 12 • Question #12 – how many people do you usually have per course? And what percentage of those complete the full course program? • Question #4 – What is the role of the youth facilitator and how will they increase the return of pre and post surveys? Is the current status (lack of survey return) indicative of any other programmatic challenges? If so, please describe. • Question #7: How do you reach families who need the program the most? • Is your revenue from the Simply Talented gala $1800? HS-38: The Family Center/La Familia- Childcare Scholarships • No questions for applicants. HS-39: The Growing Project- Educational Farm Serena Thomas inquired about their rental expense and intern expense. Amy Dondale noted that the budget did not balance. The following questions were posed for the applicant to address: • Who are you paying rent to? • Is FoCo Café helping pay for the intern? • Please balance your income and expenses. HS-40: The Matthews House- Building Employment Skills Serena Thomas asked for clarification about their gang involvement metric, and the list of collaborative partners provided. Amy Dondale inquired about job placement arrangements and post-placement retention. The following questions were posed for the applicant to address: • Are 95 youth served via the $415k budget? If yes, then the per youth cost / year is approximately $4300. Is that number accurate? • Question #4: Please clarify what you mean by 90% involved in gangs (we do believe this is a typo). • Question #8: How many certified students get placed? Do you track retention rates? HS-41: The Salvation Army • No questions for applicant. HS-42: Turning Point- Crisis Intervention Services CDBG COMMISSION REGULAR COMMISSION MEETING 04/12/2019 – MINUTES Page 13 Steve Backsen inquired about fund development strategies and the 990. Serena inquired about the salary percentage provided in the budget. The following questions were posed for the applicant to address: • No money listed under fundraising and donations – is that accurate? • Re 990 – compensation of current officers, can you please break down expense of $215,197. • Question #11: Coaches – $10k is what percentage of the total salary are you asking us to fund? HS-43: United Way of Larimer County – Women Give Steve Backsen inquired about the 990 and justification for funding this program rather than childcare centers directly. Olga Duvall sought clarification on the numbers served and whether only single mothers qualify. Serena Thomas inquired about the case management and wrap-around services. The following questions were posed for the applicant to address: • Expense budget includes mention of WFC and FRCC grants. Are these expenses or income sources? • What is the cost to administer per each scholarship $? In other words, for every dollar in scholarships awarded, how many dollars go to staff and non-scholarship $? • Per the audit, program costs were $225k in 2018. The program budget increases to $332k. What are the primary drivers of the increase? • What is the current WomenGive reserve balance? The audit notes a $515k remaining fund balance up from $359k in 2017. Is that correct? • Is there some benefit to funding scholarships through United Way as opposed to increasing scholarships directly to Teaching Tree, PS-S, and the Family Center? • Re 990 – compensation of current officers, please break down expense of $396,886. • How many participants will receive assistance? • Are services provided to single fathers or only single mothers? • Do WomenGive clients receive similar wraparound services as to what PS-S used to/currently provides? HS-44: United Way of Weld County – Assessment and Housing Placement Margaret Long inquired about contributions from entities in Weld County, as well as United Way of Larimer County contributions. Serena Thomas also inquired about the funding composition. Steve Backsen inquired about whether the HUD funding is contingent on this position’s support, as well as why the City of Fort Collins removed CDBG COMMISSION REGULAR COMMISSION MEETING 04/12/2019 – MINUTES Page 14 this funding from the dedicated homelessness budget. The following questions were posed for the applicant to address: • Has United Way of Larimer County played a role in CAPHS in the past? If yes, how has the role changed overtime? Has UWLC previously financially supported CAPHS? If they have previously provided funding support, can you provide further insight into whether or not that funding is continuing and why / why not. • What are areas of alignment and variation between CAPHS and Homeward 2020’s Housing First Initiative? • Who else from Fort Collins / Larimer County is providing financial support? • Who funded CAPHS last year? What was the change? And who are you asking to fund it now? • Where is Weld County’s contribution and commitment? HS-45: Voices Carry CAC – Forensic Services Serena Thomas and Amy Dondale inquired about emergency funds in the budget. The following questions were posed for the applicant to address: • Question #11, item #2 – Can you give an example of what emergency funds are used for? • Please provide better detail on your calculation for question #12 – is this truly a request to fund 100% of Fort Collins clients? HS-46: Volunteers of America-Handyman Program Amy Dondale noted the significant volunteer involvement. • No questions for applicant. HS-47: Volunteers of America- Home Delivered Meal Service Olga Duvall sought clarification on the outcomes described in the proposal. The following questions were posed for the applicant to address: • Question #5: How is Outcome 1 different from Outcome 2? 7. OTHER BUSINESS None discussed. 8. NEXT MEETING a. Funding Deliberation Special Meeting  Wednesday, April 24, 2019 | 5:15pm | 222 Laporte Ave, Colorado Room CDBG COMMISSION REGULAR COMMISSION MEETING 04/12/2019 – MINUTES Page 15 9. ADJOURNMENT • Meeting adjourned at 9:26 PM. AFFORDABLE HOUSING BOARD – PROPOSAL RANKING & REMARKS