Columbia housing program makes thousands in CARES Act grants available for local nonprofits

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Columbia Housing and Community Development is offering thousands in grants to local nonprofit organizations that provide assistance to area residents.

One local nonprofit says the need for assistance in Columbia is greater than the resources currently available.

Requests for the funding can be submitted to the city's Housing Program Manager Randy Cole.

Cole said the grants are given out to organizations that deal with rent and mortgage assistance, food insecurity, vocational training, child care and homelessness. The program manager said community surveys were sent out earlier this year and guided the city on how to hand out the funding.

Until midnight on Friday, nonprofits can submit proposals for $737,588 available in the third round of CDBG grants. As of 11 a.m., Cole said proposals had been submitted for $470,000 of the funding available.

Cole said the housing program has worked hard to get funding into the right hands.

"It's been great having all of these additional resources available," Cole said. "There's been a real 'all hands on deck' attitude to get the funding out there."

Nick Foster with Columbia's Voluntary Action Center said the need for rent assistance has been overwhelming.

"It's the largest amount of need we've ever seen in the community," Foster said. "We have received an overwhelming amount of calls already... My concern is that people may become homeless and get hurt if this continues."

The VAC received $270,000 in grants from the housing program in the first round of funding in August. Foster said $51,000 in rental assistance has been given -- it went out to 32 households. He said the nonprofit has one year to use the CARES money.

Foster said the VAC has applied for an additional $230,000 in CARES Act funding from the housing commission.

Residents who want to apply for rental assistance need to call the VAC first to set up a screening -- there is no online application form. From there, the organization will work with applicants to make sure they are eligible.

Foster said screenings have stopped for this year but will start again on Jan. 1, 2021.

Applicants can receive up to six months of rent from the VAC. Foster said checks are made out directly to landlords and assistance is available on a monthly basis.

The state housing commission announced a new assistance program this week for renters and homeowners. Commissioners plan to use $15 million in CARES Act money to fund the program that plans to keep people from becoming homeless.

The City of Columbia Housing and Community Development Commission has received 13 proposals so far for the Community Development Block Grant. Cole says the amount of funding requests totals to $1,222,587.

The Salvation Army is one of the many non-profit organizations that has submitted a proposal. Jordanna Boyd, the Regional Social Services Director for Salvation Army says she submitted a proposal for $95,000 to combat homelessness.

The Salvation Army plans to use the funding for the Harbor House Homeless shelter.

Boyd says they've seen an increase in their annual deficit because of COVID.

Boyd explains, "With the increased cost due to COVID and some changes that we've had to implement we're expecting even greater deficit this year, so part of the funding is just gonna help, you know cover some of those costs as well as allow us to purchase some additional COVID PPE material additional to go lunch materials for the community  and just basic shelter operating costs."

The housing commission meets on Wednesday. Cole said commissioners will decide how the grants will be awarded.