[Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: Looks like everybody's good. I just want to welcome everybody. Thank you for joining us. This is our presentation. Lorena Escalero is our federal funds manager. She'll be putting on a presentation with a slideshow. So we'll just ask that Lorena put that presentation on first, and then we're going to open it up to question and answer. Everybody's muted right now, but you can use the raise hand feature. And Steve Smearty, who's the communications director, Emma Tumbley, who's our communications specialist, and then we have Teresa DuPont from the planning office. We'll be managing the meeting to answer any questions you may have. We have been working through our ARPA funding for a couple of years now. We are in a good place to be able to open this funding roundup to any nonprofit that has been doing work that's COVID related to help residents in need, whether that's for housing, food insecurity, social services. and we're happy you're here. Lorena will run through the timeline and we will be able to, like I said, answer questions at the end. And then we're also all available throughout the process to answer any questions and help however we can. So with that, I'm going to turn it over to Lorena to get started.
[Molly Kivi]: Thank you, Mayor. Welcome everyone to this ARPA Subrecipient Grant Funding Info Session, where I'll give you a little bit of a timeline, details on the subrecipient process on how to apply, the prerequisites and programmatic requirements, as well as what our needs are, community needs are right now. So you understand how greatly and a great many of nonprofits serving Medford have been impacted due to COVID-19. And so we hope to be able to further support our service providers and nonprofits expand, enhance, and pilot new programs at recovering from COVID-19. And again, my name is Lorena Escalero. This overview will be succinct, but if you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me in person. My room is in room 214 at City Hall. My email is lesgalero at medford-ma.gov. And my phone number, my direct line is 781-475-5634. So the timeline of the ARPA grant recipient program will begin with when the application becomes available. It will be available tomorrow, Thursday, March 9, and will go on and will be due on Friday, April 7 2023. At which point the ARPA Nonprofit Subrecipient Committee review members will review applications based on a proposal rubric that we've set up and we'll go over that rubric in the coming slides. And a notice of awards and agreements will be issued around mid to late May. And the project implementation and performance period will span from fiscal year 2024 So starting from July 1st, 2023 through June 30th, 2024, to allow time for the project closeout and final reimbursements to be issued. Just as an FYI, all expenditures must be processed by December 31st, 2024 for ARPA funding. So who's eligible to apply? Any nonprofits with a 501c3 classification are eligible to apply for ARPA funding. The Treasury has provided more guidance to allow veteran organizations that have a 501 C-19 classification. However, for the purposes of Medford Subrecipient Program, we're really looking to focus on the key areas of housing, food assistance programs, and a wide range of social services that were selected from the community outreach sessions and the community survey that was released. And just to note here, you don't have to be a nonprofit that has been negatively impacted by COVID, but as long as the use of your funding, your project proposal is eligible and has a strong tie to COVID-19, you may apply. So just some other application and administrative requirements are, as a nonprofit, you must be registered with the system for award management, known as SAM, and you must provide the unique NVIDIA identification number on the application form. For the programmatic period, ARPA is a lot more stringent than other local and state grant funding, so subrecipients should adhere to quarterly reporting, and this will contain and kind of will be requesting sub recipients to record keep invoices and any associated receipts, as well as we'll need some data on standard of outcome data, which includes like how many households were served, how many beneficiaries were served in total and other metrics to describe the impact and success of the program. So tomorrow when the application is available, it will be available via the Medford ARPA webpage under the ARPA Subrecipient Program Information Application tab. And I'll just click on it and show you real quick what it'll look like. So if you, I can also send out the link. to everyone right now. I'll just post it on the chat. If anyone can post it on the chat, that'd be great. So once you arrive at the Medford ARPA page and you scroll down, it'll be under the ARPA Subrecipient Program Information and Application. So there'll be a dropdown. And the first link will direct you to the ARPA Subrecipient Funding Application. The second link, and this is optional, I just wanted to give folks a chance to publish their questions on a public form. And there'll be a deadline for when questions will be due by and a deadline for when I'll get back to the form with answers to answer people's questions. And if folks Obviously, if they don't want to post their questions publicly, they can always consult me via email or in person. And to help fill out the funding application, you'll need to access the ARPA application package for nonprofits, which is the third link. And I'll just go to it right now. So as part of the application form that needs to be filled out, there'll be a budget template for subrecipients to complete and submit to me either by email, mail, or in person, whatever works for you. And there's also our Medford community values and statement of needs list here to refer back to while you're sifting out through the questions, the ARPA application questions. So the ARPA subrecipient funding application will look somewhat like this tomorrow.
[Theresa Dupont]: Lorena, I'm so sorry to interrupt. We're actually not seeing that.
[Molly Kivi]: Oh, I'm sorry. It's all good. The ARPA funding application?
[Theresa Dupont]: We're seeing your slides right now.
[Molly Kivi]: Oh, OK.
[Unidentified]: How about now? Oh.
[Molly Kivi]: How about now? Perfect. OK, great. Thank you, Teresa. So the ARPA funding application will look somewhat like this tomorrow. We're still making a few minor alterations to it. So the first part will be subrecipients must fill out general organization information, include the unique entity identification number from the SAM.gov website. Then for the other portion, it'll be the project description and information. And one thing worth noting is that applicants can apply for more than one project or program. And if you choose to apply to more than one program, I highly suggest you send me an email ranking the programs based on priority and project readiness. So it'll ask you project description, amount being requested, estimated project start date, estimated date of completion, project timeline, major milestones. How do you plan to collect relevant data for measuring project success and meeting ARPA reporting requirements? Description of the general governmental services that will be covered by these bonds. And this last question, looking back at the statement of community values criteria will help you address this question, which is why is this project needed in Medford for COVID recovery? Please show the clearly identified need for this project. Okay. And so our community values and needs, we really try to hold in on three key areas which are housing, food assistance, and additional social services that were really highlighted by the community survey. So for housing, we're looking for rental assistance and emergency transitional assistance programs, heating and fuel assistance programs, For food assistance, we're looking at projects that address food insecurity, any projects that will help address the gap for the 4800 SNAP Medford recipients on SNAP. There the COVID-19 extra snaps that some of that population was receiving ended last week. So any program that could help with this gap would be highly considered. Other food assistance projects that build a robust, equitable, and resilient local food system in Medford. And Other broad range of human services needed that were highlighted by the community were in our social worker, Alicia Legambina. I'm not sure if she's on this call, but they expressed a lot of need for job training, mental behavioral services, positive youth services, homelessness prevention. And these are just a few of the many. So the ARPA Subrecipient Awards will be given on a competitive basis to really help ensure integrity in the application process and reviewing process, and to also help ensure that the funding is reaching the intended beneficiaries that we're trying to, that this program is designed for. And so the ARPA sub-recipient committee review team will score and evaluate application based on some of these factors, which are, is the project proposal related and reasonably proportional to a public health or negative economic impact of COVID-19? Can the organization meet the minimum applicant slash reporting requirements? Does the project align with one or more of the funding uh, priority areas, and what is the applicant's level of risk for non-compliance to ARPA reporting slash monitoring requirements. And for this risk assessment section, I think, like, it'd be helpful to know if the nonprofit... Sorry, I think we're still not seeing the, uh, that slide.
[Steve]: It's still on the, uh, application.
[Molly Kivi]: Oh, really? Okay. I'm sorry. Can you see it now?
[Steve]: No, still the application.
[Unidentified]: OK.
[Theresa Dupont]: It may be best just to stop sharing and then reshare.
[Molly Kivi]: OK, thank you.
[Theresa Dupont]: Perfect.
[Molly Kivi]: Great. Now my screen froze. OK. Can you see the proposal rubric? Yes. So this is the rubric that I was just mentioning. So for, yeah. The last part that I was saying about the non-compliance risk assessment, part of doing the assessment would be looking at if organizations received other types of federal funding, such as home or community development block grant funding. And lastly, before I open it up for questions, I'd just like to point out costs that are not eligible. So these are the following costs that are not eligible for ARPA funding. Operational costs and indirect admin costs. Admin costs of a proposed program are capped at 15% of the total costs of the proposed project. any capital expenditures above $50,000, depending on the type of request and how reasonable it is. And employee incentives are not allowed. However, staff retention stipends are allowed for ARPA funding. And I think I'd like to, before I open it, sorry, before I open up to questions, I'd like to just point out and review together the budget template sheet. So I'm going to share my screen. Can you all see the budget template?
[Theresa Dupont]: Yes.
[Molly Kivi]: Thank you. So for the budget proposal template we have here, you'll fill in the contact information and fill out the project line items based on the program you're running, program staff, direct administrative costs, and benefits for the staff, depending on the hours that are related work towards that program will be covered as well for ARPA and supplies and equipment. So I think I'm going to stop it there and open it up for questions. Let me know if you'd like me to go back to any of the slides. I think I'll just continue to keep the slides on.
[Theresa Dupont]: It looks like we have a Lindsay from Mystic Valley Elder Services.
[SPEAKER_08]: Hi, I'm from Mystic Valley YMCA, actually. Sorry, the first part. My bad, so sorry. No, no worries. Hi, everybody. Thank you for the presentation. I have two, I think, fairly simple questions. Is there a cap on the request amount?
[Molly Kivi]: No, there's not a grant minimum or a grant maximum since this program is a one-year program. We just want to let the applicant use their best judgment. OK.
[SPEAKER_08]: With the guideline that we can't have operational costs, the sense that I get from that is that No current expenses can be covered by this funding. It has to be a new project or a new program that directly supports Medford residents. It is not necessarily intended to invest in programs that have been providing COVID relief. It's intended to create new initiatives with this funding. Am I understanding that correctly? Could you provide some clarification?
[Molly Kivi]: Yes, so a project could enhance or expand a current project that's aimed at addressing the COVID-19 impact and recovery. So any existing program that has a strong tie to COVID-19 relief is eligible.
[SPEAKER_08]: OK. It's just that the administrative costs that are indirect costs would be restricted to 15% maximum per project if you were to submit. OK. Thank you. That's helpful.
[Molly Kivi]: Thank you.
[SPEAKER_08]: Thank you.
[Steve]: Alan, do you have a question? Sorry, I'm unmuting you.
[John Keegan]: Sorry, hold on. What is SAM? I'm a little fuzzy on the SAM registration.
[Molly Kivi]: So it's the System Management for Awards. through the SAM.gov website.
[John Keegan]: Okay, so that has to be done first, correct?
[Molly Kivi]: Yes.
[John Keegan]: Okay.
[Molly Kivi]: And I think I can get some information on how to get a registration number or the unique entity information, the unique, Yeah. And the identification number. Sorry.
[Steve]: All right. Thank you. David has his hand up.
[SPEAKER_00]: With regard to rental assistance, can the ARPA funds be used to provide the actual rental assistance itself, or can they only be used to provide the backup services, reviewing applications, all the administration, that sort of thing. Can they be offered to make the rental payments?
[Molly Kivi]: Yep, it can cover rental payments and the entirety of the program.
[SPEAKER_00]: Great, okay, thank you.
[Unidentified]: Anything John has a question? I think I see him.
[Steve]: He's on mute, John.
[John Keegan]: Okay, there we go. Good. Sorry about that. So just back to Alan and Sam for a second, having dealt with the SAM registration things a few times, I would just suggest you might want to look at that stuff tomorrow. And then a second question was, what is the, and I'm sure it's on the website, but what's the total amount available to the city?
[Molly Kivi]: Do you mean for, we're dedicated for non-profits?
[John Keegan]: This project, however you're grouping this.
[Molly Kivi]: Yeah. So we don't necessarily have a total in mind. We're just looking to see how many applications we get. Yeah.
[John Keegan]: Okay, great. Thank you.
[Molly Kivi]: Thank you.
[Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: Yeah. And if I may. Sure, of course. Lorena gave a presentation to the public and to the city council that we're looking at around two million to cover and maybe upwards of three plus to cover any affordable housing projects and this round to nonprofits that are helping our residents. So it's all dependent on what applications come in and how much that total adds up to.
[Steve]: Any other questions? Use that help.
[Theresa Dupont]: Yeah.
[Marie Cassidy]: OK, great, thank you very much. This presentation I have a questions around the actual implementation of the programs and projects when they would start expect to be started and when they expected and I'm assuming if and what did you be ready to jump right in on July 1st of 2020? three, and then continue, and how long after that would the projects expect to be continuing?
[Molly Kivi]: Yes, from July 1st, 2023 through June 30th, 2024. Okay.
[Marie Cassidy]: All right, great. So then, say there was, as you mentioned, Lorena, maybe several projects might be in place. Would it be an expectation that the projects continue throughout the course of that timeframe, or could it be, have a shorter life? and then continue as another project kind of thing.
[Molly Kivi]: So different projects will occur. So you're asking if you apply for different projects, they'll be happening subsequently throughout that one year span? Is that what you're saying?
[Marie Cassidy]: Yes, and say one might end after eight months, and one might have done its job after a certain amount of time.
[Molly Kivi]: Yeah, that's fine, as long as it's not The period of performance.
[Marie Cassidy]: Great. And then there was a great question earlier about, you know, supporting with rental and transitional housing supports and all that kind of thing. We're doing that now. So I'm assuming we can support the families that we're currently serving and not necessarily new families or people, but rather a new infusion of support for the families.
[Molly Kivi]: Yeah, that's correct.
[Marie Cassidy]: Thank you. Thank you, Marie, for your question. Oh, you're welcome. I have one more question, actually, I'm sorry, about the data. Is there a data, are we to create our own data system or database, if you will, or data system of collecting it and how do we, you know, is there a guidance on how to, what to collect and how to report on the data?
[Molly Kivi]: That's a great question. And that's how you'll, answer the application question, how will you measure the impact or success of the program and be compliant with the reporting requirements? So there's no guideline for us, but kind of like what kind of metrics are reasonable for the type of program that you are proposing to run.
[Unidentified]: Okay.
[Steve]: Any other questions?
[Marie Cassidy]: I'm sorry, blah, blah, blah tonight. The community values criteria that's gonna be in the package that we're going to read, is that in the, in online somewhere?
[Molly Kivi]: Yes, it's part of the application. Okay, great, great, thank you.
[Steve]: And Lindsay has a question.
[SPEAKER_08]: Hi, sorry, one more question. I know that you're still working on refining maybe some of the questions and language in the application, but based on what you showed, can you maybe provide just a little bit more explanation around question 12? That one, when we were scrolling through, kind of jumped out at me, the description of governmental services that will be covered by the funds. I just wondered if you could provide a little bit more insight to that. Sure, I'll pull it. Thank you. I appreciate it.
[Molly Kivi]: So question 12 is the description of the general government services that will be covered by these funds. I think this question also mirrors the project description question. Yeah, it seems to me that it's like repetitive with question. Six, so I will see if we can either consolidate both of those questions or delete question 12. Thank you. John, do you have another question?
[Steve]: Yeah, I think John does.
[John Keegan]: I do. This just is sort of about the writing of the proposal. Do we write into the form and does it save and you continue to work on it? Or is it a better idea to do it in Word on the side and get to your final versions and cut them in at the end?
[Molly Kivi]: Yeah, I would suggest it's always safe to have a backup Word doc. And it's a Microsoft form, so I don't think it will save. You'll have to submit. Oh, wow.
[Molly Kivi]: Wow, good question. But I'm open to receiving the applications in a flexible way. If you'd like to send it to me through Word or whatever form, as long as you're answering all of these questions, I'm open to that.
[Unidentified]: OK. Thank you.
[Molly Kivi]: Thanks.
[Steve]: Any other questions? I don't think so. You want to wrap up, Marina?
[Molly Kivi]: Yeah, I think we're good. I'm not sure if Alicia has anything, any other needs that I might have missed or any uptick in certain calls from you, Alicia, or the Planning, Development, and Sustainability Office, anything that I might be missing?
[Theresa Dupont]: I'll jump in. I don't mean to cut you off, Alicia, but I do feel quite a bit of calls. Obviously, we're in the wintertime, so heating assistance is a huge one, any sort of utility assistance. We've seen a huge uptick in calls through our office about that. And of course, housing, it's always been an issue, a hot topic, just obviously, certainly as of late, there's been a large increase in calls about that as well. If I could give any guidance to this great group of folks here, those would be like my two, if you are all my fairy godmothers, and I had one wish, it would be if we could provide additional support. in those specifically those two buckets. But Alicia, you field a bevy of different calls more so than I do, so.
[XXXXXX00050_SPEAKER_01]: Sorry, trouble unmuting. My name is Alicia Lagavina. I am the community social worker with the city of Medford Health Department. And so any of the calls to the multilingual resource line for the city of Medford concerning social services will come to me as well as any requests for services, which is a COVID related form. on our city website that also comes to me, I would say, and I have been saying that we, you know, here in Medford, what we're seeing is, you know, gaps in the low income threshold for services and the income in which people are requiring services such as rental assistance, such as fuel assistance, the maximum income requirements are pretty low. And so if there were programs designed above those numbers, it would be well suited for the people in need that we've spoken to. And then as well as emergency funding to keep folks in their home. So that could be anywhere from a temporary stay in a hotel to fixing, turning heat back on. costs related that would make the difference in someone being able to live in their home temporarily until other services. Those are the kind of one-time payments that people are really needing in a crisis time that we've seen through the health department, the building department, and the planning development sustainability. And so if I had a wish, if I had a fear of God mother. I would hope that the agencies that have been assisting us, and I'll speak today, it took us and a resident over two hours and a lot of paperwork to get someone some fuel assistance today. But because we did that in this position, my position, which is ARPA funded, we did get emergency fuel for this person. that will be turned on tomorrow, which is the difference between somebody in Medford who's a homeowner having heat and not having heat. So just to kind of realistically put a visual to these numbers and the discussion that we're having, like folks are struggling in not meeting the basic need requirement. And so this is really important when we think of these applications and definitely important when being considered by the committee that's overseeing these.
[Unidentified]: Thanks. Thanks, Alicia.
[Molly Kivi]: So seeing that there are no other questions, thank you all. Oh, one more. Go ahead, Marie. I think you're on mute, Marie.
[Marie Cassidy]: Thank you very much. I apologize once more. As if we select to submit, is there a person we can go to to ask some questions as we have more questions as we go through this process? Is there a person we can talk, get some answers from? clarifications from?
[Molly Kivi]: Sure. You can always reach out to me for an in-person or remote consultation. OK. We have your number.
[Marie Cassidy]: Great. Thank you. You're welcome.
[Molly Kivi]: OK. I think I'll wrap it up here. Thank you, everyone. And we look forward to receiving your applications. Thank you very much. Thank you. Good night. Night all.
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