Title
Request to Enter into Contract with St. Joseph the Worker (Ordinance S-49060)
Description
Request to authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to enter into an agreement with St. Joseph the Worker (SJW) for the Workforce Villages Program which provides housing and support services to employed individuals experiencing homelessness to help end their homelessness without housing voucher assistance. The total value of the contract will not exceed $2 million. Further request to authorize the City Controller to disburse all funds related to this item. Funding is available from the City’s allocation of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).
Report
Summary
In 2020, SJW’s Workforce Villages program was established in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and operates in various scattered sites in the Phoenix area. The program provides housing and support services to employed individuals experiencing homelessness to assist in ending their homelessness without housing voucher assistance. Individuals successfully complete the program by securing housing and being responsible for rent on their own. The City included this program in the ARPA Second Tranche Strategic Plan in an effort to provide a unique housing program focusing on individuals experiencing homelessness who are employed and able to end their homelessness with intense case management services, financial management planning, and life skills training. The program requires the participant to have a full-time job, earn at least $15 per hour, work a minimum of 35 hours per week, save 80 percent of their net income, live off the remaining 20 percent, meet weekly with their Workforce Villages Specialist, provide copies of their pay stubs and savings account balances, and complete assignments, a credit report, background check, and budget.
Contract Term
The term of the contract will begin on or about Oct. 1, 2022, and end on Dec. 29, 2024.
Financial Impact
The total value of the contract will not exceed $2 million. Funding is available from ARPA. There is no impact to the General Fund.
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Deputy City Manager Gina Montes and the Human Services Department.