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13. Communication from Director Rancatore regarding the receipt of American Rescue Plan Funds. (pg. 029) Motion by President O'Malley, seconded by Vice President Litten to receive and file the communication. All members voted in favor. Motion passed. 14. Communication from Director Leininger and Development Officer Wyman regarding American Rescue Plan Act Local Fiscal Recovery Fund Emergency Rent Assistance Program. (pg. 030) Discussion: Development Officer Dan Wyman and Lakewood Community Services Center (LCSC) Executive Director Trish Rooney took the podium to discuss the proposal with Council. Councilmember O'Malley spoke highly of the work of LCSC to rescue residents from homelessness and provided examples. He expressed support for the use of these funds to prevent homelessness. Ms. Rooney spoke of LCSC's history of successfully managing funds from the city for the purpose of helping Lakewood's vulnerable populations. She explained that the $1.75M in ESG-CV funds, appropriated in August 2020, has been spent to help 521 households remain stable. Furthermore, in January, LCSC took over management of CDBG-CV funds and was able to assist 236 households. She explained that these funds have been spent down and that all applications are on hold. She expressed concern that within the next ten days the eviction moratorium will end, the unemployment bonus will go away, and many families will face a housing crisis. Ms. Rooney added that one local property management company is prepared to evict 50 families and is currently evicting those who have not completed the proper paperwork to avoid eviction. In response to questions, Ms. Rooney expressed confidence in the budget she has prepared. The budget assumes that households will receive 3 months of assistance at an average rent of $750. She spoke about LCSC's positive relationship with many landlords and how LCSC has been able to coordinate with landlords and tenants to arrange payment plans and partial payment agreements. In response to a councilmember's question, she discussed the $40,000 in the budget for utility assistance payments. In response to a question, Ms. Rooney discussed the staff structure at LCSC. Last year, LCSC brought on an independent contractor. No additional staff will be brought in as a result of the ARPA funds.