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INDIAN RIVER COUNTY, FLORIDA MEMORANDUM TO: Jason E. Brown County Administrator FROM: Phil Matson, AICP Community Development Director DATE: December 7, 2020 SUBJECT: CRF CARES Housing Grant Program Update It is requested that the Board of County Commissioners formally consider the following information at the Board's regular meeting of December 15, 2020. BACKGROUND & ANALYSIS At the December 2, 2020 Board of County Commissioners meeting, staff provided an update to the BCC about its CARES grant assistance programs. Included in that update was a discussion of the County's state - funded COVID Relief Fund (CRF) Housing program and the federal CARES -funded small business grant program. With respect to those programs, the BCC took action to extend the duration of those programs and directed staff to engage in activities to promote outreach and utilization of those programs. The BCC requested that staff provide a comprehensive program update in January with recommendations for program changes (such as increasing individual grant amounts) to adapt to the changing nature of the crisis and the needs of the public. In addition to the comprehensive update to be held in January, the BCC requested follow-up information on a number of specific issues at the third meeting in December. Specifically, the BCC wanted to know the average number of months that the applicant is behind on rent or mortgage payments. In response to this request, staff has determined that the average rental applicant is 2.4 months behind on rent while the average mortgage applicant is 3.5 months behind on mortgage payments. It should be pointed out that this information is taken from all applications submitted as of December 7th, 2020. Some of these applications were submitted as far back as late September or October. Therefore, it is possible that the figures cited were relevant to the time of submittal and might have changed. Recognizing that these applicants may still be behind on payments, staff has reached out to early applicants and inquired if they need additional assistance. Where applicable and where the requests are within current program limits (three months of assistance, up to a total of $4,500), staff can provide additional assistance. At the December 15, 2020 BCC meeting, staff will present the requested information as well as answer any additional questions. RECOMMENDATION This is an informational item; there are no recommendations at this time. 123