TITLE
Title
CONTRACT TO OPERATE AN EVICTION MEDIATION AND LANDLORD OUTREACH PROGRAM WITH UNC-G
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SPONSOR
Sponsor
Victor Isler and Cheri Neal
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BACKGROUND
Background
Guilford County entered into a contract with the UNC Greensboro Center for Housing and Community Studies (CHCS) in June 2021 to help address the needs of vulnerable, low-income communities experiencing housing instability and potential evictions. The project focused on addressing impending evictions that have resulted from COVID19; assist residents with underlying issues causing housing instability; and build resiliency, leadership skills, knowledge, and self-efficacy in these communities to address future housing needs. A landlord outreach position and an expansion to the mediation clinic in both days of operation and additional services from Legal Aid of North Carolina were added via amendment in July 2022. The entire initial contract expires on September 30, 2022.
During the current contract term to date, from July 1, 2021 to July 31, 2022, CHCS has held 37 eviction clinic days in the courthouse in partnership with Legal Aid and met with a total of 126 clients for eviction mediation including 104 at courthouse clinic days. CHCS over 800 clients with various referrals to assistance programs including 440 referrals to the County's ERA program, 20 referrals to Healthy Homes, and 707 referrals to Housing Navigation programs in the community.
Staff recommend entering into a new 8-month contract contract with UNC-G to provide the same program eviction mediation and counseling components, and the landlord outreach program. The program eviction mediation and counseling includes a triage system of housing counseling and resource navigation that will guide tenants through options to address rental arrears, address cost burden, and connect with existing resources in the community (including but not limited to the ERAP and other COVID-19 resources) and eviction mediation work focused on facilitating a resolution to pending or eminent evictions in coordination with Legal Aid of North Carolina. The landlord outreach program will focus on reducing barriers for housing while also working to reduce issues for landlords and working to connect and support for individuals and families in need of housing in the community. The program will continue to operate for 2 days per week in Greensboro and 2 days per week in High Point. In addition, UNC-G will continue to maintain a cloud-based client management system to track the number of clients served, connections and referrals, and outcomes for those clients. Project team members will also continue to meet with Guilford County staff on a monthly basis to provide progress reports and other updates.
The 8-month term subaward agreement will run from November 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023 with a total cost of $475,916. This project will be funded by ARPA funds.
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REQUESTED ACTION
Requested Action
Authorize the County Manager to enter into a subaward agreement, in substantial form, for one (1) year with the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNC-G) and its Center for Housing and Community Studies for Eviction Mediation and Landlord Outreach totaling $475,916 from November 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023 from the total allocation of ARPA funds to the UNC-G eviction mediation approved by the board during its October 6, 2022 work session.
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