ORD-2013-031 Ordinance approving Budget Amendment #1-E, Request to Ratify the MOU with NC Dept of E.M.

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relocate families to other housing. As of August 16th, there were only eight families being housed in hotels. When the State Division of Emergency Management approved the area for disaster assistance, Orange County DSS was asked to assist with providing state aid for the impacted families. This was done because DSS had already assessed over 100 families and had actually started to provide financial assistance to some families. Currently DSS is working with 20 families who have been approved for state aid. Several of these families have already relocated and received replacement furnishings. Staff members are working with an additional 164 individuals or households, of which a total of 84 had applied for state assistance as of July 25th. Additional families have applied for assistance since that date and applications are being taken for assistance through September 13, 2013. The process for applying begins as an application for a loan through the Small Business Administration website. If the loan is denied, which will be the case for many of the low income families, the case is referred to the State Division of Emergency Management to assess eligibility for state aid. On August 12, 2013 the County Manager approved the MOU with the North Carolina Division of Emergency Management to allow the flow of state assistance for Orange County to be administered by DSS. DSS works with individual households, pay rental assistance or other costs (such as furniture) based on a state approved formula. DSS utilized some of its existing emergency assistance funds to pay for hotels, clothing and other immediate needs for affected families. There were also some households impacted by the floods who were not eligible for state aid and DSS provided assistance to them. The agency received donations for these families, and Friends of DSS has also assisted many families through donated funds and volunteer resources. After the families have been served, DSS may need to request additional emergency assistance funds to address other crises the agency typically handles throughout the year. FINANCIAL IMPACT: The MOU provides funds up to $750,000 for individuals impacted by the flooding in Orange County on June 30, 2013. Funds will be used in FY 2013 -14 to provide rental assistance and personal property replacement to approved individuals. Unexpended funds will be returned to the state. RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends the Board ratify the MOU and approve Budget Amendment #1 -E accepting the state aid funds.