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1 <br /> ORANGE COUNTY <br /> BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br /> ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br /> Meeting Date: February 5, 2019 <br /> Action Agenda <br /> Item No. 6-c <br /> SUBJECT: Funding Plan for Orange County Services Impacted by Federal Government <br /> Shutdown <br /> DEPARTMENT: County Manager's Office <br /> ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: <br /> Attachment 1 — NC Health & Human Bonnie Hammersley, 919-245-2306 <br /> Services Memorandum Nancy Coston, 919-245-2802 <br /> Attachment 2 — HUD Memorandum Sherrill Hampton, 919-245-2492 <br /> PURPOSE: To consider approving a funding plan not to exceed $1.5 million for Orange County <br /> departments impacted by the Federal Government Shutdown that provide direct services to <br /> Orange County residents, and appropriate $100,000 from the Social Justice Funds to be used <br /> for food if the demand is greater than the capacity of the existing food programs. <br /> BACKGROUND: The shutdown of the United States federal government began at midnight on <br /> Saturday, December 22, 2018. About 380,000 federal employees were furloughed, and an <br /> additional 420,000 employees for the affected agencies were expected to work with their pay <br /> delayed until the end of the shutdown, totaling 800,000 workers affected out of 2.1 million <br /> civilian non-postal federal employees. <br /> During the shutdown, 95% of federal staff for the USDA's Food and Nutrition Services were <br /> furloughed. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the food-stamp program, <br /> was funded through a $3 billion contingency fund appropriated by Congress in 2018; if the <br /> shutdown continued through March 2019, those funds will be exhausted, leaving some 38 <br /> million Americans without food stamps and endangering food security. <br /> The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) was one of the federal agencies <br /> closed during the partial government shutdown that began on December 22, 2018. HUD <br /> indicated there were enough Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) funds to keep the <br /> program running through the end of February. Although landlords may not get their payments <br /> from HUD in March, the Housing Authority (PHA) cannot terminate due to a government <br /> shutdown but landlords can terminate if they do not receive payment from either the PHA and/or <br /> tenant regardless of a shutdown. HUD requires these conditions in the leases used for both the <br /> Section 8 HCV program and properties receiving Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance <br /> (PBRA). <br />