Agenda - 09-01-20; 4-f - Update on COVID-19 Response and Funding Allocations

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4 community-based treatment programs. This grant runs through June 30, 2022 and fills a long standing gap in the homeless service system. • The Department of Social Services received supplemental funding to support staffing needs in child and adult protective services. This $66,787 award adds 3.0 FTE for six months ending on December 31, 2020. • The Health Department has received a total of $298,647 to hire additional case investigators, COVID-19 testing technicians, and a temporary data analyst to monitor, analyze, and report on COVID-19 statistics and trends. County Economic Development Funds Finally, the County has consolidated and reallocated small business funds to create an Emergency Small Business Loan and Grant Program. This program has opened for two rounds of applications and has awarded a total of $135,000 in loans and $385,000 in grants to 78 small businesses located in Orange County. The program has a balance of $329,583. Budget Amendment #1 proposes to reallocate $50,000 of that balance to the Arts Commission to fund a supplemental grant program for arts organizations. The County and its community and municipal partners are also conducting an economic impact assessment and will use the results of that survey to recommend further distribution of funds consistent with the needs expressed in the survey. Survey results will be available in early September. Long Term Recovery Planning Although the response effort to COVID-19 is ongoing, the County and its municipal partners have allocated a total of $175,000 to retain a consultant to support long term recovery planning. As part of the effort, the County has organized over 150 community organizations and representatives to help create recommendations that will promote an expeditious and long term recovery and improve resiliency. These organizations are organized into seven Recovery Support Functions focused on the local economy, the health system, human services, housing, natural and cultural resources, community planning, and public information. With the assistance of the consulting group, these support functions are being asked to characterize and quantify the impact of the pandemic, create a framework for building recovery strategies and priorities using a social justice and racial equity perspective, and develop strategies for consideration by local governing boards for consideration and implementation. The Recovery Support Functions had an initial orientation and convening over the summer. These groups are now meeting individually. An economic impact assessment survey has been distributed to the business community. This survey is open until the end of August. A public values survey is currently under development and will be distributed in early September that will offer additional community context for the work of the Recovery Support Functions. The first work product, an initial COVID-19 Impact Assessment is due in the coming weeks. Final work products, including recommendations, will be presented to local governing boards in early 2021. FINANCIAL IMPACT: The County has received a total of $6.4 million in COVID-19 related funding as of the end of August. SOCIAL JUSTICE IMPACT: The following Orange County Social Justice Goals are applicable to this item: • GOAL: FOSTER A COMMUNITY CULTURE THAT REJECTS OPPRESSION AND INEQUITY