ORDINANCE NO. 250902
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Sponsor: Director of Housing and Community Development Department
Establishing an Emergency Rental Assistance Program for qualified tenants participating in the Right to Counsel Program; authorizing the Manager of Procurement Services to execute agreements with United Way of Greater Kansas City and First Call Technologies, LLC, $912,400.00 and $27,600.00, respectively; authorizing the Director of Housing and Community Development to expend up to $940,000.00 from funds previously appropriated in the General Fund; and directing the Director of Housing and Community Development to report annually to the Mayor, City Manager, and City Council on the program’s effectiveness.
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WHEREAS, Committee Substitute for Ordinance No. 211067 established the Right to Counsel Program, providing free representation to low-income tenants facing eviction in Kansas City; and
WHEREAS, the Right to Counsel Program is a successful and critical intervention for tenants most at risk of eviction, displacement, and homelessness; and
WHEREAS, Right to Counsel attorneys successfully utilize federally funded rental assistance programs as leverage to negotiate more favorable outcomes for tenants facing eviction; and
WHEREAS, federally funded emergency rental assistance programs created during COVID-19 are expiring, requiring the City to replicate similar programs using local funds; and
WHEREAS, coordinating the Right to Counsel Program with a locally funded emergency rental assistance program creates an organized eviction mitigation strategy; and
WHEREAS, an eviction mitigation strategy helps tenants avoid the long-term negative consequences of eviction while providing them with alternative solutions that serve their housing needs; and
WHEREAS, an eviction mitigation strategy helps property owners resolve disputes between tenants outside of eviction court, saving property owners time and resources while allowing them to capture the full value of their property; and
WHEREAS, an eviction mitigation strategy reduces the administrative burden of scheduling, hearing, and adjudicating eviction cases in court; and
WHEREAS, United Way of Greater Kansas City successfully collaborates with Right to Counsel attorneys to provide case management and emergency rental assistance for current participants; and
WHEREAS, United Way of Greater Kansas City is uniquely qualified to provide a similar service for the City’s locally funded emergency rental assistance program; and
WHEREAS, First Call Technologies currently provides call routing and data tracking services for the Right to Counsel Program, and provided a similar service for the City’s federally funded emergency rental assistance program; and
WHEREAS, First Call Technologies is uniquely qualified to provide a similar service for the City’s locally funded emergency rental assistance program; NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF KANSAS CITY:
Section 1. That the City Manager is hereby directed to establish a targeted Emergency Rental Assistance Program to provide rental assistance to qualified tenants participating in the Right to Counsel Program.
Section 2. That the Manager of Procurement Services is hereby authorized to enter into written agreements with United Way of Greater Kansas City, with a maximum compensation of $912,400.00, for the provision of emergency rental assistance to qualified Right to Counsel participants, and First Call Technologies, LLC, with a maximum compensation of $27,600.00, to provide data tracking and compliance services for the Emergency Rental Assistance Program.
Section 3. That the Director of Housing and Community Development is hereby authorized to expend up to $940,000.00 from previously appropriated funds in Account No. 26-1000-551008-619080 for the agreements authorized herein.
Section 4. That no later than September 1, 2026, and every September 1st thereafter, the Director of the Housing and Community Development Department shall report to the Mayor, the City Manager, and City Council on the emergency rental assistance program’s effectiveness in supporting Right to Counsel Program participants.
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I hereby certify that there is a balance, otherwise unencumbered, to the credit of the appropriation to which the foregoing expenditure is to be charged, and a cash balance, otherwise unencumbered, in the treasury, to the credit of the fund from which payment is to be made, each sufficient to mee the obligation hereby incurred.
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William Choi
Interim Director of Finance
Approved as to form:
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Joseph A. Guarino
Senior Associate City Attorney