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 ...
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