Interoffice Memorandum
DATE: August 20, 2024
TO: Mayor Jerry L. Demings and County Commissioners
THROUGH: Venerria L. Thomas, Director
FROM: Lavon B. Williams, Esq, AICP, Deputy Director
CONTACT: Milagros Serrano
PHONE: 407-836-8989
DIVISION: N/A
ACTION REQUESTED:
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Approval and execution of Grant Agreement by and between Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund, Inc. and Orange County, Florida and authorization for the Mayor or designee to execute any other modifications, amendments, or revisions. All Districts.
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PROJECT: N/A
PURPOSE: On January 9, 2024, the Board authorized $600,000 from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to be dedicated for an Orange County Financial Empowerment Center. This is one of many efforts by this Board to provide financial relief and support to Orange County residents that are experiencing financial hardship, have been slow to recover economically from COVID-19, and to prepare our most economically vulnerable citizens for long term financial stability.
The Financial Empowerment Center is a model developed by the Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund, Inc. (CFE). This organization's mission is to improve financial stability by embedding financial empowerment in local government. Local governments are uniquely positioned to deliver large-scale, high-quality financial empowerment services. The CFE Fund provides both funding and focused technical assistance to mayors and their teams to help them embed systemic financial empowerment programs and policies into local government services to improve individual and family financial stability. The first year of the program Orange County will utilize ARPA funding through a vendor agency contract with Habitat for Humanity of Central Florida which was awarded through a competitive bid process in February 2024. The CFE will provide second year funding for the center.
Who is eligible? Habitat for Humanity will provide comprehensive financial counseling and services ...
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