To: Honorable Mayor and Members of Town Council
From: Trish Muller, CPA, Finance Director
Title
Discussion/Direction: Public Safety Commission’s Recommendations for the 2020 Philip S. Miller Resource Grant Program, Two Applications
Body
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Executive Summary
The Philip S. Miller Resource Grant Program (PSMRGP) funded by the Philip S. Miller Trust Fund aims to support social and human services in Castle Rock. Eligibility requirements state that the organization holds 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(19) status, and the funding request must include provisions for the necessities of life: water, energy, food and/or shelter assistance. The Town budgeted $40,000 for this program in 2020.
Two qualified organizations applied for the 2020 Philip S. Miller Resource Grant. The Public Safety Commission (PSC) reviewed the annual applications and submitted its recommendations for the nonprofits that should receive grant monies and the amount of each award. The Public Safety Commission has recommended the following:
• $20,000 to Crisis Center
• $20,000 to Help & Hope Center / Douglas Elbert Task Force
Staff presents the Public Safety Commission’s recommendation for Council’s approval.
Discussion
The Public Safety Commission reviewed the applications at its October 3rd meeting (Attachment A). Representatives from each nonprofit attended the PSC meeting to give a short presentation on the organization and the purpose of the funding request. The PSC discussed the merits of each application, reviewed the budgets presented for each project, and referred to the history of granted amounts (Attachment B). Applicants requested a total amount of $40,000.
Crisis Center requested $20,000. The Crisis Center provides shelter, information, advocacy and programmatic support for victims along with preventative strategies to the community. The Crisis Center will use granted funds for operational support for its emergency shelter and community advocacy project program for victims of domestic violence.
Help & Hope Center/Douglas Elbert Task Force (DETF) requested $20,000. The Help & Hope Center/DETF provides for the immediate needs of Douglas and Elbert County residents who face financial distress and the risk of becoming homeless. The Help & Hope Center/DETF would use granted funds to purchase food for the food bank, recently named Mela’s Pantry after its founder.
Based on these considerations, the Commission has made the following recommendations:
Requested Recommendation
Crisis Center $ 20,000 $ 20,000
Help & Hope Center/DETF $ 20,000 $ 20,000
Total Amount Requested/Recommended $ 40,000 $ 40,000
Budget Considerations
The 2020 Proposed Budget includes $40,000 in the Philip S. Miller Fund for the 2020 Philip S. Miller Resource Grant Program.
Staff Recommendation
Staff recommends that Council approve the Public Safety Commission’s recommendations for the 2020 Philip S. Miller Resource Grant Program.
Proposed Motion
“I move to approve the Public Safety Commission’s recommendations and award the 2020 Philip S. Miller Resource Grant Program monies as follows:
Crisis Center $20,000
Help & Hope Center/DETF $20,000”
Attachments
Attachment A: 2020 Applications
Attachment B: Five-Year History of Granted Amounts