Three weeks ago, the Montgomery County Council approved $6 million in emergency funds to help residents who can’t receive state or federal assistance.
As of Monday, the initiative was still in progress. The regulations had not been finalized and the county was not accepting applications yet.
Caroline Sturgis, an assistant chief administrative officer for the county, said no date has been set for when the applications will open, but she hopes they will be available soon.
“We are working as quickly as we can to get it launched as soon as possible,” she said. “We know that individuals and families are suffering and to get the cash assistance would help ease some of that.”
Of the emergency funds, $1 million will go to nonprofits for safety-net services for vulnerable residents. The remaining $5 million will be split between the county and nonprofits for distribution: $3.5 million by the county and $1.5 million by nonprofits.
In addition to funds for individuals and families, the county also is offering $20 million in grants for businesses and nonprofits. A proposal to add $5 million to the $20 million relief fund is scheduled to be introduced at Tuesday’s council session.
Applications for the business and nonprofits grants are expected to open on Wednesday.
The county — which approved both relief funds as expedited measures — has worked with several nonprofit partners in the community to construct guidelines and the process for the applications. Expedited items allow the council to vote the same day as the public hearings.
The council has approved an initial strategy, but Sturgis declined to provide details until the county’s partners could provide feedback on Wednesday.
Sturgis said the county usually doesn’t provide direct financial assistance to residents, so the staff had to come up with a plan for how to provide the payments and reach eligible residents.
“That’s why it’s taking us a little more [time] than what we had originally hoped for,” she said, adding that there are “wrinkles” to take care of before a launch.
Sturgis said she was not sure if residents would have a deadline to apply for the grants.
Council Member Gabe Albornoz, chair of the Health and Human Services Committee, said the council saw a draft of the regulations early last week and provided feedback to the county’s staff.
He said he was told that the applications would be available on Monday or Tuesday of next week.
Albornoz said the county is considering providing base grants to residents who qualify. Adjustments could be made to the base grant amounts depending on individual need, he said.
“I think we know they’re going to be made available within a reasonable time frame and we also want to make sure they’re going to the families that need them the most,” he said. “I think it’s striking the balance between getting the money out of the doors as quickly as possible and getting it where it’s most needed. I think the administration is doing a good job of trying to ensure that.”
Council Member Evan Glass said the county and its partners will work together to identify people who qualify for the grants.
“They’re still developing the regulations, so I don’t want to get ahead of that,” he said. “We currently provide assistance to individuals who meet the criteria and this $6 million will enable us to help those people and more who are already receiving support and are eligible for more of it.”
Grants might go to homeless people, undocumented immigrants, or those who need food or rent assistance, he said.
Council Member Nancy Navarro said the council has been working with county staff members on the funds.
“These types of special appropriations have not been made in a vacuum. We’ve been working with the administration on them,” she said. “I feel like the council has been very quick in deliberating and acting and responding. It is a bit frustrating because obviously, we hear it on a daily basis that there is real suffering going on and we really want this to be out as soon as possible. That’s why we acted in a quick manner.”
Council Member Craig Rice and Council President Sidney Katz said they hoped the applications for individuals and families would roll out faster.
Rice said $6 million won’t be enough and the council may have to provide more funds for vulnerable residents.
“It’s definitely not going to be enough. … The need is so great,” he said. “When you really think about it, you have folks who are in various positions throughout this county who have never been in this kind of situation before. This is striking everyone across the board. No one is exempt. The need is great that’s out there.”
The growth in the number of people who will need financial assistance will be staggering, he said.
Katz said the council will probably have to provide more money for the grants. Once the applications are up and running and the county can assess how much need there is, the council will know how much additional money might be needed, he said.
Briana Adhikusuma can be reached at briana.adhikusuma@moco360.media.
