Covid-19 in Taos County: Humanitarian Impacts

COVID-19 IN TAOS COUNTY: HUMANITARIAN IMPACTS

Marjorie Luckey M.D. with Chyna Dixon M.Sc. and Gillian Joyce M.A. and in collaboration with the Social Services Sub-Committee of the E.C. C.O.A.D

April 20, 2021

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Countless community members came together to provide data and feedback on the development of this document, and we are grateful for all their contributions. We would like to express a special thanks to the non-profits, churches and synagogues, foundations and individuals who stepped up with unprecedented generosity and to the heroes who have worked tirelessly, often to exhaustion, to keep people warm, fed, housed, and alive despite the devastating impacts of COVID-19 on so many in our community.

Any errors or omissions contained within this report are solely the responsibility of the authors.

Marjorie Luckey, M.D. with Chyna Dixon, M.Sc. Gillian Joyce, M.A.

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COVID-19 in Taos County: Humanitarian Impacts

CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................................................................... 1 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................................................................... 3 SCOPE AND METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................................................................... 3 UNEMPLOYMENT .................................................................................................................................................................... 3 POVERTY .................................................................................................................................................................................. 3 HUNGER and FOOD INSECURITY ............................................................................................................................................. 4 HOMELESSNESS and HOUSING PRECARITY ............................................................................................................................. 4 MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE .................................................................................................................. 5 CHILDREN AND FAMILIES ........................................................................................................................................................ 5 LOOMING DEBT CRISIS: UNPAID UTILITY BILLS and RENT ....................................................................................................... 6 FINANCIAL RELIEf Has YEt to REACH MANY WHO NEED IT ...................................................................................................... 7 CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................................................................................... 8 SOURCES AND REFERENCES .................................................................................................................................................... 9 APPENDIX A: FEDERAL RELIEF AND CARES ACT FUNDING AND EXPENDITURES ..................................................................... 9 APPENDIX B: AGENCY NOTES ................................................................................................................................................ 12 APPENDIX C: ANTI-DONATION CLAUSE ................................................................................................................................. 18

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INTRODUCTION Taos County has long experienced high levels of poverty, food insecurity, lack of affordable housing, unmet mental health and medical needs, substance abuse, unstable employment, and educational inequities. In 2018, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Social Vulnerability Index identified Taos County as being among the most vulnerable counties in the country, and among the counties most likely to need support before, during, and after disaster events, including pandemics. The CDC-SVI assesses counties based on 15 social and economic indicators linked to vulnerability, with 0 indicating lowest level of community vulnerability and 100 indicating highest level of vulnerability. Taos County scores an 88 out of 100 on this scale. We see our vulnerability to disasters playing out today during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since the arrival of COVID-19, the level of suffering and need in Taos County has skyrocketed. Despite an unprecedented outpouring of generosity from non-profits, foundations, and individuals, community resources are being exhausted. As documented in this report, a large portion of our residents are in desperate need of substantial aid from the Town of Taos and Taos County governments to survive and recover from this pandemic. Without sufficient intervention, many in our community will continue to suffer from the compounding impacts of this pandemic far into the future.

SCOPE AND METHODOLOGY The full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and related economic crises is yet to be fully understood; data collection and analysis is still being conducted. The intent of this report is to provide a “snapshot” of the current state of needs, which is neither complete nor exhaustive. It does, however, illustrate the ways in which individual issues compound to create truly alarming conditions under which too many of our community members live. Public record reviews and surveys of community service providers in Taos County and Northern New Mexico were conducted between January 1, 2021 and March 17, 2021 to gather information on basic needs and services in our community before and after the onset of COVID19.

The appendices provide additional information on the economic impact of COVID-19 in Taos County, and CARES Act spending, as well as additional data gathered from agencies which have been working on the front lines of the community crisis. More complete reports regarding the pandemic’s impacts on businesses, schools, and education in Taos County are currently being compiled by other agencies.

UNEMPLOYMENT PRE-COVID: As of December 2019, the unemployment rate for Taos County was 5.5% (New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions, QCEW).

SINCE COVID: By July 2020, the unemployment rate in Taos County had more than tripled to 16.7%, the highest unemployment rate the county has seen since the beginning of 2000, including at the peak of the Great Recession, and 27% higher than the unemployment rate for the State of New Mexico during the same time period. It remains at 10.1%, the 5th highest unemployment rate in the state (Department of Workforce Solutions, Labor Force and Unemployment).

POVERTY PRE-COVID: Wages in Taos County have been consistently 28% lower than New Mexico averages. The median household income in Taos County was one of the lowest in the state: $11,000 below the state median income, and $23,000 below the U.S. median income. Even before the pandemic, 21% of households in Taos County were below the Federal Poverty Line ($26,500 total annual household income for a household of 4); 18% of households were living on less than $15,000 per year (U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, Five-Year Estimates for 2015-2019).

SINCE COVID: In addition to job losses, many Taos County residents have experienced reduced hours, loss of selfemployment and contract income, and loss of part-time and off-the-books household income. As a result, many more residents have fallen into poverty, causing unmet basic needs to skyrocket. Enos Garcia Elementary reports that 25% of 3|P a g e

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their families have lost jobs, and 40% have had their hours reduced. By August 2020, nearly 25% of parents were struggling to pay for food, rent, and utilities; the need continues to increase.

HUNGER AND FOOD INSECURITY PRE-COVID: In 2019, approximately 5,000 Taos County residents (15.2% of the county’s population) were hungry or food-insecure (Feeding America). The two major food pantries in Taos County, St. James Episcopal Church and Shared Table, served about 2,100 households per month, distributing nearly 57,000 pounds of food per year.

SINCE COVID: Food pantries experienced extraordinary increases in the numbers of households in need of food support after the onset of the pandemic. Monthly totals of households served increased by 38%, with total food distribution more than doubling. Most worrisome are sharp increases in the numbers of new families in need of food since Thanksgiving: a 180-family increase per month between the two pantries surveyed. In October 2020, Feeding America estimated that up to 1 in 5 Taos County residents and 1 in 3 Taos County children will experience hunger and food insecurity in 2021 (feedingamericaaction.org).

HOMELESSNESS AND HOUSING PRECARITY PRE-COVID: Taos County experiences the greatest disparity between income levels and housing costs in the entire state, due to the combination of low median household income and housing prices that are among the highest in the state. As a result, 46% of renters pay more than 1/3 of their income for housing and 25% pay more than 1/2. A chronic shortage of affordable housing had resulted in a shortfall of more than 1,200 rental units for low-income households, an almost nonexistent stock of affordable homes for purchase, and a 50-bed emergency housing deficit (Town-of-Taos-AffordableHousing-Plan).

Homelessness in Taos County has been rising steadily. Homeless levels doubled between 2015 and 2017, and again between 2017 and 2019. The New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness identified 100 homeless persons in shelters or on the street in Taos County in its 2019 biannual “point-in-time” count, a count that is well-known to significantly underestimate homelessness. Pre-Covid, 72 emergency shelter beds were being provided by 4 non-profits, with additional emergency beds for veterans available through two veterans groups.

SINCE COVID: As of late 2020, New Mexico ranked third in the nation for housing insecurity, with 13% of New Mexicans reporting limited or no confidence in their ability to pay the coming month’s mortgage or rent payment (Census Bureau Household Pulse Survey).

All Taos County social service agencies, non-profits, and churches surveyed have reported large increases in both housing insecurity and homelessness, as the Covid-related economic downturn continues. With rising numbers of COVID-19 cases, the unprecedented need for quarantine housing added to the shortage of shelter beds for the homeless. Charitable donations provided between 40-54 emergency nightly hotel vouchers for Taos County residents through December 2020, and a CARES Act grant supported the procurement of 12 additional hotel rooms for emergency shelter through HEART of Taos/Taos CARES in collaboration with Dream Tree Project. This emergency housing was augmented by additional shelter vouchers provided to Taos County residents by Goodwill Industries of New Mexico, St. James Episcopal Church, Self Help Inc., Help New Mexico, and others. Despite more than doubling the availability of emergency shelter, the growing need for housing has continued to overwhelm the available space and resources. The wait lists for the three main emergency shelter and housing providers grew from 67 to 140 requests in a single month in early 2021. DreamTree also has a growing waitlist for homeless youth aged 16-24, and its outreach team is seeing higher and higher numbers of newly unsheltered youth living on the street. Not counted in any of these numbers are 90 homeless Taos Schools students (an increase from the 70-75 Taos homeless students during the 2019/2020 school year), who are residing in storage units or tents, crowded into other households, living in motels, or couch-surfing.

THE FUTURE: In addition to current levels of homelessness, Los Alamos National Laboratory data predict 1-5 more noncongregant quarantine housing units will be needed in Taos by mid-to-late March to address an anticipated increase in 4|P a g e

COVID-19 in Taos County: Humanitarian Impacts

COVID-19 cases related to the rising prevalence of the more transmissible variants. Further, the Eviction Lab predicts that without further action and supportive measures, New Mexico could see a mass surge in evictions immediately following the end of the federal rent moratorium on March 31, 2021 (Covid Housing Policy Scorecard).

MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE PRE-COVID: As a state, New Mexico has had the highest alcohol-related death rate in the USA since 1997. New Mexico is listed among the top five states in the country for death rates due to drug overdose, and has a suicide rate consistently 1.5 to 1.9 times higher than the US rate. Taos County is consistently ranked as one of the most troubled counties in New Mexico, in terms of mental health and substance abuse.

SINCE COVID : Four agencies focusing on drug, alcohol, and mental health issues in Taos County all report dramatic increases in these issues since the onset of the pandemic.

• Holy Cross Hospital has experienced an ~ 50% increase in ER visits for mental health and substance abuse.

Taos County Ranking Among New Mexico Counties Suicide Deaths Opioid Overdose Related Emergency Department Visits Alcohol-Related Deaths Drug Overdose Deaths

6th 2nd 7th 10th

New Mexico Department of Health Epidemiology Profile, 2021 • Rio Grande Alcoholism Treatment Program reports that overdose deaths have increased 50% and the number of Taos County clients have more than doubled (from 45 to 120) as of January 2021.

• Golden Willow Counseling has seen a 74% increase in clients, and Taos Behavioral Health has experienced an increase of 150 clients since COVID-19 arrived.

CHILDREN AND FAMILIES PRE-COVID: New Mexico has long ranked lowest within the US for all indicators relating to child health and well-being.

According to Kids Count, the state of New Mexico already ranked lowest in the nation for overall child well-being before COVID-19.

New Mexico Ranking Among the 50 States Overall Child Well-Being Economic Well-Being Child Health Education Family and Community Support

50th 49th 41st 50th 48th

Annie E. Casey Foundation Kids Count, 2020

POST-COVID: A recent Save the Children report ranks New Mexico among the worst 3 states in the country for child well-being during the pandemic. The cumulative and compounding impacts of COVID-19 on parents, their children, and the extended family, are difficult to quantify, but there are many reasons for concern: • Excessive stress disrupts the architecture of children’s developing brains, causing damage to learning, behavior, and overall health across their lifespan. Many households are experiencing record levels of stress as parents struggle to provide basic necessities, cope with isolation, and deal with the many challenges presented by online learning.

Save the Children reports in the 2021 Childhood in the Time of Covid report that 3 in 5 adults in households with children nationwide report little interest or pleasure in doing things. In New Mexico over two-thirds of families reported feeling down, depressed or hopeless.

•

Caregiver and teacher burnout have multiple effects on families. Children’s well-being is intrinsically linked to caregivers’ well-being; if caregivers experience burnout, the health of the entire family suffers.

•

Immigrant families, who are estimated to make up 13% of Taos County’s children, (American Community Survey 2013-2017) have been particularly hard-hit by illness from COVID-19, and Covid related job losses due to Covid’s

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disproportionate impact on healthcare and service industries. Yet, this community is largely ineligible for stimulus funds and for many federally funded safety-net programs such as unemployment benefits and the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program.

•

Cascading impacts: None of the issues addressed in this report exist in a vacuum. Situations such as the following are heartbreakingly common for children and youth: •

Homeless students living in poverty also face food insecurity, difficulty accessing online schooling, inadequate mental and emotional support, and serious levels of anxiety and depression.

•

Many parents have contracted COVID-19 and have therefore been unable to work. As a result, the entire family struggles with food insecurity, precarious housing, mounting debt, a lack of adequate health care, and skyrocketing stress levels.

•

With reduced ability to seek health care and emotional support, many teens and adults self-medicate in an attempt to alleviate their anxiety, depression, loneliness, or other mental health issues.

•

At a time when households are under ever-greater financial strains, an internet connection might be one of the first expenses to go. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, no internet means no learning. The technical hurdles involved in on-line classes can be overwhelming and many students have fallen behind or have dropped out of school entirely. Older students whose parents have lost jobs must become breadwinners, and others must balance their own studies with helping manage online schooling for younger siblings.

•

Agencies struggle to be able to focus on the services they’re designed to provide when families have immediate needs for food, clothing, transportation, heat, etc.

Since the pandemic’s onset, Youth Heartline, a provider of therapeutic support and trauma-informed services for families and children, experienced a 100% increase in unduplicated clients served (from ~ 250 each year prior to COVID-19, to almost 500 clients served in 2020). Taos Behavioral Health has had a 150-client increase since 2019, and reports “a 100% increase in the severity of distress –– especially anxiety and depression.”

LOOMING DEBT CRISIS: UNPAID UTILITY BILLS AND RENT PRE-COVID: On average, New Mexicans living in low-income households pay at least 15% of their income toward energy bills alone. At least 900 Taos County households served by Kit Carson Electric Cooperative (KCEC) have incomes below 150% of poverty level and are certified for Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP); this figure is a significant underestimate of KCEC customers living in poverty as LIHEAP eligibility specifically excludes non-citizens.

SINCE COVID: With decreased incomes, tens of thousands of New Mexico families are struggling to pay utility bills during the pandemic. As of January 2021, over 2,100 Taos County KCEC household accounts were in arrears, with a total debt exceeding $830,000. Despite the KCEC ‘Members Helping Members’ program, and several non-profits helping clients with utility and internet payments, this number only continues to increase. KCEC’s moratorium on utility disconnection expired on March 20. With the end of the moratorium, households will be given only a 45-day grace period to begin paying back debt, or to face disconnection. The moratorium for New Mexico Gas ends on May 4, with a 90-day transition period.

RENT DEBT: A similar and compounding debt crisis is approaching for Taos County renters, as the federal eviction moratorium expires on March 31 and the NM stay of evictions for rent non-payment is uncertain. While rent arrears data aren’t available for Taos County, recent national data estimates infer that back rent owed by struggling households as of January 1, 2021 averaged around three-and-a-half months’ rent. This amount has and will continue to grow until the economy fully recovers (bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020).

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Taos County Household Utility Debt Electricity* Internet* Propane* Gas**

Households in Arrears 1011 809 303 567

Total Debt $422,517 $97,270 $177,137 $140,000

IMPACT : Poverty thresholds represent the minimum income needed by families to survive. These thresholds do not take into account the substantial portions of income that are required to pay down debt, a process which further reduces a family’s ability to pay for shelter, medications, food, utilities, school supplies, and other basic necessities.

Even households with incomes above the poverty threshold can become effectively “debt poor” as current moratoria on utilities and rent simply delay the debt burden on already financially stressed households. For those who are unemployed or are working reduced hours, paying back debt will be difficult or impossible while struggling to pay current rent. This cycle, and the resultant fear of utility shut-offs and/or eviction, force many to either forgo basic necessities or to resort to debtpredators who charge exorbitant rates of interest -- a process which further exacerbates the debt cycle. Without further action and supportive measures, Taos County can expect a surge in evictions and an unprecedented increase in homelessness in our community. *Kit Carson Electric ** New Mexico Gas

FINANCIAL RELIEF HAS YET TO REACH MANY WHO NEED IT Aside from federal Covid-relief funding sent directly to individuals, or made available through loans and grants to businesses, the majority of 2020 CARES Act and upcoming 2021 Rescue America Plan funding for humanitarian relief is disbursed directly to state and/or local governments, which then determine how and to whom the funds will be distributed.

In New Mexico, CARES funding was disbursed to the Town of Taos ($1.023M), Taos County ($525K), and smaller amounts to Questa, Red River, and Taos Ski Valley. In Taos, the majority of the Town and County CARES Act funds were allocated judiciously to pandemic response efforts, keeping our community and government employees safe and supporting our struggling businesses. Other NM counties and towns were also able to direct substantial amounts of their CARES Act funds to direct relief efforts for vulnerable residents. These successful efforts, shown below, clearly demonstrate the feasibility of directing new, in-coming, American Rescue Plan funds to humanitarian aid.

Percentage of Cares Act Funding Spent on HumanitarianAid Santa Fe County

48%

$10.5 M*

Española and Rio Arriba

43%

$2.3 M*

City of Santa Fe

41%

$17.5 M*

Taos County

7%

$525 K*

Town of Taos $1.023*

*Total amount of CARES Act funding received

0% 0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

In New Mexico, funding for utility and housing debt relief has been distributed through the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and the New Mexico Mortgage Finance Authority (MFA). Yet, excessively cumbersome applications and restrictive qualification criteria are blocking many Taos County residents in need of help from receiving aid. Illustratively, 90% of LIHEAP certified KCEC customers did not qualify for a recent one time $300 utility relief aid 7|P a g e

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program. In addition, many low-income families struggle with the application process or are ineligible for LIHEAP certification because of immigration status; others, with incomes above the poverty cutoffs, may in fact be “debt poor” but do not qualify for this aid as debt payments, interest, or other added expenses are not considered in poverty determinations.

Housing Cost Assistance of up to three $1,500/month payments have been offered through MFA to residents who are behind on mortgage or rent payments; however, only 22 Taos County residents received any payments, while 80% of Taos applicants who requested help were rejected. Some of MFA’s strict eligibility criteria are particularly unsuited for Taos County rentals, including that: landlords cannot be a family member or live on the property; landlords must be paying taxes and be willing to provide documentation of payments and debt and to provide a W9 in order to receive MFA payments; renters must have a lease. This final piece is particularly troubling as many low-income tenants rent month to month, paying cash only. As a result, most applications in Taos County were rejected because of 1) the inability to obtain appropriate paperwork from landlords and 2) because applicants did not provide additional information when requested, usually because the information requested was not available to them, or because the application process is so cumbersome and overwhelming that many applicants were forced to give up. Requests for aid need to be straightforward and simple, so that those who are suffering the most may access such services.

THE NEW MEXICO ANTI-DONATION CLAUSE: As the Town and County work to determine the allocation of federal funding from the American Rescue Plan of 2021, it is worthwhile to spend a moment discussing the Anti-Donation Clause in the New Mexico Constitution. The State Constitution clearly states that the Anti-Donation Clause does not prohibit any county or municipality from making provisions for the care and maintenance of sick and indigent persons. Further, the State of New Mexico has routinely taken the position that neither the Anti-Donation Clause nor the New Mexico Procurement Code apply to the pass through of Federal funds. For further conversation on this matter, and examples of municipality and county successes in distributing funds, please see graph above and Appendix C. CONCLUSION Taos County currently cannot provide adequate affordable housing for our population. We have had an explosion of substance abuse during the pandemic, yet have no detox or residential facilities in the county to help. We’re on the brink of a debt cliff as rent and utility moratoriums expire, and debt repayment is expected of those whose financial resources are already depleted and whose jobs have not yet returned. Our chronically high levels of unemployment, poverty, hunger, mental health issues, and substance abuse are all heading in the wrong direction -- a direction that directly correlates to greater suffering of our most vulnerable. Meanwhile, new COVID-19 variants threaten to bring another surge in cases, with the possibility of more economic depression and stress on systems that are already strained to the breaking point.

The humanitarian needs of our community are severe and growing. They cannot be met by non-profits and private donations alone; instead, substantial investments from new federal American Rescue Plan funds coming to the Town and Taos County (expected to be ~ $1 million and $6 million, respectively) are urgently needed to help avert catastrophic homelessness, revitalize our community, and begin the journey to a healthier, more resilient future. We call upon all of our elected leaders to respond to the consequences of this pandemic on our community and to provide direct aid to those who are suffering in order to build a better future for us all.

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SOURCES AND REFERENCES Entities that have contributed to the information contained in this report include: Community Against Violence, Dream Tree Project, Enos Garcia Elementary School, Giving Tree, Golden Willow Counseling, Goodwill Industries of NM, HEART/Taos Cares Crisis Housing, Holy Cross Hospital, Inside Out Recovery, Kit Carson Electric Cooperative, Mountain Home Health, New Mexico Gas, New Mexico Small Business Development Center, Red Willow Center, Rio Grande Alcoholism Treatment Program, St. James Episcopal Church, Shared Table, Sin Fronteras NM, Self Help Inc., Taos Behavioral Health, Taos Chamber of Commerce, Taos Community Foundation, Taos County Senior Food Program, Taos County Administration, Taos Education Collaborative, Taos Immigrant Allies, Taos Main Street, Inc., Taos Men's Homeless Shelter, Taos School Zone, Valle del Sol, Veterans Off-Grid, and Youth Heartline.

Public Data sources: U.S. Census Bureau Household Pulse Survey, New Mexico Workforce Solutions Labor Force and Unemployment, New Mexico Workforce Solutions Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, NMSU’s Arrowhead Center Economic Base of Taos County Report, Talk Poverty, Town of Taos Affordable Housing Plan, Eviction Lab, Feeding America, Save the Children, New Mexico Department of Health Epidemiology and Response Division, Taos County Comprehensive Plan Update, U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey Five Year Estimates, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Social Vulnerability Index, New Mexico Department of Health, Federal Reserve Economic Data , Annie E. Casey Foundation Kids Count (2020), New Mexico Substance Abuse Epidemiology Profile, Save the Children 2021: Childhood in the Time of Covid Report.

APPENDIX A: FEDERAL RELIEF AND CARES ACT FUNDING AND EXPENDITURES Federal CARES Act Funding distributed to Taos County and Towns: Taos Ski Valley: $97,000 Red River: $50,000 Questa: $67,500 Taos County: $525,000 Town of Taos: $1,023,223 During the pandemic, the Town of Taos also applied for and is awaiting approval of, an additional roughly 2 million Economic Development Agency CARES ACT grant for water and sewer utilities to the Taos Airport.

The majority of Town of Taos and Taos County CARES Act funding was spent providing for the safety of the community against the COVID-19 pandemic. Expenditures included PPE, expanding hospital bed space, constructing of Emergency COVID-19 triage units, supporting emergency responders, bolstering education, public health messaging and enforcement, providing testing, installing a new HVAC system in two Town facilities, etc. Little of this funding went towards direct humanitarian aid.

The following details current allocations of federal relief funding that has been apportioned towards humanitarian aid in Taos County to date. These sums are in addition to direct federal stimulus funding provided to individuals.

Federal Funding Directed towards Humanitarian Aid in Taos County to date: Taos County CARES Act funding: • $35,249 was allocated to the County Senior Food Program, also known as ‘Meals on Wheels’ and the Senior Lunch Program.

•

$1,705 was allocated to support COVID-19 quarantine housing for County employees.

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New Mexico CARES Act funding: Utility Assistance: $300 one-time payments were offered to low income, LIHEAP- approved utility customers to pay utility debt, but fewer than 10% of Kit Carson Electric Cooperative’s 900 LIHEAP-approved customer accounts were eligible for funding despite having unpaid bills.

Mortgage Finance Authority Housing Cost Assistance of up to three $1,500/month payments have been offered through the Mortgage Finance Authority to qualified applicants who are behind on mortgage or rent payments; however, only 22 of 109 Taos County residents received any payments, for a total of $44,330 distributed.

Community Altruism: Individual donations, grants from foundations, and the diversion of funds from other priorities by non-profit agencies have been the primary sources of emergency humanitarian aid provided in Taos County since the outbreak of COVID-19.

CARES Funding Directed to Humanitarian Aid in Albuquerque; City of Santa Fe and Rio Arriba County in 2020 Espanola/ Rio Arriba County: The city of Española and Rio Arriba County received $1.2 million and $1.1 million in CARES Act Funding, respectively, in September 2020. Of this funding, $1 million was allocated towards providing direct humanitarian aid, including over $437,411 in utility bill support to Jemez and Kit Carson Electric cooperatives, more than 500 boxes of food distributed, and 58 internet pack installations.

City of Santa Fe: The City of Santa Fe received $17.5million in CARES Act Funding from the State of New Mexico throughout 2020. Of this funding: • • • • • • •

$7,500,000 was directed towards public safety employee payroll. $5,196,000 was directed towards the Community Direct Assistance Program, managed by the joint City-County Connect Initiative. This allocation provided for $3,500,000 in direct assistance payments for individuals in need, as well as $1,600,000 towards housing, food, childcare expenses that were distributed through Connect partners. $2,000,000 was used to assist in the purchase of Santa Fe Suites for use as a housing alternative for homeless members of the community. $1,980,000 was spent on equipment and supplies. $1,020,000 was spent on expanding the COVID-19 Emergency Paid Sick Leave and Family Medical Leave programs for employees. $107,384 was directed toward administrative expenses. $19,997 was allocated for online telework training.

Santa Fe County: Santa Fe County received $10.5million in CARES Act Funding from the State of New Mexico, as well as $3.6million in aid for small businesses. Of this funding: • • • • • • • • •

$3,600,000 was distributed to 168 businesses in the form of small business grants. $2,460,000 was directed towards the Community Direct Assistance Program of the joint City-County Connect Initiative. $1,300,000 was used to help cover broadband expansion in Española. $923,187 was provided to 598 individuals in need of housing support. $613,586 was provided to 177 households through the Emergency Rental and Mortgage Assistance Program. $401,583 was used to purchase the Eagle Village Motel in Española for use as a homeless shelter. $297,617 was provided in direct aid to 254 individuals in need of food assistance. $239,646 was provided to 451 individuals in need of utility support. $186,615 was provided to 142 individuals in need of child care assistance.

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• • • • •

$157,497 was directed towards the provision of hot meals to unhoused community members living in local shelters and hotels. $147,331 was used to pay for for 20,626 grocery bags of food (10,313 bags of nonperishable food and 10,313 bags of perishable food). $89,114 was provided to 114 individuals in need of remote education assistance. $42,459 was provided to 44 individuals in need of transportation assistance. $16,963 was provided to 10 individuals in need of personal safety.

City of Albuquerque: The City of Albuquerque received $150 million in CARES Act, as well as $3.6 million in aid for small businesses. Of this funding, • •

$120 million — or 80% of its CARES funds — went toward personnel costs to avoid worker furloughs and layoffs CARES funding to support direct economic relief for the community. o $11.2 million in small business grants o $2.5million in emergency grants for vulnerable residents (including those who were ineligible for federal stimulus checks), o $1 million in nonprofit grants. o $3 million was directed to support the City’s homeless population through street outreach, the installation of handwashing stations and portable toilets, and staffing at ‘wellness’ hotels which were established to shelter homeless individuals infected with COVID-19, and those most vulnerable to the disease, outside of normal shelters.

When examining the use of CARES Act funding from neighboring Cities, Towns, and Counties, and the dire humanitarian need in Taos, it is clear that new federal relief funds must be used to directly benefit Taos County residents and our community.

Economic Impact of COVID-19 in Taos County: Select Economic Indicators The Town of Taos, Red River and Taos Ski Valley rely on a tourism-based economy. Within such an economy, a significant number of jobs are in the service and hospitality sectors. Such sectors were particularly hard hit by COVID-19 related measures. As a result, Taos County experienced the 3rd highest rate of increase in unemployment in the state, and now has the 5th highest unemployment rate in New Mexico, at 10.1%.

Gross Receipt Taxes: 2020 compared to 2019 •

The Town of Taos experienced a 5% decrease (-$300,000) in Gross Receipts Taxes in 2020 as compared to 2019.

•

Taos County Gross Receipts Taxes have been stable.

Economic factors that may have helped to cushion tax revenue include an increase in new construction, an influx of new Internet sales tax disbursements, and relatively sustained spending conceivably due to federal stimulus checks (CARES Act: $1,200 per taxpayer up to $3,400 for a family of 4 in 2020) and unemployment benefit extensions.

Federal COVID-19 Relief Small Business Grants passed through local governments to businesses in Taos County • The Town of Taos distributed $479,250 in Small Business Grants •

Taos County distributed $292,875 in Small Business Grants

Payroll Protection Plan Loans (2020) Round 1: $35,306,399 in funding was distributed to 543 Taos businesses, protecting 4,968 jobs.

Round 2: currently in process

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Business closures and/or other signs of distress: Little documentation on this topic is currently available; Taos Chamber of Commerce is conducting an Enchanted Circle survey to better understand the state of affairs for Taos businesses. We do know, however, that: The Town of Taos reduced its workforce and budget by 20% (-$2 million) at the onset of the pandemic.

Taos County has reported no significant reductions in its workforce or budget.

Taos Main Street, Inc. reports 18 business closures and 22 business openings throughout 2020, totaling to 253 currently operating businesses within the Taos Main Street area. Despite an increase in businesses, it is important to note that many Main Street businesses were hit hard by decreased tourism, and social distancing measures.

Many of the businesses in this area rely on tourist foot traffic, and have therefore experienced reduced revenue throughout the pandemic.

Taos County Chamber of Commerce reports that 21 businesses have conveyed their closure over the past year, and seven have reported their relocation. The Chamber has sustained and covered membership fees for eighty-four of its member businesses that were unable to pay membership fees in 2020.

Kit Carson Electric Cooperative reports that 26 business accounts in Taos County disconnected their electric service in 2020. This is in comparison to 10 disconnections in 2019.

New Mexico Small Business Development Center reports a 200% increase in the number of businesses requesting assistance since the onset of the pandemic.

The Healthcare Sector, including Mountain Home Health, Holy Cross Hospital, clinics, and private practices, have all experienced higher operating costs related to the procurement of PPE and the expansion of safety measures, in addition to higher recruitment costs due to a nationwide shortage of nurses and other essential healthcare workers.

Holy Cross Hospital also reports a significant increase in the number of patients with medical debt, and higher amounts of debt, as compared to 2019.

APPENDIX B: AGENCY NOTES Community Against Violence (CAV) Prior to Covid, CAV was providing 31 beds for women and children experiencing domestic violence.

Dream Tree Project (DTP) This non-profit operates an emergency youth shelter (8 beds for ages 12-17); a 24-bed transitional living program (TLP) for youth ages 16-24; and a street outreach program (SOP) serving unsheltered homeless youth 21 years and younger in Taos, Rio Arriba, Union, Mora, and Colfax Counties. Through DreamTree services each year, more than 150 youth and young adults are housed and/or supported in the emergency youth shelter and through TLP and SOP. TLP is operating with a growing waiting list as the need is only increasing. The Street Outreach Project has also witnessed first-hand the increase in community need for safe and stable housing and supportive services. Weekly, the SOP team goes out into the community and connects with individuals who are experiencing homelessness, offering hygiene (toothbrush, deodorant, tampons, etc.) and survival gear (sleeping bags, tents, water bottles, etc.) as well as snacks and foodstuffs to those living on the street. During the pandemic, the team has seen more youth in need, and more new clients — many of whom have ended up homeless through job losses.

In addition to its youth programs, DTP operates/manages two community housing programs. First, a rehousing program rapidly connects families and individuals experiencing homelessness to permanent housing through a tailored package of assistance that may include the use of time-limited financial assistance and targeted supportive services. Second, a state12 | P a g e

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funded permanent supportive housing program provides rental assistance for individuals with serious mental illness who are also homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.

Enos Garcia Elementary/Community School/Nurturing Center •

25% of our families have lost their jobs.

•

40% have had their hours reduced.

•

In August 2020, nearly 25% of parents were struggling to pay rent and utilities, and the need has continued to increase. Prior to Covid we received one or two requests for assistance with these needs per week, but currently Enos Nurturing Center is receiving about five requests per week.

•

Requests for assistance with internet connection and/or payment are frequent. The Nurturing Center/Taos Behavioral Health and the Enos Garcia Community School currently receive about four such requests per week.

The internet continues to be a struggle for many families, not only because of the additional cost but because some families are located in spots where the internet is either unavailable or poor quality. No internet, no learning.

Stress on families has increased dramatically.

•

Nearly 40% of 3rd-grade parents need support with getting on the computer, getting on the internet, and/or getting on Canvas to help their children with online learning.

•

Parents struggle with homework and assignments; 68% of families express the need for such support, and 34% identify the need for tutoring.

•

Restrictions due to the pandemic have decreased the availability of extra-curricular activities, placing an additional burden on families and increasing the need for childcare.

•

34% of parents reported not having any time for self-care, and 6% of our families have lost a loved one.

GRANDPARENTS RAISING GRANDCHILDREN: The increase in substance abuse has been accompanied by an increasing number of grandparents raising grandchildren. Grandparents are increasingly important to students’ lives, not just as grandparents but more and more as parents. Many grandparents, if not most, are living in poverty. Through connections to the jail, about 50+ grandparents have been identified as having children in the district. When Enos Garcia did a survey at the beginning of the fall, 50% of households reported that either a grandparent or older sibling would be with students while they were on-line.

Golden Willow Counseling (GWC) This mental health clinic provides counseling and supportive therapy for children and adults, encompassing all behavioral health issues except psychiatric. GWC also provides two Drug Court programs with the 8th District Court in Taos and in Raton, as well as intensive outpatient therapy for substance abuse.

Since March 2020, GWC has seen major increases in all areas of its services, including > 30% increase in staff and 6 new therapists for a 74% increase in clients (from 115 unique individuals in 2019 to ~200 clients by January 2021) .

Goodwill Industries of NM This organization provides housing support for homeless veterans and their families throughout northern NM by providing motel vouchers followed by 6-9 months of rent payments for permanent housing. Goodwill is aware of significantly increased need for help, but will not have an official report until later in 2021. They note that helping vets find housing has become increasingly difficult in Taos County due to landlords refusing rentals to those using housing vouchers to meet rental income criteria.

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HEART / Taos Cares Crisis Housing Before the onset of Covid, HEART of Taos provided shelter and support for 15 homeless mothers and children. Since October 2020, the combined HEART / Taos CARES Crisis Housing program has provided shelter and support to 66 individuals (47 adults and 19 children in 10 families) housed in 12 hotel rooms.

Holy Cross Hospital Holy Cross ER visits for mental health and substance abuse have increased by ~50% since March 2020 — from 4050/month pre COVID, to 60-70/month over the past two months — in the setting of a chronic, severe lack of adequate mental health care resources in the community. There is currently no psychiatrist or detox center in our community, and there is only one prescribing psychologist. Via telehealth only, one psychiatrist in Santa Fe sees child and adolescent patients 1-2 times a month; and one psychiatrist in California consults on geriatric patients, mostly at the Taos Living Center Inside Out Recovery Inside Out Recovery is an independent non-profit providing free peer services focused on opiate addiction and recovery in Northern New Mexico communities of Taos, Peñasco, Questa, Espanola, Mora and Angel Fire. Services include peer support counseling, detox and rehab referral and facilitation, group sessions and other support such as needle exchanges, a free clothing bank, GED and job preparation, detox acupuncture, yoga and coping skills development. Inside Out also provides a mobile Wellness Unit to remote rural communities to offer peer support, NARCAN distribution, food assistance, and referrals for detox and rehab. Since the onset of COVID 19, it has been seeing increasing numbers of clients and obtained a $5,000 grant to provide emergency hotel housing and support to growing numbers of those who have lost housing.

Red Willow Farms Since April 2020, Red Willow Farms has been supporting 11 senior families with weekly food boxes. Since September, Red Willow has increased its delivery of food bags to include 50 households bimonthly. In addition, a hot meal is provided monthly to 75-80 people. Red Willow partners with the Taos Pueblo Senior Center, who pre-Covid served daily meals to ~20 seniors; that number has now tripled.

Rio Grande Alcoholism Treatment Program, Inc. Founded in 1978, Rio Grande Alcoholism Treatment Program Inc, a non-profit organization, has been a fixture in substance abuse treatment in Northern New Mexico. Its focus is on the delivery of high-quality, affordable, and accessible treatment services to clients and their families in Taos, Mora, San Miguel, and surrounding counties. The staff works with our community’s medical, mental health, and social services providers to ensure optimal outcomes for clients and families. Rio Grande ATP also maintains close working relationships with the courts and the criminal justice system.

Rio Grande clients in Taos County increased from 45 pre-pandemic to 120 as of Jan 2021; the increase in the Las Vegas office has been similar. Overdose deaths have increased 50% since the pandemic.

Saint James Episcopal Church St. James’s initial involvement in housing began in Sept 2020 with a $2,500 grant from the Taos Community Foundation to provide emergency hotel vouchers to unhoused persons presenting to the church for emergency help. This service soon expanded to providing hotel vouchers for Covid quarantine; and after Thanksgiving, assistance to a rapidly increasing number of homeless persons living in tents or cars,” couch surfing,” or doubled up in overcrowded homes. By Jan 1,2021 a total of 70 households of 96 people (including 13 families and 24 children) had spontaneously approached St. James for emergency housing help (44% are Anglo, 52% are Hispanic, 3% are Native, 1% declined to specify). All but two individuals were residents of Taos County. Of these households: • 14 | P a g e

670 room nights of housing came from hotel vouchers COVID-19 in Taos County: Humanitarian Impacts

• • • •

6 families made it into permanent housing 11 needed only short-term help (<7-14 days) 18 were referred to HEART/Taos CARES, where 4 received housing and the remainder were placed on the wait-list 7 remained on St. James’s wait-list

Since Jan 29,2021, all new calls for shelter are referred to the 24/7 housing help line for background checks and screening. St. James is continuing to contribute 9-12 hotel vouchers nightly and is working with the Taos Community Foundation, the Keeler Foundation, and a public fundraising campaign to raise an additional $60,000 to keep 400 voucher rooms per month available through April 15, 2021, when emergency funding support will be expended.

St. James weekly food pantry distributions at their church: Pre-Covid Households

1,700/month 425/week

Post-Covid through Jan, 2020 2,200 /month 500-550/week

Unique families being served

600

1100

Pounds of food distributed/month

47,600

61,600

Mid-Feb 2021

1200

Feeding homeless households in 27 housed by CAV and 0 8/week emergency housing HEART/Taos Cares Weekend Food Backpack Program for 75/week 120 across 6 schools 120 across 6 schools at-risk youths For 18 weeks after schools closed, food boxes were distributed every 2 weeks to 700 families with children enrolled in the federal school lunch program; since then, food boxes have been delivered weekly to 100 school families who are at highest risk for hunger as identified by school social workers.

Shared Table This outreach ministry distributes food and other supplies twice monthly from El Pueblito Methodist Church and the Talpa Community Center.

Households* /month

PreCovid

January 2021

Notes

400

700

~80 new families/month since Thanksgiving

Pounds of food Food boxes increased from 25 lbs/box pre-Covid to 10,000 31,500 distributed/month 45 lbs. /box post-Covid Families receiving diapers for one Shared Table also provides diapers to the Taos High School 20 40 or more children teen pregnancy program and to families in Penasco In addition to food, every family receives a roll of toilet paper, a bar of soap, razors, and as requested feminine hygiene products (tampons and pads) and occasionally toothbrushes. *~2.5 persons/household Sin Fronteras NM, Inc. Over the past 4 years, this Taos non-profit has established a strong and trustful relationship with the local immigrant community and provided annual Mexican Consulate Services, bi-monthly immigration attorneys, monthly meetings, "Know Your Rights Workshops," translation and interpretation services, powers of attorney, DACA assistance (including fees) support for families in local court hearings and help to over100 families to complete their 2020 Census. SFNM also makes border trips to El Paso, TX/Ciudad Juarez, MX to take donations and financial assistance to 15 migrant shelters.

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Since March 2020, SFNM advocated for a COVID-19 State Line in Spanish, used social media platforms and WhatsApp groups to distribute information about the pandemic, testing, masks and other safety practices; distributed more than 500 masks provided by Taos Mountain Magic; and collaborated with other organizations to host a Covid testing clinic in the summer of 2020. SFNM raised more than $45,000 dollars to help families pay rent, gas, electric bills and DACA renewal fees, to provide weekly food distributions and to donate over 100 turkey baskets along with 250 donated toys to the immigrant families at Christmas while continuing pre-Covid services to support more than 250 immigrant families in Taos County.

Self Help, Inc. This non-profit, located in Los Alamos, has provided financial and other services to those in need in Taos, Rio Arriba, Los Alamos, and northern Santa Fe Counties since 1969.

Taos County Residents Who Received Financial Assistance from Self Help

New Mexico Small Business Development Center Taos County Has experienced a 200% increase in the number of businesses requesting assistance since the NM State of Emergency was declared.

Taos Behavioral Health This comprehensive behavioral health agency serves youth, families, and adults through group and individual therapy.

Their goal is to heal, support growth, and empower all residents so that they can lead productive, successful lives.

Total number of clients: 835 (335 adults, 500 youth). This represents a 150-client increase since 2019.

Total staff: 85—up 17 from 6 months ago; seeing a 100% increase in the severity of distress—especially anxiety and depression.

They have increasingly been working with sibling sets — where previously the might have had only one youth referred, now the rest of the siblings also show distress and needs. The increase in staff has been due to client increases, but also a huge increase in the need for more intense and detailed work. Though they are a behavioral health agency, they have increasingly found themselves trying to find transportation, clothing, food, furniture, wood, etc. for high-need families.

Taos County Senior Food Program For the past six years, this program has provided home delivery of meals (Meals on Wheels) and a senior lunch program with funding from the NM Department of Aging. The pandemic and economic crisis, in addition to the aging of the population, have increased demand for meals and transportation. Despite $35,300 in additional CARES Act funding, the wait-lists for food have continued to grow and additional funding is needed.

Taos Education Collaborative (TEC) TEC is a group of local organizations, schools, and individuals committed to keeping our students learning throughout this year of virtual and hybrid learning. One of their initiatives is a Home Internet program which helps at-risk families with 16 | P a g e

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school-aged students who qualify as Free and Reduced Lunch program participants. They either connect families without home access to an internet provider and sponsor their access for the academic year; or, if families are connected to the internet but are struggling with payments, they can pay all or a portion of their monthly internet bills for the school year.

They currently serve 35 families across Taos County, with a wait-list of 15, and more application arrive daily. All current donations and grant funding have been budgeted to serve their current families — so they are unable to serve the wait list until more funding is found.

Some examples of Covid impacts on families served by TEC: •

In one single-parent family, the mother works in the retirement center and is recovering from Covid; previously, her three children were at home with their grandmother during the school day. Due to the increased risk, the grandmother cannot visit, and the oldest daughter (a high schooler herself) is taking on managing her younger siblings' classes as well as her own. The three students also struggle with internet bandwidth; sometimes they are not all able to log in to their classes at the same time.

•

Another family has lost jobs and income due to the pandemic; their high school-aged student works 40 hours a week to help them out, in addition to going to school herself.

•

With her family struggling financially, a teenager who suffers from diagnosed anxiety and depression began selfmedicating during the pandemic. She has since gone into a treatment facility — and yet is still trying to graduate on time and to maintain her connection to her friends and school.

Taos Immigrant Allies (TIA) Prior to the pandemic, this small group of volunteers focused their efforts on community education, providing funds for DACA fees, immigration attorney consultations, educational services provided by the Mexican Consulate, ESL education, and occasional medical bills.

In May 2020, TIA began addressing the dire and growing lack of the basic necessities of food, utilities, and rent in a population mostly ineligible for food stamps, WIC, federal stimulus checks, LIHEAp assistance and unemployment benefits. Starting with six families in urgent need, TIA has helped 149 families since May 1, 2020 – providing small ($300) checks once or twice, and in some cases up to nine times. TIA has distributed almost $80,000 to families for rent/utilities/food and an additional $14,000 in grocery cards to families with children. In December alone, TIA’s monetary support for food, rent, and utilities totaled nearly $12,500, and the need is continuing to grow.

In specific response to high levels of food insecurity throughout the community due to job losses and reduced hours, TIA placed 11 “Give What You Can – Take What You Need” 24/7 Little Free Pantries in the Taos area. These pantries, restocked 7 days/week by more than 45 community members including four churches, are providing more than $1,000/week of emergency food. Both the needs and costs have risen rapidly over the past several months; additional pantries are planned if resources become available.

Taos Men’s Homeless Shelter Pre-Covid the shelter provided 18 drop-in emergency beds in a congregate shelter, shower, a hot supper, breakfast and snacks for homeless men, but has had to decrease to 9 beds to maintain distancing during the pandemic.

Taos School Zone Taos School Zone (TSZ) works with teachers, schools, nonprofits, and the community at large to create better outcomes for Taos kids. The initiation of the community school strategy at four Taos County schools came just in time for those schools to hire a full-time community school site coordinator to help bring wraparound services into the schools, but the site coordinators were immediately overwhelmed with the greatly increased levels of student and family needs for basic survival services: food, clothing, and housing. Every school in Taos County would benefit from adopting the community school model.

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During the pandemic, Taos Municipal Schools asked TSZ to monitor the wellbeing of teachers and staff through anonymous quarterly surveys. Teachers reported emotional and physical exhaustion as the result of additional and everchanging demands on their time and abilities. They reported significant stress over concern about students’ limited access to online learning and economic pressures on students’ families, as well as their own struggles to manage multiple learning platforms, and the likelihood that many students would lose the better part of a year of their education. And yet teachers persisted, sometimes to the detriment of their own health and wellbeing.

COVID-19 has brought much-needed focus to the digital divide in our community: households with no internet access, poor and/or unstable reception, multiple types of electronic devices and platforms to learn, and limited technological support. These barriers must be overcome.

Valle Del Sol This non-profit is seeing a growing need for support among the Taos County population who are struggling with homelessness, poverty, and mental illness. Over the past year, they have witnessed an increase in clientele being referred to their behavioral health, case management, and housing support services. The variety of individuals and families who come to us ranges from those previously in services, those who have found themselves unable to continue to cope during this difficult time, and to new clients whose struggles have come to their attention for the first time.

In many cases, resources either do not exist, are too limited for the current need, or have become unavailable. The efforts of community partners in Taos County are beyond praiseworthy and demonstrate a true depth of compassion and selflessness shown every day. Unfortunately, the efforts to stretch the resources currently available far enough to assist those in need with basic shelter, nutrition, medical attention, daily living supplies, etc. have become a challenge.

Veterans Off-Grid This non-profit organization works to restore a sense of purpose, community, sustainability, and peace to veterans in need. Its services include emergency/transitional housing in two yurts with outdoor facilities in Carson.

Youth Heartline This 501c3 operates in Taos, Union, and Colfax Counties, serving children and families. Its mission is, “Family stability through trauma-informed service and systemic solutions.” Youth Heartline offers a broad scope of family services including outreach, therapeutic support, and community building through psycho-educational programs. Youth Heartline typically serves roughly 250 unduplicated children and families each year. In 2020, Youth Heartline served almost 500.

Youth Heartline provided $4,900 in emergency rental, utility, and technology support to 21 families in Taos County beginning March 2020.

APPENDIX C: ANTI-DONATION CLAUSE PEGGY J. NELSON District Judge, Retired Attorney and Counselor at Law P.O. Box 158 San Cristobal, New Mexico 87564 575-776-8768

pjnelson@taosnet.com February 24, 202

To Whom It May Concern, I was contacted on behalf of community members seeking emergency funding to provide assistance to people experiencing homelessness during this time of Covid-19 crisis. Both St. James Episcopal Church and DreamTree, among 18 | P a g e

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others, are standing ready to assist in delivery of services and shelter for homeless individuals. Issues concerning the State’s Anti-Donation Clause, and the need for a Request for Proposal had been raised and needed to be addressed.

The primary questions posed were whether or not the Anti-Donation Clause of the New Mexico Constitution, Article IX, Sec. 14 would preclude the Town of Taos, of the County of Taos from contracting with either of those, or any other agency, to provide services to homeless individuals.

The Anti-Donation Clause provides Neither the state nor any county, school district or municipality, except as otherwise provided in this constitution, shall directly or indirectly lend or pledge its credit or make any donation to or in aid of any person, association or public or private corporation or in aid of any private enterprise for the construction of any railroad, provided: A. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit the state or any county or municipality from making provisions for the care and maintenance of sick and indigent persons; I learned that the City of Albuquerque had, during this time of emergency, and out of CARES ACT funds, developed at least two programs to assist indigent individuals and families. In one program, which was housed within the Family and Community Services department of the City, mini-grants of $500 were provided to families for income stabilization. The second program, the Community Impact Fund, was housed within the Economic Development department provided up to $2,000 to families and individuals who did not qualify for stimulus checks from the Federal government, primarily because of immigration status. In both programs, criteria were established.

The City contracted with Family Independence Initiative, a nonprofit organization, to administer the programs. As you can imagine, the funds were quickly dispensed, and the programs ended. I was informed that other cities have also contracted with F.I.I. Monica Mitchell from the Economic Development division discussed the process used to quickly disburse the funds ($2.5 million) in the Community Impact Fund. There was no “donation”, because the money was given to F.I.I., and that organization performed the task of administering the program and giving money to those for whom it was intended.

There was no Request for Proposal put out, or required, because the amount received by the contracting agency was under $100,000.00.

I was also in contact, by email, with Damian R. Lara, Deputy Director of the Economic Development department. He confirmed that in the process of establishing the programs, and acting quickly, the City believed, and continues to believe that the Anti-Donation Clause is not relevant. Under the indigent exception to the Clause, the City (or Town or County) can provide care to the homeless and indigent. He also confirmed that the RFP process was not employed, because it was not necessary. The City acted quickly to get much needed help to certain individuals and families.

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