I_ECR_TFER_2021A 12/07/2021 03:33:23 PM Committee Summary

Senator Moreno called the meeting to order. Kristin Toombs, Director of the Office of Homeless Initiatives, Division of Housing, and Natriece Bryant, Office of Economic Development and International Trade, began the presentation on the Governor's proposal on homeless initiatives (Attachment A).

Ms. Toombs continued by explaining that the Governor's budget submission requests $200 million for homeless initiatives from federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds.  Ms. Toombs discussed the need for homeless prevention and housing services in the state, and discussed the number of people experiencing unstable housing in Colorado. She reviewed the components of the request, including $100 million for a competitive grant program for safety net campuses and transitional and permanent supportive housing; $50 million for the Denver Recovery Campus; $45 million for the Ridge Review Recovery Campus; and $5 million for data collection and outreach for homelessness response.

Ms. Toombs discussed the continuum of response and recovery for homlessness-related issues. She discussed the cost benefits of providing housing.  Ms. Bryant discussed how the proposal complies with ARPA requirements. The presenters responded to questions from the task force regarding how the proposal complies with ARPA in terms of ongoing funding for staff. The presenters discussed the changing nature of homelessness, and how the proposal aligns with regional proposals.

The presenters further responded to questions from the task force regarding funding for homeless services, efforts to improve homeless services, and services for alcohol and drug abuse delivered through the Denver Recovery Campus. Senator Hansen asked about the effectiveness of the Fort Lyon program.

Brenna Simmons-St Onge, Executive Director, the Alliance Center, began her presentation regarding the Regenerative Recovery Coalition (Attachment B). She discussed the center's recommendations regarding ARPA funding, and the process used by the center to gather input about funding recommendations.

She shared five recommendations for spending ARPA funding, including establishing a large state public bank in Colorado that is owned by and serves Colorado citizens; funding just transition efforts for oil and gas communities; investing in resilient infrastructure and workforce to expand the clean energy sector; investing in indoor and outdoor air quality improvements; and funding racial equity efforts, including creating a dedicated source of funds to support upward economic mobility, access to resources, and representation in key decision-making bodies. She noted that the recommendations are intended to address the root case of problems and address intersectional solutions.

Ms. Simmons-St. Onge responded to questions from the task force regarding the structure of the Alliance Center.

Dr. Phyllis Resnick, Subpanel Chair, discussed the draft final report of the task force (Attachment C). She reviewed the changes from the previous version of the report, including the addition of a section regarding gaps, updates to the people and households section, revisions to the decision matrix, updates to the analysis of a proposal to backfill the Unemployment Insurance trust fund, and the inclusion of an analysis of the Hero Pay proposal submitted at the subpanel's last meeting.

Senator Moreno discussed the proposal submittal process, noting that the report provides guidance on how proposals may be evaluated, but does not contain many specific proposals. Senator Moreno explained that there will be a submittal portal available to all members of the legislature, as well as to Directors Meyers and Larson. The portal will be open from December 15 to January 3. Senator Moreno described the required elements of the proposals and explained that the submitted proposals will be evaluated using the decision matrix recommended by the subpanel.

Representative Valdez commented on the proposed process, and asked how the proposals will be evaluated and by whom. Senator Moreno noted that the discussions are ongoing, and the subpanel's tool will be used to evaluate proposals and the subpanel members will continue to participate in those discussions. Representative McKean commented on the report and the decision-making rubric. He discussed his desire that the proposals that are moved forward be bipartisan.