In an attempt to heal California communities post-COVID-19 and ensure that funds are properly allocated to those who need them, The State of California’s Department of Housing and Community Development has recently announced that it will be awarding global consulting and digital services firm ICF with two three-year contracts boasting a combined value of $14 million dollars.
These contacts, awarded in the second and third quarters of 2021, will assist in ensuring the proper allocation of the CARES Act funds that were distributed nationally to aid with COVID-19 rehabilitation. The Community Development Block Grant Program COVID and Emergency Solutions Grants Program COVID funds are the two projects that ICF will be taking on, with a primary purpose to ensure proper federal compliance with the distribution of funds.
ICF will also be responsible for providing technical assistance to grantees of these services as well as housing the documentation and administration of all funded activities. The targeted demographics to allocate these funds to are primarily vulnerable populations such as homeless individuals and those at risk of becoming homeless, as well as historically under-served and marginalized members of society.
The firm will also work in partnership with HUD and local community agencies to ensure equity in redistribution of funds and maximize the impact of funding on the community through strategically-executed relief efforts.
"HCD is tasked with awarding a historic level of funding as quickly and effectively as possible to hundreds of local governments, tribal nations, and colonias to address the complex needs that have resulted from COVID-19," said Mark Lee, ICF Executive Vice President and Public Sector Lead. "There's no one-size-fits-all approach for integrating equity-driven solutions in a community. We have the local context and resources to help increase HCD's and its grantees' capacity to take full advantage of their CARES Act funding."
IFC is known for its successful development and implementation of multiple housing and homeless response programs, including disaster management services. It is an established leader in end-to-end recovery and mitigation services, from planning to execution. The company has been operating in both public and private sectors since 1969 and employs over 7,500 employees across the industry.
