The District's Office of Contracting and Procurement recently launched a public website for stimulus related procurements. The website offers real-time information to vendors and District residents about the stimulus. The website was designed to provide transparency from the beginning of each procurement to the delivery phase. The site is developed and managed by OCP employees. For more information about this topic, please contact Briant Coleman.

 

 

 

Serve DC-The Mayor’s Office on Volunteerism has announced a plan to distribute AmeriCorps funds granted to the agency through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA.) The funds, which are available to current AmeriCorps sub-grantees, will assist programs in the process of helping individuals and communities cope with the economic downturn, and provide necessary services that will support the rebuilding process. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was signed into law by President Barack Obama on February 17, 2009.

The Corporation for National and Community Service, the federal agency that houses AmeriCorps, Learn and Serve America, and Senior Corps was awarded $200 million in Recovery Act funding; $89 million of those funds were designated for current AmeriCorps*State sub-grantees.

To allocate funds, Serve DC–The Mayor’s Office on Volunteerism, held a grant competition for current AmeriCorps sub-grantees, providing them with the opportunity to apply for $57,203 in formula funding (set aside for Washington, DC programs only,) and $39 million in competitive funding (available for competition nationwide). Formula funding decisions were made by Serve DC and competitive applications were forwarded to the Corporation for National and Community Service for final decision after being vetted for eligibility.

One current sub-grantee applied for formula funding, requesting $55,827.00, to supplement funds that the agency was unable to raise due to the ailing economy. The funds will ensure that the program is able to successfully implement 2008-2009 services without interruption or cutback. 

Six current sub-grantees presented applications for competitive funding; the request totaled $1.06 million. The applications that were sent forward for final approval covered subject-matter including:

 

 

 

 

The District of Columbia will receive approximately $7.5 million in federal Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing funds from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

The District’s Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) is planning to hold a public hearing to give residents and others an opportunity to comment on how they think it should use these ARRA funds and the agency’s Emergency Shelter Grant.

When:  Wednesday, April 29, 2009, 6:30 pm
Where: 441 4th Street, NW (Old Council Chambers)

Public comments will be included in DHCD’s “Draft Substantial Amendment to The Consolidated Plan for the District of Columbia-Fiscal Year 2009 Action Plan,” which is the strategic plan that guides the District’s use of funds under a number of Federal housing programs.  The plan amendment will be submitted to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

If you would like to testify at the hearing, call Pamela Hillsman, community development resource specialist, at (202) 442-7251, not later than close of business Monday, April 27, 2009 or email dhcdevents@dc.gov. Please provide your name, address, telephone number, and organizational affiliation, if any. 

If you would like to submit a written statement for the record, you may do so at the hearing or until close of business on Friday, May 1, 2009. Written statements may be mailed to: Leila Finucane Edmonds, Director, DHCD, Attention: Office of Strategy and Communications, 1800 Martin Luther King Jr Avenue, SE, Washington, DC 20020.

Sign language and language interpretation (i.e., Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese-Mandarin/Cantonese, Amharic or French) assistance for the purposes of this hearing should call (202) 442-7251. Interpretation services will be provided to pre-registered persons only. The deadline for requesting interpretation services is Thursday, April 23, 2009. Bilingual staff (English-Spanish) will provide services on an availability basis to walk-ins without registration.

 

As part of our effort to help agencies build the talent capacity to successfully enact provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), the US Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is proposing to hold a Hiring Fair  May 13, 2009, at the Washington Convention Center limited to applicants for the following occupations: human resources, contracting and grants management. Read more

 

 

 

The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced April 10, 2009 plans to make $1 billion available for the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) program. Funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the new resources will be allocated to states across the country. The District will receive $16,427,550 that will be distributed to community groups that help Americans through tough economic times.

Under the Recovery Act, organizations receiving CSBG funding must use the resources to help get our economy back on track. Funds must be used to reduce poverty, revitalize low-income communities, and assist low-income families to become self-sufficient. Eligible entities use funds to provide services and activities addressing employment, education, housing, nutrition, and emergency services to combat the central causes of poverty.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The federal government’s General Services Administration plans to expend $5.55 billion in Recovery Act funds around the country to convert federal buildings into high-performance green buildings, renovate and construct federal buildings and courthouses, and renovate and construct land ports of entry (LPOE). Federal buildings located within the District of Columbia will get $1.2 billion in their plan.

Read more at the GSA website*.

 

 

The General Accounting Office released its first report on Recovery Act activity on a sample of 16 states and the District of Columbia. View the abstract and full text at the GAO website.