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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
COOK COUNTY LEGAL AID FOR HOUSING AND DEBT PROGRAM
WHEREAS, on March 13, 2020, the President of the United States issued a Proclamation on Declaring a National Public Health Emergency as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak; and
WHEREAS, on March 27, 2020, the President of the United States signed into law the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the “CARES Act”); and
WHEREAS, the CARES Act established the Coronavirus Relief Fund (“CRF”), which provides aid to certain eligible local governments to address necessary expenditures due to the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency; and
WHEREAS, Cook County qualified as an eligible local government and received CRF funding from the U.S Department of Treasury; and
WHEREAS, federal guidance issued by the U.S. Department of Treasury indicates that a unit of local government may transfer, grant or contract a portion of its CRF funding to organizations suffering additional expenses due to the pandemic provided that such transfer qualifies as a “necessary expenditure” to the Public Health Emergency and meets the criteria of Section 601 (d) of the Social Security Act as added by Section 5001 of the CARES Act; and
WHEREAS, Section 601(d) of the Social Security Act, as added by section 5001 of the CARES Act requires that the funds received to cover only those costs that (1) are necessary expenditures incurred due to the public health emergency with respect to the COVID-19; (2) were not accounted for in the budget most recently approved as of March 27, 2020, (the date of enactment of the CARES Act) for the state or local government; and (3) were incurred during the period that begins on March 1, 2020, and ends on December 30, 2020; and
WHEREAS, on July 30, 2020, the Cook County Board of Commissioners approved the use of $82 million in CRF to support various initiatives of the Bureau of Economic Development, including the Legal Aid, Housing Counseling and Foreclosure Mediation Program, to provide legal aid, housing counseling, and foreclosure mediation services to residents in suburban Cook County impacted by COVID-19; and
WHEREAS, on December 27, 2020, the U. S. Department of Treasury extended the date for use of CRF funds from December 30, 2020 to December 31, 2021; and
WHEREAS, the Cook County Legal Aid for Housing and Debt (CCLAHD) Program formally launched in November of 2020 and services have continued into 2021; and
WHEREAS, CCLAHD is a Countywide program and the Bureau of Economic Development wishes to support CCLAHD services throughout the entirety of Cook County in 2021; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Cook County Board of Commissioners hereby authorizes the Bureau of Economic Development (BED) to continue to implement the Cook County Legal Aid for Housing and Debt (CCLAHD) Program and to provide legal aid, mediation, and housing and debt counseling to residents throughout Cook County who have been impacted by COVID-19, and to utilize any federal or state source of funding that may be available to Cook County for such Program; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Cook County Board of Commissioners hereby authorizes the Chief of BED to execute and modify the agreements and funding allocations to all organizations who provide the above services based upon need and utilization.
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