Longmont will spend $1.45 million for safety net services to the city next year.
The funding will go to contracts with 49 programs administered by 46 agencies serving priorities including housing stability, health and wellbeing, food and nutrition, self sufficiency and resilience, education and skill building and safety and justice.
Longmont allocates 3% of the city budget toward human services, which is $2.5 million next year. Fifty-nine percent of that goes to safety net services while 41% goes toward housing insecurity and adult homelessness.
The city received requests for 51 programs from 48 agencies totalling $1.8 million for next year. Funds are allocated through a formulaic process by the city and historical funding is not considered.
The city outlines ceilings for what proportions of funding going toward each priority, but how much each priority ultimately gets depends on the applicants. While the city aims to put the most funding into housing stability, education and skill building saw the most allocation this year. Staff said this in part due to the number of organizations serving each priority.
Some of the largest organizations being funded by the city for the coming year include the Safe Shelter of St. Vrain Valley, OUR Center, two programs at the YMCA of NOCO and two programs at the Colorado Statewide Parent Coalition, which all saw grants over $100,000.
Just over $80,000 was unallocated for next year and the board chose to fund an applicant who fell just short of funding approval. This year that was the Boulder County Farmer’s Market.
The city council accepted the spending recommendations unanimously.
