Shelly Dunham City of Pueblo, CO

Pueblo CityStart Financial Empowerment Blueprint

2020 CityStart RFP

City of Pueblo, CO

1 City Hall Place O: 719-553-2613 Pueblo, CO 81003

Shelly Rae Dunham 1 City Hall Place [email protected] Pueblo, CO 81003 O: 719-553-2613

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Application Form

Summary The Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund (CFE Fund), with generous support from JPMorgan Chase & Co., is requesting applications for a cohort of local governments looking to develop municipal financial empowerment strategies, with a focus on addressing the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on residents. Grantees will receive funding of $25,000, and significant technical assistance to develop financial empowerment strategies (financial education and counseling; asset building; access to banking; and consumer protection) and produce an actionable blueprint outlining these efforts over a six-month engagement.

The CFE Fund also released a new brief, Navigating From a Good Idea to Public Financial Empowerment Commitments: An Outline of the Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund’s CityStart Process, that details how past CityStart grantees leveraged the engagement; interested potential CityStart partners should read the brief for more information on the CityStart initiative.

Important Dates & Informational Webinar Important dates:  Application release date: July 29, 2020  RFP Informational Webinar: August 11, 2020  Proposal due date: September 14, 2020  Notification of selection: End of September 2020  Project Start: October 2020

Informational Webinar 2 p.m. EST on August 11, 2020 Please click to register for the webinar.

Background The Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund’s (CFE Fund’s) mission is to leverage municipal engagement to improve the financial stability of low and moderate-income households by embedding financial empowerment strategies into local government infrastructure. The CFE Fund works with mayoral administrations and those interested in supporting them to implement innovative programs and policies--and measures its success accordingly. (Learn more about the CFE Fund.) Across the country, even in the best of times, Americans struggle with their finances – almost one in five American households have zero, or negative, net worth, and a quarter of families have no retirement savings. Almost 40% of American adults aren’t able to cover a $400 emergency.

This current pandemic has brought these financial challenges into focus, and compounded it with a number of new issues: across sectors, workers across the country are being laid off or experiencing reduced hours, are getting sick, or are serving as caretakers for family members in need. 73% of Americans say the pandemic has reduced their

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Mayors and local leaders know that financial empowerment strategies are a fundamental component of emergency response efforts. These services can assist individuals and families in navigating available resources that can support their ability to rebound and rebuild after crisis situations.

Grantee Expectations & Eligibility Given the urgency in effectively addressing the financial impact of COVID-19, grantee expectations are:

 Designating Senior Government Staff Member Leads: Successful partners must designate one or two senior staff members to serve as project leads and be engaged throughout the grant. Given the urgency of developing a financial empowerment blueprint that responds to COVID-19 challenges, the CFE Fund anticipates a 3-5 hour commitment a week for designated leads, especially during the first few months of the engagement. o Leads will be required to attend a series of workshops throughout the engagement to support strategy and blueprint development; join bi-weekly technical assistance phone calls; spearhead decision-making processes with relevant stakeholders; coordinate the landscape analysis; and participate in learning community activities. o The CFE Fund’s experience has demonstrated that successful efforts require project leads with regular access to senior leadership to further efforts.

 Coordinating Landscape Analysis: Working with the CFE Fund, leads will coordinate efforts to complete the landscape analysis, including scheduling, planning, and actively participating in stakeholder engagement sessions and supporting follow-up work to identify additional information and data needed to develop the strategies and blueprint.

 Drafting and Releasing the Municipal Financial Empowerment Blueprint: The key deliverable for the CityStart initiative is a blueprint that outlines how the City will use financial empowerment strategies to build resident financial stability, including to help residents deal with the financial impact of COVID-19, that the City will publicly release at the conclusion of the engagement. Leads will identify the financial empowerment strategies outlined in the blueprint, and draft the actual blueprint; some cities may choose to use CFE Fund grant funding to hire a consultant to assist with blueprint writing efforts. The CFE Fund will provide detailed guidance and technical assistance throughout this process.

Grantee Eligibility:

 Cities or Counties with 75,000 or more residents are eligible to apply. (Smaller local governments can reach out to [email protected] to discuss eligibility.)  Only city or county governments can apply.  The application should be from the Mayor’s or City Manager’s office or from any city agency/department (with the approval of the Mayor and City Manager) working on relevant financial empowerment issues.  The 2020 CityStart initiative is appropriate for governments with who are interested in incorporating financial empowerment efforts with their response to COVID-19, including those wanting to start local financial empowerment work, or those looking to further enhance and coordinate existing efforts.

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CityStart The CityStart initiative stems from the CFE Fund’s extensive work with local government leaders, and connects critical on-the-ground insights about the impact of financial instability on families, communities, and municipal budgets with tangible, measurable, and sustainable municipal strategies to improve families’ financial lives. Since the start of the pandemic in March, the CFE Fund has worked with dozens of grantees to pivot their programs or launch new efforts to address the financial impact of COVID-19 – from delivering financial counseling remotely to addressing consumer protection issues to increasing access to online banking. All the while, the CFE Fund has been garnering insights on providing municipal financial empowerment services within governments that are juggling pandemic emergency response, unprecendented budget shortfalls, and responsiveness to police brutality and systemic racism against Black people and other people of color.

Since the start of the pandemic in March, the CFE Fund has worked with dozens of grantees to pivot their programs or launch new efforts to address the financial impact of COVID-19 – from delivering financial counseling remotely to addressing consumer protection issues to increasing access to online banking. All the while, the CFE Fund has been garnering insights on providing municipal financial empowerment services within governments that are juggling pandemic emergency response, unprecendented budget shortfalls, and responsiveness to police brutality and systemic racism against Black people and other people of color. Based on these experiences, this year’s CityStart engagement will support local governments in identifying and planning for municipal financial empowerment strategies that meet local needs and context, while addressing the financial impact of COVID-19 on residents; a racial equity lens and deliberate resident engagement strategies will be embedded throughout the process.

Financial Empowerment Landscape Analysis: The CFE Fund will work with the local to develop a comprehensive landscape analysis, which includes identifying key stakeholders, understanding the government structure and Administration goals, assessing financial empowerment issues, including those related to COVID-19, and identifying and reviewing related data.  Virtual Stakeholder Conversations and Engagement: As part of the landscape analysis, the CFE Fund will help facilitate virtual information-gathering sessions with key local stakeholders, senior municipal staff, philanthropic partners, nonprofit partners, residents, advocates, financial institutions, and community groups. The CFE Fund will facilitate these discussions to help partners identify the local government’s strengths, challenges, and opportunities related to resident financial stability, including addressing the financial impact of COVID-19, ensuring the eventual strategies and blueprint are based on local needs and feedback.

Financial Empowerment Strategies & Blueprint: Based on findings from the landscape analysis and stakeholder engagement phase, each local will work with the CFE Fund on developing a municipal financial empowerment blueprint focused on key local needs and priorities, including addressing the financial impact of COVID-19 on residents. Partners can also roll out new strategies/programs during the engagement and before the formal blueprint launch. This phase will consist of intensive technical assistance from the CFE Fund to help partners develop a comprehensive financial empowerment strategy, including implementation approaches and funding opportunities, as well as exploring options to sustain efforts beyond the COVID-19 response.

Learning Community: Local governments will participate in learning community activities to highlight best practices and lessons learned within the. The CFE Fund will work closely with grantees to document how their work responds to these changing needs.

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CFE Fund Technical Assistance CFE Fund Technical Assistance Over the engagement, each selected local government will work with two CFE Fund staff members, whose experience working with dozens of local governments will provide partners with key insights and technical assistance. They will help partners design financial empowerment initiatives, including strategies that respond to the financial impact of COVID-19 on residents, leveraging the expertise of a diverse range of stakeholders and addressing the current financial and policy realities of local governments.

The CFE Fund will:  Lead regular calls and be available via email to support all CityStart efforts;  Facilitate virtual workshops for CityStart grantees, as well as coordinate learning community activities to help grantees develop and draft the blueprint;  Support and help facilitate stakeholder engagement sessions, working with the partner on any local content;  Participate in meetings or phone calls with senior Administration leadership as needed; and  Support city efforts to draft and release the blueprint, including reviewing drafts.

Projected Grant Timeline & Submitting Applications The CFE anticipates a six-month engagement, with the following timeline.  Early October 2020: Start of grant and cohort orientation session  October to January 2021: Landscape analysis and stakeholder engagement  February 2021 to April 2021: Final blueprint release by April. Please note strategies can be launched/announced on a rolling basis.

Applications must be made through our online grant portal. Please direct any questions to Tamara Lindsay ([email protected]).

Administrative Questions Applicant Office/Department/Agency Name* Office of the Mayor, City of Pueblo, Colorado

Main Contact for Application: Name* Shelly Dunham

Main Contact for Application: Phone Number* 719-553-2613

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Main Contact for Application: Email* [email protected]

City or County Name* Both cities and counties are eligible to apply. Please refer to eligibility requirements for more details. City of Pueblo CO

City or County Population Size* 111750

If chosen to receive this grant, will a fiscal sponsor be used to receive funds?* No

 If yes, please enter the fiscal sponsor organization’s name, plus the name, phone number and email of a contact person at the fiscal sponsor.  If yes, enter the fiscal sponsor organization’s EIN  If no, enter the applicant entity’s Employer Identification Number (EIN). Do not leave this field blank nor enter NA – all local governments have EINs and the CFE Fund will be required to report all grantee EINs to the IRS.

Has the local government used a fiscal sponsor or agent to receive private grant funds in the past? No

Fiscal Sponsor Name

Fiscal Sponsor Contact Name

Fiscal Sponsor Contact Email

Fiscal Sponsor Contact Phone Number

Employer Identification Number (EIN)* 846000615

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Grant Experience* Please describe the last three grant-funded projects the applicant’s office managed, including key staff members, deliverables, and current status. 1. Colorado Health Foundation Rapid Response Funding. Key staff members - Chief of Staff Laura Solano and contracted Project Coordinator Monique Marez Deliverables - Pueblo Food Project implementation plan Status - implementation plan complete; final report submitted; ready for plan implementation 2. State of Colorado Coronavirus Relief Fund. Key staff members - Chief of Staff Laura Solano, Grant and Resource Development Administrator Shelly Dunham Deliverables - plan to distribute $5.5 million in COVID-19 relief funding; distribution of funding; completion of relief efforts Status - work underway; projects developed; projects in implementation phase including utility bill payment assistance; masks for schoolchildren; hunger relief; support for organizations serving people who are homeless; assistance to businesses; transit fare assistance; technology to facilitate remote working for municipal employees, and more 3. CFE Fund Financial Navigator Grant Key staff members - Chief of Staff Laura Solano, Ashleigh Winans, CEO of nonprofit partner NeighborWorks Southern Colorado Deliverables - Financial Navigator Program; financial navigator services for people financially impacted by COVID-19 Status - program developed; soft launch complete; full launch planned for October 2020

Application Questions Project Name* Name of Project. Pueblo CityStart Financial Empowerment Blueprint

Statement of Interest* How is the CityStart initiative relevant to the local’s overall priorities, goals and ongoing racial equity efforts? The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the financial instability of households throughout the United States and has amplified the need to focus on racial equity efforts as people of color have been disproportionately impacted both in terms of health and finances. We have seen this even within our racially and culturally diverse, majority Latino community.

Since March, the focus in the Office of the Mayor has been primarily on responding to, and mitigating the impacts of, COVID-19. Amid emergency response efforts, budget shortfalls, and nationwide and local protests for social justice and equity, we have learned a great deal about the financial empowerment needs of Puebloans. Thanks to a CFE Fund grant, we recently launched a Financial Navigator Program to help our residents find the financial resources they need during these difficult time, whether it is foreclosure mitigation, help with utility bills, or other financial issues.

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Pueblo Mayor Nicholas Gradisar has been participating in the Bloomberg Philanthropies COVID-19 Local Response Initiative – a program created to answer city leaders’ urgent call for reliable information on the spread of the novel coronavirus and equip them with the tools and training to lead their communities through the resulting public health and economic crisis. And the City recently applied to have Mayor Gradisar and the City's Finance Director Charles Hernanez participate in Bloomberg Philanthropies Fiscal and Health Equity Initiative, which provides critical support to U.S. mayors and city financial executivess by bringing municipal finance expertise and data-driven solutions to support cities in implementing new and equity-centered interventions to help them recover financially from COVID-19.

The City of Pueblo has been fortunate to receive $5.5 million in CARES Act funding through the Coronavirus Relief Fund and is in the process deploying this funding to meet the most critical needs of residents, businesses, and local government during the COVID-19 pandemic. The funding has a considerable amount of flexibility, which has enabled the City to tailor it to meet the needs of our community, including hunger relief efforts, support for organizations serving people who are homeless, rent and utility payment assistance, transit fare assistance, grants and loans to COVID-impacted businesses, and more.

This is all to say that our efforts this year have been pointed in precisely the direction that the CFE Fund's CityStart program is focused, and we believe that engaging our community to identify the most pressing financial empowerment needs, building a blueprint to address them, then launching programs that foster economic stability and build community wealth - with a commitment to equity - is the necessary extension of our 2020 work.

Describe the local government’s current coordinated response to COVID-19.* The City of Pueblo's COVID-19 response has been highly coordinated with the County of Pueblo, the Pueblo City-County Health Department, the Colorado Department of Local Affairs, the Colorado Governor's Office, and local partners and stakeholders.

As mentioned in the response to the preceding question, the City of Pueblo has launched a number of projects designed to meet the most pressing needs brought on by COVID-19, focused on assistance to individuals and families, businesses, nonprofit organizations, and measures to ensure continued safe local government operations. Our initiatives include:

• A $5 million emergency grant and loan fund for businesses and nonprofit organizations in Pueblo to make the modifications necessary to reopen safely during the pandemic; • The purchase of 40 temperature kiosks distributed to high-traffic destinations throughout the community to help prevent the spread of COVID-19; • Hunger relief efforts that have included the purchase, processing, and distribution of local beef to local hunger relief organizations and food distributions to families that have totaled more than 20 tons of food; • The purchase of hundreds of winter kits (sleeping bags, coats, hats, gloves, socks, etc.) for people who are homeless; • The purchase of thousands of masks for Pueblo school children; • Technology upgrades necessary to continue municipal services safely during the pandemic, including mobile dispatch units to ensure continuity of 911 services during the most restrictive safety phases of the pandemic; • Funding for emergency leave for municipal employees to ensure continued wages during time lost due to the pandemic; • Education and public information from the Mayor's office to the community throughout the pandemic, including weekly video messages; • Funding assistance for local COVID-19 testing infrastructure; • Rent and utility payment assistance; • Assistance to nonprofits seeing increased need during the pandemic;

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• Assistance with heaters and canopies to help extend the outdoor dining season for our restaurants that have weathered a very difficult year financially; • and more.

What are some of the key financial instability issues residents with low incomes in your city or county face? What new issues have arisen due to COVID-19?* Even before COVID-19, Pueblo has had financial instability issues. Eighteen of Pueblo County’s census tracts – accounting for 31% of the population – are characterized by low income and low food access . And over the past ten years, the City of Pueblo's unemployment rate has been an average of 29.3% higher than the US rate and 59.5% higher than the Colorado rate. Our poverty rate is more than two times the Colorado rate.

What we have seen this year is that low-income households, already living paycheck to paycheck, have no ability to withstand even a short period of loss of income without their housing, food, and utilities being jeopardized. Additionally, we have seen Puebloans who are members of the gig economy, including members of Pueblo's creative economy, have often falling through the cracks of programs like PPP, EIDL, and others, and have struggled tremendously as a result.

In our small businesses, we have seen similar issues. The pandemic has exposed the fact that many small business owners who are highly skilled in their area of expertise - skilled craftspeople, very competent professionals, successful restaurateurs - are less skilled in business management, accounting, inventory control, and other essential functions, which made weathering the closures earlier this year extremely difficult for some, and impossible for others.

Name of the Mayor or County Executive* Mayor Nicholas A. Gradisar

If a City, select the system of municipal government:* Mayor-Council

When did the Mayor or County Executive start his or her term and how many years in office does he/she have left?* Mayor Gradisar took office in January 2019. His five-year term will end in January 2024.

If the applicant is the City Manager’s office, please provide the following:

Name of the City Manager Not applicable

Role of the City Manager (including services/offices overseen)

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Not applicable - we do not have a City Manager.

Experience in managing anti-poverty or social service programs/initiatives Not applicable - we do not have a City Manager.

Two examples of how the City Manager and Mayor have worked together on social service programs. Not applicable - we do not have a City Manager.

If the applicant is not the Office of the Mayor or City Manager, please describe the primary and relevant functions of this agency or office and its relationship to local government leadership and financial empowerment. Not applicable - the Office of the Mayor is the applicant.

Identify the key staff member(s) who will serve as the CFE Fund liaison(s) for this engagement. Please note, at least one staff member must be senior enough to engage senior administration officials to move this engagement along; both staff members must be able to commit time to support and coordinate efforts.

Please provide a brief biography for each staff member as well as details on how each will incorporate this effort within their current portfolio.* Laura Solano - Chief of Staff, Office of the Mayor, Pueblo, Colorado In 2019, Laura Solano became Pueblo's first Chief of Staff in its 150-year history. Laura came to the City with forty years of service in Federal, State, and local government. Laura’s career experience includes work with the Internal Revenue Service, the Colorado Department of Revenue, , Colorado State University - Pueblo, and the . She came out of a three-month retirement to accept the Chief of Staff position. Prior to that, she served four years as the Colorado Lottery Director. She has a Master’s in Business Administration and an undergraduate Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting from Colorado State University - Pueblo. A lifelong Pueblo resident, Laura serves on several community boards.

Shelly Dunham - Grant and Resource Development Administrator, Office of the Mayor, Pueblo, Colorado Shelly Dunham is an AICP-certified community planner with experience in local government, the nonprofit sector, and consulting. Throughout her career, her experience has included community and economic development, urban planning, environmental justice and equitable redevelopment, and grant/funding development. A native of the upper midwest, Shelly moved to Colorado in 2016. She serves on the board of directors for a local arts and culture organization and a regional faith-based organization.

Describe any recent multi-stakeholder planning processes, including the scope of the effort, deliverables, and next steps.* In Fall 2019, as the City of Pueblo prepared to submit a proposal to the US Environmental Protection Agency's Brownfields Grant Program, we embarked on a multi-stakeholder planning process to 1) educate community members, businesses, and other stakeholders about brownfields; 2) define a project area within the City of Pueblo that contained a quantity of potential brownfields necessary to create and implement a brownfields assessment program; 3) explore potential end uses for redeveloped brownfields sites; and 4) determine the level of interest in the community for creating a brownfields program.

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The City engaged multiple stakeholder groups in this planning process, including residents, business owners, and local nonprofit organizations. Once the downtown area was identified as a potential project area, the City of Pueblo had additional conversations with property owners, historic preservation stakeholders, residents, the downtown business association and its board of directors. In addition, the City spoke with owners of potential key brownfields sites to gauge interest in a brownfields program.

The City of Pueblo used the information gathered during this planning and engagement process to inform its federal grant application, which EPA awarded in July 2020. The period of performance begins October 1, 2020.

Financial Empowerment Landscape* Describe the Mayor’s, City Manager’s or County Executive’s interest in financial empowerment and how it fits within the administration’s agenda. Mayor Gradisar understands the strong correlation between the financial stability of a city's residents and the financial stability of municipal government and its ability to serve its citizenry well. Because of this, he has committed time and resources to the Bloomberg Philanthropies COVID-19 Local Response Initiative and has committed to continue that work through the Bloomberg Philanthropies Fiscal and Health Equity Initiative. In addition, the Mayor and his administration has committed to partnering with the CFE Fund and NeighborWorks Southern Colorado to start a Financial Navigator Program in Pueblo.

The COVID-19 pandemic has illuminated the need for financial empowerment and elevated it as a priority in the Office of the Mayor. Considerable time and effort is being expended addressing the immediate financial needs of Puebloans brought on by the pandemic. But we know that beyond mitigation, much more work will need to be done to help our residents rebound and rebuild. Financial empowerment strategies hold great promise as part of that work.

List and provide a brief overview of current or past financial empowerment/stability programs offered through the City or County or in partnership with others, as well as highlighting experience with delivering these programs through public-private partnerships.* In addition to its newest financial empowerment/stability programs (Bloomberg Philanthropies COVID- 19 Local Response Initiative and CFE Fund Financial Navigator Program), the City of Pueblo has engaged in the following financial empowerment and equity programs through its nearly $6 million annual investment and partnerships with local agencies including, but not limited to: • the Pueblo Human Relations Commission, a nonprofit that fosters mutual respect among all Pueblo County marginalized groups through outreach, education and cooperation; • the Pueblo Food Project, in its work to empower people experiencing food insecurity to grow their own food; • the Juneteenth annual celebration; • Pueblo African American Concern Organization (PAACO) annual scholarships; • the Pueblo chapter of the NAACP; • the Boys and Girls Club of Pueblo County; • and others.

Name the key local government and external stakeholders who could be included in this engagement.* Local government

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• City of Pueblo • County of Pueblo • Pueblo City-County Health Department

External stakeholders • Citizens • NeighborWorks Southern Colorado • NAACP • PAACO • Financial institutions • Catholic Charities • Pueblo Human Relations Commission • Pueblo Rescue Mission • Pueblo School District • Pueblo Chamber of Commerce • Pueblo Latino Chamber of Commerce • Colorado State University - Pueblo • Pueblo Community College • Boys and Girls Club of Pueblo County • CASA of Pueblo • Posada • Los Pobres • Faith community • Southern Colorado Equality Alliance • East Side Action Team • Senior Resource Development Agency • Arc of Pueblo • Pueblo Workforce Center • Pueblo Hispanic Education Foundation • Pueblo City-County Library District • Pueblo Food Project • Pueblo Community Health Clinic • Housing Authority of the City of Pueblo • Parkview Health System • Centura Health System • Habitat for Humanity • YWCA • Pueblo Triple Aim Corporation • Pueblo Diversified Industries • Health Solutions • United Way of Pueblo

What are some potential challenges and potential solutions in engaging stakeholders and developing the blueprint?* The first potential challenge is COVID-19. We are not able to gather together in large numbers. We have other options that depend on technology (Zoom, social media, online surveys, etc.), but some of them may not be accessible to everyone - particularly those who may be most in need of financial empowerment services. So we will need to reach people through organizations that they are already in relationship with, including the school district, human services agencies, the library, housing organizations, and more.

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The second potential challenge is ensuring equity in engagement. Every community has stakeholders who tend to be engaged on every issue because they are familiar, accessible, and willing. However, in community engagement, it is critical to reach the people who are hard to reach, because they are often the people who will teach us things that we don't already know; identify needs that we had not already thought about. To do this, we will need to partner with intermediary organizations and people who already have the trust of segments of our citizenry who may not be responsive to a call for engagement from city government.

The third potential challenge is in making all persons feel comfortable and equally heard. Some people are very comfortable in public settings expressing their views, their needs, and their wants. And others are not. In our engagement, we need to create an environment that makes every person feel comfortable, valued, and safe to share their thoughts and opinions. This is not always an easy thing to do in large meetings. Using methods like World Cafe or smaller, focused groups using techniques like appreciative inquiry can help elicit honest, meaningful, actionable information.

Please provide an overview of any fiscal or resource considerations facing the City or County applicant, especially noting issues related to COVID-19. * The City of Pueblo already had a deficit budget before COVID-19. Now, with the shortfalls in revenue - most notably sales and use taxes, which are our largest revenue source - the City is facing even larger deficits in 2020 and into 2021. CARES Act funding has been incredibly helpful in 2020 in dealing with the financial impacts of COVID-19, but the future of funding as the pandemic continues is uncertain. The 2021 budget is likely to include significant cuts at a time when the needs of our community members, our businesses, our nonprofit and social service organizations, and our local government continue to be high.

Please provide a brief overview of how financial empowerment efforts could be sustained within the City or County government.* First and foremost, sustaining financial empowerment efforts will require strategic partnerships throughout the community. The City of Pueblo already dedicates nearly $6 million annually to contracts and donations to local nonprofit organizations. In the face of budget shortfalls, it will be necessary to examine relationships and determine the best way to distribute the resources and the work to meet the needs of our community.

As we seek to expand financial empowerment efforts, the City also will seek grant funds and corporate donations to supplement existing funding.

COVID-19 Response and Resources* Describe any current or planned city or countywide COVID-19 response efforts that touch on financial instability and could serve as a platform to integrate financial empowerment work (e.g., rent assistance programs, workforce development, etc.). Please provide details on how the programs are administered, including who oversees the efforts. The City is working with United Way and Catholic Charities on a water/sewer utility bill assistance program. The City developed and oversees the program, Catholic Charities screens applicants for assistance, and United Way serves as Catholic Charities' fiscal agent for the program. Our work with Catholic Charities on this program certainly is helping us learn more about the needs of the individuals that are served by the program, and can inform future financial empowerment work.

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We are developing a rental assistance program that will be administered by the City of Pueblo and overseen by the Office of the Mayor. Working with the people served under this program will teach us more about the other issues that compound the financial stress of households requiring rental assistance.

Our current CFE-funded Financial Navigator Program is probably best situated to inform future financial empowerment work. Every call that comes to the navigator builds our body of knowledge, allowing us to tailor that program to best serve our community, and to develop and implement programs (working in partnership with organizations in the community) to fill existing service gaps.

Describe the private and public funding that could be accessed to support financial empowerment efforts in response to COVID-19.* Private funding • Foundation funding • Corporate giving programs • Employer-sponsored programs • Individual donations • Community foundation funding • Partnerships - in-kind services and cash donations • Community reinvestment funds

Public funding • Local government funds • State grants • Federal grants • CDBG funding

Did the City, County or State receive CARES Act funding?* Yes

If yes, which City or County agency is responsible for the allocation of these funds and what is the process? The City of Pueblo has received CARES Act funding from a number of sources:

HUD CDBG CARES - administered by the City's Department of Housing and Citizen Services; funding decisions made by the City's CDBG Funding Committee (a public body) FAA CARES - funding for airport operations and capital - administered by Pueblo Municipal Airport, Airport Advisory Committee (public body) FTA CARES - funding for transit operations and capital - administered by Pueblo Transit, Transit Board DOJ CARES - funding for COVID-related technology and safety projects - administered by the Pueblo Police Department DOLA CARES - funding for COVID-related expenses - administered by the Office of the Mayor

In each case, a group of stakeholders developed the spending plan for the funding and the Mayor's Office reviewed and approved the spending plans.

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Within the context of COVID-19, what are some potential challenges, and their potential solutions, to launching financial empowerment initiatives and strategies in the city or county?* Right now, we are not able to gather together in large numbers. We have other options that depend on technology (Zoom, social media, online surveys, etc.), but some of them may not be accessible to everyone - particularly those who may be most in need of financial empowerment services. So we will need to reach people through organizations that they are already in relationship with, including the school district, human services agencies, the library, housing organizations, and more.

Attachments Letter of Support* Letter of support from the Mayor (if applicable, the City Manager) or the County Executive. If the applicant is not the Mayor’s Office, please provide a letter of support from the head of the agency applying. Pueblo CFE CityStart Mayor Letter.pdf

Reference Letters* A minimum of two reference letters (philanthropic partners, community partners, community leaders, etc.) Pueblo CFE CityStart Reference Letters.pdf

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File Attachment Summary

Applicant File Uploads • Pueblo CFE CityStart Mayor Letter.pdf • Pueblo CFE CityStart Reference Letters.pdf

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From the Desk of Steven L. Trujillo President and Chief Executive Officer

September 10, 2020

Tamara Lindsay Principal Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund 44 Wall Street Suite 1050 New York NY 10005

Dear Ms. Lindsay:

On behalf of the Latino Chamber of Commerce of Pueblo, I am submitting this letter of reference for the City of Pueblo’s application for the CFE Fund’s CityStart Program. Throughout 2020, the City of Pueblo has developed and deployed a comprehensive set of supports for individuals, families, and businesses facing financial impacts from the COVID-19 public health emergency.

The City’s recent partnership with NeighborWorks Southern Colorado to build and deliver a CFE-funded Financial Navigator Program is a significant step in our municipal government’s financial empowerment efforts. CityStart funding will enable the City to work with community stakeholders to identify the most pressing financial empowerment issues and develop an implementation plan best suited to meet the needs of our citizens.

CFE Fund grant dollars are already making a difference in Pueblo. This additional funding will allow all of us to work together to grow our ability to help residents navigate the financial impacts of COVID-19. Here at the Latino Chamber of Commerce, we help to focus on small and minority owned businesses, many of which will certainly benefit from such a program.

Thank you for the opportunity to submit this letter. We look forward to seeing Pueblo participate in the CityStart Program.

Sincerely,

Steven Trujillo President & Chief Executive Officer

“Your Business Connection”

Tamara Lindsay Principal Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund 44 Wall Street Suite 1050 New York NY 10005

Dear Ms. Lindsay:

Pueblo Food Project is a community led coalition that helps create a more vibrant, nutritious, and equitable food system for every eater in Pueblo County. The City of Pueblo is one of our many community partners. Mayor Nicholas Gradisar is co-chair of our Pueblo Food Council, and the City of Pueblo serves as fiscal sponsor for the foundation funding that is vital to the Pueblo Food Project’s work.

Equity is at the center of our work. We value voices and the lived experience from all members of our community, and take steps to ensure marginalized voices are resourced, represented, and heard. Because of that, I want to express my strong support for the City of Pueblo’s application to the CFE Fund’s CityStart Program.

The grant funding and technical assistance that comes along with this program will help the City of Pueblo identify the most important financial empowerment issues facing Puebloans and write a blueprint that will help us work together to build community wealth.

This is so important for a community like Pueblo that has tremendous resources – including talented, hardworking people, a strong sense of civic pride, and a rich culture and history – but needs some help in taking a holistic look at the financial issues most impacting our citizens during COVID-19 and planning to make our citizenry more prosperous with equity as our primary focus.

Thank you in advance for your thoughtful consideration of the City of Pueblo’s application.

Warm regards,

Monique Marez Pueblo Food Project Coordinator

Pueblo Food Project // ​[email protected] ​ // ​PuebloFoodProject.org