HUD Taps Civix to Guide Grantees
Civix Experts Provide Technical Assistance Services Across the U.S.
NEW ORLEANS, LA – 2017’s Hurricane Maria resulted in at least 2,975 deaths and approximately $90 billion in damage, making it one of the deadliest and costliest hurricanes in U.S. history. As overwhelming and devastating as those figures are, the responsibility that comes with managing U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Disaster Recovery grants can be yet another significant challenge for disaster-struck state and local governments.
Puerto Rico, of course, has seen this unfortunate reality firsthand.
To help in Puerto Rico and in several other states, HUD selected Civix to provide technical assistance services that ensure grantees quickly program and deploy funds while maintaining compliance. Recognizing that some grantees would benefit from expert assistance navigating the myriad rules and regulations that come with its grants, HUD tasked Civix to advise several impacted jurisdictions, including Puerto Rico, Missouri, Oklahoma, Houston, San Marcos, Arkansas, and Nebraska.
“Certainly, all of us at Civix are honored that HUD respects our expertise and considers us trusted partners,” said Ella Landis, a Civix senior grants manager. “We’re even more honored that, because of HUD’s confidence in us, we can make a real difference on the ground in hard-hit regions that need it most.”
For its part, HUD sees Civix’s technical assistance as capacity building for its grantees’ grant management capabilities.
“As communities shift from immediate disaster relief to long term recovery, there are significant obstacles to developing the human and organizational infrastructure necessary to getting this aid where it needs to be. Often, agencies don’t know what comes next,” said Diana Searl, a Civix project manager for Puerto Rico. “We work to help grantees get a grasp on those unknowns and develop effective processes for the full lifecycles of their grants.”
“In Puerto Rico, for example, they have an extensive recovery effort to manage – and a lot happening all at once. Through our technical assistance services, we’re helping them think through how best to leverage various recovery funds, understand HUD’s requirements and flexibilities, and minimize costly mistakes,” said Searl.
Because of Civix’s range of disaster recovery experience, its subject matter experts can tap into a close-knit network to share best practices, lessons learned, and solutions to novel obstacles.
Civix brings this same experience that HUD trusts and depends on to states across the country through a variety of grant management services. The company’s technical assistance services can be especially valuable, even essential, to first-time HUD grantees, grantees new to certain types of grants, and those that have not managed grants in some time. The Civix team helps identify risks and opportunities and more effectively navigate the rules and regulations.
“We’re actively supporting grantees, bringing our experience to clients when they need it most,” said Landis.
To share this expertise with grantees across the country, on August 27th, Civix is hosting a webinar on HUD Section 3 requirements with guidance and best practices on how to implement the new rules.