Sault Ste Marie Housing CommissionLocal Government

The Board approved the expenditure of holiday meals for our tenants. This was done with the support of a localsmall business, who had to close due to COVID. This small business opened its doors and minimally staffeditself, to prepare and package holiday meals specifically for our tenants.The staff of the Housing Commission delivered these door to door themselves. With doing this, it gave the staffopportunity to actually ?check in? with each senior and disabled tenant. It was the first face to face (masked andgloved) contact the staff had had with them in months. These are tenants that have been cut off from society andfamily since March. That?s 8 months of no family, no contact, confinement due to CDC restrictions, no aides,and no socialization. Our tenants well-being is our first priority. Especially those that are compromised in anyway. The tenants were elated to have a nice warm meal delivered on a holiday, that many would not get due tono family, no contact, and no restaurants they may usually dine in, open. NUMEROUS thank-you?s werereceived and expressed their gratitude not only for the meal and remembering them on a holiday, but the smileand light conversation that accompanied it.The Board of Commissioners were informed of said finding and that the preparation of said meals, packaging,and even the purchase of a vehicle to deliver said meals, was acceptable, but the actual food our low income,compromised, challenged tenants received was not. They were not at all impressed with said exclusion toacceptable expenses, but instead commended the staff for their efforts in which to be able to conduct wellnesschecks and be in contact with these tenants. It is understood that in the multitude of pages of the CARES Actexpenditures and guidelines, this was stated as a non- allowable expense, they do not regret how those funds weredirectly utilized in the best interest of our public housing tenants. We receive operating funds to sustain thenormal operating expenses of the Housing Commission. This CARES money was spent exclusively on thetenants during the pandemic in which the CARES Act and monies were created, to alleviate the burdens of theAmerican people, including our tenants. The Executive Director took full responsibility in missing the nonallowableexpense in the multiple revisions of the CARES Act requirements.

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