Aurora committee flags DHS shutdown, HUD funding change and risk to SAVE violence-intervention grant

Chair Lawson convened the Aurora City Pfizer Committee and opened the meeting with a federal legislative briefing from staff member Lizzie, who told committee members the Department of Homeland Security had shuttered operations last Friday, producing a partial government shutdown and creating a risk of air-travel delays.

"Most of the employees working over at that agency are deemed as essential," Lizzie said, "and so while they are not working with pay, they are still working for the most part and trying to get necessary duties operating as appropriate." She added contacts on Capitol Hill expect the shutdown to persist at least through next Tuesday’s State of the Union address, delaying any negotiated resolution.

Lizzie also said city staff are preparing fiscal year 2027 congressional project submissions and have begun receiving member-office deadlines. "We are working with the city to draw out some really good project requests," she said, and staff will proceed with submissions once deadlines are confirmed.

On homelessness funding, Lizzie said the Department of Housing and Urban Development issued a notice of funding opportunity that would have removed permanent-supportive-housing eligibility from the continuum-of-care grants. That change prompted bipartisan pushback and, as she described it, is now the subject of litigation that has effectively paused implementation while Congress seeks coordination.

Commander Hildebrand briefed the committee on the Aurora SAVE violence-intervention program’s grants. "We have actually two grants," he said, describing a state grant that expires in October and a federal Bureau of Justice Assistance award that runs through 2027. He estimated the federal award at about $1.9 million and said the grants fund positions and program operations. "We would hope to renew it, but there's no guarantees that that grant's going to come back around," he said, warning that future awards could be reduced or carry narrower eligibility criteria.

City staff said they will continue to monitor federal appropriations, the HUD process for the Water Resources Development Act request the city submitted, and grant opportunities that support local programs. The committee closed the discussion by asking staff to keep the city informed as negotiations, NOFO litigation and grant cycles develop.