How the City of Milpitas Streamlined Housing and Business Relief Program Administration Across Departments with FORWARD

The City of Milpitas, in the heart of Silicon Valley, is home to over 80,000 residents. Despite the area’s tech-driven economy, rising living costs have placed pressure on essential workers and longtime residents at risk of displacement. To address these challenges, the city committed to providing financial support for small businesses and residents in need.

The Milpitas Office of Economic Development and Strategic Initiatives and Office of Housing partnered with FORWARD to deliver housing and business programs supporting the city’s most vulnerable communities.

The programs include:

• City of Milpitas Small Business Grant Program ($1.5M in ARPA funding)

• City of Milpitas Rent & Mortgage Relief Program ($864,500 in ARPA funding, with an additional $700,000 in state funding secured)

• City of Milpitas Microenterprise Assistance Program ($50,000 in CDBG funding)

• City of Milpitas Workforce Housing Rental Assistance Program ($774,000 in PLHA funding)

These initiatives were essential to prevent financial displacement, stabilize small businesses, and support BIPOC communities in Milpitas.

“Thanks to comprehensive administration support from FORWARD, we were able to fulfill our commitment and provide economic relief to Milpitas-based small and micro-enterprise businesses with the greatest need.”

Alex Andrade, Director of Economic Development, City of Milpitas

Challenges

While these programs were critical for the city’s recovery, Milpitas faced several challenges in administering the funds effectively.

Limited Resources and Administrative Capacity

The City of Milpitas struggled to efficiently manage multiple programs simultaneously with a small administrative team.

Data Fragmentation and Reporting

Data was scattered across different systems, making it difficult for the city to track program performance and generate real-time reports for compliance and auditing purposes.

Constituent Communication and Engagement

The city found it challenging to reach eligible constituents, particularly BIPOC communities, and ensure that the application process was user-friendly and accessible.

Fraud Prevention

Ensuring that funds were allocated to eligible participants without being compromised by fraudulent activity was a priority for the city, especially as demand for assistance surged.

Solutions Provided by FORWARD

FORWARD partnered with the City of Milpitas to implement its comprehensive program administration solution, which streamlined the administration of all four programs into a centralized platform. Key solutions provided by FORWARD include:

Reduced Administrative Burdens by 50%

By automating manual processes and handling application intake, reviews, and approvals, FORWARD allowed the city to focus its limited resources on oversight rather than execution.

Centralized Data Management

All program data was consolidated into a single platform, allowing city officials to access live dashboards that simplified reporting for audits and compliance.

Enhanced Constituent Engagement

FORWARD collaborated with local community-based organizations (CBOs) and chambers of commerce, such as the Silicon Valley Central Chamber of Commerce, to conduct outreach to hard-to-reach populations. FORWARD also created a user-friendly application process that minimized barriers to entry, resulting in a significant increase in applications, particularly from BIPOC residents.

Fraud Prevention

FORWARD implemented advanced fraud prevention tools that saved the city 65% on fraudulent activities in the Workforce Housing Rental Assistance Program.

One-Time and Monthly Payment Enablement

FORWARD’s system seamlessly processed monthly payments to recipients of the Workforce Housing Rental Assistance Program, ensuring timely disbursement to support residents.

Impact of FORWARD’s Partnership in Milpitas

Through the partnership with FORWARD, the City of Milpitas successfully administered and exhausted all allocated funds across its programs:

Small Business Grant Program

The program fully distributed $1.5M in ARPA funding to small businesses, with 44% of Microenterprise Assistance Program awardees also benefiting from this grant. In response to local needs, the city adjusted eligibility requirements with support from FORWARD to include in-home childcare businesses, ensuring more equitable access to funds.

Rent & Mortgage Relief Program

FORWARD provided critical data which the City presented to City Council to reallocate mortgage relief funding to rent relief, along with acquiring an additional $700,000 secured for rental assistance. This helped triple the number of applications received during the WHRAP application window.

Microenterprise Assistance Program

With $50,000 in CDBG funding, the program provided essential support to 80% BIPOC applicants, many of whom had previously been underserved by traditional programs.

Workforce Housing Rental Assistance Program

By automating monthly payments and preventing fraudulent claims, the program stabilized housing for residents in need, with 80% of the applicants identifying as BIPOC.

FORWARD’s program administration solution enabled the City of Milpitas to efficiently manage multiple housing and business programs with limited resources.

This partnership not only helped distribute over $3 million in aid but also demonstrated how technology can enhance government operations and ensure equitable access to critical resources.

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