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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAffordable Housing Board - Minutes - 12/06/2012CITY OF FORT COLLINS AFFORDABLE HOUSING BOARD MINUTES REGULAR BOARD MEETING 281 N. College Ave. Fort Collins, Colorado Dec. 6, 2012 4 to 6 p.m. Chair: Dan Byers Staff Liaison: Ken Waido 970-221-6753 City Council Liaison: Lisa Poppaw Board Members present: Jeff Johnson, Troy Jones, Mike Sollenberger, and Wayne Thompson Board Members absent: Dan Byers, Karen Miller Staff present: Ken Waido Council Members present: None Other Staff present: Kate Jeracki, Note Taker Guests: Bryce Hach, Homeward 2020; Marilyn Heller, League of Women Voters; Michael Pruznick, Ray Roth, Dana Spanjer, citizens; Bill Reinke, CARE Housing; Chadrick Martinez, Fort Collins Housing Authority Meeting called to order with a quorum present at 4:05 p.m. by Vice Chair Mike Sollenberger AGENDA REVIEW No changes PUBLIC COMMENT Michael Pruznick addressed the Board as someone considering applying to become a member of the Board. He said he was simply observing today, but added that he was passionate about the issues surrounding affordable housing. He also distributed a handout outlining some of his interests. 2 Marilyn Heller announced that the Affordable Housing Coalition website is up at fortnet.org/ahclc. It has a link to CARE Housing. APPROVAL OF MINUTES The minutes of the meeting of Nov. 1, 2012, were approved as presented on a motion from Wayne Thompson, seconded by Jeff Johnson, with Troy Jones abstaining. NEW BUSINESS DISCUSSION WITH BRYCE HACH REGARDING HOMEWARD 2020 Bryce Hach, executive director of Homeward 2020 (until the end of the month, when he is moving to Maine), talked about the organization’s efforts to help end homelessness in Fort Collins. He explained Homeward 2020 is not a service provider but a convener — it brings together nonprofits, businesses, governmental, faith-based and other organizations that provide services to the homeless in a flexible network. The goal is to shift homelessness from a chronic condition to an event that is rare, short-lived and non- recurrent. That requires developing supportive housing, a system for rapid re-housing, and transitional housing. The challenge is that homelessness is a multi-dimensional problem, Hach said, and it requires multi-dimensional solutions. Each organization focuses on one aspect of homelessness – causes such as substance abuse, unemployment or domestic violence, or lack of supportive services such as child care or transportation. Homeward 2020 is working to break down the silos with evidence-based practices at the systems level, focusing on both prevention and intervention. It uses the Corporation for Supportive Housing national model, which has been successful in other cities including Houston and Chicago. Hach distributed a handout that showed what the City of Fort Collins has learned about its current homelessness response system, in which resources are concentrated on the front end of the cycle in emergency shelter and homelessness prevention programs that can meet only about 50 percent of the demand for assistance. About 75 percent of persons who enter emergency shelter exit to unknown destinations; due to the lack of available options, the system has a difficult time rapidly returning homeless individuals and families to permanent housing. There is no one central data system or physical location for access to the system, and little communication across the system. The result is high recidivism. The preferred solution would be to focus on housing first, implementing a coordinated access process for those facing homelessness, and shifting services to the back end to support housing stability, including developing additional permanent supportive housing targeted to the chronically homeless or most vulnerable. Hach said that the organization would also like to see funding for the organizations providing services coordinated, so they could spend more time serving clients and less time chasing grants. 3 The HEARTH Act, enacted in 2009, is shifting the focus of HUD’s homeless assistance programs to a goal of returning individuals and families who become homeless to permanent housing within 30 days. Changes in grant funding formulas require measuring and rewarding system performance in terms of duration of homeless episodes, returns to homelessness and the number who become homeless. Hach said agencies that can collaborate and leverage resources strategically can have a greater impact and receive more funding as a result. Larimer and Weld counties are part of the Northern Front Range Continuum of Care (CoC), with representatives from governments, school districts, mental health services, housing organizations and other nonprofits working together. The CoC, Homeward 2020 board of directors, the Affordable Housing Coalition and the Community Mapping and Performance Improvement group are consolidating into a formal governance body to help constituent organizations reduce homelessness in the region by using available funds most efficiently. A meeting is planned at the Community Foundation on Dec. 18, and Hach invited any members of the Affordable Housing Board to attend. He also asked for volunteers for the annual HUD-required point-in-time count of people living in shelters or on the street on the night of Jan. 22-23, 2013. The last count identified homeless 229 individuals. Hach said such information will be used by the Coalition as a benchmark for measuring progress into 2014, and is needed for organizations that help the homeless to continue receiving federal funding. Research shows that the causes of homelessness can be more effectively dealt with when the insecurity of living in a shelter or on the street is removed. Mike Sollenberger asked how many of the people on the street said they wanted to come into shelters. Hach said only one person said they preferred being homeless, and some didn’t want to go into the shelter system. That doesn’t mean they don’t want housing. Sollenberger pointed out that getting people back into housing as soon as possible implies that there is an inventory of affordable housing available. He said this is getting tougher in Fort Collins because of growth limitations. Hach agreed, but said there are many different points on the continuum of housing. He said Homeward 2020 is studying best practices in other CoCs around the country, including Omaha and Albuquerque. Bill Reinke said that having permanent housing integrated in the community depends on the priorities set by CHFA and other funding agencies. Hach would like to see resources leveraged across all levels of government and combined strategically to address the problem. Jeff Johnson asked how the Board can help. What do cities do to facilitate efforts in the communities with the best practices? Hach said he would like the Board and the Coalition to work together to prioritize the issue of homeless when looking at code development and project development. Ken Waido pointed out that reducing homelessness is the third 4 priority on the Board’s Action Plan; increasing the available inventory of affordable rental housing is #1. Mike Sollenberger asked if building a 230-unit motel to house the homeless population would help. Hach said the bigger challenge is the supportive services that help people break out of the cycle of chronic homelessness. Sollenberger asked how people can get help with their underlying issues, like alcoholism, if they are turned away from shelters for being intoxicated. Hach said shelters save lives but don’t change issues. Homeward 2020 is talking with City Council about establishing a “wet” shelter in town. Providing housing first then dealing with the issues would also reduce the load on the jails and emergency rooms which are the current alternatives. Chadrick Martinez said in the Fort Collins Housing Authority’s supportive housing development, services are a critical piece of the project. However, there is also a bricks- and-mortar issue in that the population served is the lowest income – 0 to 30 percent AMI – which means it can’t be supported by rents alone. Additional funding from sources such as CDBG and HUD is required for the support staff needed to stabilize the chronically homeless and then move them into employment. Hach said he appreciated FCHA’s leadership in bringing such projects to the forefront and using them as a stepping stone to future projects. UPDATE ON REDEVELOPMENT DISPLACEMENT MITIGATION STRATEGIES Ken Waido said he pushed back the City Council public hearing on the issue until March. The draft Strategic Plan is currently under staff review, with the goal of having a public draft available around Christmas. A general open house is tentatively scheduled for the evening of January 24, 2013, most likely at the Northside Atzlan Center. The Planning and Zoning Board will be holding public hearings before making recommendations to Council; Council has set March 5 as the date for consideration of the final plan. Waido said it must be complete by April 1. REPORT ON THE RESULTS OF THE SATISFACTION WITH STAFF SUPPORT SERVICES SURVEY Ken Waido distributed the results of the survey, which were combined with the CDBG Commission. They showed members were basically satisfied with the way things are going. Waido pointed out that with his retirement in April, there will be some training required for his successor as board liaison. OLD BUSINESS PROVINCETOWNE COVENANTS Ken Waido said he set the date of January 15, 2013 as the date for City Council to approve a new covenant. Staff has been going back and forth with the FHA to draft an 5 acceptable version; it seems a restriction on the sales price or a buyer’s income may not be against FHA regulations after all. He would like the Board to discuss the issue in January so they can redo the memo to Council ahead of Jan. 15. There are 69 properties in Provincetowne still under the old covenants. Troy Jones pointed out that in the current market, the covenants are not accomplishing what they were intended to do, which was to keep the homes in the area affordable. Waido said another issue is to maintain the requirement that the homes remain owner- occupied. Jones said that as a member of the subcommittee that worked on the original memo, he would be willing to tweak the wording of the Board’s memo to Council after the January discussion, then circulate it by email for Board input before the Council deadline. Jeff Johnson, also a subcommittee member, agreed. OTHER BUSINESS OPEN BOARD DISCUSSION Ken Waido thanked Mike Sollenberger and Wayne Thompson for their service to the Board, since this is their last meeting. He said City Council is interviewing candidates for their replacements, but he had no information as to who might be appointed as replacements. He suggested setting up an orientation session for the new members in January. Sollenberger said the new Board should continue to follow the new multi-family dwelling regulations fast-tracked onto the books by Council this year, because it will have a huge impact on rents throughout the city. Jeff Johnson added that the new land-use code rules that remove multi-family developments from historic districts will further remove potential affordable housing stock from the landlocked Fort Collins growth area. The regs are on the Council agenda for Dec. 18. Waido added that he will be working four days a week until April, when he retires. His replacement will be a “Social Sustainability Planner,” and the job description is under development. FUTURE MEETING AGENDAS At the Jan. 3, 2013, meeting, the Board will discuss:  Welcome new Board members  Officer Elections  Redevelopment Displacement Mitigation Strategies  Provincetowne Covenants Meeting adjourned at 5:25 p.m. by Vice Chair Mike Sollenberger. --