HomeMy WebLinkAboutAffordable Housing Board - Minutes - 05/02/2013CITY OF FORT COLLINS
AFFORDABLE HOUSING BOARD
MINUTES
BOARD MEETING
281 N. College Ave.
Fort Collins, Colorado
May 2, 2013
4 to 6 p.m.
Chair: Dan Byers
Staff Liaison: Joe Frank 970-221-6752
City Council Liaison: Lisa Poppaw
Board Members present: Tatiana Martin, Troy Jones, Terence Hoaglund, Jeffrey Johnson, Curt Lyons
Board Members absent: Dan Byers
Staff present: Joe Frank, Director, Social Sustainability Department; Beth Rosen, Affordable Housing
Administrator; Darcy McClure, Fort Collins Housing Authority; Michele Dunlop, Note Taker
Council Members present: None
Guests: Sue Beck-Ferkiss, Homelessness Prevention Initiative; Marilyn Heller, League of Women Voters
Meeting Summary:
• Guest Speaker Sue Beck-Ferkiss gave a presentation on the Homelessness Prevention Initiative and
emphasized the effectiveness of rent assistance in addressing temporary emergencies and keeping families
in their homes.
• Sue Beck-Ferkiss, the new City of Fort Collins Social Sustainability Specialist (effective May 29, 2013),
introduced herself, met the members of the Affordable Housing Board, and discussed future goals and
issues of interest to the Board.
• Director Joe Frank updated the Board on the Revised Provincetowne Covenant. Board members discussed
the sensitivity of the issue and the potential for both displacement of renters and economic damage to
owners.
• The Board brainstormed better, more effective ways to communicate with and advise City Council on
matters of affordable housing.
Meeting called to order with a quorum present at 4:00 p.m. by Jeffrey Johnson.
AGENDA REVIEW
Board Member Jeffrey Johnson queried the Board for additions or subtractions to the agenda. No commentary.
PUBLIC COMMENT
Marilyn Heller thanked several members of the Affordable Housing Board for attending the League of Women
Voters’ public panel on Tuesday, April 9. The panel featured presentations from Beth Rosen (City of Fort Collins,
Social Sustainability Department), Mike Easter (Rocky Mountain Property Management) and Steve Kuehneman
(Neighbor to Neighbor). Ms. Heller also remarked on a letter to the editor featured in the Coloradoan, which raised a
concern over renovation fees levied on the Fort Collins Rescue Mission. Director Joe Frank clarified that the
$10,000 fee was only applicable in cases of redevelopment.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Troy Jones proposed the following changes to the minutes of the meeting of April 4, 2013:
• Under Public Comment, note that 2-1-1 is United Way’s emergency phone service.
• In paragraph 4, page 2 of the Provincetowne discussion, clarify that the City loses its interest in properties
because the covenant does not survive foreclosure.
The April minutes were approved as amended on a motion from Curt Lyons, seconded by Jeffrey Johnson, with 5:0
in favor.
NEW BUSINESS
GUEST SPEAKER SUE BECK-FERKISS
Sue Beck-Ferkiss gave a presentation on the Homelessness Prevention Initiative (HPI). HPI was founded in 2001 to
provide rental assistance to clients typically within 50% or less of AMI. The program emerged from the faith based
community, was incubated by United Way of Larimer County in 2004, and became a stand-alone nonprofit agency
in 2007. HPI works in six community locations through a staff of over 60 volunteers. Potential clients are screened
and, if they’re likely to meet assistance guidelines, are brought in to discuss their situation with HPI volunteers.
Right then and there, clients are told whether or not they’ll receive rental assistance, and are eligible to pick up their
check as early as the next day.
Sue explained that HPI’s clients are people at imminent risk of homelessness. Studies have shown that a small
infusion of cash from an agency such as HPI can help families pass temporary emergencies and return to relative
stability. At the end of 2012, 96% of clients contacted were still in their homes three months later. In 2010, 93%
were still in their homes. If the situation warrants it, a second round of rental assistance can also be made available
to households that participate in financial counseling with Make Change NoCo. HPI’s goal is to give clients
concrete options to move further toward self-sufficiency.
Sue provided an overview of HPI funding. Since the recession, rent assistance has been in high demand. The need
for financial assistance has not diminished, but the amount of stimulus money available to address that need has.
100% of CDBG funding is given directly to rent assistance, with administrative and fundraising costs accounting for
only 12.57% of HPI’s budget. In 2013, HPI has so far served 855 houses, or around 2600 individuals (roughly 800
adults and 1800 children). With 2% vacancy rates driving rent up, HPI is committed to keeping people in their
homes. When a family is forced out of its home, the community loses an affordable unit. With an infusion of only
$282 on average, HPI has had great success in preventing homelessness and protecting affordable units.
Sue shared a letter from a client who received rent assistance in 2012. The client lived on a fixed budget with social
security income, which was always enough to keep the bills paid. However, in November, the client’s passed out,
was rushed to the hospital, and eventually transported to Denver. The client made a trip to stay with her son, but the
extra expenses brought on by this family crisis prevented her from paying the month’s rent. HPI helped pay her rent
that month, the late fee was waived, and the client was able to continue paying rent as normal the next month.
Without assistance from HPI, she might have lost her home.
After an inquiry from the Board, Sue expanded upon the financial education options offered by HPI. When clients
come in for the first time, HPI volunteers go over their finances, look for spending leaks, and confirm that their
financial situation is tenable in the long term. If it’s clear a client can’t afford to stay in their home, HPI helps them
investigate affordable housing alternatives. However, money management isn’t always the issue. In the event that a
client is undergoing a temporary emergency, the goal is primarily to stabilize the situation.
Curt Lyons observed that rent assistance resembled a Band-Aid on an arterial bleed, and asked what organizations
could do to address the big picture. Sue Beck-Ferkiss answered that, although the work HPI does is only a temporary
emergency fix, it’s still an important part of the process. HPI aims to stabilize crisis situations well enough that
families can get a second chance at self-sufficiency and realistic sustainability. After all, when a family loses its
home, the cost to community resources is much higher than the cost to provide rent assistance. Beth Rosen listed a
number of those expenses, which include: visiting the Murphy Center, seeing counselors, using the food bank, and
staying in shelters.
Sue Beck-Ferkiss shared an observation from Mike Easter, who explained that, cyclically, when vacancy rates are
low and rents are high, unemployment is usually low. At this time, unemployment and underemployment are high,
too. Sue described her experience with a client who had a law degree, whose husband had just been laid off. She was
highly educated, but her degree itself couldn’t pay the rent. As the population of Fort Collins grows, rent assistance
is going to continue to be in high demand to prevent episodic and transitional homelessness.
INTRODUCING THE NEW SOCIAL SUSTAINABILITY SPECIALIST
Sue Beck-Ferkiss switched gears to introduce herself as the new City of Fort Collins Social Sustainability Specialist,
effective May 29, 2013. As a Social Sustainability Specialist, Sue will dedicate around 50% of her time to affordable
housing issues and the other 50% to developing social sustainability and inclusivity issues. Sue will also take over as
the liaison for the Affordable Housing Board.
Sue introduced herself to the Affordable Housing Board as a native New Yorker. She began her career with the State
of Colorado, where she worked for all three branches of government before moving up to Fort Collins and diving
into community work. She built that community work, as well as her degree in political science, into her position at
HPI. Sue showed enthusiasm for the Affordable Housing Board’s work plan and goals, and offered to help with
setting benchmarks to measure the progress of the Board and address the local housing crisis.
Beth Rosen offered a brief overview of the Board’s activities, including its thoughtful recommendations to the
CDBG commission and systematic ranking of housing applications. Troy Jones noted, on behalf of the Board, that
he looked forward to working with Sue in the future and was glad to have her on board as Staff Liaison. Sue
conveyed her excitement to learn more about the Board’s place in the Fort Collins community, and added that she
had experience with other boards and commissions, as a member of the City Plan Update Committee in 2002, the
Cultural Resources Board and, most recently, the Fort Collins Housing Authority.
Board members introduced themselves and discussed potential issues of interest to the Board. Issues raised included:
changes happening in the Federal government toward homelessness funding and the continuum of care, house poor
communities, the ratio of medical expenses to housing costs, the housing bubble and rent escalation, and the 30%
increase in commodity prices. Sue praised the Affordable Housing Board for its diversity of interests and
backgrounds, and confirmed that there is currently one vacancy on the Board, following the formal resignation of
Karen Miller.
PROVINCETOWNE
Director Joe Frank updated the Board on Provincetowne. The Revised Provincetowne Covenant is scheduled for a
Council Work Session on May 14, 2013. Beth Rosen confirmed that the Affordable Housing Board’s memo on the
subject of Provincetowne had been edited and put on City letterhead for presentation to the Council. Joe Frank
offered to send the agenda memo to all members of the Affordable Housing Board once finalized.
Jeffrey Johnson commented on the City’s renewed interest in the enforcement of the Provincetowne covenant, and
cautioned that a flip from relatively minimal to hard line enforcement could be received poorly by the community.
Beth Rosen answered that the Social Sustainability Department will be presenting a couple concerns to the Council:
first, that enforcement of the covenant will require administrative issues to be cleaned up and resourced, and second,
that education will need to be an essential part of the enforcement process. The potential displacement of renters and
the economic damage to owners demands an educated decision on the part of Council.
OPEN BOARD DISCUSSION
Troy Jones raised a concern over how to effectively communicate with and advise Council from the Affordable
Housing Board’s perspective. He compared the Affordable Housing Board’s process to other boards within the City
of Fort Collins, and suggested coming up with a standard procedure to streamline communication with Council. Sue
Beck-Ferkiss agreed that it might be a positive idea to set goals around communication with Council that the
Affordable Housing Board can check against itself. Troy Jones observed that the Board has substantial discussions,
and speculated on the best way to share those discussions with Council.
Beth Rosen recommended that the Affordable Housing Board add the upcoming Supportive Housing Project to its
radar. Beth suggested that, as the project moves forward, it might behoove the Board to provide an organized voice
on the affordable housing component and the approval process. Sue Beck-Ferkiss also recommended reaching out
and fostering a relationship with the Board’s liaison, Lisa Poppaw. Director Joe Frank encouraged additional
involvement with the Council liaison.
Jeffrey Johnson suggested formulating talking points for each meeting, and then empowering a member of the Board
to share them with Council. Sue Beck-Ferkiss advised that Council outreach would be best handled by a
combination of formal and informal communication, and recommended deputizing specific members of the Board to
meet with the liaison.
LIAISON REPORTS
Tatiana Martin reported on a meeting of the Fort Collins Board of Realtors and provided additional details on the
capitol expansion fee. Trails will no longer be included in commercial-industrial zoning, and maintenance will not
be included with trail fees. Developers who have already paid a capitol expansion fee once may be eligible to
receive a credit.
The Board of Realtors also examined current demand for smaller infill projects and changes to the exterior property
maintenance code. Sue Beck-Ferkiss observed that changes made to building standards could affect affordability
down the road.
FUTURE MEETINGS
The Affordable Housing Board proposed potential future guest speakers, including:
• The Board of Realtors
• Chadrick Martinez (Fort Collins Housing Authority)
• Bruce Hendee (City of Fort Collins)
• Laurie Kadrich (Community Development and Neighborhood Services)
• Vanessa Fenley (Homeward 2020)
• Fort Collins Area Interfaith Council
• Mike Easter (Rocky Mountain Property Management)
Issues up for future discussion include, but are not limited to:
• Land use code revisions
• Tension between building green products and neighborhood preservation
• Affordability and growth in a landlocked community
• Intelligent infill vs. sprawl
Finally, Director Joe Frank shared a few noteworthy items from the six-month Council agenda:
• Spring Competitive Process (June 4)
• Exterior Maintenance Codes (July 2)
• Annual Land Use Code Update (July 2)
• Social Sustainability Gap Analysis (September 10)
– Meeting adjourned at 5:51 PM by Vice Chair Troy Jones. –
The next meeting of the Affordable Housing Board is scheduled for:
June 6, 2013 at 4:00 PM
The meeting will be located at:
Fort Collins City Hall
Council Information Center
300 Laporte Ave