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HomeMy WebLinkAboutResponse to Constituent Letter - Mail Packet - 06/17/2025 - Letter from Mayor Jeni Arndt to the Affordable Housing Board (AHB) re memorandum from June 9, 2025 re 2025 Affordable Housing Funding Allocation Process Mayor City Hall Fort Collins, CO 80522 970.416.2154 970.224.6107 - fax fcgov.com June 12, 2025 Affordable Housing Board c/o Sue Beck-Ferkiss, Staff Liaison PO Box 580 Fort Collins, CO 80522 Dear Chair Stefanie Berganini and Board Members: On behalf of City Council, thank you for providing us with the memorandum dated June 9, 2025 regarding 2025 Affordable Housing Funding Allocation Process. We understand that the Board recommends the process for allocating funds be updated to ensure that funding prioritization conforms with Council’s objectives as stated in the Housing Strategic Plan. In particular, we note how you’ve suggested changes that would allow the AHB and the HSHFB to collaborate more fully, thus capturing the expertise of both boards. Thank you for the knowledge and perspectives that you bring to the Board and share with City Council. Best Regards, Jeni Arndt Mayor /sek cc: City Council Members Kelly DiMartino, City Manager Rupa Venkatesh, Assistant City Manager June 9, 2025 From: Affordable Housing Board Chair Stefanie Berganini To: City Council, via Sarah Kane Re: 2025 Affordable Housing Funding Allocation Process Per the Affordable Housing Board’s mission of advising Council on matters pertaining to affordable housing issues of concern to the City, we believe it is essential that the process for allocating funds to affordable housing projects be updated to ensure that funding prioritization conforms with Council’s stated objectives outlined in the Housing Strategic Plan (HSP). Though the Affordable Housing Board (AHB) and Human Services and Housing Funding Board (HSHFB) often have a high degree of overlap in our ranking of affordable housing applicants, this year we did not; this has given us the opportunity to reflect and provide suggestions about how this process could be changed going forward to better capture the expertise of both boards. We recommend the following changes be made to future cycles of the housing portion of the City’s competitive funding process: ● Staff facilitate the development and adoption of a rubric aligned with the HSP and/or HUD Consolidated Plan that is utilized by both boards as the basis for ranking funding applications. ● Formalize more collaboration between the AHB and the HSHFB: ● Determine a weighting formula that formally includes both the AHB’s ranking of applicants and the HSHFB’s rankings in determining the priority order of applications. This would allow the AHB’s subject-matter expertise to be officially included in the ranking of applicants while still preserving the HSHFB’s pur view of assigning specific funding amounts. ● Allow the AHB and the HSHFB the option to conduct a second joint meeting - in addition to our joint Q&A with funding applicants - to openly share and discuss our thoughts on rankings, overall project evaluations, alignment with City strategic objectives, and similar. ● When submitting their final funding recommendations to Council, the HSHFB also provides detailed feedback as to how their ranking and funding allotments align with the stated priorities in the HSP and/or HUD Consolidated Plan. This information should also be made available to applicants upon request. ● Staff create a process whereby the AHB’s application rankings and summary comments are included in Council’s agenda packet for the meeting relevant to the funding decision. We have also attached the AHB’s rankings and summary comments of this year’s applicants for your reference. These were provided to the HSHFB on April 7th, 2025. Thank you for your consideration. Respectfully, Stefanie Berganini Chair, Affordable Housing Board April 7, 2025 From: Affordable Housing Board, Chair – Stefanie Berganini To: Human Service and Housing Funding Board Re: Ranking of Housing Applications in the 2025 Competitive Process The Affordable Housing Board met on April 3, 2025, and discussed the 7 Housing applications and ranked then in the following priority order: 1. HO 7 VOA - Switchgrass 2. HO 3 Housing Catalyst – Remington Parking Lot 3. HO 5 Loveland Housing Development Corp – Larimer Home Improvement Program (LHIP) 4. HO 2 Fort Collins Habitat for Humanity – Harmony Cottages 5. HO 1 CARE Housing –Windtrail Rehab 6. HO 4 L’Arche Fort Collins – L’Arche Homes at Heartside Hill 7. HO 6 VOA Handyperson Program Comments on ranking exercise: • This was a very difficult round understanding that all applications were for valuable projects and that the amount of funding available was not sufficient to fund all applications. • The Board prioritized projects bringing new housing units. • The Board considered readiness to proceed as a factor. • The Board noted that the Habitat application was the only home ownership application this funding cycle. • The Board prioritized LHIP as a response to emergency circumstances that put housing at risk. • The Board appreciates the L’Arche model because it serves a target population (people experiencing disabilities) that is generally lacking in services and housing options. Note: Members of the Human Services and Housing Funding Board are always invited to attend the Affordable Housing Board’s hybrid meetings (in-person or on Zoom) that occur the first Thursday of each month at 4:00.