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18 <br /> 1 Empowerment to come before the BOCC and request funding, such as HOME or Community <br /> 2 Development Block Grant (CDBG). She said the main concern is that Empowerment's housing <br /> 3 inventory is full, and the goal is to get more as quickly as possible. She said the two projects <br /> 4 submitted by Empowerment are ready to go immediately, and that is why these two projects <br /> 5 were chosen for submission. <br /> 6 Commissioner Jacobs asked if there is any opportunity to approach the Towns for <br /> 7 funding. <br /> 8 Delores Bailey said this can be looked into, but there are no rentals available to put folks <br /> 9 in; everything is full. She said she does not know if the Towns have any funding. She said <br /> 10 there may be Northside Initiative money, but that funding source would require Empowerment to <br /> 11 get a loan and buy a property back from Self Help, or wait for HOME or CDBG funds, which are <br /> 12 not expected to happen. <br /> 13 Commissioner Price said the people who will live in these properties are Orange County <br /> 14 residents and she would hope that the County would provide the funding regardless of the <br /> 15 municipalities. She said waiting for CDBG funds is foolish, as these funds are in no way <br /> 16 guaranteed. <br /> 17 Chair Dorosin said he agrees with Commissioner Price, and he thinks it will be important <br /> 18 to evaluate the scoring matrix. He said it is curious to him that a project that has two houses, <br /> 19 and is a comparable cost to a project with one house, would score lower. He said he is <br /> 20 encouraged that these projects will increase rental properties, and Commissioner Price and Ms. <br /> 21 Bailey made some good points. He said there are not leveraged funds from other entities, but <br /> 22 noted that Empowerment plays a role in other County collaborations, such as the Family <br /> 23 Success Alliance. He said the Board ought to consider all these factors when it makes this <br /> 24 decision. He said he would be in favor in funding Empowerment's second project. <br /> 25 Chair Dorosin said he is less concerned about who is here with these proposals, <br /> 26 because the Board made a commitment to get these bond funds out in the community in an <br /> 27 expeditious manner. He said new and innovative ideas are good, but it is important to get these <br /> 28 funds into the hands of people who can provide housing as soon as possible, to the neediest <br /> 29 population. <br /> 30 Commissioner Jacobs said he liked the suggestion to use Capital Improvement Plan <br /> 31 (CIP)funds to fund this project, as opposed to taking money from the other projects. <br /> 32 Commissioner Jacobs talked about the matrix, and said no one really knew exactly what <br /> 33 the Board wanted, and thus the Board was not provided adequate information. He said he <br /> 34 would like to understand where all of their funding is coming from for each project, to hear from <br /> 35 those who did the scoring; to see each scoring, and he would like to understand how monies <br /> 36 can be better leveraged from other entities. He said he would like feedback from the providers <br /> 37 regarding the matrix. <br /> 38 Commissioner Jacobs said all of these units are in municipalities, and not out in the rural <br /> 39 parts of the county, and he would like to see more done with manufactured housing. He said <br /> 40 there should be incentives for organizations and developers to address these needs. He said <br /> 41 the Board should review this entire process in the fall, and consider how it can be improved. <br /> 42 Chair Dorosin agreed, and said there should be a de-briefing process for all <br /> 43 stakeholders. <br /> 44 Commissioner Rich asked if there is a timeframe on the next $2.5 million, and who is <br /> 45 trying to be reached in that second round. <br /> 46 Bonnie Hammersley said the next round is 18-19 for RFPs, and the targeted group will <br /> 47 depend on whether the BOCC changes the criteria. She said the current matrix gave a higher <br /> 48 score to projects that leveraged other monies. <br /> 49 Commissioner McKee said he saw this round as a starting point and with some tweaking <br /> 50 the process will improve. He said he has some concern about the second Empowerment <br /> 51 project, but he will support the Board consensus, as this project will provide immediate housing <br />