2018-443-E Finance - EmPowerment outside agency agreement

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DocuSign Envelope ID: 557EOBA8 -OFDF- 4943- B10E- 6AB96D651F4B EXHIBIT A: PROVIDER'S OUTSIDE AGENCY APPLICATION Tenant Association Meeting HQS inspections and Recertification Tenant Surveys and Tenant Assoc. Meeting i) Why is funding this program a good investment for the community? How does funding this program add value to the community? (250 words OR LESS) Funding for this program is a good investment for this community because it funds EmPOWERment's Affordable Rental Program which concentrates on adding and managing safe rental inventory that will address the lack of affordable rental for low, low to no income individuals and families. Affordable rental for those families living in Orange County earning less than 65 % of the Area Median Income, has been identified as one of the largest affordable housing needs in Orange County. The demand has been great, but the inventory to meet the growing demand must be created by purchasing existing homes, building or converting privately owned homes. The need is so great it can only be met through collaboration. EmPOWERment has been sensitive to this problem and addressing it, with the help of this funding. We provide excellent property management within our rental inventory. We spend quality time looking for potential projects that will add to affordable rental inventory, not just in certain communities but throughout Orange County. Value is added to the community by this program because it provides safe, decent housing to a variety of people living and working in Orange County like; the grocery store bagger, the ticket taker at the movies, the afterschool workers and even those families that are homeless due to circumstances they could not control. Value is added to the community because this program concentrates on helping to reduce barriers to affordable housing by: providing rental counseling, financial guiding and by connecting those in need to local resources. j) Describe what would happen if requested funding is not awarded at all or if a reduced allocation is recommended. The funding from the Human Services Grant has allowed El the opportunity to increase the Rental Property Management Staff and services. As the need for affordable rentals rises, reduction in funding would adversely affect services currently being provided which would have a domino effect on response time to tenant issues. A reduction in funding or funding elimination would impact the number of people that can be assisted and staff would not be able to help as many individuals as we are able to now. Because EmPOWERment, Inc. is one of the few organizations in Orange County that works primarily with affordable rentals, a full time property management staff is essential to continued quality service. k) What percentage of your target population is low- moderate income? 100% of EmPOWERment, Inc.'s target population falls within the low- moderate income bracket. 1) What efforts do you make to seek feedback about your program from your target population (e.g. survey, evaluations, etc. ?) EmPOWERment gives each tenant a survey yearly to document any concerns they may have. Each survey is reviewed and concerns are addressed with the tenant during a one -on -one feedback counseling session and at lease renewal for current tenants. m) Include any other pertinent information. Unfortunately, the waiting list for affordable rentals moves very slowly. Families are forced to live in expensive units they can't really afford or substandard apartments with little recourse. The EmPOWERment Inc. Rental Property Management Program is intentional about our units and the families we try to serve. PROGRAM INFORMATION 1/22/2018 3:21:37 PM P a g e 1 6 o f 2