Agenda - 12-03-2018 8-a - Minutes

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17 1 Travis Myren said the number of vouchers is dictated by the amount of money available. 2 He said very low income residents are being targeted, thus assuming a 100% subsidy. He said 3 the County could choose to target people at 60% of the average median income, which would 4 allow more people to be served, but would be people with less need. 5 Sherrill Hampton referred to rental assistance (page 2), and said the monthly assistance 6 is dependent on a family's income, and no family will pay more than 30% of their monthly- 7 adjusted income. She said there is flexibility with this, and the term of the rental assistance is 8 for one year. She said families would be recertified on an annual basis, as is consistent with 9 the federally funding housing choice voucher program. 10 Commissioner Price asked if there is a process in place for the security deposit when a 11 renter moves out of the County prior to the 12-month time period. 12 Sherrill Hampton said the deposit would come back to them. 13 Javon Holley explained the residency eligibility policy on page 3 of the PowerPoint 14 presentation, as well as the application process. 15 Sherrill Hampton said a limited time window for applying was chosen because there are 16 a limited number of vouchers: only 15. She said staff wanted to manage the number of 17 applications, and thus shorten the period for applications. She said the processing of 18 applications is labor intensive. 19 Javon Holley said it will take about 60-90 days to determine eligibility of an applicant, 20 and to do so, they will ask for proof of age, homelessness, or domestic violence. 21 Commissioner Price referred to the requirement that an applicant must meet necessary 22 criteria as determined by a professional licensed by the state, and asked if the licensed 23 professional can only be from North Carolina. 24 Sherrill Hampton said this program is only for Orange County residents, and staff would 25 like to see certification by a professional in the local area; however, if one has moved to the 26 area and has certification from out of state, that would also be acceptable. 27 Javon Holley said an out of state certification would be acceptable, as long as the 28 person is not living in Orange County. 29 Javon Holley referred back to the question of occupancy standards, and said the 30 program is flexible, and will allow for staff to ensure that the resident is matched with correctly 31 sized housing. 32 Sherrill Hampton said the federal program is not as flexible, and sometimes one with a 33 one-bedroom voucher is placed in a two-bedroom unit, and when the rent is raised, the voucher 34 is insufficient to cover the cost. She said the local program should be able to address this 35 problem. 36 Javon Holley referred to slide 6 on tenant selection, which will be prioritized by 37 application date and time, after other prioritization factors mentioned earlier, are also weighed. 38 Sherrill Hampton said residents on the current federal waiting list can still apply for the 39 Orange County voucher, but they must remain on the federal listing. She said there are 771 40 individuals on the federal waiting list. 41 Sherrill Hampton referred to slide 7 on criminal background, and staff will follow federal 42 guidelines on completing criminal and sex offender background checks on all persons in the 43 program. She said if a person needs to be denied because of a background check, staff will 44 notify them in writing. She reviewed the other reasons that one may be denied for the program. 45 Sherrill Hampton referred to slide 8, noting that all residents must pay rent of$50, and 46 staff will employ rent reasonableness. She said all financials will be carefully reviewed to 47 ensure this. 48 Sherrill Hampton said these vouchers are not portable, and residents will be allowed one 49 move per year. She said rent increases will only be accepted every other year. She said if a