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

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18 1 resident can appeal if their assistance is terminated, which is true of the federal program as 2 well. 3 Commissioner Rich asked if the 15 vouchers are going to apply to all areas of the 4 County. 5 Sherrill Hampton said all over the County, as well as 10 miles outside of the County 6 boundaries. 7 Commissioner Rich asked if staff is working with the municipalities, or if this is just an 8 Orange County program. 9 Sherrill Hampton said it is just Orange County program, but staff is working with all the 10 providers who work with residents of all areas. She said housing could be all over the County, 11 but the housing has to be able to pass the Section 8 inspections. 12 Commissioner Rich asked if there is a plan in place to make the landlords and residents 13 aware of program. 14 Sherrill Hampton said the annual landlords meeting will take place on November 28th, at 15 which time staff will announce this proposed program. She said outreach will be done to 16 providers in January, and this information will be on the web, with a separate email address and 17 newspaper ads. 18 Commissioner Price asked what would happen if there is a family that needs a 4- 19 bedroom apartment, and will this program have the same criteria as HUD regarding the number 20 of square feet per bedroom per child. 21 Sherrill Hampton said the program will follow the same inspection standards as the 22 federal program, and bedrooms must have ingress and egress, closets, etc. 23 Javon Holley said the program will likely follow the HUD standards, which calls for the 24 head of household and spouse to have a bedroom, and every 2 family members thereafter 25 must have a bedroom. 26 Commissioner Price asked if there is flexibility built into the program to allow for a family 27 that needs four bedrooms. 28 Javon Holley said staff may have needed to exchange a three bedroom voucher for a 29 four bedroom one, but that will be possible. 30 Commissioner Price asked if those who do not meet requirement will be directed to 31 other housing options. 32 Sherrill Hampton said staff can refer those who do not qualify to other partners and 33 share a resource list with them. She said the housing supply is very limited in Orange County. 34 Sherrill Hampton said this model is set up that if there is a family that needs a 4 35 bedroom they will need to lose one of the rooms since rent would be too high. She said some 36 zip codes have a higher rate of rent than others, and as a result, the total amount of vouchers 37 may decrease. 38 Commissioner Price encouraged staff to continue to provide those who are rejected with 39 alternative resources. She reminded staff to please remember military veterans within the 40 target groups. 41 Javon Holley said the Veteran's Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) program specifically 42 focuses on homeless veterans. 43 Commissioner Price said yes, but they still have a lot of homeless veterans. 44 Commissioner Jacobs asked if these families are seeking their own apartments or will 45 staff guide them. 46 Sherrill Hampton said residents are responsible for their search, and staff cannot steer, 47 but staff does send out lists of available homes. 48 Commissioner Jacobs asked if these families are anticipated to be in need of support 49 from the Department of Social Services (DSS) as well.