AHAB minutes 042319 - Laserfiche WebLink

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FY 2019-2020 HUD HOME Allocation — Ms. Hampton stated that the FY19- 20 HOME allocation to the County has been announced and it is $350,302, which is $51,000 less than the previous fiscal year. Two applications were received from non-profits (Habitat and EmPOWERment) in addition to the County's request for Tenant-based Rental Assistance funds for the rapid Re- Housing and the new local voucher program. Habitat was awarded $180,000 to provide second mortgages for six new homes and EmPOWERment was awarded $145,201 to purchase two units to be used for rental affordable housing. These amounts may have to be changed since the HOME Consortium's allocation was reduced. Changes to Housing Bond Selection Criteria — Ms. Beecham indicated that Sections D and E were revised to make it clear that Section D (Building and Site Design) incorporates the criteria which deals with the actual building and the site while Section E (Community Design) incorporates criteria which deals with the surrounding neighborhood and larger community. The criteria themselves have not changed, but were just intermixed among the sections and now have been separated. The revised Housing Bond Selection Criteria are shown in Attachment D. Local and Federal Voucher Program — Ms. Hampton said that in response to a question about the number of evictions in the HCV program, she explain that the PHA does not play any role in evictions. Instead, the County is responsible for such things as income verification, recertifications and unit inspections. There is a contract (called the HAP contract) between a landlord and the PHA which certifies how much rent will be paid to the landlord each month on behalf of the voucher holder. The HUD's 2019 Fair Market Rents are shown in Attachment B. The actual lease between the landlord and tenant spells out each of their responsibilities and if the tenant breaks a lease, then traditional landlord/tenant law will prevail. A sample copy of a voucher which spells out the obligations of the voucher holder and family is shown in Attachment C. Voucher holders can locate a unit within a ten mile radius of the County. This flexibility is allowed because of the severe shortage of affordable housing in the County. Ms. Hampton indicated that the new local voucher program will follow the same format except that it will not be portable like the federal voucher. Update on Other Housing Program Activities — Ms. Hampton reviewed the table of the Department's accomplishments and a detailed list of the Department's Urgent Repair and Housing Rehabilitation projects (Attachment A). Ms. Kinnaird asked about the County's land banking funds. Ms. Hampton responded that these funds are from the overall bond program and total about Page 3