Agenda 01-18-22; 8-a - Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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9 1 2 Led by the Local Government Affordable Housing Collaborative (a group made up of one 3 elected official from each jurisdiction that comprises the Consortium), the Orange County HOME 4 Consortium must develop an Allocation Plan to identify priority housing and service needs in the 5 community that may be supported with HOME-ARP funds and to describe the process that will 6 be used to distribute HOME-ARP funds. The Consortium's $1.3 million in HOME-ARP may not 7 be used for eligible housing projects or activities until an Allocation Plan is approved by HUD. It 8 is not expected that any funds will be committed or disbursed in the near future, since the 9 Consortium is just now starting the planning process. The Allocation Plan will determine how the 10 HOME-ARP funds will be awarded to projects or activities and lay out, broadly, which types of 11 eligible uses the Consortium plans to prioritize. 12 13 Once the Allocation Plan is created, staff will follow the process outlined in the Plan. For 14 example, if(based on the community engagement and needs assessment process) the 15 Collaborative decides to distribute HOME-ARP funds through a competitive application process 16 and to prioritize development of affordable housing, staff would then issue a funding application 17 for affordable housing development projects. 18 19 As part of the development of the Plan, Orange County must consult with stakeholders that 20 work with the "Qualifying Populations" listed above. County and town staff are actively engaging 21 stakeholders by presenting at meetings, soliciting feedback through a survey, and incorporating 22 feedback from the Towns' community engagement processes around ARPA funding. 23 24 As the lead entity of the Consortium, the county must hold a public hearing to obtain residents' 25 comments and feedback on how the HOME-ARP funds should be awarded. Members of the 26 public may submit comments at the public hearing and during the public comment period 27 (November 16— December 1, 2021) to Erika Brandt, Community Development Manager, by 28 email (ebrandtCa)orangecountync.gov), by mail (PO Box 8181, Hillsborough, NC 27278) or by 29 telephone (919-245-4331). 30 31 The county will hold a second public hearing in the next 3-6 months. Between the first and 32 second public hearings, staff will develop a draft HOME-ARP Allocation Plan based on the 33 feedback received during the first public hearing and public comment period, from the other 34 community engagement and stakeholder consultation efforts (including a survey and 35 presentations at community meetings), and from the ARPA public participation processes being 36 conducted by the Towns of Carrboro and Chapel Hill. 37 38 After the second public hearing on the draft HOME-ARP Allocation Plan, staff will incorporate 39 public feedback into the Plan and present a final version for approval by the Collaborative. Once 40 the Collaborative approves, the four governing boards of the jurisdictions that comprise the 41 HOME Consortium (the towns and the county) must approve the Plan and authorize Orange 42 County, as lead entity, to submit the Plan to HUD. HUD is responsible for final approval of the 43 Plan, at which point, the Consortium may begin to use its HOME-ARP funds. To use the funds, 44 the county will submit draw requests to HUD through its finance system on a reimbursement 45 basis. Any HOME-ARP funds not disbursed by September 30, 2030 will revert back to HUD. 46 47 Corey Root, Housing and Community Development Director, reviewed the background 48 information for this item. She said this money is coming into the county in addition to the HOME 49 funding Erika Brandt just spoke on. She said like the HOME funding, the HOME-ARP funding is 50 awarded to the county through the consortium. She said traditional HOME funds and HOME- 51 ARP funds have some similar eligible activities but some differences as well. She said the