Minutes 03-10-2022 Work Session - Laserfiche WebLink

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11 Commissioner Richards said they passed a resolution supporting Orange County schools. She said in the resolution they asked for help from the commission in how they can move forward with broader conversations in the community. She said she just wanted to remind everyone about that desire. She said she wanted to work with the commission on how to move the county forward. She also said they would like help on diversifying boards. Frances Castillo said there is a board diversity subcommittee that is studying that subject. She said they are soliciting information from advisory boards about ethnicity of members. She said they are also trying to make sure the human relations commission is diverse. Chair Price said that diversity on the boards has been an issue for years. She said it is an issue of communication and feeling comfortable on the board. She said that is some of the feedback she has gotten over the years. She said some people are fine being the only woman or person of color on a board, but others do not. She said they have to encourage people to get on board and raise their voices. Frances Castillo one of the issues is the time and places that boards are meeting. She said some are set up to be inaccessible. She said this prevents people from being on certain boards. Chair Price said some of it really has been that people do not want to be bothered if they do not feel they will be comfortable. Corey Root presented on behalf of the Orange County Housing Authority Board. She said the board is currently without a chair or vice chair, so she was presenting for them. She said the board has gone through a lot of changes. She said the first substantial change is they have increased the number of leases. She said they have issued a high number of vouchers. She said they are being used in collaboration with the Partnership to End Homelessness. She said they have identified people exiting homelessness and they meet criteria to receive those vouchers. She said there are over one hundred households that have been issued vouchers. She said that there are not enough affordable housing units in the community to meet the need. She said that structured support in housing searches is also being provided. She said that HUD made additional vouchers available and Orange County qualified for nineteen of those. She said that the guidelines are exactly what Orange County is already doing. She said three of the nineteen are leased. She said that the housing vouchers come with a service fee that they can use for furniture or household goods. She said they are working to lower barriers for those with vouchers. She said they are working to make it more accessible and understandable. She said they have reduced their voucher package to three pages for recertification with HUD to make it kinder to clients who are in need. She said the previous version was ten pages with a lot of scary language. She said they are trying to reduce the paperwork in all their programs. Commissioner Bedford asked what permanent supportive housing is. Corey Root said permanent supportive housing is a model to address needs for those who have experienced chronic homelessness and who also have a disability. She said it is housing subsidies with an addition of services. She said the people who provide services have one of the toughest jobs in Orange County. She said some people have trouble finding units, even with vouchers. She said affordable housing is moving towards a mixed income type of housing. Jenn Sykes presented for the Affordable Housing Advisory Board. She said they are involved in outside agency funding review. She said they work on community engagement to help residents understand what is available to them. She said they believe that housing is a key component for having a healthy life. She said they review action plans for federal HOME funds and expand partnerships within the community. She said that next year they also want to engage with criminal justice and immigrant refugee partners. She said they want to increase financial support for affordable housing. She said they want to remain engaged with local