Agenda - 09-05-2024; 8-a - Minutes

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16 1 help, they can defer them to services. She said they also use the Housing helpline for a continuum 2 of care used for the homeless. She said this is not just to give financial assistance. 3 Blake Rosser said one of the primary functions of the Housing Helpline is coordinating 4 interviews for the continuum of care entry. 5 Chair Bedford said they knew this was coming, but it feels like they are only tackling the 6 downstream immediate evictions. She asked if they could put some cash up stream for the folks 7 that might need the one time a year rental or utility assistance. She said it is concerning to be at 8 this point. 9 Commissioner Hamilton asked what the criteria are for someone to receive eviction 10 diversion assistance now. 11 Blake Rosser said they must qualify with their income level and have a court date. 12 Commissioner Hamilton said they have an eviction filing notice and they have a court date. 13 She asked if the attorney would help them. 14 Blake Rosser said yes and sometimes they have applied for emergency housing 15 assistance. He said sometimes they meet the attorney for the first time at the court date. 16 Commissioner Hamilton asked if someone still has to go to court if they are working with 17 the attorney. 18 Blake Rosser said they must appear. 19 Commissioner Hamilton asked if there is anything done to help people dismiss the filings. 20 Blake Rosser said that what his office can do is get an agreement with a landlord to 21 dismiss the filing, but they do not have the authority to do it themselves. 22 Chair Bedford asked if it shows on their record for seven years that they had the eviction. 23 Blake Rosser said he would have to check on that and get the information to them 24 tomorrow. 25 Commissioner Portie-Ascott asked if the eviction of diversion is helpful to only those facing 26 non-payment of rent. 27 Blake Rosser said it is primarily for non-payment of rent. He said he does not think any 28 payment would avoid an eviction for other causes. 29 Chair Bedford gave an example of property damage. 30 Commissioner Portie-Ascott wondered if there are holdovers where the lease has expired 31 but the tenant is refusing to move. 32 Blake Rosser said that would not be a case where emergency housing would intervene. 33 He said he would double check but does not think that it would be for any reason other than non- 34 payment. 35 Bonnie Hammersley said they could get that information from the attorney. 36 Commissioner Portie-Ascott asked what is the assistance that the eviction attorney will 37 provide. 38 Blake Rosser said that is still in discussion. He said one option is to limit assistance to 39 only elderly households. He said if they do not have funds to pay for the arrears to landlords then 40 they will likely proceed to eviction or possibly the attorney could get a moveout agreement. He 41 said it would be up to them to collect the arrears on their own at that point. 42 Commissioner Portie-Ascott asked if the landlord is working with the tenant, but there is 43 no eviction filed, if they county would work with them. 44 Blake Rosser said no. He said that is how they've been assisting for most of the life of 45 the program. He said that individuals that could show ledgers in arrears would have them paid, 46 even future months of rent, and the decision to scale that back was due to exhausting the funds 47 that were left. He said they will end the year with maybe $150,000. He said that is why they have 48 chosen this course. 49 Commissioner Richards asked what the rapid rehousing program is for. 50 Blake Rosser said the Rapid Rehousing program is through the Partnership to End 51 Homelessness and those folks have higher service needs than those that would be referred to