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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2018-03-18; Housing Commission; MinutesMinutes of: Time of Meeting: Date of Meeting: Place of Meeting: CALL TO ORDER HOUSING COMMISSION 6:00 P.M. MARCH 8, 2018 COUNCIL CHAMBERS Chairperson Newman called the Meeting to order at 6:03 p.m. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Commissioner Randall led with the Pledge of Allegiance. ROLL CALL Present: Commissioners: Arline Carrillo Absent: Staff Present: Joy Evans Alan Newman Kristy Randall Shaunee Williams NONE Interim Community & Economic Director: Debbie Fountain APPROVAL OF MINUTES Minutes of February 8, 2018, were approved as written. ITEM NOT ON AGENDA There were no items not on the agenda. NEW BUSINESS Chairperson Newman brought the meeting to order. Debbie Fountain, Interim Community & Economic Director, introduced Bobbi Nunn, Housing Program Manager, who gave a presentation on the Annual Public Housing Agency Plan. Commissioner Evans asked under the Public Housing Agency Plan do you still have the map that you passed out to people? Ms. Nunn answered that we do have a flier for the affordable housing developments with their phone numbers. Commissioner Evans said regarding the Administrative Plan and the live-in aide that is a legally married spouse. What would be considered approvable? Say someone is blind, would they qualify for a two bedroom? Ms. Nunn answered that if the person is a one-person household, they may not automatically get the second bedroom for a live-in aide. The living room can be considered as a bedroom/living area. We do not automatically give the extra bedroom. If they qualify, they can request reasonable accommodations. HOUSING COMMISSION MINUTES March 8, 2018 PAGE 2 of 5 The live-in aide is a big benefit for our clients because their income is not included in the tenant rent calculation. Currently the only guidelines HUD gives us is that it cannot be someone who would benefit from the unit except for the disabled individual. Commissioner Evans commented that they may take them to doctor's appointments. Ms. Nunn said yes, a live-in aide can also keep an eye on them taking medications. Commissioner Carrillo asked if the live-in aide needs to be a nurse. Ms. Nunn answered no the person does not have to be a nurse. Some people may not require that level of assistance. They may just need someone to be there to help them. Commissioner Evans asked who would be the person to approve if they will need a live-in aide. Ms. Nunn said it would be their housing specialist. It would be a reasonable accommodation request, which would require the participant to complete a packet of paperwork and have it reviewed by a housing specialist and certified by a medical professional. Commissioner Evans thanked Ms. Nunn. Chairperson Newman asked, what would happen if a couple got divorced? Ms. Nunn said if a couple is divorced, the spouse may be eligible based on HUD guidance. We cannot deny someone just because they were a previous spouse. If they are elderly, they may feel more comfortable with their ex-spouse because they are familiar with that person. HUD does not state they cannot be a live-in aide just because they are an ex-spouse. Because we had a problem with one person, we must review those situations. California is a community property state so that can be an issue if a live- in aide is a spouse. We have decided that it is something we will not allow. Commissioner Evans stated it conflicts with income standards. Ms. Nunn said the live-in aides' income does not get considered. Commissioner Randall asked what if an individual's medical expenses exceed their income? Ms. Nunn commented that they had several people who had holistic care deductions; supplements and special diet needs. It is fine to use holistic products, but when it adds up to more than their income, they cannot zero out their income. Other housing agencies have put that in their Administrative Plan. We use the IRS Publication 502 as a guideline as to what medically related expenses are allowed. We are required to establish policy in the Administrative Plan. Chairperson Newman asked if anyone else had any questions. Commissioner Randall made a motion to approve that the Housing Commission adopt Resolution No. 2018-001, recommending that the Housing Commission approve the Carlsbad Public Housing Agency (PHA) Annual Plan for fiscal year 2018 for submission to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Commissioner Williams seconded the motion. HOUSING COMMISSION MINUTES March 8, 2018 PAGE 3 of 5 VOTE: AYES: NOES: ABSTAIN: ABSENT: 5-0 Carrillo, Evans, Newman, Randall and Williams None None None Marie Jones-Kirk, Community Services Manager, gave a presentation on the Homeless Response Plan update. Chairperson Newman asked what the program will use the money they have requested. Ms. Fountain said as part of our lnclusionary Housing Program we have been able to produce about 300 for-sale units; townhomes or stack flat condos that are sold to low income households. As part of that agreement, there is an option for the city to purchase the units at the restricted affordable price. In the past, the city's policy is not to exercise the options they can sell, but if we decided, it might be better for the city to exercise that option to purchase those at the restricted price, then we can control who they sell to. If we wanted to move someone from an existing rental property, we might move them from a rental situation to a for-sale unit. Then we could put a homeless family or household into the for-rent unit that is an affordable unit. This would create more options for us to assist homeless families. It is likely a homeless person could not move into a for-sale unit, but maybe a family who is currently renting could move into the for-sale affordable unit. If those units do not become available, we could purchase existing duplexes, maybe a couple, or a single-family home as a group home situation. It would at least give us more options. Since we already have the option on the affordable units, we would not have to pay the market rate. It is just an option we haven't exercised before because we have been trying to keep them in the market. We have purchased a couple of units on foreclosures and resold them. In the past, it has not been a business we have been interested in. Commissioner Williams asked where the money would come from. Ms. Fountain answered that CDBG would have a portion of the public improvement money set aside for affordable housing. In the past, we have kept it in a reserve fund and sometimes helped other organizations such as Solutions for Change purchase with CDBG and affordable housing trust fund. It is always difficult to spend that money and be able to meet the federal guidelines. We are having expenditure problems with CDBG so we started looking at alternatives and acquisition is the easiest. We currently have $750,000 from the reserve fund when other projects cancelled or projects that did not spend all their money. We are going before the City Council to request the money to be used for this. Commissioner Williams added that it is a great idea. Chairperson Newman asked if there is a time limit. HOUSING COMMISSION MINUTES March 8, 2018 PAGE 4 of 5 Ms. Fountain said there is currently a 30-year restriction with every time it sells the 30 years begins again. During the first 15 years, they must resell to another low-income family. We have had quite a few of the properties turn over in the past, but as soon as we decided to do this, we haven't had any come up for sale. Ms. Fountain then continued that the City Council is being updated on the Homeless Response Plan, and they were also updated that the Housing Commission has agreed to be the Advisory Committee for this. I heard you had a very good meeting last month. Our intent is to do more of what we did last month and consider other opportunities like short films created around homelessness so you as a Commission can become experts. You are advocates for homeless services because you are more familiar with what the issues are and why people become homeless. Having an advocacy body as well as a group informed is very helpful as you can be ambassadors. Ms. Fountain said she had information items. There will be a new set of approved meeting rules that is Chapter 1.20 of the Carlsbad Municipal Code. Our City Attorney is currently working with the City Clerk and going through the Municipal Code and updating it. Some of them have not been updated since 1952, some haven't changed since the 70's and some are outdated because there are new ordinances with state law. They are beginning with the City Council rules of operation because things are becoming more controversial throughout the nation when the government acts on many things. Within the next few weeks, the City Clerk will be contacting you to invite you to a training on what your role is in the Housing Commission. They will be looking at all Boards and Commissions. The first training with be for the Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson. We do not actually follow Robert's Rules of Order. Carlsbad has their own Rules of Order. This will be explained in the training. They will tell you how to deal with difficult people such as directing a speaker into a discussion. We have not seen a lot of controversy at our level. The Planning Commission does get a lot more of that. There have been situations where a person has had to be physically removed. In the City Council, there are usually police standing in the back of the room. Fortunately, we are not dealing with the same types of issues that the City Council dea Is with. They are working on having this training on an annual basis with the City Clerk and the City Attorney. The plan is to move all meetings to the Council Chambers as there are some who meeting at the Senior Center or the Library. The Housing Commission will not have a lot of changes. This reaches back to transparency as all operations need to be made in the public arena. It was discovered that one group was doing secret ballots for their election, but that is not allowed. It was something this group had done for years without realizing it was wrong. The City Attorney has let them know that is not allowed. The City Council did discuss possibly sunset of some groups, but none of the Boards or Commissions will be sunset. One difference will be that the new plan for the Boards and Commissions will have an annual work plan as well as goals. We will create the work plan for the Housing Commission and then we will bring it to the City Council for approval. The City Council could accept the work plan as written or they may add more to it. Ms. Fountain wanted to share with the Housing Commission that she went to the City of Encinitas to sit on an expert panel for lnclusionary Housing. The primary goals were for the City Council to decide what to do with the mandate from the State of California to come up with a Housing Element. They are not coming close to their RHNA numbers. One thing I learned is that Encinitas looks to Carlsbad and our HOUSING COMMISSION MINUTES March 8, 2018 PAGE 5 of 5 success with the lnclusionary Housing Program. The City of Encinitas would like to do something similar to what the City of Carlsbad has done. The City of Encinitas is far ahead of us in building out. They appreciate what Carlsbad has been doing. Their constraints will be they do not have a lot of land. The Housing Commission for March 8, 2018, was adjourned at 6:55 p.m. Respectfully submitted, De orah Fountain Interim Community & Economic Director PATRICIA CRESCENTI, Minutes Clerk MINUTES ARE ALSO TAPED AND KEPT ON FILE UNTIL THE WRITTEN MINUTES ARE APP'fmVED.