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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 11-01-2000-8h~~ ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meetiing Date: November 1, 2000 Action Agend Item No. ~` SUBJECT: North Carolina TANF Housing Pro rg am _ DEPARTMENT: Housing/Comm. Development PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No Department of Social Services ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: Proposal Summary Tara L. Fikes, ext. 2490; Gwen Price, ext. 2885 TELEPHONE NUMBERS: Hillsborough 732-8181 Chapel Hill 968501 Durham 688-7331 Mebane 336-227-2031 PURPOSE: To approve the submission of a funding proposal to the North Carolina TANF Housing Program for additional funding for the TANF Housing Program and authorize the Chair to sign a letter of support on behalf of the Board. BACKGROUND: In December 1999, Orange County received a TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families) Housing Program award to help TANF eligible families secure affordable housing through rental assistance and/or other housing related support services. The County was awarded $312,495 in TANF block grant funds for this program for an eighteen-month period beginning in January 2000 and ending June 30, 2001. In March 2000, the BOCC approved an Implementation Plan that included entering into a contractual agreement with Gee Associates, Inc. to provide overall management, supervision, and case management services for the Orange County TANF Housing Program. The program has been operational since late March 2000 and there has been a great deal of interest in the program from the community. A current Status Report detailing the program's progress is incorporated into the attached Proposal Summary. The N.C. Division of Social Services has notified the County that an additional $3 million dollars is available for existing TANF Housing Programs. The maximum amount available per county is $500,000. Additional funding would allow us to extend the current program for an additional 12 months -July 1, 2001 to June 30, 2002. The current program partners are interested in applying for the additional funding to continue this program. Proposals are due on November 3,,2000 and must be accompanied by a letter of support from the local Board of County Commissioners. FINANCIAL IMPACT: The program requires a 50% cash match or $250,000 for an application requesting $500,000 in TANF funding. As in the current program, the matching funds are available from federal and state TANF funds in the Department of Social Services budget. Thus, the total potential program amount could be $750,000. The grant funding and the required cash match contribution will cover all program costs. If the grant is approved, the required County match will be included in the fiscal year 2001-02 Department of Social Services budget. The match amount is dependent upon the amount of the total grant award. RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends approving the submission of a funding proposal to the North Carolina TANF Housing Program for additional ,funding for the TANF Housing Program and authorizing the Chair to sign a letter of support on behalf of the Board. 3 Orange County TANF Housing Program 2001-2002 Proposal Summary Background In December 1999, Orange County received a TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families) Housing Program award to help TANF eligible families secure affordable housing through rental assistance and/or other housing related support services. The County was awazded $312,495 in TANF block grant funds for this program for an eighteen-month period beginning in January 2000 and ending June 30, 2001. The program has been operational since late Mazch 2000 and there has been a great deal of interest in the program from the community. The N.C. Division of Social Services has notified the County that an additional $3 million dollars is available for existing TANF Housing Programs. The maximum amount available per county is $500,000. Additional funding would allow us to extend the current program far an additional 12 months -July 1, 2001 to June 30, 2002. Target Population • TANF Families or TANF eligible families • Families earning up to 200% of poverty level • Must work at least 20 hours/week; or participate in job training or other work skill development activities for at least 20 hrs/week Pro~ra_m~Actvities The Orange County TANF Housing Program contains three primary program activities: Educational and Supportive Services; Rental Assistance; and Homeownership/Downpayment Assistance. 1. Educational and Su ortive Services Economic self-sufficiency is dependent upon the provision of educational and support services and family-centered case management. Program participants will have-the opportunity to acquire education and job skills training; budgeting and credit counseling; and life skills training in order to building long-lasting independence from welfaze resilience. Current Program Activities Education and Training Workshops aze being held presently primarily in the area of Finances, Career Issues, and Conflict Resolution. The workshops are held in bath Chapel Hill and Hillsborough locations. Total unduplicated attendance to date is 41. Participants in the Rental Assistance Program aze requixed to attend education classes and many participants from the Chapel Hill Public Housing Self-Sufficiency Program known as ACHIEVE aze also participants. 4 Training is provided by the Community Financial Counseling Service; the Women's Center; and the Dispute Settlement Center. Future plans Continue providing educational workshops and seminazs. 2. Rental Assistance The Orange County rental housing mazket, inflated by the ability of University of North Cazolina at Chapel Hill students able to pay mazket rents, creates a tremendous challenge for TANF and TANF eligible families. To assist families in addressing this challenge, intensive housing search assistance and' subsequent rental assistance vouchers will be provided to approximately 20 families leasing standard rental property in Orange County. In addition, financial assistance for rent and utility deposits will be ,provided to these families as well as others (approximately 20 additional families) participating in the other components of the program including educational and supportive services and homeownership. Current Program Activities Currently this program is currently serving 18 families with rent subsidies. Most of the families live in the Chapel Hi1UCarrboro area and are single parent households. The Orange Community Housing Corporation conducted the rental property search and continues to provide rental management services for the properties in the program. Gee Associates, the program administrator identified the participant families and provide intense case management. Future plans Expand the current participant pool to 21 by adding three (3) families that were in the "pipeline" when this year's participant selection process ended. Orange Community Housing Corporation and Gee Associates would continue their current roles. Rent and Utilit~,y~eFosats A barrier commonly associated with the housing needs of TANF and TANF eligible families are the inability to pay initial rent deposits and utility deposits when appropriate rental housing is located in the community. A small component of this comprehensive program provides funds to pay for initial deposits for approximately 20 families. Current program activities Thirteen (13) families have received assistance with rent and utility deposits to date. Future plans Continuation of the program to reach approximately 20 additional families. 3. Homeownership Homeownership can also be challenging in this area due to high land and infrastructure costs. Low-income families rely heavily on the ability of local non- profit organizations to assist them in locating affordable existing properties for sale. The TANF Housing Program will continue to utilize the current intervention strategies to assist approximately five (5) TANF families became homeowners in partnership with Habitat far Humanity and other non-profit housing organizations. Current Program Activities Five families have been identified for this program and have begun saving towazd a downpayment through an Individual Development Account (IDA) Program. Individual Development Accounts are restricted savings accounts dedicated to the support of homeownership, post-secondary education, and micro-enterprise. Each participant in the program agrees to save up to $1,000 over the program term and that amount will be matched at a 2:1 ratio not to exceed $2,000 per family or individual from the TANF grant funds. The IDA Program incorporated into the TANF Housing Program is the first IDA Program in Orange County for homeownership. Central Cazolina Bank is serving as the banking partner and services the participant's savings accounts. The IDA Program Administrator is the Women's Center. Future plans Continuation of the IDA Program by assisting an additional five (5) families during the next 12 months and increasing the cash match to a 5:1 ratio. Current ro ram lementation/Monitorin Grou Representatives of the following organizations meet monthly to monitor this program. It is anticipated that this group will continue to provide program guidance in a new program yeaz. Orange County Housing/Commuruty Development Department Orange County Department of Social Services Chapel Hill Department of Housing Chapel Hill Planning Department Orange Community Housing Corporation Habitat for Humanity of Orange County, Inc. Gee Associates, Inc.