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Home My WebLink AboutOCHA Minutes 23-01-19 ORANGE COUNTY HOUSING AUTHORITY ORANGE COUNTY ADVISORY BOARD MEETING HOUSING DEPARTMENT Thursday, January 19th, 2023 at 6:00 PM Virtual Meeting: https://orangecountync.zoom.us/i/98126441099 MEETING AGENDA 6:00 PM Call to Order & New Member Intro Attending: Alice Mahood, Jana Murdock-Doherty, Corey Root, Blake Rosser, Jenn Sykes, 6:05 PM Approval of November and December Minutes A motion was made to approve the November 2022 minutes of the Orange County Housing Authority [Sykes, Murdock-Doherty]. All in favor, none opposed. A motion was made to approve the December 2022 minutes of the Orange County Housing Authority [Sykes, Murdock-Doherty]. All in favor, none opposed. 6:10 PM Updates from Members The Town of Hillsborough is discussing the density bonus to address the "midding middle" affordable housing tonight, January 19, 2023. 6:15 PM Program Manager Report • Monthly Overview • Programmatic Reports— Utilization, Voucher Issuance, Two Year Tool, VMS • Informal Hearings— No hearings QUESTION: Any changes coming from DC given the political changes and/or the end of Covid funding? Not immediately -the Emergency Housing Vouchers granted as part of Covid funding will morph into traditional Housing Choice Vouchers (HCVs) as long as they are leased up by September 2023. • HCV Program Update • Admin Plan Changes • Success Rate Payment Standard (for discussion) The board discussed the success rate payment standard - OCHA is eligible to increase the rent amount tenants can pay for units. The Board will revisit this topic at the February OCHA Board Meeting • Limiting Rent Increase amounts (carryover discussion from November) • Vote requested Mailing Address Hillsborough Office Chapel Hill Office P.O.Box 8181 300 W.Tryon Street 2501 Homestead Road Hillsborough,NC 27278 Hillsborough,NC 27278 Chapel Hill,NC 27516 Telephone(919)245-2490 • Fax(919)944-8496 ORANGE COUNTY HOUSING AUTHORITY ORANGE COUNTY ADVISORY BOARD MEETING HOUSING DEPARTMENT Thursday, January 19th, 2023 at 6:00 PM Virtual Meeting: https://orangecountync.zoom.us/i/98126441099 The Board can set limits on how HCV landlords can raise rent amounts. Continuing the discussion from November, the Board had a desire to balance the need to keep landlords willing to participate in the HCV Program but also not cause a burden to HCV participants. A motion was made to adjust the language in the HCV Administrative Plan to restrict the amount of rent increases landlords are able to implement for HCV participants such that any increase cannot cause rent burden, defined as a tenant paying more than 40% of income for housing, for the current tenant [Sykes, Murdock-Doherty]. All in favor, none opposed. • Comprehensive Update to be presented at February meeting 6:45 PM Annual Report and Work Plan The board worked on the annual report and work plan and a motion was made to approve this document [Sykes, Murdock-Doherty]. All in favor, none opposed. Staff will submit this to the County Clerk's Office in advance of the deadline. Alice and Corey will present this information to the Board of County Commissioners this Spring. 7:15 PM Issuing Practices Revisited • Current waitlist procedure • Potential changes to procedure o Discussion and possible vote The Board discussed changing the way OCHA issues Housing Choice Vouchers. Currently the OCHA waitlist is open only for people experiencing homelessness who are referred via the homeless coordinated entry process managed by the OC Partnership to End Homelessness. OCHA opened the waitlist in 2017 for people experiencing homelessness, but otherwise has had a closed waitlist for many years. Typically, a housing authority opens a waitlist a few times per year. People can apply and if they are eligible they will be added to the waitlist. The housing authority will then pull a certain number of people from the waitlist, usually many more than vouchers Mailing Address Hillsborough Office Chapel Hill Office P.O.Box 8181 300 W.Tryon Street 2501 Homestead Road Hillsborough,NC 27278 Hillsborough,NC 27278 Chapel Hill,NC 27516 Telephone(919)245-2490 • Fax(919)944-8496 ORANGE COUNTY HOUSING AUTHORITY ORANGE COUNTY ADVISORY BOARD MEETING HOUSING DEPARTMENT Thursday, January 19th, 2023 at 6:00 PM Virtual Meeting: https://orangecountync.zoom.us/i/98126441099 How do we balance the current practice of issuing vouchers only for people experiencing homelessness with the other people who have been on the waitlist for many years? The Housing Authority could split the number of vouchers available, the majority reserved for people experiencing homelessness via the current practices, and a smaller percentage being available for people who are housed. Housing Authority staff will work on purging the waitlist -there are currently 700 people on the waitlist. Staff will send mailers to the people on the list asking people to verify or update their contact information. Board members would like staff to coordinate with service providers to try to find people before removing people from the waitlist. Can add in preference categories to pull people meeting particular categories, like length of time on waitlist, age, disability status, veteran status, and other categories as determined by the Board. A motion was made to Board to directs staff to being planning and begin to [Sykes, Murdock-Doherty] The Board would like to find another word other than purge and waitlist - change this to applicant pool. This sets expectations more accurately. 7:30 PM Adjournment Tammy Jacobs has officially rolled off the OCHA Board A motion was made to adjourn the meeting at 7:29pm [Sykes, Murdock-Doherty]. All in favor, none opposed. Mailing Address Hillsborough Office Chapel Hill Office P.O.Box 8181 300 W.Tryon Street 2501 Homestead Road Hillsborough,NC 27278 Hillsborough,NC 27278 Chapel Hill,NC 27516 Telephone(919)245-2490 • Fax(919)944-8496