HomeMy WebLinkAboutAHAB Meeting Minutes February 2024 ORANGE COUNTY
HOUSING DEPARTMENT
Orange County Affordable Housing Advisory Board(AHAB) Minutes
Tuesday, February 9, 2024 at 6:00 PM
Whitted BOCC Meeting Room
Members Present: Kyle Myers, Lynn Nilssen, Holly Meschko, Matthew Ferguson, Mary Towell, Dion
Graham, Mariela Hernandez, Sarah Adams, Hasan Abdullah
Members Absent: Kela Kexel (unexcused),Andrew Robinson (unexcused), David Parrish (excused)
Staff Present: Blake Rosser(Interim Director, Housing), Erica Cormack(Program Manager),Alma Alegria
(Community Development Specialist, Housing)
I. Call to Order 6:02 pm
II. Approval of minutes(5 minutes)
a. Matt motions to approve minutes, Holly seconds, all in agreement
III. Updates(10 minutes)
a. Board Members
i. Create sub-committee for wages. Lynn will send an interest email for sub-
committee to discuss at a later meeting.
ii. Members experiencing issues with opening emails from Lynn.
iii. CIP meeting on February 291", 2024, board is invited to join.
iv. Kela Kexel has missed multiple meetings with no previous notice. Matt
motions to remove her from the board. All in motion.
v. Eno haven has 7 apartments available for 55 and older residents.
b. Staff
i. Bonnie will present at the next meeting regarding CIP bonds.
ii. Next meeting will be focused on scoring outside agency funds. Erica will
send score cards and rubric by the end of the week.
iii. BOCC approved CIP funds.
iv. Department is working on sending development agreements to outside
agencies.
v. The Jack Center is concerned about not getting the funding they've been
historically receiving by taking over self-help center admin work.
vi. Saint Paul's Church in Chapel Hill is working to build an affordable housing
community is hosting a fund-raising opportunity.
vii. Erica has resigned.
viii. BOCC is hosting a work session related to the Land Use Plan 2050 on
February 15, 2024.
IV. Outside Agency Presentations (70 minutes)
a. Community Empowerment Fund
i. Supports members in the community with financial support.
ii. Help obtaining HCVs.
iii. Goal is to try to support 800 members in the community.
iv. Support members who are unhoused
v. Aims to be a welcoming organization that members want to work with and
come to
vi. Provides programs that people are interested in.
vii. 1"time home buyers program
viii. Most members are in Chapel Hill.
b. Habitat
i. Home preservation program to preserve the affordable housing currently
existing in the county.
ii. The program is open to anyone that owns their own home and is under
80%AMI.
iii. Anyone under 30%AMI has a no application fee
iv. Anyone under 80%AMI has a flat fee of$50
v. Renovations include energy efficient renovations
vi. Habitat hopes to double staff
vii. More comprehensive work done in homes by training carpenters.
viii. Have completed 49 repairs in 19 homes all across the county.
ix. Receives applications through the OCHPC and word of mouth.
x. The waiting list is 2-3 years to receive assistance.
c. HOPE renovations.
i. Program tackles 3 major challenges by bringing underemployed women and
gender minorities, older adults, industry employers together.
ii. They do professional development.The last 4 weeks of program consist of
construction work and practicing new skills.
iii. HOPE renovations has looked at data and assessed the need
iv. Aims to assist 80%AMI and below households.
v. HOPE has looked at how they've spent their resources and what have been
the greatest outcomes.
vi. Aims to assist 55+ communities with handy jobs and accessibility
renovations.
vii. 16 cohorts with 83 graduates, ages 18-62, 50% POC
viii. Did analysis towards the end of 2023, wants to use funding to help
households with urgent repairs.
ix. Relies on community connections to gather program participants.
Participants find out about the program through social media and word of
mouth.
x. 93 projects completed at the end of 2023.
d. Rebuilding Together of the Triangle
i. Home repair and rehab experience working with OC.
ii. Program serves about 225 homes and about 30 homes in OC.
iii. Program is a collection of many programs.
iv. Works to establish partnerships with other partners in the community.
v. The proposal is to support the work with the Orange County Home
Preservation Coalition.
vi. Administers other programs across the county like Piedmont and CBDG
funds in Chapel Hill.
vii. Some funds are not always to serve everyone in the county
viii. Identifies who has a high need and has been waiting for a long time.
ix. The goal is to spend the hard dollars and leave the flexible dollars for
projects that can't be assisted through those funding sources.
x. Support the OC Home Preservation Coalition by performing assessment
properties and gathering data for eligibility.
e. Empowerment
i. 70%of Empowerment clients rely on HCV.
ii. The absence of essential housing assistance has left a void.
iii. Tenants are bearing a financial burden due to a lack of resources for renters.
iv. Empowerment assisted 2000 people in OC in 2023
v. Empowerment has hosted multiple activities, Christmas food gift cards,
utility assistance, clothing drives.
vi. People are assisted all across OC.
f. PeeWee Homes
i. Goal is to create dignified and affordable small homes
ii. Residents are over 60 years old.They currently have 7 residences. Residents
live on a fixed income.
iii. Aims to offer safe and stable long-term housing.
iv. 10%of rent goes into savings account for residents which supports in
becoming financial stable.
v. 20%of rent goes to sustaining the properties (utilities, repairs, etc.)
vi. This program is volunteer operated and managed.
vii. Provides social, health, and financial support to the community.
viii. Provides stable, safe long-term housing for those who are at 30%AMI or
below.
ix. Each resident doesn't pay more than 30%of their income in rent.
x. Program has residences Chapel Hill and Carrboro
xi. They are collaborating with HOPE renovations and the Jackson Center
xii. They are building 3 new homes on Hill Street, on the north side of Carrboro.
Homes are in a well-connected community.
xiii. They experience constraints on building properties in Carrboro and Chapel
Hill.
xiv. Homes are built to support resident accessibility.
xv. PeeWee Homes is applying for funding to support the resident community
specialist with rent, health, and social services.
xvi. If residents pass away, PeeWee Homes opens up the home to a new
resident.
g. Self-Help Center
i. Works along the Jackson Center
ii. North side of Carrboro and Chapel Hill
iii. Response to the increase in rentals
iv. Focus on preserving the future of the neighborhood.
v. Properties that are at risk of becoming investing properties can be acquired
by the program to keep them affordable.
vi. Outside agency funding has supported the sub-contract with the Jackson
center and identifying properties at risk.
vii. Acquired 41 properties sold 35
viii. Aims for 60 properties.
ix. Works in home preservation and keeping residents in their homes.
V. Meeting adjourned at 7:43 PM