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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAHAB Minutes 06.11.2024 Orange County Affordable Housing ORANGE COUNTY Advisory Board (AHAB) Meeting Minutes HOUSING DEPARTMENT Tuesday,June 11, 2024 300 W Tryon St. Hillsborough, NC 27278 Staff Present: Blake Rosser,Aaron Rimmler-Cohen,Thomas McCallister, Rachel Waltz Members Present: Matthew Ferguson (Chair), Lynn Nilssen (Vice Chair), Dion Graham, Sarah Adams, Hasan A.Abdullah, Mary Towell, Kyle Myers, Holly Meschko, Mariela Hernandez, MZ K I. Call to Order at 6:34 PM II. Approval Of Minutes Motion to Approve Minutes from May Meeting: Passed unanimously. Motion to Approve Minutes from April Meeting: Passed unanimously. III. Updates a. Staff Updates Blake: Last week,Aaron and I attended the groundbreaking of Trinity Court.The developers acknowledged our work on the CIP and Bond funding. We are also addressing budget adjustments within the department, with changes estimated between $560,000-$580,000. Aaron: In Community Development, we've focused on home fund reconciliation and preparing for monitoring. We're developing a workflow for rehabilitation projects.The board will receive emails detailing a statistical analysis of housing in the county and a breakdown of HOME fund expenditures. Orange County and consortium towns have approved HOME funds for 2024-2025. b. Member Updates No updates from members. Matthew: Reminded board members to complete the interest form for remaining on the board. Lynn: Suggested sharing contact numbers for easier communication among members. Holly: Inquired about the criteria for excused vs. non-excused absences. Aaron: offered to discuss this matter further outside the meeting. IV. Orange County Partnership to End Homelessness Matthew: Introduced Rachel to the members. Orange County Affordable Housing ORANGE COUNTY Advisory Board (AHAB) Meeting Minutes HOUSING DEPARTMENT Tuesday,June 11, 2024 300 W Tryon St. Hillsborough, NC 27278 Rachel: Expressed gratitude for joining the meeting. Presented a broad overview of her presentation on homelessness in the county, detailing the ideal response system for housing emergencies and the county's current initiatives, particularly the OCPEH (Orange County Partnership to End Homelessness). Highlighted a reduction in veteran homelessness and addressed racial disparities, noting that 56%of homeless individuals are African American, who constitute only 12%of the county's population. Over$1 million in HUD dollars has been dedicated in 2023 to combat homelessness. Shared contact information for further engagement with the Partnership. Dion Graham:Asked about performance differences in the system between this year and last year. Rachel: Noted fewer COVID-related disruptions, improved public health interventions, quicker assistance to people in need, and fewer shelter closures. Andrew: Questioned if"MOU" stands for Memorandum of Understanding. Rachel: Confirmed that an MOU is a memorandum of understanding that is presented by the partnership for the board's consideration. Monica: Thanked Rachel for her presentation and inquired about actions the board could undertake to support the initiatives. Rachel: Noted that the OCPEH has applied for multiple funding sources. She emphasized that the board could encourage providers to participate in the county's coordinated entry efforts for homelessness. Holly: Expressed satisfaction with the progress made towards decreasing racial disparities in her community. MZ K: Raised concerns about the lack of resources available during the pandemic for individuals caring for sick family members, questioning if surveys are being conducted to assess current impacts. Rachel: Highlighted ongoing efforts in eviction diversion and mentioned other strategies undergoing trial and error throughout the state. Matthew:Thanked Rachel for her presentation and contributions. Rachel: Reiterated her gratitude for the opportunity to present to the board. V. Review of Existing Orange County Affordable Housing Data Orange County Affordable Housing ORANGE COUNTY Advisory Board (AHAB) Meeting Minutes HOUSING DEPARTMENT Tuesday,June 11, 2024 300 W Tryon St. Hillsborough, NC 27278 Aaron: Due to time constraints, provided only a brief overview of his presentation, which focused on HUD income limits and the necessity of affordable housing for cost-burdened renters in Orange County. He discussed the role of various entities in providing affordable housing and the available subsidies supporting construction and preservation of these units. Invited questions from the board. Dion Graham: Requested clarification on the per unit breakdown of data. Aaron: Promised to provide a detailed spreadsheet to each board member. Lynn: Inquired whether the data was sourced from the Orange County Affordable Housing Coalition (OCAHC). Aaron: Confirmed the data's origin from OCAHC. VI. Community Meeting Planning Matthew: Encouraged members to review the board's efforts in tracking Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) ordinances related to affordable housing, mentioning a spreadsheet available to all members. Demonstrated how members could access BOCC ordinances and discussed plans to map the locations of funded projects. Noted that the board would not meet in July. Andrew: Expressed concerns regarding the performance of historical partners, specifically mentioning EmPOWERment. Dion Graham: Inquired about the mechanisms in place to track and ensure proper allocation of funds. Blake:Assured that multiple safeguards are implemented at both county and federal levels to monitor funds, ensuring they are used as intended. Andrew: Highlighted the importance of understanding the historical impact of the county and board on affordable housing. Lynn: Echoed Andrew's point, emphasizing the need to recognize both successes and failures. She questioned how the board could improve scoring criteria for CIP and Bond funds. Andrew: Recommended deferring this discussion to the next meeting to allow for thorough preparation. Orange County Affordable Housing ORANGE COUNTY Advisory Board (AHAB) Meeting Minutes HOUSING DEPARTMENT Tuesday,June 11, 2024 300 W Tryon St. Hillsborough, NC 27278 Aaron: Proposed that the board prepare specific questions and responses concerning the scoring criteria to present to the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC). Blake: Noted that staff members currently do not have access to the scoring criteria, hence the advisory board cannot yet review it. However, he encouraged board members to reach out directly to BOCC members to express any concerns. Matthew: Suggested that the next meeting include a session to compile a list of questions and suggestions for the BOCC. He urged members to use the newly established Google group to facilitate communication and prepare for this discussion. vll. Meeting Adjourned: 7:44 PM