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HousingPartnershipMinutes2011NORTHAMPTON HOUSING PARTNERSHIP Minutes January 24, 2011 Members Present: Gordon Shaw, Chair, Lynn Wallace, Peg Murray, Jen Dieringer, Betsy Siersma, Richard Abuza. Also present, new member Lauren Voyer, Peg Keller, staff and Karen Sunnarborg, Consultant. Call to Order: Chair Shaw called the meeting to order at 5:35 p.m. Members introduced themselves to Lauren Voyer, newly appointed member. Members then thanked Betsy Siersma for her years of service. Ms. Siersma is resigning from the Board and this was acknowledged with a "thank you" cake. Approval of the Minutes The motion to approve the minutes was made by Member Murray, seconded by Member Wallace. The vote in favor was unanimous. Discussion of the Housing Plan/ Final Comment and Adoption Phase Ms. Sunnarborg and members reviewed the affordable housing unit production goals. Peg K. distributed the list from Planning Director Feiden about units he thought might possibly be produced in the next 5 years. Peg K. updated members on the discussions with Pioneer Valley Regional Planning Commission staff and findings with regard to the need for a nexus study to justify a community's need for inclusionary zoning. Ms. Sunnarborg was aware of the current debate around the legality of inclusionary zoning and agreed to include language in the plan that could speak to the "nexus" justification. She added that when incentives are built in for developers in exchange for the affordable units, they don't usually fight it in the courts. She reported on the market study done by the City of Cambridge. This is the only city she knows of who conducted this type of nexus study to document the need for diversification of housing units. She will reference that study in our plan. Member Abuza said the link is clear; with a long term commitment to creating affordable housing, one must consider land availability and land costs. Due to the lack of developable land and high land prices, the City is unable to create the units needed to address the community's needs without an ordinance that mandates inclusion of affordable units in developer initiated projects. Without that mandate, the City will be working a very long time and will still be unable to address the need. Ms. Sunnarborg said that one third of all Commonwealth communities have inclusionary zoning, so she questions the claim that it is illegal. She did note however, that some work better than others. Members then discussed the presentations to the different Boards needed for plan adoption. Member Dieringer will touch base with the Planning Board chair, Peg K. will find out the meeting dates for the Economic Development Housing and Land Use Council sub-committee. Itwas decided to go to EDHLU first to secure their recommendation to the full Council. A briefer presentation will then be made to the City Council. After these endorsements, a final presentation will be made to the Community Preservation Committee. It was noted that the CPC could be asked to consider an annual allocation to the Affordable Housing Trust fund. If presentations can be made to all the Boards and Committees during February and March, we can look for State submittal and project completion by the end of March. (Ms. Sunnarborg departed the meeting) Membership With Member Siersma' s resignation, the following roles will need to be filled: CDBG Public Services Review Committee, Affordable Housing Trust Fund Trustee, Planning Dept. Technical Review Cabinet. Member Voyer has been approved by City Council, as has AJ Jalbert. Peg K. will check on the progress of Audrey Easter's application. It is assumed Member Ackelsberg will resume her attendance when she is back from Spain. Election Member Abuza made a motion that Gordon Shaw remain as Chair for another year and that Member Wallace continue to serve as Vice-Chair. The motion was seconded by Member Murray. There were no other nominations from the floor. The vote, by acclimation, was unanimous in favor. Thank you! Adjourn The next meeting will be held on February 7th• Ms. Sunnarborg will not be present. The agenda will comprise looking at the Strategic Plan implementation. Respectfully submitted, Peg Keller NORTHAMPTON HOUSING PARTNERSHIP Minutes March 7, 2011 Members Present: Gordon Shaw, Chair, Peg Murray, Lynne Wallace, Jen Dieringer, AJ Jalbert, Lauren Voyer, Richard Abuza. Also present, Peg Keller, staff and Diane an interested citizen. Call to Order Chair Shaw called the meeting to order at 5:40 p.m. There were no minutes to approve from February, as there was no quorum. January minutes will be approved :riext month. A member of the public asked to address the Partnership. Chair Shaw recognized Diane ___ ? She said she is involved with low income housing and is hearing from many people that they need help finding affordable housing. She said housing is not affordable and people do not feel safe in their housing. She said lighting needs to be improved and police patrols increased. She asked for a copy of the housing plan when it is finished. Housing Plan Update Zoning Revisions Sub-Committee/ Peg K. reported on her attendance at the Zoning Revisions Sub-Committee Public session. She summarized the 3 proposals and noted the Committee is slated to conclude its work in April. The proposals still seem very preliminary and the Committee was "testing the waters" to gauge reaction. The proposals focused on increasing flexibility for home occupations, residential design requirements and infill development. The Committee has also been working on King Street zoning revisions, but no presentations were made on that. It will be important to give the ZRC the final housing plan, to make sure the plans suggested zoning revisions are reflected in the ZRC's recommendations. Planning Board presentation/ Chair Shaw will accompany Karen Sunnarborg to the Planning Board presentation, scheduled for March 10th• Peg K. will circulate copies of the Executive Summary ahead of time to Planning Board members. Peg K. will follow up with the Economic Development/Housing and Land Use Sub-Committee about getting on their agenda for a recommendation to the full City Council. The focus will be on getting approval from the Planning Board and City Council by the end of April. Plan Implementation Members began a discussion of plan components and brainstormed how to prioritize implementation action steps. Highlights of the discussion were as follows: Community Education: submit regular OpEd columns to the Daily Hampshire Gazette on affordable housing topics. The first one should be on the creation of the plan; providing the context for future submissions. Informational regarding unit losses, intentions moving forward, rather than hot button issues. There is momentum following the 40B victory. We also need to insure the new Mayor is well informed. Peg K. agreed to draft the first one, for circulation. Everyone can provide input if they so desire. Member Voyer offered that Peter Gagliardi (HAP) has a great way of describing how the lack of production over the past 3 decades has contributed to the numbers of homeless, lack of affordable units, etc. Peg K. will check with the Gazette about doing this. Annual Summit: agreed Partnership/staff should submit an annual report to all City Boards, Departments, Committees, Mayor. Good way to track plan progress through the year, make other City entities aware of activities, broaden buy-in for support. Report should be posted on website. Important to network with other housing partnerships/authorities. Noted we met with Amherst a while back, could set up a meeting with Easthampton. Peg K. will pursue that for May meeting. Capitalize the Trust: agreed that this should be discussed with the Community Preservation Committee. This should be stressed when the final presentation on the plan is made to the CPC. Members wondered about the breakdown allocation for affordable housing projects. Member Dieringer will get a list. Other items discussed: number of affordable units required in the Oaks Subdivision/ Peg K. will ask Carolyn Misch; need for increased interaction with the Housing Authority and Casa Latina. Yvonne's House 2: Members discussed tenant selection procedures they expect Gandara to follow relative to fair housing laws. Peg K. will follow up. Members agreed that Karen Sunnarborg should attend the April session, so we can formally wrap up the plan and thank her in person for all her great work. Adjourn/ The meeting concluded at 7:15 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Peg Keller NORTHAMPTON HOUSING PARTNERSHIP Minutes April 4, 2011 Members Present: Gordon Shaw, Chair, Jen Dieringer, Richard Abuza, Lynne Wallace, Lauren Voyer, Peg Murray. Also present, Peg Keller, staff. Call to Order/ Chair Shaw called the meeting to order at 5:35 p.m. No one was present for the public comment period. In reviewing the minutes of the last meeting, Member Dieringer suggested more information be added to the Partnership's response to the person who spoke during the public comment period. Peg K. will add the suggested language. Members unanimously approved the January minutes as amended. (There were no minutes from February, due to a lack of quorum). Housing Plan Contract Update Members discussed whether or not they wanted Karen Sunnarborg to do additional work under the current contract to incorporate new Census data. Peg K. relayed that Ms. Sunnarborg readily offered to incorporate the numbers that have been released, but said the remainder of the information may not be published for awhile. Based on that, members agreed to conclude the current contract and issue the final payment. If members feel a significant amount of work needs to occur later on, a new funding application could be made to the Community Preservation Committee. Members agreed to acknowledge the efforts of Ms. Sunnarborg. Peg K. will secure a gift card from the Chamber of Commerce and will bring a card to the next meeting for signatures. Housing Plan/Next Steps With regard to the plan itself, Member Murray inquired as to whether or not the "nexus" discussion got added to the text. This was in reference to establishing a legal rationale for inclusionary zoning. Peg K. will follow up, in addition to adding her own final edits. The remaining plan presentations include the City Council (for endorsement) and the Community Preservation Committee. Peg K. will schedule these. Regarding plan printing and distribution, Member Abuza did some investigative research on costs. Peg K. will see how much money remains for production. Members agreed that hard copies should be made available at Forbes and Lilly Libraries and City Hall. The Community Preservation Committee should have one as well. The full plan will be posted on the City website. Members committed to discussing an implementation component at each monthly meeting moving forward, in order to guarantee progress on meeting goals and objectives. Amherst Housing Summit Peg K. has been invited to speak on a panel in Amherst on April 14th, focusing on affordable housing issues. Housing Partnership members are invited to attend if they are able. Members 1 had discussed meeting with housing officials from other communities as part of their Community Outreach charge in the Plan. Easthampton had been identified as the first community to contact. Peg K. will see if they are invited to the Amherst session and if there is still a need to meet with them after that session. Soldier On Members discussed the new project being proposed at the VA Campus in Leeds. Soldier On is looking to construct 80-100 affordable units for Veterans. Due to the large size of the project and the potential to add many affordable units to the local inventory, members agreed to invite representatives to the next meeting. Peg K. will extend the invitation. It was noted that in order to have the units be counted on the Subsidized Housing Inventory, those steps should be outlined as soon as possible. Project Updates Members discussed the need for a new Resource/Drop In Center in Northampton, the possible redevelopment of Shaw's motel and adjacent properties and the status of the Western Mass. Network to End Homelessness. Adjourn There being no additional business, the meeting concluded at 7:10 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Peg Keller 2 CITY OF NORTHAMPTON Community and Economic Development Office City Hall, 210 Main Street Northampton, MA 01060-3199 (413) 587-1286 Fax: (413) 587-1275 NORTHAMPTON HOUSING PARTNERSHIP Meeting Notice DATE: May 2, 2011 TIME: 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. PLACE: City Hall Hearing Room 18 210 Main Street Northampton 1.) Public Comment Period 2.) Approval of Minutes AGENDA 3.) Massachusetts Fair Housing Center Guest -Meris Berquist, Director 4.) Updates o Housing PlanoCDBG ProgramoAmherst Affordable Housing Summit5.) Other Business 6.) Adjourn Peg Keller Housing and Community Development Planner 587-1288pkeller@northamptonma.gov NORTHAMPTON HOUSING PARTNERSHIP Minutes May 2, 2011 Members Present: Gordon Shaw, Chair; Peg Murray, Richard Abuza, Lynne Wallace, AJ Jalbert. Also present, Peg Keller, staff and Meris Bergquist, Director of the Mass. Fair Housing Center. Call to Order: Chair Shaw called the meeting to order at 5:35 p.m. No one was present for the public comment period. He introduced Ms. Bergquist. She had been invited to update the Partnership on the current work of the agency. Because the Housing Partnership also serves as the Fair Housing Committee for the City, it is critical to be aware of the fair housing needs in the community and strategize ways to address those needs. Massachusetts Fair Housing Center Highlights of Ms. Bergquist's Remarks: •MFHC is the oldest fair housing organization in the State, having been created in 1989.•Originally focused on the highly segregated living patterns of communities within theSpringfield SMSA ( Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area/identified by HUD and censusdefinitions)•Other focuses; predatory lending exploitation in Springfield area, limited English proficiencyrelated to exploitive loan products for home ownership•Agency exists to enforce the laws around housing choice and freedom from discrimination•1968 protected classes, other categories (disabilities, families with children, sexual orientation)added later.•Section 8 voucher holders are a protected class in Massachusetts but not at the Federal level.States can go further than the Feds identifying protected classifications.•There is pressure from HUD to add sexual orientation and Section 8 to the Federal protections.•Westchester court case/ held a community accountable for actually affirmatively furthering fairhousing as opposed to just saying it does•All HUD funded recipients must sign certification that it affirmatively furthers fair housing,which is more than just saying it won't discriminate.•Westchester had to build affordable housing in the white communities and market it to minoritypopulations as a result of the court caseMs. Bergquist said each town should reflect the percentages of minorities in the region for people to be able to freely move about. Discussion followed about whether that was the case in Northampton. Our Latino population is much higher than that of African Americans. Member Abuza asked how house prices and economics figures in to that scenario. She said that the Federal mobile Section 8 program was designed to do just that, equal the playing field. She added that discrimination against Section 8 is pervasive. Members noted that landlords place ads that say "no Section 8 accepted". Ms. Bergquist said one of her Board members is Ellen Pader at UMass and some of her students are studying area communities to look at fair housing activities and housing patterns. Member Abuza said Craig's List is doing its part by not allowing landlord ads to say no Section 8. Member Murray referred to our Housing Plan stats which stated in 2000, there were 5.2% Latinos, 3.1% Asian and 2.1 % Black population segments in Northampton. Member Abuza reminded the Partnership that in the 1840's Florence was 40% Black and a progressive intentionally integrated community. 1 Ms. Bergquist said her agency is redesigning the organization's website to make it more informative about people's rights, domestic violence resources, food stamps, housing, lead paint issues. English and Spanish will be available with hopefully more languages in the future (Russian and Khtner). They hope to do more outreach to the Latino community and have more bilingual staff. They are creating a training module for medical clinics to address medical/legal needs. Their thrust is to advocate for the enforcement of laws. For example, when landlords refuse to rent to families with children younger than 6, (due to lead paint) it limits housing choice and is discriminatory. If battered women have no resources for housing, they often make the choice to remain in unsafe situations. She also mentioned testing programs as a possible element of the CDBG work scope this year. Recruited volunteers act as prospective tenants and make applications to see how they are treated. The other type is audit testing which involves calling random listings to see which property owners say they do not take Section 8. She said looking at zoning practices is also a methodology to identify exclusionary practices. Multi-family vs. single family zoning districts, as well as large lot sizes can be indicators. Peg K. relayed information about Oak Park Illinois that she learned about in a presentation at MFHC's Annual conference she attended the week prior. Oak Park and Shaker Heights Ohio are intentionally integrated communities. Peg K. said she would like to do more research on those programs. Members concluded that economic diversity is a huge part of the conversation. Focus groups to discuss services and amenities available to minorities could be a task of the Partnership and a work scope component. Concentrations of poverty were discussed as well as the phenomenon of Housing Authorities not wanting tenants to take mobile Section 8 certificates to other areas because the receiving Authority then earns the administration fee. If the voucher moves to a more expensive community, the Housing Authorities also have to pay more for the subsidy. Holyoke and Northampton share the same payment standard though. It was noted that tenants seeking reasonable accommodation can ask for higher rent than the housing authority allows. Members discussed fair housing complaints and wondered about the nature and number the City's Human Rights Commission receives. Chair Shaw said he was invited to attend their meeting, so he can ask that question and report back. The Housing Partnership should develop a working relationship with the HRC around those issues. Peg K. said she wants to look at the Federally required Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing from other communities to get ideas on activities to pursue locally. Ms. Bergquist suggested Naperville Illinois as a good model. Ms. Bergquist was thanked for her attendance and all agreed to continue the discussion about how the agency can assist with addressing fair housing in Northampton. Adjourn/ The meeting adjourned at 7:10 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Peg Keller 2 NORTHAMPTON HOUSING PARTNERSHIP Minutes June 6, 2011 Members Present: Gordon Shaw, Chair, Richard Abuza, Peg Murray, Jen Dieringer, Audrey Easter, Lynne Wallace. Also present, Peg Keller, staff. Call to Order Chair Shaw called the meeting to order at 5:40 p.m. No one was present for the public comment period. The minutes of the past meeting were reviewed. Member Murray had suggested that the last few pages of the housing plan be printed out and adhered to as a work scope moving forward, to guide Partnership activity. That suggestion had not been reflected in the minutes. It will be added. The motion to approve the minutes as revised was made by Member Wallace, seconded by Member Abuza. The vote in favor was unanimous. Announcements Peg K. said an Open House for the new sober residence on Maple A venue was scheduled for June 16th• The second duplex is underway at the GarfieldNerona Habitat site and an update on the number of units at the State Hospital was given. (103 residential apartments, 8 single family homes, 11 town homes).Updates Human Rights Commission Chair Shaw attended the May meeting of the City's Human Rights Commission on behalf of the Partnership. He noted they are in need of members. He said the HRC actively investigates discrimination complaints themselves. He told them about the activities of the Housing Partnership, his own agency (Mass. Justice Project) and that he would give them the Executive Summary from our Housing Plan. It does appear that some of their activities and those of the Partnership's and area agencies (such as the Mass. Fair Housing Center) may be duplicative. A joint meeting in the future may help to identify areas of overlap and ways to collaborate. New Projects Board of Health/ Anti-Smoking Efforts in Multi-Family Units Member Abuza had been notified that the City's Board of Health was looking in to regulations that would prohibit smoking in multi-family housing. He said he supports the goal but hopes that all possible ramifications will be thoroughly considered. There is an early draft of the proposed regulations. It would have been his hope that the BOH would have reached out to the Housing Partnership to discuss this undertaking. Member Abuza asked for official permission to be a Partnership liaison as this evolves (received). He suggested holding a meeting in the future with the Board of Health and the Building Inspector to identify ways to collaborate and 1 to facilitate support for the landlord community. Members thought this was a great idea to pick up on in the fall. Surplus Property Members discussed the recent surplusing of Catholic Church, Smith College and Clarke School properties in the community. Members expressed the desire to see reuse plans consider affordable housing. Member Abuza made a motion stating that: " the Northampton Housing Partnership requests that the Mayor and (relevant) City departments encourage potential developers of these parcels to incorporate affordable housing components wherever possible." Member Murray seconded to motion. The vote in favor was unanimous. Fall Sessions Peg K. suggested that the Partnership not meet in July and August. Not only is attendance unpredictable, but this would give her time to focus on the Housing Plan implementation and prepare a work plan. Members agreed. Fair Housing Analysis of Impediments Current copies of the Analysis were distributed. Peg K said it is in need of being updated. Testing elements were discussed. Mass. Fair Housing Center is suggesting testing as part of their CDBG work scope for the coming year. Members felt that education and communication should be the first endeavor to support, followed by testing. Testing should be done but not as punishment if education has not been undertaken. Peg will ask the Fair Housing Center for assistance with updating the report. Adjourn There being no additional business to discuss, the meeting adjourned at 7:15 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Peg Keller 2 NORTHAMPTON HOUSING PARTNERSHIP Minutes September 12, 2011 Members Present: Gordon Shaw, Chair, Lynne Wallace, Audrey Easter, Lauren Voyer, Richard Abuza, Peg Murray. Also present, Peg Keller, staff. Members absent, Martha Ackelsberg, AJ Jalbert and Jen Dieringer. Chair Shaw called the meeting to order at 5:40 p.m. No one was present for the public comment period. The minutes were approved as submitted. Housing Plan Implementation Peg K. reviewed the adoption logistics that still need to occur: •Printing 20-25 copies of the housing plan•Presentation to the Community Preservation Committee and City Council•Submission to the State/ Planned Production PlanShe reviewed the sub-committee structure she proposed to accomplish implementation of the plan. Possible tasks for each sub group were discussed. Members expressed interest in one of the 3 groups. The committees reflect the major goals outlined in the plan: •New Housing: Create new housing/ homeownership and rental for a range of incomes•Preservation: Preserve and sustain existing affordable housing•Community Education•Working to End HomelessnessZoning was discussed. Members posited that Jen could give regular updates due to her being a Planning Board member. Peg K. said the final report of the Zoning Revisions Sub-Committee was available. She would circulate it via email to see where their effort left off with regard to the statutory recommendations articulated in our plan. It was also noted that Lynne, with her role as Chair of the Leadership Council of the Western Mass. Network to End Homelessness could report regularly on the efforts to end homelessness, and therefore might not need to be a full committee. This was suggested not because the work doesn't merit a committee, but because the Partnership membership number is currently limited. Each sub-committee would tackle the action steps outlined in the plan, in relation to their specific goal. Sub-committee structure/ 9 total members, 3 per committee, 1 chair Sub-Committee process/ Members gather at least once, outside of regular meeting night, strategize action steps, implement, move forward, report out each month at the regular meeting Peg K. offered to take responsibility for these additional action tasks: 1 ✓Being the point person for sub-committee work/ participate/ take notes✓Fair Housing activities/ Impediments Analysis/ Mass. Fair Housing Center liaison✓Applications to DHCD/ maintain subsidized housing inventory✓Formalize the Affordable Housing review process/ internal City✓Grove Street Inn rehab✓Monitoring public land availability /utilization✓Annual Report✓Three County Continuum of Care Administration/ regional homeless work✓Western Mass. Network to End Homelessness/ City participationMembers discussed ways to bolster membership, such as putting a notice in the Gazette. Resolution Member Abuza asked members to support the submission of a Partnership resolution that thanks (former) Mayor Higgins for her commitment to affordable housing during her tenure with the City. The vote in favor was unanimous. The wording is as follows: "The fabric of a City's housing is one of the key components of the City's health and vitality. It is the foundation upon which a City prospers. For more than a decade, under the stewardship of Mayor Mary Clare Higgins the City of Northampton has maintained a clear vision of how to safeguard and expand this critical resource through her leadership and direct involvement. As the City's affordable housing Board, who has worked closely with Mayor Higgins, the Northampton Housing Partnership recognizes that this is an appropriate moment to commend the energy, vision, and commitment Mayor Higgins has brought to this challenge these many years, and on behalf of a grateful community, and on behalf of this important resource we offer our sincere appreciation." Peg K. will draft it and get permission to distribute it to the City Council and send it the Mayor Higgins. Adjourn/ the meeting concluded at 7: 10 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Peg Keller 2 NORTHAMPTON HOUSING PARTNERSHIP Minutes October 3, 2011 Members Present: Gordon Shaw, Chair, Jen Dieringer, Audrey Easter, AJ Jalbert, Richard Abuza, Lynne Wallace. Also present, Peg Keller, staff. Call to Order: Chair Shaw called the meeting to order at 5:40 p.m. No one was present for the public comment period. The minutes were approved as submitted, with 2 abstentions. Community Preservation Program/Referendum question Chair Shaw posed the question of advocacy to the members. He stated that whether or not the CP Program is continued in Northampton is being put to voters in the election. With the lack of CDBG funding, the CPA has provided much needed local funding for affordable housing projects. He said that he felt it was appropriate for the Community Education Committee of the Partnership to weigh in on this issue. It was decided that an op ed piece would be written and submitted to the Gazette. This could serve as the first "community education" piece, as stipulated in the Strategic Housing Plan, as well as expressing support for preserving the program. Gordon agreed to circulate a draft and contact the Gazette. Committee and Work Assignments By way of implementing the Strategic Housing Plan, committee assignments were reviewed. Preservation: Richard Abuza and AJ Jalbert Community Education: Gordon Shaw, Lauren Voyer, Martha Ackelsberg Planning Board Liaison/Zoning: Jen Dieringer New Housing Development: Audrey Easter, Lynne Wallace, Jen Dieringer Hopefully 2 new members will be joining us and they will be assigned to a committee. (Rachel Taylor-Doward and Toni Hochstadt). Audrey suggested running a notice in the Gazette saying the Partnership is looking for additional members. Peg will follow up. If additional members are obtained, there could also be a Working to End Homelessness Committee. Peg will send out the current list of Committee members contact information so they can get in touch with each other between monthly meetings. 1 Members also expressed the desire to meet with the new Mayor after January 2012 to discuss appointments to the Northampton Housing Authority and the desire to improve the working relationship (with the NHA). Brainstorming Committee Tasks To begin the development of the work scopes, Peg began with the Preservation Committee. The list of tasks and goals stipulated in the Plan were reviewed. Providing �ormation to landlords in the community prompted a discussion of mailing logistics. Member Abuza asked about the City's capacity to do a bulk mailing and sorting the data base. He said if we could get access to a copy of the landlord data base, we could sort it for different things. Situations such as condo units being rented will complicate accurate information. As the committee hones its tasks, it can interface with the Assessor's office to see what kind of access and sorting potentials exist. Another major task of this committee would be monitoring the Subsidized Housing Inventory. Any housing that will have affordability restrictions expiring should be flagged and preservation strategies devised and carried out. Peg will send the current Inventory around for members to become familiar with. Member Abuza reminded members that the City's Board of Health is pursuing an ordinance to prohibit smoking at multi-family housing complexes. He suggested previously that having the Partnership reach out to the Building and Health Commissioners would be time well spent. The City Department heads should be encouraged to utilize the Housing Partnership as a sounding board, community education vehicle and liaison to landlords. The goal would be to think through city actions that could negatively impact landlords who are working diligently to keep units affordable, and assist rather than harm them in that effort. More thought will ·be given to that prior to issuing invitations. New Housing A task remaining from the Plan adoption phase is a presentation to the Community Preservation Committee (funders of the Plan). Peg said Sarah La Valley (OPD CPC/ staff) suggested December. Peg will confirm. One of the primary discussion items would be the willingness of the CPC to allocate funds to the Affordable Housing Trust fund. It was decided that a meeting with the Director of the Housing Authority would be timely. We could learn about the status of the Laurel Street and Burts Pit Road projects and see if the NHA has plans for any future development. Martha Ackelsberg will be 2 asked to get an update on the affordable / market rate residential units at the State Hospital and plans for the future. Summary The meeting concluded with the commitment that, as time and personal resources permit, each Committee will identify and accomplish tasks and move the Plan implementation forward. Adjourn/ The meeting concluded at 7:05 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Peg Keller 3 NORTHAMPTON HOUSING PARTNERSHIP Minutes (revised) December 5, 2011 DRAFT Members Present: Gordon Shaw, Chair, Lynne Wallace, Martha Ackelsberg, Jen Dieringer, AJ Jalbert. Also present, interested members Toni Hochstadt and Rachel Taylor-Doward, guest Jon Hite, Housing Authority Director and Peg Keller, staff. Call to Order: Chair Shaw called the meeting to order at 5:40 p.m. Member Ackelsberg made a motion to approve the minutes of the last meeting. Member Wallace seconded the motion and the vote was unanimous in favor. Members introduced themselves to Mr. Hite. Chair Shaw introduced the discussion by explaining to Mr. Hite that with the recently completed Housing Plan the Partnership wants to identify ways to work together with the Housing Authority to move the goals of the plan forward. Northampton Housing Authority Mr. Hite began the discussion by providing an overview of the NHA's operations. They serve 618 households between 2 family developments with 130 units (Florence Heights is Federally funded and Hampshire Heights is State funded) and 437 units of Elderly/disabled housing. The 437 units are contained in the McDonald House, the Salvo House, Tobin Manor, Forsander Apts., and Cahill Apts. Additionally, the NHA owns and operates some 50 units in smaller scattered site locations. The NHA also administers 550 Section 8 vouchers and 180 Veterans Administration Supportive Housing vouchers (VASH) of which 143-45 are currently in use. Overall, their inventory has a 97-98% utilization rate. There are 525 families and 110 individuals on the Section 8 waiting list. Very few vouchers have been offered to anyone new in the last year and a half. He said Section 8 vouchers can be and are being used in Northampton. Out of 576 Section 8 vouchers in use, 341 are being used in Northampton, as of a year and a half ago. 60% are being used in Northampton, and the others are mostly in the communities of Easthampton, Belchertown, Cummington, Goshen, Middlefield and Huntington. He said the State provides $359 per unit for operation, whereas the Federal program pays $509/unit. Federal funds cannot be �pent on State units. With regard to developing new housing, he said the Valley CDC is better suited to that at this time as 1) the NHA does not have the staff capacity to undertake those types of activities, 2) non-profits can build housing less expensively using tax credit financing, and 3) non-profits do not have to pay prevailing construction wages .. The NHA's emphasis is to manage its existing housing, while taking advantage of any funding from government sourses that may be available for new construction. He said that he sees HAP and the Valley CDC as complementing the role of the NHA. By way of an update on the remaining 2 projects from the State Hospital parcels, the Laurel Street project involves action by Rep. Kocot to allow the development of home ownership rather than rental. Rep. Kocot wants the approval of the 1 Northampton City Council on that revision to the State Hospital Land Disposition agreement. Work on that can occur in the winter, with the NHA asking the City Council to support a change in the NSH legislation to allow for a first-time home-buyer program. Regarding the Burts Pit Road project, Dietz Architects designed a fabulous development for clients of the Dept. of Developmental Services. There is still no State funding, however, and the State's priority for use of Modernization/Development funds at this time is spend 2 million dollars on renovating 100+ units with those funds, as opposed to a new construction project that would serve 10. Member Ackelsberg asked him to speak to the housing needs of the community from his perspective. Mr. Hite identified the need for small one bedroom housing units for empty nesters and baby boomers. He pointed out that 35% of the households in the US contain just one person, and that number will grow as the baby-boomers age. He said the NHA uses 2 units at the State Street complex for households previously living in family developments that have downsized. He also identified the existence of large single family houses in the city that could be converted to duplexes to serve that market segment, but that is more of a zoning issue. (Mr. Hite continued:) The NHA housing stock is in great shape compared to other public housing authority developments across the State. They also have had the capacity to put dollars into capital reserves for future rehab projects, which is unusual for a housing authority. Members then asked about the application requirements for homeless people. Mr. Hite said a 5 year rental history is required by the State. {Section 131 of Chapter 186 of the Acts of 2010, attached} The NHA Tenant Coordinator asks applicants to provide as much of that as possible in a notarized statement if the full 5 year history cannot be documented. The NHA needs to operate within the legislated regulations. When they are audited, a rental history needs to be in the client file. Members (service providers who are familiar with this) said the level of detail required is burdensome and incomplete applications are automatically denied. Members stated that the communication to the client is often too brief, potential tenants get frustrated by the process if they cannot produce the required documentation and in the past, it was the way the NHA staff delivered the information, rather than the specific process itself. Mr. Hite asked to be called when that occurs. Ms. Taylor-Doward said that housing advocates at the Drop-In Center can help clients with the application process. Mr. Hite said that was a helpful suggestion and he will encourage his staff to inform applicants that they can go to the Drop-In Center for assistance. Ms. Hochstadt noted she has seen the community collaboration with students from Northampton High School doing yard work at the Fruit Street complex. She wondered if there were similar creative community collaborations that could assist families with successful housing stabilization and spoke about the families she sees at Housing Court getting evicted. She inquired as to how families in Northampton Housing Authority properties were being supported. Mr. Hite said that evictions were not just the family's failures but theirs (NHA's) as well. He said there are few resources for rental arrearages and evictions happen as a result. He 2 spoke of John McKimmie who works in the elderly housing to support the elders and the younger disabled that co-exist. (He noted that the ratio from elder to younger disabled is 50/50 and the issues associated with aging out youth from the DCF sys.tern). Mr. Hite has spoken with Families of Power and understands the Authority's responsibility to the families from applicant to occupant. Unfortunately, he said, he has no staff resources for additional programming. Ms. Hochstadt said it would be ideal to have earlier intervention so the families don't dig themselves such a large financial hole. Mr. Hite praised the Tenancy Preservation Project, which works with tenants at risk of eviction. Discussion followed. Using something like the RSVP program to locate a retired person to assist families with budgeting and financial management might be a possibility. The Federal "Moving to Work program was mentioned, and the Family Self Sufficiency Program. Mr. Hite said he does not know much about those programs, though the NHA does refer families with Section 8 Vouchers interested in the FSS program. All agreed to think more about possible resources in the new year. With regard to the issue of using Section 8 vouchers in a market where landlords have no incentive because the market rate rents are so much higher than fair market rents set by HUD, Mr. Hite said if he asked for exception rent increases, they would have to serve fewer households. Currently the NHA used a payment standard 110% of the FMR's. Relative to the quarterly meetings that were held with Casa Latina to improve customer service, he said the communication problem has been resolved with some staff changes that resulted in hiring additional bi-lingual staff. Trainings are occurring on disability accommodations and cultural diversity. Capital improvement projects were discussed (elevator and roof repair at the McDonald House and roof repair at Forsander). Mr. Hite was thanked for his attendance and he agreed to follow up on several items and get back to the Partnership. Adjourn/ The meeting concluded at 7:15 p.m. The next meeting will be held January 9th, as the 2nd is a holiday. Respectfully submitted, Peg Keller 3