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sr-041409-1i~- c;cyoe City Council Report Santa Monica City Council Meeting: April 14, 2009 Agenda Item: ~'-Z To: Housing Authority Chair and Board Members From: Andy Agle, Director, Housing and Economic Development Subject: Housing Authority of the City of Santa Monica 2009-2010 Annual Plan and 2009-2014 Five-Year Plan Recommended Action Staff recommends that the Housing Authority adopt the Santa Monica Housing Authority 2009-2010 Ahnual Plan and 2009-2014 Five Year Plan and authorize the Executive Director to submit the Annual and Five Year Plans to the United States Housing and Urban Development Agency (HUD). Executive Summary The Housing Authority administers the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program and other housing subsidy and service programs administered by HUD. A condition of this funding requires that the Authority establish an Annual Plan and Five Year Plan that details housing needs, and the goals and objectives of the Authority. This report presents these Plans and summarizes the significant proposed changes. Background In order to continue to receive federal funding for housing subsidy and service programs, HUD requires each housing. authority to prepare an Annual Plan and aFive- Year Plan. The plans are governed by HUD Form 50075, which is used to determine if changes should be made to basic Housing Authority policies, rules, and requirements concerning the Housing Authority's mission and strategies for serving the needs of low- income, very low-income and extremely low-income families. The Plans must include elements that have been revised since the previous submission to HUD, housing needs and strategies to address them, where the Plans may be obtained by the public, Civil Rights certification, financial resources including Fiscal Year Audit, and a progress report regarding the mission and goals of the Authority. The Plans also require the 1 inclusion of policies and procedures regarding eligibility, selection and admissions including waitlist and deconcentration of poverty, Violence Against Women Act, rent determinations, operation and management, grievance, and community service and self-sufficiency. Where allowed by regulation, all programs administered by the Housing Authority will prioritize Santa Monica residents on the wait list. Discussion The Housing Authority's Annual and Five-Year Plans must address housing needs data identified in the City of Santa Mohica's Consolidated Plan. The Authority also utilizes an Administrative Plari that more specifically addresses policies to operate the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program. The Administrative. Plan is currently under review by staff and revisions consistent with those proposed in these Plans will be brought to the Housing Authority Board later in 2009. Significant changes proposed for the 2009-2010 Annual Plan and Five-Year Plan include: • The Housing Authority struggles with maximizing utilization of the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program and the Family Self-Sufficiency Program due to the lack of housing units affordable to the target income of the program participants. Market-rate rents ih Santa Monica are consistently higher than program rents. Working families rarely have excess income to participate fully in the Family Self-Sufficiency Program, resulting in lower than desired participation. Those who do participate are highly successful and last year 15 participants graduated with a combined savings of $90,000. To mitigate low utilization of these programs, the Plans propose to provide the flexibility of offering project- based Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers through an open competitive process: Project based vouchers can reduce the search time for some program. participants and housing units are not as competitive as those in the open market. During the current fiscal year, the Housing Authority proposes to open the wait list process and maintain one "housing opportunity" list for all the applicants to the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher, Self-Sufficiency Program, and inclusionary housing units established under the Affordable Housing Production Program. Emergency programs such as Shelter Plus Care and the RDA program will not be included in the new waitlist process due to the program requirement to address urgent housing needs of those who participate in the programs. The proposed policy change is expected to better match. those- in need of housing with available housing resources. The City Council approved revisions to the 2 Affordable Housing Production Program on March 3, 2009, which included utilizing a master list for inclusionary units. The City established a "Service Registry" of Santa Monica residents that are chronically homeless. and most vulnerable due to age or disability. It is an urgent and significant City goal; consistent with HUD's goals, to provide housing to this population. The Housing Authority policies are thereby recommended to reflect a wait-list priority for this population. Housing staff will continue to work with other City departments and service agencies to link housing with services for this population. • The Plans recommend establishing a priority for homeless veterans to better utilize the Veterans Assistance Supportive Housing voucher program (VASH) which links services from the Veteran's Administration. • Where feasible, the Plans will enable the Housing Authority to authorize master leasing as a vehicle for utilizing available funds to more quickly address the lack of affordable housing options. Master leasing allows a provider to lease multiple housing units in a single building for a targeted population. Financial Impacts & Budget Actions Adoption of the Annual Plan and Five-Year Plans has no financial or budgetary impact, unless the Housing Authority fails to adopt these Plans, which could negatively affect all of Santa Monica's HUD-funded programs. Prepared by: Barbara Collins, Housing Manager Approved: Forwarded to Council: Andy Agle, Director Housing and Econo is Development Attachments: Attachment A: Annual Plan Attachment B: Five Year Plan 3 font Ewell anager ® Supplemental °~Y°f City Council Report Santa Monica City Council Meeting: April 14, 2009 Agenda Item: 1-I To: Housing Authority Chair and Board Members From: Andy Agle, Director, Housing and Economic Development Subject: Supplemental staff report regarding the Housing Authority of the City of Santa Monica 2009-2010 Annual Plan and 2009-2014 Five-Year Plan Recommended Action Staff recommends that the draft Annual and Five Year Plan be amended to include the following language in Section B.4 as a Tier 1 priority for the Housing Authority wait list: "An eviction pursuant to the EIIis Act or Civil Code section 798.56(g) of the Mobile home Residency Law". Discussion Staff is required to consider and include public comments in the Annual Plan. Staff received a verbal concern today regarding the potential displacement of the residents from the Village Mobile Home Park and how they would be considered under the proposed priority criteria. The Housing Authority currently provides protection for those persons who have been evicted through the Ellis Act with a priority on the Section 8 wait list. Staff recommends that residents displaced by the closure of a mobile home park receive the same protection with a Section 8 wait list priority. Following Council approval, the following language will be added to Section B.4 as a Tier 1 priority for the Housing Authority wait list. "An eviction pursuant to the Ellis Act or Civil Code section 798.56(g) of the Mobile home Residency Law". Financial Impacts & Budget Actions The proposed revision has not financial impact on the City. Prepared by: Barbara Collins, Housing Manager to Council: Andy Agle, Director /'~ '`~P.~nt Ewell Housing and Economic D velopment Ci anager ~ ~e l °~Y°f qty nib e Santa ~®~~ca City Council Meeting: April 14, 2009 Agenda Item: 1-I To: Housing Authority Chair and Board Members From: Andy Agle, Director, Housing and Economic Development Subject: Supplemental staff report regarding the Housing Authority of the-City of Santa Monica 2009-2010 Annual Plan and 2009-2014 Five-Year Plan Recommended Action Staff recommends that the draft Annual and Five Year Plan be amended to include the following language in Section B.4 as a Tier 1 priority for the Housing Authority wait list: "An eviction pursuant to the EIIis Act or Civil Code section 798.56(8) of the Mobile home Residency Law". Discussion Staff is required to consider and include public comments in the Annual Plan. Staff received a verbal concern today regarding the potential displacement of the residents from the Village Mobile Home Park and how they would be considered under the proposed priority criteria. The Housing Authority currently provides protection for those persons who have been evicted through the EIIis Act with a priority on the Section 8 wait list. Staff recommends that residents displaced by the closure of a mobile home park receive the same protection with a Section 8 wait list priority. Following Council approval, the following language will be added td Section B.4 as a Tier 1 priority for the Housing Authority wait list. "An eviction pursuant to the Ellis Actor Civil Code section 798.56(8) of the Mobile home Residency Law". Financial Impacts & Budget Actions The proposed revision has not financial impact on the City. Prepared by: Barbara Collins, Housing Manager to Council: Andy Agle, Director '-'P.~arrydnt Ewell Housing and Econom~ D velopment Ci anager Additional attachments available in City Clerk's Office.