CCMIN 04202021 - Laserfiche WebLink

In response to City Manager Fialho's inquiry, City Attorney Sodergren agreed it makes sense to hear the Civic Arts and Housing Grants together now that Councilmember Arkin has rejoined the meeting and Councilmember Narum is unable to vote on the current motion. Housing Program Manager Hernandez reported the Housing Commission reviewed seven grant applications and recommended funding for all applicants totaling $465,234. He advised staff is recommending all seven applicants receive their full funding requests similar to the Human Services Grants requiring an additional $49,245 from the Lower Income Housing Fund. He advised this would bring the funding allocations to $388,544 from the Lower Income Housing Fund and $125,925 from federal HOME funds. He detailed the individual awards. In response to Councilmember Testa's inquiries, Housing Program Manager Hernandez confirmed all of the grants in this category are receiving full funding. He confirmed Centro Legal de la Raza will be working with residents once the eviction moratorium ends. In response to Councilmember Testa's inquiry, Assistant City Manager Dolan stated Habitat for Humanity has a substantial amount of carry-over funds. He advised the City made some significant changes to the program in August 2020 and those changes have not been in effect long enough to see the results of the changes. He reported the program came with direction from City Council to increase the amount of outreach. He detailed multiple new distribution channels taken by the City leading to an uptick in interest but stated not enough time has gone by to evaluate the impact. Councilmember Testa remarked that the Habitat for Humanity grant has consistently underperformed, and she is concerned they are not serving the residents. She noted there is a high administrative cost with Habitat for Humanity. She advised there are unused funds and noted the Meals on Wheels staff would know the most vulnerable senior citizens in town. She recommends the City make contact and not just mail a flier. She made suggestions to modify the program further. She requested there be benchmarks and expectations for completion of work with active tracking of results. Mayor Brown opened the public hearing. Jen Gray, Director of Home Preservation for Habitat for Humanity East Bay/Silicon Valley stated her team administers and runs housing programs in 11 jurisdictions over three counties. She explained it is a Housing Rehabilitation Program and does not provide case management and companionship. She advised the program assesses the built environment and addresses code violations and health and safety needs. She advised it leverages government money noting it is inherently bureaucratic. She reported they often receive applications, go through the inspection, draw up the work, and then the homeowner will not sign it. She advised the applicants also must have the capacity to navigate construction in their houses. She expressed her frustration at the number of people who refuse help. Habitat for Humanity is an organization most people have heard of with a mission of homeownership. She advised they often feel out of their depth because they are not trained as case managers or social workers but regularly encounter issues like hoarding, dementia, neglect, loneliness, and too many pets. She noted their policy is to call everybody back at least three times and that the necessary documentation can be hard if the applicant does not have a family member or neighbor to assist. She reported it is in their Fiscal Year 2021/22 budget to hire a full-time Program Specialist who will function similarly to a case manager. Mayor Brown closed the public hearing. In response to Mayor Brown's inquiry, City Attorney Sodergren advised making a single motion for both the Civic Arts and Housing Grants would be appropriate as opposed to amending the previous motion. City Council Minutes Page 13 of 15 April 20, 2021