HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 08122008 - SD.3 HOUSING AUTHORI'TY-OF THE COUNTY OF CONTRA COSTA
TO: BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
FROM: Joseph Villarreal, Executive Director
DATE: August 12, 2008
SUBJECT: ENDORSEMENT OF HOUSING AMERICA PROCLAMATION 2008
SPECIFIC REQUEST(S) OR RECOMMENDATION(S) & BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION
I. RECOMMENDED ACTION:
AUTHORIZE the Chair of the Board of Commissioners of the Housing Authority of the County of
Contra Costa to sign the Housing America Proclamation 2008 endorsing the Housing America
Campaign, its goals, objectives and purposes.
II. FINANCIAL IMPACT:
None.
III. REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATION/BACKGROUND
The Housing America Campaign is an ongoing effort to inform the public and decision makers
about the need to meet the country's affordable housing and community development challenges.
The campaign was begun by the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials
(NAHRO). NAHRO has been joined in this campaign by partners,from the non-profit,
governmental, and private sectors. These partners include the following organizations:
• Council of Large Public Housing Authorities
• Public Housing Authorities Directors Association
• American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
• Enterprise Community Partners
• Habitat for Humanity International
• Housing Assistance Council
• Local IniG ives Support Corporation
• Manufactured Housing Institute
• Mortgage Bankers Association
• National'Affordable Housing Management Association
CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: YES SIGNATURE
,oseph Villarreal, Executive Director
RECOMMENDATION OF EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE
APPROVE OTHER
SIGNATURE(S):
ACTION OF BOARD ON A04 APPROVEDS RECOMMENDED
VOTE OF COMMISSIONERS
I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A
UNANIMOUS (ABSENT ) TRUE AND CORRECT COPY OF AN
AYES: NOES: ACTION TAKEN AND ENTERED ON THE
ABSENT:_ ABSTAIN: MINUTES OF TI IE BOARD OF
COMMISSIO ,RS ON THE DATE SHOWN.
ATTESTED
JOSrof VILLARREAL,CLERK OF
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
B Y
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• National Alliance of Community Economic Development Associations
• National Association of Counties
• National Association of Home Builders
• National Association of Realtors
• National Council of State Housing Agencies
• National Housing Conference
• National Housing Trust
• National League of Cities
• National Leased Housing Association
• National Low Income Housing Coalition
• U.S. Conference of Mayors
Staff recommends that the Board join these organizations along with hundreds of local agencies in
support of this campaign.
IV. CONSEQUENCES OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
Should the Board of Commissioners elect not to authorize the Chair to sign the Housing America
Proclamation, the Authority will not be on record as supporting this important campaign.
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PROCLAMATION IN SUPPORT OF
THE 2008 HOUSING AMERICA CAMPAIGN
WHEREAS for more than 70 years it has been the policy of this nation, under the US
Housing Act to promote the general welfare of the nation by employing its funds and
credit to assist the several states and their political subdivisions to remedy the unsafe and
unsanitary housing conditions and the acute shortage of decent, safe and sanitary
dwellings for families of lower income;
WHEREAS, according to the "State of the Nation's IIousing" report, 15.6 million
households now pay more than half of their income for housing;
WHEREAS, according to current estimates, on any given night, there are nearly 750,000
homeless nationwide and up to 3.5 million persons who experience homelessness at some
point throughout the year, including over 4,000 persons in Contra Costa County;
WHEREAS, according to the National Low-Income housing Coalition's "Out of Reach"
report, minimum wage earners are unable to afford even a.one-bedroom home anywhere
in the country, and 88% of renters in cities live in areas where the fair market rent for a
two-bedroom rental is not affordable even with two minimum wage jobs;
WHEREAS, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, 54,770 households (55%) in Contra
Costa County paid more than 30% of their income for rent and 27,636 households
(27.5%) paid more than 50% of their income for rent;
WHEREAS, according to the National Housing Conference, health care workers and
many other working professionals are priced out of homeownership in the majority of
U.S. metropolitan areas nationwide;
WHEREAS, according to the ILousing Assistance Council, 1.7 million (6.3 percent) of
rural homes were considered substandard in 2005,
WHEREAS public housing is home to over 2 million people, more than 40 percent of
whom are children, and currently receives federal funding at less than 82 percent of need
for ongoing operations and faces an estimated $18 billion - $20 billion backlog in capital
repairs;
WHEREAS, the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials;
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees; Council of Large
Public Housing Authorities; Enterprise Community Partners; Habitat for Humanity
International, Housing Assistance Council; Local Initiatives Support Corporation;
Manufactured Housing Institute; Mortgage Bankers Association; National Association of
Counties; National Affordable Housing Management Association; National Association
of Home Builders; National Association of Realtors;National Council of State Housing
Agencies; National Housing Conference;National Housing Trust; National League of
Cities; National Leased Housing Association; National Low-Income Housing Coalition;
Public Housing Authorities Directors Association; and U.S. Conference of Mayors are
united in an effort to raise public awareness of the importance of affordable housing and
community development programs and resources;
WHEREAS, the aforementioned groups have declared April Housing America Month,
part of a year-long, national campaign to inform the public and decision makers of the
critical need to address the nation's .housing and community development concerns;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Board of Commissioners of the Housing
Authority of the County of Contra Costa, which has, over a period of many years,
endeavored to address affordable housing and community development needs and has
been successful in doing so using a combination of local, state and federal resources
hereby endorses the Housing America Campaign, its goals, objectives and purposes and
in so doing recommits itself to meeting the affordable housing and community
development needs of the community
(Date)
(Signature)
Federal Glover, Chair