HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 01122016 - Housing Authority
CALENDAR FOR THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
BOARD CHAMBERS ROOM 107, COUNTY ADMINISTRATION BUILDING
651 PINE STREET
MARTINEZ, CALIFORNIA 94553-1229
CANDACE ANDERSEN, CHAIR
MARY N. PIEPHO, VICE CHAIR
JOHN GIOIA
KAREN MITCHOFF
FEDERAL D. GLOVER
FAY NATHANIEL
JANNEL GEORGE-ODEN
JOSEPH VILLARREAL, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, (925) 957-8000
Persons who wish to address the Board during Public Comment or with respect to an item
that is on the agenda will be limited to three (3) minutes. The Board Chair may reduce the amount
of time allotted per speaker at the beginning of each item or public comment period
depending on the number of speakers and the business of the day.
Your patience is appreciated.
A closed session may be called at the discretion of the Board Chair.
Staff reports related to open session items on the agenda are also accessible on line at
www.co.contra-costa.ca.us.
ANNOTATED AGENDA & MINUTES
January 12, 2016
1:30 P.M. Convene and call to order.
CONSIDER CONSENT ITEMS: (Item listed as C.1 on the following agenda ) - Items are
subject to removal from the Consent Calendar by request from any Commissioner or on
request for discussion by a member of the public. Items removed from the Consent
Calendar will be considered with the Discussion Items.
DISCUSSION ITEMS
D. 1 CONSIDER Consent Items previously removed.
There were no items removed for discussion.
D. 2 RATIFY the Housing Choice Voucher payment standards for the Housing Authority
January 12, 2016 Contra Costa County Housing Authority Minutes 1
D. 2 RATIFY the Housing Choice Voucher payment standards for the Housing Authority
of the County of Contra Costa effective December 11, 2015.
Commissioner John Gioia AYE
Commissioner Candace Andersen AYE
Commissioner Mary N. Piepho AYE
Commissioner Karen Mitchoff AYE
Commissioner Federal D. Glover AYE
Commissioner Fay Nathaniel ABSENT
Commissioner Aqueela Bowie ABSENT
D. 3 PUBLIC COMMENT (3 Minutes/Speaker)
There were no requests to speak.
Closed Session Agenda
A. CONFERENCE WITH LABOR NEGOTIATORS (Govt. Code Section 54957.6(a))
1. Agency Negotiators: Fran Buchanan and Shaunesy Behrens
Employee Organizations: Public Employees Union, Local No. 1
2. Agency Negotiators: Fran Buchanan and Joseph Villarreal
Unrepresented Employees: All unrepresented agency management employees and all other
unrepresented agency employees
ADJOURN
Adjourned to Closed Session at 1:45 p.m. Adjourned the meeting at 2:05 p.m.
CONSENT ITEMS:
C. 1 RATIFY the Housing Authority’s (HACCC) submission of a Juvenile Reentry
Assistance Program (JRAP) grant application to the U.S. Department of Housing and
Urban Development (HUD); and
RATIFY HACCC’s Executive Director’s execution of the Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU) between HACCC and the Contra Costa County Public Defender's
(CCCPD) office to provide services under the grant to reentry youth up to 24 years old
which will support their successful transition to the community by reducing barriers to
public housing, employment and/or educational opportunities, as recommended by the
HACCC Executive Director.
January 12, 2016 Contra Costa County Housing Authority Minutes 2
Commissioner John Gioia AYE
Commissioner Candace Andersen AYE
Commissioner Mary N. Piepho AYE
Commissioner Karen Mitchoff AYE
Commissioner Federal D. Glover AYE
Commissioner Fay Nathaniel ABSENT
Commissioner Aqueela Bowie ABSENT
GENERAL INFORMATION
Persons who wish to address the Board of Commissioners should complete the form provided for
that purpose and furnish a copy of any written statement to the Clerk.
All matters listed under CONSENT ITEMS are considered by the Board of Commissioners to be
routine and will be enacted by one motion. There will be no separate discussion of these items
unless requested by a member of the Board or a member of the public prior to the time the
Commission votes on the motion to adopt.
Persons who wish to speak on matters set for PUBLIC HEARINGS will be heard when the Chair
calls for comments from those persons who are in support thereof or in opposition thereto. After
persons have spoken, the hearing is closed and the matter is subject to discussion and action by the
Board.
Comments on matters listed on the agenda or otherwise within the purview of the Board of
Commissioners can be submitted to the office of the Clerk of the Board via mail: Board of
Commissioners, 651 Pine Street Room 106, Martinez, CA 94553; by fax: 925-335-1913; or via the
County’s web page: www.co.contracosta.ca.us, by clicking “Submit Public Comment” (the last
bullet point in the left column under the title “Board of Commissioners.”)
The County will provide reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities planning to
attend Board meetings who contact the Clerk of the Board at least 24 hours before the meeting, at
(925) 335-1900; TDD (925) 335-1915. An assistive listening device is available from the Clerk,
Room 106. Copies of taped recordings of all or portions of a Board meeting may be purchased
from the Clerk of the Board. Please telephone the Office of the Clerk of the Board, (925)
335-1900, to make the necessary arrangements.
Applications for personal subscriptions to the monthly Board Agenda may be obtained by calling
the Office of the Clerk of the Board, (925) 335-1900. The monthly agenda may also be viewed on
the County’s internet Web Page: www.co.contra-costa.ca.us
The Closed session agenda is available each month upon request from the Office of the Clerk of the
Board, 651 Pine Street, Room 106, Martinez, California, and may also be viewed on the County’s
Web Page.
January 12, 2016 Contra Costa County Housing Authority Minutes 3
AGENDA DEADLINE: Thursday, 12 noon, 12 days before the Tuesday Board meetings.
January 12, 2016 Contra Costa County Housing Authority Minutes 4
RECOMMENDATIONS
RATIFY the Housing Choice Voucher payment standards for the Housing Authority of the County of Contra Costa
effective December 11, 2015.
BACKGROUND
Payment standards are used to calculate the housing assistance payment (HAP), or subsidy, that a housing authority
(HA) will pay on behalf of families leasing units under the program. Each HA must establish a schedule of payment
standard amounts by bedroom size. The range of possible payment standard amounts is based on HUD’s published
fair market rent (FMR) schedule for the FMR area within which the HA has jurisdiction. HACCC’s payment
standards are based on the FMRs for the Oakland-Fremont, CA Metro FMR area which includes all of Alameda and
Contra Costa Counties. FMRs are based on the 40th percentile of rents charged for standard housing in the FMR area.
This is the dollar amount below which 40 percent of the standard-quality rental housing units are rented. HAs may set
their payment standards amounts from 90% to 110% of the published FMRs without HUD approval. Payment
standards can be set higher or lower than this basic range in response to market conditions with HUD approval.
The level at which the payment standards are set directly affects the amount of subsidy a family will receive, and the
amount of rent paid by program participants. If the payment standard amount is too low:
Families may need to pay more for rent than they can afford; or
Families may have a hard time finding acceptable units or units in more desirable areas; or
Housing choices will be narrowed and the HA’s efforts to affirmatively further fair housing will be undermined.
Action of Board On: 01/12/2016 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED OTHER
Clerks Notes:
VOTE OF COMMISSIONERS
AYE:John Gioia, Commissioner
Candace Andersen,
Commissioner
Mary N. Piepho,
Commissioner
Karen Mitchoff,
Commissioner
Federal D. Glover,
Commissioner
ABSENT:Fay Nathaniel,
Commissioner
Aqueela Bowie,
Commissioner
Contact: 925-957-8028
I hereby certify that this is a true and correct copy of an action taken and entered on the minutes of the
Board of Supervisors on the date shown.
ATTESTED: January 12, 2016
Joseph Villarreal, Executive Director
By: June McHuen, Deputy
cc:
D. 2
To:Contra Costa County Housing Authority Board of Commissioners
From:Joseph Villarreal, Housing Authority
Date:January 12, 2016
Contra
Costa
County
Subject:Housing Choice Voucher Payment Standards Effective December 11, 2015
January 12, 2016 Contra Costa County Housing Authority Minutes 5
BACKGROUND (CONT'D)
>
If the payment standards amounts are too high, owners may be encouraged to ask for higher than reasonable rents.
As approved by the Board on May 12, 2015 and September 15, 2015, HACCC's payment standards are currently set
at 95% of FMR for all areas of the County except for Danville, El Cerrito, Lafayette, Pleasant Hill, San Ramon and
Walnut Creek. Payment standards are set at 110% of the FMRs for these cities in order to minimize future loss of
vouchers there and also in an effort to minimize voucher concentration in other parts of the County.
As discussed at the Board's September meeting, the FMRs for Alameda and Contra Costa Counties declined for the
current federal fiscal year despite significant price increases in the rental market. HACCC and other housing agencies
in the two counties have been working with HUD staff on ways to address this disparity. While HUD has determined
that the new FMRs cannot be changed at this time due to statutory notice and review requirements, on December 11,
2015, HUD authorized HACCC to implement Exception Payment Standards of up to 125% of the new FMRs as an
interim step to address the disparity between the market rents and the HUD published FMRs. HACCC and the other
housing agencies in the two counties have funded a rent study that is designed to meet the statutory requirements to
update the final FMR amounts for this federal fiscal year. Staff will update the Board on the results of that study and
HUD's response to it.
The existing FMRs and payment standards (PS) are shown below.
Bedrooms 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Existing
FMR/Month $1,039 $1,260 $1,585 $2,213 $2,716 $3,123 $3,531 $3,938
95% PS $987 $1,197 $1,506 $2,102 $2,580 $2,967 $3,354 $3,741
110% PS $ 1,142 $ 1,386 $ 1,743 $ 2,434 $ 2,987 $ 3,435 $ 3,883 $ 4,331
HUD publishes fair market rents annually. The federal fiscal year 2016 FMRs for HACCC’s jurisdiction were
published effective December 11, 2015 with slight modifications from the amounts originally proposed by HUD. As
expected, they decreased from the previous FMRs. The final FMRs, along with the percent decline for each, are
shown below.
Bedrooms 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
FMR/Month $1,037 $1,249 $1,580 $2,202 $2,455 $2,823 $3,192 $3,560
Change -0.19%-0.87%-0.32%-0.50%-9.6%-9.6%-9.6%-9.6%
The proposed payment standards below implement the HUD-approved 125% exception for every city and area in
HACCC's jurisdiction with the exception of the East County cities of Antioch, Bay Point, Bethel Island, Brentwood,
Byron, Discovery Bay, Knightsen and Oakley. Payment standards will be set at 125% of the FMRs for every City
outside of East County in order to minimize future loss of vouchers in those areas and also in an effort to minimize
voucher concentration in East County. The East County payment standards will remain at their existing values.
Bedrooms 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
East County $987 $1,197 $1,506 $2,102 $2,580 $2,967 $3,354 $3,741
125% PS $1,296 $1,561 $1,975 $2,752 $3,068 $3,528 $3,990 $4,450
To minimize the number of cases that will have to be re-adjusted, the new 125% exception payment standards will
only apply to new contracts processed with effective dates of December 11, 2015 or later. For all other annual
certifications, the new exception payment standards will apply on March 1, 2016.
FISCAL IMPACT
Funding for this program is provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Funding
for the proposed change is provided for in the Housing Authority of the County of Contra Costa's (HACCC) current
budget.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTIONJanuary 12, 2016 Contra Costa County Housing Authority Minutes 6
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION
Should the Board of Commissioners not ratify the proposed exception payment standards, or others that are in a
range approved by HUD, then HACCC will not be in compliance with HUD regulations and could be subject to
financial sanctions or other penalties.
CLERK'S ADDENDUM
January 12, 2016 Contra Costa County Housing Authority Minutes 7
RECOMMENDATIONS
RATIFY the Housing Authority’s (HACCC) submission of a Juvenile Reentry Assistance Program (JRAP) grant
application to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD); and
RATIFY HACCC’s Executive Director’s execution of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between HACCC
and the Contra Costa County Public Defender's (CCCPD) office to provide services under the grant to reentry youth
up to 24 years old which will support their successful transition to the community by reducing barriers to public
housing, employment and/or educational opportunities, as recommended by the HACCC Executive Director.
BACKGROUND
Criminal records, both juvenile and adult, have a significant impact on an individual’s ability to obtain academic
degrees, find work, and secure affordable housing. Barriers to housing, education, employment, health care, and
insurance are chief among the tangible consequences. A criminal offense on one’s record keeps an individual from
fully realizing his or her potential.
Juvenile reentry strategies too often do not include legal services, and the legal aid community often lacks resources
to independently address expungement and collateral consequences. In response, HUD and the U.S. Department of
Justice (DOJ) are joining forces through the JRAP program to expand the opportunities of: 1) current public housing
resident youth up to 24 years old who have a criminal record and/or 2) former household members (who are youth up
to 24 years old) of current public housing residents who, but for their criminal record, would be living in public
housing.
Action of Board On: 01/12/2016 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED OTHER
Clerks Notes:
VOTE OF COMMISSIONERS
AYE:John Gioia, Commissioner
Candace Andersen,
Commissioner
Mary N. Piepho,
Commissioner
Karen Mitchoff,
Commissioner
Federal D. Glover,
Commissioner
ABSENT:Fay Nathaniel,
Commissioner
Aqueela Bowie,
Commissioner
Contact: 925-957-8028
I hereby certify that this is a true and correct copy of an action taken and entered on the minutes of the
Board of Supervisors on the date shown.
ATTESTED: January 12, 2016
Joseph Villarreal, Executive Director
By: June McHuen, Deputy
cc:
C. 1
To:Contra Costa County Housing Authority Board of Commissioners
From:Joseph Villarreal, Housing Authority
Date:January 12, 2016
Contra
Costa
County
Subject:Juvenile Reentry Assistance Program Application and Memorandum OF Understanding
January 12, 2016 Contra Costa County Housing Authority Minutes 8
BACKGROUND (CONT'D)
>
HUD and the DOJ will award approximately $1.75 million in grants of up to $100,000 each to support successful
transitions into communities around the country by youth with criminal or juvenile records. HUD expects to make
approximately 18 awards nationally under this grant. If HACCC's application is successful, its primary
responsibilities will be grant oversight and conducting outreach to public housing residents to identify eligible
individuals. CCCPD's primary responsibilities will be to work with eligible individuals to expunge/seal/correct
their juvenile and criminal records. All services must be in accord with state law and services will not be made
available to those with criminal records for making methamphetamine on public housing property, with criminal
records of sex offenders on the lifetime sex offender registry and for those with criminal records where the crime
was domestic violence or a Part I Violent Crime. HUD estimates that the grants will become effective on April 1,
2016 and will end on September 30, 2017.
HACCC and the Public Defender's office were first made aware of this grant opportunity on December 3, 2015,
by the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) and decided to pursue the grant about one week later. LSC is an
independent nonprofit established by Congress in 1974 to provide financial support for civil legal aid to
low-income Americans. Because the application deadline of January 4, 2016 was prior to an available Board
meeting, HACCC submitted the grant application with the understanding that if the Board did not approve, the
application would be withdrawn. Also, since HUD required an existing partnership as a condition of eligibility,
HACCC and CCCPD signed an MOU to provide services under this grant. The MOU is not effective if the grant is
not awarded. The MOU is attached to this Board Order.
FISCAL IMPACT
Funding for this program is provided by HUD and will not exceed $100,000. Of this amount, $93,000 will go to
CCCPD to fund direct legal services and $7,000 will go to HACCC to fund outreach.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION
Should the Board of Commissioners not ratify the submission of the JRAP application and the attached MOU,
staff will withdraw the existing application.
CLERK'S ADDENDUM
ATTACHMENTS
JRAP MOU
January 12, 2016 Contra Costa County Housing Authority Minutes 9
January 12, 2016 Contra Costa County Housing Authority Minutes 10
January 12, 2016 Contra Costa County Housing Authority Minutes 11
January 12, 2016 Contra Costa County Housing Authority Minutes 12
January 12, 2016 Contra Costa County Housing Authority Minutes 13