RAB Minutes

RAB Minutes

MINUTES OF RESIDENT ADVISORY BOARD (RAB) MEETING ON REVISIONS TO THE ANNUAL PLAN FOR 2008 AND FIVE YEAR PLAN FOR 2008-2012 FOR HOUSING AUTHORITY OF CLACKAMAS COUNTY (HACC)

Held: July 14, 2008

The following Resident Advisory Board (RAB) members attended the meeting: Karen Patterson, Audie Staten, Al Hudson, Betty Hudson, Elaine Kouva, Tosha Hines, Tony (Anthony) Monteiro, Beverly Terry, Linda Israelson, Linda Keener, and Marjorie Frith.

Staff from the Housing Authority were: Trell Anderson – Executive Director; Jon Garcia – Housing Services Supervisor; Jane Brown – Human Services Coordinator; Jemila Hart – Resident Services Specialist; Sonja Souder and Lisa Herrera – Property Managers. Also attending were: Toni Karter – Administrative Analyst; Debbie Greene – Office Specialist – Wait List; Elena Sizmin – Office Specialist – Russian Services; Gary Knepper – FSS Coordinator.

In addition, Ron Rubino of Legal Services of Oregon attended.

Welcome and Introductions

Trell Anderson, Executive Director, opened the meeting. He then highlighted some of the HACC successes in the last year:

1. Transition to Asset Management with site-based Property Managers in Public Housing. If HACC did not make the transition, HUD would have started taking away funds. HACC would have lost $250,000 in operating funds. In addition, Rich Cronk, Finance Manager, made an appeal to HUD to save an additional $200,000 in HUD funding.

2. HACC maintained High Performer status which resulted in an additional amount of approximately $50,000 for the Capital Fund. As a result of all of the above, approximately $500,000 in Public Housing funds were saved or maintained in the last year.

Overview of Revisions to Annual Plan and Five-Year Plan

Toni Karter, Administrative Analyst, reviewed the background, purpose, and process for the Annual Plan and Five-Year Plan. She said substantial changes were being made to the Plans so that was the purpose of the Resident Advisory Board (RAB) meeting. Comment: Ron Rubino, Legal Services of Oregon, asked if there were optional changes in addition to mandatory changes in the Plans. Response: Trell Anderson said that was correct.

Review of Plans

Public Housing Changes

Site-Based Wait Lists: (pp. 16-17 of draft PHA Plans). Under the change to site-based wait lists, there will be 20 different wait lists based on 8 locations. A family can be on a maximum of 2 wait lists. The wait lists are based on bedroom size so there are actually only 8 locations available. Toni Karter and Debbie Greene explained that, even if it were possible, a family would not want to be on all 20 wait lists because a family might want a particular geographic location, such as Oregon City.

Under the site-based wait list system, a family can apply for the wait lists in an area where the family wants to live. Under the previous system, a family often had to accept a unit in a geographic area that they did not want, such as in a rural part of the county.

Comment: Ron Rubino asked for an explanation of how the new site-based wait system would work. Response: Debbie Greene said the proposed plan is to have a wait list for Oregon City that includes Oregon City View Manor and Clackamas Heights. So the family could choose the Oregon City wait list as the first choice and a scattered site wait list for their second choice, for example.

Comment: Ron Rubino asked if an applicant can choose between Hillside Manor and Hillside Park. Response: Toni Karter replied that an applicant could choose because Hillside Manor is a multi-family complex, HACC would distinguish it from the single-family dwellings at Hillside Park and therefore would be on different wait lists. Response: Lisa Herrera said the Oregon City sites have 1 through 4 bedroom units. Hillside Park has 1&2 bedroom units while almost all of the units in Hillside Manor are 1 bedroom units.

Comment: Ron Rubino asked if public housing residents could still be on the Section 8 wait list after the proposed change. Response: Toni Karter said public housing residents who were on the Section 8 wait list before the planned wait list closure later this year would remain on the Section 8 wait list until they came to the top of that list. People could apply for two public housing waitlists and still apply separately for the Section 8 waitlist.

Comment: Marjorie Frith asked if a family could be on the wait lists for both Hillside Park and Hillside Manor. Response: Debbie Greene said there are 1&2 bedroom units at Hillside Park, but Hillside Manor had almost all 1 bedroom units, except for a few 2 bedroom units that only occasionally became available and/or are handicap accessible, but if they wanted to they could. As an example, if a family that needed a 2 bedroom unit wanted to live in Milwaukie, they could apply for the Hillside Park wait list and the Milwaukie scattered site wait list, but there are not many 2 bedroom units at the scattered sites.

Comment: Betty Hudson wondered if a family would go to bottom of the wait list if they turned down a unit on both of the site-based wait lists. Response: Toni Karter replied that the family would be classified as inactive and removed from the wait list.

Comment: Elaine Kouva said a handicapped-accessible unit on her street had been vacant for several months. She asked why it was still empty since the wait list is so long. Response:
Lisa Herrera and Debbie Greene said when a handicapped-accessible-unit becomes available, HACC has to contact people in order on the wait list who indicated the need for such a unit.

In addition, the families also need adequate time to respond if they can be contacted. Due to the length of the wait list, some of the families who HACC attempts to contact may no longer have a valid address or phone number or may no longer need an accessible unit. Toni Karter said if the wait list was shorter vacant units could be filled sooner because the addresses and contact information would not be so out of date.

Comment: Marjorie Frith asked if there was a rule that a certain number of families have to be shown a unit before it can be rented. Response: Toni Karter said the first family that agrees to take the unit can have it.

Toni Karter explained the proposed changes to the unit occupancy standard. There would no longer be a zero bedroom classification and the number of persons per unit standard would change, etc.

Toni Karter said all of the applicants who are on the Public Housing wait list will be sent a letter detailing the new wait list policy and the procedure to sign up for the wait lists they want. They can sign up or get more information at the HACC main administrative office or at one of the HACC development management offices.

Section 8 Changes

Toni Karter explained the admissions preference for referrals from the Bridges to Housing Program (B2H). (See page 22 of draft PHA Plans). The preference is for B2H participants who have met the requirements of the program for six months and have been referred by Clackamas County Social Services.

Comment: Audi Staton asked if more than 20 vouchers would available through the B2H program due to the large number of homeless families. Response: Trell Anderson said the B2H program is new so the number of vouchers should meet anticipated needs for the next two years. Trell discussed the background of B2H and the Rapid Re-Housing component. He explained that B2H was a joint project involving the four Portland metro counties as well as major foundations.

Comment: In reference to the Violence Against Women Act, Karen Patterson asked if a woman with children would lose her subsidized housing if she was a victim of domestic violence. Response: Lisa Herrera said the woman would have to show HACC proof that she was a victim of domestic violence, and she would be moved to the next available unit for her protection. Response: Ron Rubino said the victim could get a restraining order so the abuser could be removed from the unit by law enforcement so the family could remain in the unit.

Comment: Ron Rubino asked what goal HACC was trying to accomplish with the new preference. He said by referring homeless families through the school liaisons this excludes families whose children are not in school or who are not in contact with the school liaisons. Response: Trell Anderson said B2H can help children to remain in the same school district which can better support the families in achieving their goals in the B2H program. He said B2H has a measurement component so the program can track how the families are doing.

Comment: Ron Rubino said B2H appears to be emphasizing success rather than need. He said the selection process for B2H seems like “creaming" - taking families who are easier to work with. Response: Trell Anderson said B2H is a new resource to serve homeless families and is an important part of the 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness.

Comment: Ron Rubino said Elizabeth Santane, formerly of the local HUD office, had been concerned about displacing to other organizations the gatekeeper role of families getting subsidized housing. She had explained her concern to the Housing Authority of Portland. Response: Toni Karter said Clackamas County Social Services refers families to HACC who have met the B2H participation requirements for at least six months. Trell Anderson said HUD and Ron Rubino would hold HACC responsible for administering the program correctly.

Toni Karter reviewed the purposed change to project-based vouchers for the B2H program. Originally HACC had planned to provide tenant-based vouchers for the program, but use of these vouchers often necessitated parents to move their children out of the school district which interfered with their educational progress and access to services.

Toni then summarized the Changes to the Housing Choice Voucher Administrative Plan (“Section 8”) and the Admissions and Occupancy Policy for Public Housing that were detailed in the prepared handouts for RAB members. Toni then reviewed the timeline for adoption of the proposed changes to the Annual Plan and Five-Year Plan.

Comment: Toni Monteiro asked if all of the HACC funds had to go for housing. He asked abut funds for a community sports league for softball, basketball, etc. for public housing residents. Response: Jane Brown said if there was enough interest funds might be available for a short-term sports tournament or for bowling, etc. She said the City of Oregon City might have some funds available for activities for children in public housing in the area.

Trell Anderson reviewed the ten-year plan for redevelopment of the HACC public housing properties. Comment: Betty Hudson said several residents at Hillside Park had beautiful yards with trees and plants that are very valuable. She wondered what would happen to the yards. Response: Trell Anderson said the type of redevelopment is not known yet so it is not possible to answer the question. The residents will be involved and notified of changes as redevelopment progresses.

Comment: Toni Monteiro asked who would do the redevelopment. Response: Trell Anderson said the planning would done by HACC and the redevelopment would be performed a private developer.

Comment: Marjorie Frith asked if a shopping center might be built at the end of Holcomb Boulevard in Oregon City. Response Trell Anderson said commercial development in the area might be a possibility, but this would not occur for several years. In addition, he said that in the next five years there probably would not be redevelopment of Oregon City View Manor and Clackamas Heights due to the depressed real estate market.

Comment: Linda Israelson asked how HACC could move hundreds of residents out for redevelopment. Response: Trell Anderson said HACC plans to apply for a HOPE VI grant that
contains funding for resident relocation and voucher-based assistance. Comment: Audi Staton
asked when the HOPE VI grant would be submitted. Response: Trell said the grant will be
submitted in April 2009.

Comment: Elaine Kouva asked how long the wait list would be closed. Response: Toni Karter said the wait list would be closed for at least two years.

Comment: Elaine Kouva asked when new handbooks for public housing residents would be available. Response: Lisa Herrera said the new handbooks are at the printer and should be available in the next few weeks.

The RAB meeting was adjourned at 3:00 PM.