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HomeMy WebLinkAboutApproved Minutes 1.4.24Attachment A Page 2 of 5 SKHHP Advisory Board January 4, 2024 MINUTES I. CALL TO ORDER Dorsol Plants called the meeting to order at 3:32 pm. II. ROLL CALL/ESTABLISHMENT OF QUORUM Advisory Board members present: Andrew Calkins, Uche Okezie, Ashley Kenny, Maju Qureshi, Cathy Sisk, Tina Narron. Other attendees: Claire Vanessa Goodwin, SKHHP; Dorsol Plants, SKHHP; Abby Anderson, KCRHA. III. NOVEMBER 2, 2023, MEETING MINUTES Maju Qureshi motioned to approve November 2, 2023 Minutes, Seconded by Tina Narron. (6-0) IV. ADVISORY BOARD’S 2024 WORK PLAN ITEM – COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT Dorsol Plants reviewed Goal 3 in the 2024 SKHHP Work Plan, which calls for SKHHP to advocate for South King County. The 2024 Work Plan is the first time the Advisory Board has been assigned an action item with indicators in the Work Plan. With the SKHHP jurisdictions having a deadline of December 2024 to complete their Comprehensive Plans, the next twelve months are the most significant opportunity for our community to impact the next twenty years of planning. When I think about community engagement, it can be broken down into five key areas: inform, consult, involve, collaborate, and empower. Each is essential and supports the other in a continual cycle of engagement. Part of the Advisory Board’s goal over the next year will be to determine where we best fit into these areas. Using the analogy of a neighborhood flood. I need to inform my neighbor that the flood is coming and consult with them about what we can do. Once we have consulted, I must involve my neighbor in acting about the flood and collaborate to ensure our efforts work cohesively. If I did my part right, my neighbor would be in a place to feel empowered to take on the same cycle with our next neighbor, and so on. The Advisory Board’s engagement will only require you to take on some key areas. With something as significant as the housing crisis, it will take many groups working together to complete the engagement cycle. We will work together and determine where to plug in and keep the cycle of engagement moving. Dorsol Plants asked, when you hear that the Advisory Board will work in collaboration with housing organizations and stakeholder groups to engage the community and elected officials, what does that mean to you? Tina Narron recommended coordinating with the Black Home Initiative (BHI). Uche Okezie suggested some of the housing organizations already working in South King County to help bring in the community instead of reinventing the wheel and using their channels. Dorsol Plants asked if there were specific housing organizations to consider. Tina Narron suggested Homestead Community Land Trust. Uche Okezie suggested Habitat for Humanity, which is well-branded and does a lot of community engagement already. Andrew Calkins suggested including groups serving tenants or permanent supportive housing such as MSC. The Eastside is considering organizing tours of affordable housing sites for elected officials. Uche Okezie mentioned that food can be a unifier and using food or a potluck with an educational event—a bazaar or marketplace that brings out people from the community. Maju Qureshi discussed a desire to hold a listening session on the misconceptions around homelessness. Attachment A Page 3 of 5 Claire Goodwin discussed that engaging the community with elected officials being invited is one way she interprets accomplishing Goal 3. Andrew Calkins added that the Advisory Board should cast a wide net to educate elected officials and community members. At a recent KCHA event in Bellevue, the community and elected officials were drawn in around a bridge replacement on a housing site. We should think about the unique ways we do our work and invite elected officials to events they might not get invited to. Dorsol Plants continued by asking how you would envision the Advisory Board accomplishing our part of the work plan. Uche Okezie suggested a housing trivia night, which Andrew Calkins supported. Ashley Kenny said she hoped to engage on the need for rental assistance and homelessness prevention. Maju Qureshi said it would be interesting to see data on how much taxpayers pay for long-term homelessness instead of providing more housing. Ashley Kenny supported the idea and mentioned that Mary's Place would have some information. Andrew Calkins said it could be helpful to explain to elected officials how affordable housing is built and the cost associated with it. Claire Goodwin added that it would likely interest the whole community. Uche Okezie mentioned a desire to learn more about "wrap-around" services and what it means for an organization to provide them. Maju Qureshi volunteered to provide an overview of MSC's wrap-around services. Uche Okezie added the need to provide more information on "post-purchase" support and ways to keep a new homeowner in their home after they buy it, including a look at how people can move up the housing ladder to greater stability and their long-term goals. Dorsol Plants concluded by assuring everyone that this will be an ongoing discussion. Tonight was to create a foundation for February when our new Advisory Board members join us in this work. V. ADVISORY BOARD CANDIDATE AND ONBOARDING UPDATE Dorsol Plants reviewed the Advisory Board recruitment process and the upcoming confirmation. After speaking with over forty individuals and organizations, thirteen applicants were interviewed over three days—a special thank you to Dr. Linda Smith and Maju Qureshi for helping to sit on the interview panel. The interviews were recorded and available for review for anyone interested. After some lengthy discussion, six candidates were selected, bringing the Advisory Board to fifteen members. This is the list of candidates for confirmation: Hamdi Abdulle, representing African Community Housing & Development Maria Arns Kent Hay Kathleen Hosfeld, representing Homestead Community Land Trust Olga Lindbom representing Open Doors for Multicultural Families Rumi Takahashi, representing SMR Architects Dorsol Plants was excited for the Advisory Board to meet the new members, and the final step is their confirmation at the January 19 Executive Board meeting. Dorsol Plants suggested that each new member be paired with one long-term member and that they go out for coffee or meet virtually to talk about the work of the Advisory Board. This would be part of the welcome and a place where new members could ask some questions besides SKHHP staff. Maju Qureshi, Andrew Calkins, Tina Narron, and Uche Okezie volunteered to help onboard the oncoming Advisory Board members. Attachment A Page 4 of 5 Dorsol Plants invited the current Advisory Board members to attend the January 19 Executive Board meeting. During the confirmation of the new Advisory Board members, there will be an opportunity for the current Board members to introduce themselves. Claire Goodwin added that she thought it would be an excellent way to reorient the Executive Board to who the Advisory Board is. VI. SKHHP SUBREGIONAL HOUSING PRESERVATION STRATEGIES UPDATE Dorsol Plants provided a brief update on the work the SoKiHo group has been doing around housing preservation. SoKiHo is made up of planners from the SKHHP cities and King County. Led by Chaney Skadsen, City of Federal Way, and Kristen Holdsworth, City of Kent, the group has been working to include preservation in their comprehensive plan work and finding ways to bring the work to the subregional level. Preservation is a significant amount of the effort to preserve affordable housing and is a high priority on the SKHHP Work Plan. The work also ties into anti-displacement; when a new apartment goes up that replaces an apartment with more bedrooms, the family is at risk of displacement. Claire Goodwin added that the South King County planners are required to address preservation and anti- displacement in their comprehensive plan. By combining their requirement to do this with SKHHP's charge in our work plan, we wanted to marry the two, and we appreciate our planners engaging in this work. The work will be more effective when we ally and uplift the need together. Once a more formal draft is ready, we will share SoKiHo's work with the Advisory Board. VII. UPDATES & ANNOUNCEMENTS Claire Goodwin updated the Advisory Board that since our last meeting, the Executive Board has considered the Advisory Board's Housing Capital Fund recommendation. The Executive Board slightly modified the recommendation based on new information, which increased the amount of funding for the MSC Victorian Place II project to include a 15% contingency, which increased the award to just under $800,000. If there are cost overruns, this amount is in place as a backup, and if the project comes in under the awarded amount, the additional funds will not be awarded. SKHHP staff are visiting individual SKHHP member City Councils to seek concurrence on the funding award throughout the first half of 2024. Dorsol Plants asked if there were topics or educational briefings the Advisory Board hoped staff would bring to future meetings. Uche Okezie suggested an update on the Comprehensive Plans and the updates each jurisdiction is working on. Maju Qureshi suggested a discussion of SKHHP Legislative Priority and an update on the Legislative Session in May or June. Dorsol Plants reminded the Advisory Board that the 2024 Legislative Priority is increasing funding for all aspects of affordable housing. Claire Goodwin asked if the Advisory Board found the individual city discussions helpful and offered to continue those briefings. The Advisory Board said it was helpful and good grounding but needed to be more condensed on specific items for the jurisdictions to discuss, like changes to the Housing Element. Dorsol Plants showed the 2024 Advisory Board meeting schedule and said there would be a discussion at the February meeting to determine if the day and time of the meeting still work. At a minimum, the July 4 meeting will need to be moved or canceled. Claire Goodwin informed the Advisory Board that conversations around the 2025 Work Plan and Budget development may begin next month. The process would be like last year’s and begin with a survey. As the contracting work around the Housing Capital Fund has increased, discussion will need to consider SKHHP staff capacity as we continue to grow. Abby Anderson mentioned KCRHA’s need for volunteers for the Point in Time County. KCRHA needs folks in East and Rural areas, but all applicants are welcome. Attachment A Page 5 of 5 Dorsol Plants mentioned that HDC will hold its Affordable Housing Symposium on January 31 at 9:00 AM at the Hilton Garden Inn in Redmond, WA. While it is not an SKHHP event, information on affordable housing work in our region will be provided. VIII. CLOSING/ADJOURN The meeting was adjourned at 4:29 pm. Program Coordinator-SKHHP