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HomeMy WebLinkAbout5.02.24 SKHHP AB Minutes ApprovedPage 1 of 7 SKHHP Advisory Board Meeting May 2, 2024 MINUTES I. CALL TO ORDER Dorsol Plants called the meeting to order at 3:33 PM. ROLL CALL/ESTABLISHMENT OF QUORUM Advisory Board members present: Tina Narron, Uche Okezie, Olga Lindbom, Rumi Takahashi, Kathleen Hosfeld, Kent Hay, Ashley Kenny, Menka Soni, Maria Arns, Andrew Calkins, Hamdi Abdulle. Other attendees: Claire Vanessa Goodwin, SKHHP; Dorsol Plants, SKHHP; Ali Sheibani, Habitat for Humanity; Marissa London, Habitat for Humanity; Peter Orser, Black Home Initiative; Matt Hoffman, Black Home Initiative. II. APRIL 4, 2024 MEETING MINUTES Tina Narron motioned to approve the April 4, 2024 minutes, seconded by Kathleen Hosfield. (10-0) III. EXECUTIVE BOARD LIAISON REPORT Dorsol Plants reviewed the remaining Executive Board meetings, and the Board member requested to attend them on behalf of the Advisory Board. He asked for a volunteer to fill in for June, and Maria Arns volunteered. The Program Coordinator will reach out two to three weeks before the Executive Board meeting to confirm your availability. Please respond as soon as possible so SKHHP staff can work to find a replacement if you are not available. Rumi Takahashi asked if the meetings were from 1:00 to 3:00 PM. Dorsol Plants confirmed that was the time for the meeting. Claire Goodwin provided a brief update from the April Executive Board meeting, which was an action-filled meeting. There was a presentation from about seven South King County planners on their work to develop subregional preservation strategies and incorporate them into their Comprehensive Plans. This work started in September, and the material was reviewed by the Executive Board with the intent of the document to facilitate discussion and encourage the jurisdictions to take items that work best for their communities. SKHHP will examine the Comprehensive Plans for throughlines to see where subregional collaboration would be helpful. The Executive Board adopted the 2025 Work Plan and Budget and the 2024 Housing Capital Fund guidelines. SKHHP has $4.1 million available in capital funding this year. Claire Goodwin encouraged the Advisory Board to help raise awareness about the funds available and provided a link to the information on the SKHHP website. Menka Soni joined the meeting at 3:44 PM. IV. 2024 WORK PLAN ACTION ITEM: EDUCATION AND ENGAGEMENT – ADVISORY BOARD EXPERTISE SURVEY Page 2 of 7 Dorsol Plants informed the Advisory Board of the results of the expertise survey, to which eleven out of fourteen Advisory Board members responded. Question 1: Question 2: Question 3 asked for additional suggestions or areas of expertise the Advisory Board may be willing to share. Answers included: LISC has a program that supports Black developers working in the affordable housing space, Early project feasibility, essential information, and effective partnering, If possible, I'd really like it if I (or a colleague) could present on Homelessness Prevention and Rental Assistance, Happy to talk about HCVs, other federally-subsidized Page 3 of 7 housing programs, if I am available, and Helping determine who needs a shelter bed versus a hotel room. Connecting people to detox and or clean & sober housing. Navigating the DSHS systems. After reviewing the answers and previous discussions, Dorsol Plants felt that there was alignment between the Advisory and Executive Boards to better understand what is and isn't working in the system to move our neighbors from homelessness to housing. He suggested trying to layer the topic of "Providing Supportive Services" with the topic of "Housing Referral" from both the city and nonprofit perspectives. Dorsol suggested holding a planning meeting in July since the July Advisory Board meeting was canceled. This would be a small group of board members interested in physically presenting at the Executive Board meeting. The small group would bring their plan to the August Advisory Board meeting so that every member could contribute feedback or suggestions. Dorsol Plants acknowledged that the plan may seem ambitious, but the Advisory Board has the time and expertise to provide an excellent briefing. Kent Hay and Rumi Takahashi expressed support for the plan. Dorsol Plants asked for volunteers to make up the small group and reminded the Advisory Board that the group could not be a quorum of the full Advisory Board. Kent Hay volunteered. Olga Lindbom said she would volunteer but needed to know the date. Ashley Kenny volunteered but noted being out of town on August 16. Maria Arns volunteered to participate. Claire Goodwin suggested moving the presentation from August to July to accommodate Board members who can only attend in July. Hamdi Abdulle asked if the presentation would occur at one Executive Board meeting or multiple. Dorsol Plants responded that the discussion in April recommended smaller presentations over numerous sessions, but for the first presentation, Dorsol Plants suggested focusing on one meeting. Hamdi Abdulle said she would like to participate in the presentation. Olga Lindbom said the August date would be difficult, but she would be available to present in July. Claire Goodwin confirmed that the July Executive Board meeting was on July 19. There was consensus among the Advisory Board to hold the presentation on July 19. Rumi Takahashi asked how long of a presentation or discussion it might be. Dorsol Plants had initially thought of holding a sixty-minute presentation, but the Executive Board briefings usually are thirty to forty minutes. Claire Goodwin added that depending on the type of presentation would determine the length; if there were more interactive elements, the presentation would need to be longer than if it was just a briefing. Page 4 of 7 Rumi Takahashi asked if there was a way to tie the briefing into the affordable housing tour in September by including a location with supportive services. Dorsol Plants confirmed that one of the tour locations provides some level of supportive services. Dorsol Plants mentioned that he had initially planned to present in August so that the presentation could be completed in July and brought before the Advisory Board before the presentation. Since the July Advisory Board meeting was canceled, there would not be an opportunity for the whole Advisory Board to review the presentation before the Executive Board. He suggested scheduling a meeting before the end of May and bringing some materials to the June Advisory Board meeting. Kent Hay felt it was acceptable for the small group to prepare the presentation. Kathleen Hosfeld asked if the presentation could be emailed out for review after it’s developed. Dorsol Plants confirmed that it could. Tina Narron suggested that the small group feel free to contact other Board members if they begin working on the project and realize they need greater support. Dorsol Plants said the Advisory Board would prepare a presentation on "The Homelessness to Housing System" for the July 19 Executive Board meeting from 1:00 to 3:00 PM. A small group of volunteers will meet in June to prepare the presentation. Dorsol Plants read the volunteers list, including Kent Hay, Olga Lindbom, Ashley Kenny, Hamdi Abdulle, Menka Soni, and Maria Arns. Claire Goodwin added that Kathleen Hosfeld and Rumi Takahashi were interested, and Dorsol Plants responded that more than 7 Board members would trigger a quorum. Ashley Kenny suggested asking volunteers who wanted to be in the main group and who would serve as a backup to avoid triggering a quorum. Dorsol Plants confirmed there was consensus for the plan and that a survey would be sent out to schedule a day and time for the small group to meet. V. HABITAT FOR HUMANITY SEATTLE-KING & KITTITAS COUNTY: 3 DOORS OF PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM Ali Sheibani, Director of Homeowner Services from Habitat for Humanity, presented on the 3 Doors of Partnership Program. The 3 Doors of Partnership Program intends to provide affordable homeownership opportunities to the employees serving the community in King County. As the name suggests, there are three pathways by which a service provider organization can partner with Habitat for Humanity. The first door is the "Pipeline Partnership," designed to support individuals "who serve humanity" to access homeownership; the frontline staff working with clients who love the city and county but can't afford to live here permanently. Due to the commitment and sacrifice of the staff, Habitat for Humanity has created a referral program for partner organizations that will provide additional application points and allow referred staff to apply 30 days before the public. In addition, pipeline partners will receive information sessions and assistance when completing the application process. Habitat for Humanity serves households at 80% AMI and below, meaning a yearly income of $110,950 for a family of four. The second option is "Program Partnership" so that Habitat for Humanity can also serve as a resource for the clients being served in programs. While homeownership may be a challenging pathway for a client, clients must be aware of all available options. This will better prepare them Page 5 of 7 to advance to their ideal housing goal. Through program partnerships, Habitat for Humanity will better learn what resources and support a client might need, such as financial counseling, to move into housing stability. The goal is for this approach to be entirely customizable and aimed at meeting the specific needs of the community each organization is serving. The last option is "Project Partnership," aimed at organizations considering developing land into affordable housing. The intention is to support organizations through the entire development process or where the organization identifies needing the most support. This could include identifying funding sources, establishing stewardship aspects of the home, or supporting the whole project from start to finish. The 3 Doors of Partnership aims to provide safe, stable, and reliable housing for everyone. Ashley Kenny asked if there were materials or flyers available to share. Ali Sheibani provided the website information and will send flyers to SKHHP staff for distribution. Uche Okezie asked what the responses from Community-Based Organizations have been so far. Ali Sheibani responded that there have been some responses at different levels; some partners are interested in learning all the nuts and bolts, and others seek specific expertise. Uche Okezie asked if there was a formal program or if it was based on the individual response. Ali Sheibani confirmed a formal program, and Rebecca Wold is the current point of contact. Uche Okezie suggested connecting with other organizations that are doing similar work so that resources could be shared between providers. Olga Lindbom asked if the "Pipeline Partnership" details were on the website. Ali Sheibani said the information isn't promoted on the website, but he will send additional information specific to the pipeline. VI. 2025 WORK PLAN OVERVIEW: GOAL 1 Dorsol Plants informed the Advisory Board that the 2025 Work Plan and Budget was adopted on April 19, 2024. Over the next few months, each SKHHP member's legislative body will adopt the 2025 Work Plan and Budget. SKHHP staff will focus on one of the goals from the Work Plan for ten to fifteen minutes at each Advisory Board meeting to prepare for the upcoming year. Dorsol Plants continued with Goal 1 of the Work Plan, which focuses on the Housing Capital Fund. Almost every action related to this goal is the highest priority as our region continues to need capital funding. Most of the work related to Goal 1 is the responsibility of SKHHP staff. Each year, the program coordinator collects information from the WA State Department of Revenue and coordinates with each city to receive its Housing Capital Fund contribution. Additionally, Action Items 2 and 3 are related to developing contracts and coordinating with government staff to implement the Advisory and Executive Board’s Housing Capital Fund recommendation. Action Items 4 and 5 are where the Advisory Board begins to factor into Goal 1. The Advisory Board's feedback is essential to developing the annual Housing Capital Fund guidelines, and it is the Advisory Board's primary responsibility to make recommendations to the Executive Board on how funds should be directed in South King County. Advisory Board members have also attended meetings with SKHHP staff to attempt to encourage further private and public investment in our area. Claire Goodwin framed the conversation by acknowledging the new Advisory Board members and wanting to provide a more holistic understanding of SKHHP’s work. At the April Advisory Page 6 of 7 Board meeting, some Board members said it would be helpful to have a deeper understanding of the work plan, which guides us. The work plan really is the guiding document, and any work outside what is detailed in the work plan is a lower priority throughout the year. Claire Goodwin continued that Action Item 1, which is to pool resources for the Housing Capital Fund, is the most critical element in the work plan. Without the pooling of funding, Goal 1, which funds the expansion and preservation of affordable housing, would not exist. This year, SKHHP added two new sources of revenue by receiving a contribution from the City of Maple Valley and the City of SeaTac. The hope is to continue adding new sources of revenue next year as well. Action Item 2 is administrative contracting and takes up significant staff time. Regarding Action Item 3, the Advisory Board recommends projects to fund the Housing Capital Fund, and the Executive Board adopts the recommendation. The process still needs to be completed there as SKHHP staff must seek concurrence from every jurisdiction funding the Housing Capital Fund. SKHHP staff presents to ensure buy-in and provide detailed information to each of the partners, which is required as part of the formative ILA. Action Item 4 is related to managing the Housing Capital Fund round. It includes a lot of work by staff behind the scenes, such as developing application materials, raising awareness of the funds, supporting the adoption of the guidelines, and facilitating a thorough review of each application. Action Item 5, related to increasing investment, has been work supported by the Advisory Board, and SKHHP staff will ensure the board continues to be included when opportunities like this arise. Dorsol Plants continued by pointing out that action is just motion without purpose and accountability. It's important to know that SKHHP's work has the desired impact. Indicators are tied with each Action Item to show whether an action was effective and successful. Indicators include tracking the number of housing units built or preserved with the support of the Housing Capital Fund. Others include monitoring the amount of funds being pooled and new funding sources added to the Housing Capital Fund. Finally, there is an indicator to ensure geographic diversity in the selected projects. Dorsol Plants informed the Advisory Board that geographic diversity often comes up during presentations for the Housing Capital Fund as elected officials want to know when an SKHHP-supported project may appear in their jurisdiction. Claire Goodwin added that indicators were a new element first added to the 2024 Work Plan and Budget and are indicators of SKHHP's progress toward the goal. These elements are easy to compare year after year and serve as a good talking point for anyone wanting to talk about SKHHP's work. The indicators will be reported annually as part of the SKHHP annual report. Hamdi Abdulle asked how many completed housing units SKHHP has funded. Claire Goodwin responded that 2022 was the first round of the Housing Capital Fund, and two projects were funded. One of those projects is under active development, and SKHHP will likely close on the contract in the fall due to last-minute changes and Claire Goodwin's maternity leave. SKHHP has funding commitments on six total projects across the two years of the capital fund. Hamdi Abdulle continued that it was necessary to provide family-sized housing as part of affordable housing development in South King County. Rumi Takahashi added that there had been a focus on development around the number of units instead of the number of people and suggested that there could be an indicator related to the number of people housed to understand better the number of units being provided. Kathleen Hosfeld said that the affordable housing conversation is often focused on rentership and as a solution to homelessness, which has the unintended consequences of prioritizing units that serve individuals who usually make up the 0-30% AMI Page 7 of 7 demographic, but there is a need to have a conversation that affordable homeownership is a cost-effective solution to the housing crisis. Rumi Takahashi added that micro-housing has been a solution to house more people through cost-effective strategies. VII. SOUTH KING COUNTY AFFORDABLE HOUSING PRESERVATION STRATEGIES UPDATE Dorsol Plants provided a brief update on work that SKHHP facilitated with our SoKiHo group. SoKiHo is a monthly meeting held by SKHHP of the long-range planners from the SKHHP members. Starting in September 2023, SoKiHo developed subregional preservation strategies to tie into the Comprehensive Plan updates required by the end of 2024. The Subregional Preservation Strategies document was included in the agenda packet. The Subregional Preservation Strategies are a subregional approach to housing preservation, which has been a high priority for SKHHP since at least 2021. This document guides cities in adapting and implementing based on their unique needs, and SKHHP will help with subregional coordination. The strategy focuses on preserving existing affordable housing because South King County is at high risk of losing it. Dorsol Plants provided some brief guidance on reading the document. Like the work plan, the strategy is broken out into separate goals. Underneath each goal are suggested policies that a jurisdiction could consider incorporating into its housing element. This format aligns with the way the Comprehensive Plan is laid out. VIII. UPDATES & ANNOUNCEMENTS Dorsol Plants informed the Advisory Board that Maju Qureshi has resigned from the SKHHP Advisory Board. Multi-Service Center has an alternate, Cobie Sparks-Howard, who will serve on the Advisory Board in her place. HDC's Affordable Housing Week will be from May 13 to 17, and several unique events related to affordable housing in King County will be held. Dorsol Plants will email the Advisory Board with information about the various events. Claire Goodwin reminded the Advisory Board that this was her last meeting before maternity leave. She will return in October and is excited to begin the 2024 Housing Capital Fund review process. Jeff Tate, former Community Development Director for the City of Auburn, will fill in during Claire Goodwin's absence. IX. CLOSING/ADJOURN The meeting was adjourned at 4:54 PM. Program Coordinator-SKHHP