DEPARTMENT: Neighborhood and Housing Services
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Verónica R. Soto, AICP
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: City Wide
SUBJECT:
Briefing and possible action on the City’s Affordable Housing Business Plan progress for the month of February 2019
SUMMARY:
Briefing and possible action on the City’s Affordable Housing Business Plan progress for the month of February 2019
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
The FY 2019 Adopted Budget includes $25 million for Affordable Housing initiatives including $17 million in new funding. The $25 million budget includes $11.7 million for housing preservation and repair, $3.2 million for homebuyer assistance, $1.4 million to develop a coordinated housing system, $7.7 million for gap financing, and a $1 million risk mitigation fund. In November, the City received a $1 million private sector donation for additional funding for our Under 1 Roof program.
ISSUE:
Below is a table that summarizes the implementation status for the 10 housing-related activities that are included in the FY 2019 Affordable Housing Business Plan. Following the table are summary paragraphs that provide updates on each activity.
|
Activity |
2019 Status (October through February) |
|
Under 1 Roof Program Delivery |
On Schedule 146 of 146 Roofs Completed |
|
Owner Occupied Rehab Program Delivery |
On Schedule 6 of 6 Home under Contract |
|
Affordable Housing Coordination across all Housing Entities |
On Schedule |
|
Housing Trust & PFC Strategic Plan Development |
On Schedule |
|
Develop a Risk Mitigation Fund Policy |
On Schedule |
|
Homebuyer Assistance & Counseling Programs |
Behind Schedule 54 of 97 Clients Completed |
|
Gap Financing awards for new Affordable Rental and Homeownership Development Projects |
Completed |
|
Consolidate City Housing Staff into the Neighborhood and Housing Services Department (NHSD) |
Completed |
|
Reconstitute the Housing Commission |
Completed |
|
LISC Support Contract Execution |
Completed |
Homebuyer Assistance & Counseling Programs:
• Assisted 54 residents close on a mortgage loan, 43 less than target of 97 year to date.
• 76 residents prequalified for the program are pre-qualified.
• 23 clients pending closing in following month.
• Staff processing an additional 260 applications.
• Staff meetings with realtors, developers and Community Housing Development Organizations to increase participants.
Under 1 Roof
• 63 roofs replaced in February
Owner Occupied Rehabilitation
• Staff approved six contracts
Coordinated Housing System
• A total of eight employees will coordinate with over 30 housing partners in the community to coordinate information and strategies for affordable housing in San Antonio.
• Six of the eight positions have been filled and have begun engaging with the partner agencies to coordinate affordable housing strategies.
o The Affordable Housing Administrator position will be filled by April
o The final position will be advertised and filled in the last quarter of FY 2019 as scheduled in the affordable housing three-year business plan.
Strategic Plan/Review of Housing Trust & Public Facility Corporation
• Staff has begun reviewing and collecting background documentation for the San Antonio Housing Trust (SAHT) third-party assessment.
• Staff also has notified the SAHT and Public Facility Corporation/Finance Corporation Board of Directors to ensure they understand and are committed to the organizational review process.
• The recommended consultant that was selected through a Request for Proposals process was considered by City Council on January 17 and began their work in January 2019.
Risk Mitigation Fund
• The Risk Mitigation policy was approved by the Comprehensive Plan Committee on February 20.
• The policy was presented to Housing Commission on March 12.
• The policy is scheduled to be considered for Council approval on March 21.
Prioritizing Displacement Prevention Options
The majority of displacement prevention efforts will be worked on in Fiscal Year 2020 as outlined in the Affordable Housing Business Plan. However, staff has developed four options to prioritize displacement prevention in FY 2019 which would delay programs currently ongoing in the Affordable Housing Business Plan. The four options include:
1. Delay By-Right Zoning policy development
2. Delay Fee-Exemptions for affordable housing development
3. Delay the Coordinated Housing System Dashboard and Annual Report
4. Redirecting funding from existing housing programs to hire a consultant to complete a displacement prevention plan
The committee can also discuss additional policy recommendation to prioritize the development of a displacement prevention policy.
FISCAL IMPACT:
This report is for briefing purposes only
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends continuing with the implementation of the Affordable Housing Business Plan included as included in the FY 2019 Adopted Budget