DEPARTMENT: Neighborhood and Housing Services
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Verónica R. Soto, AICP, Director
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: 1-5
SUBJECT:
Single Family Minor Home Repairs Subrecipient Award (Request for Applications 20-026)
SUMMARY:
Consideration of a recommendation to award up to $500,000 to Merced Housing Texas (Merced) to complete minor home repairs on 20 residential housing units located within City Council Districts 1-5. Funding for the program is allocated from the City’s General Fund and the Affordable Housing Fund (TIRZ sourced).
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
The City has authorized the Minor Home Repairs (MR) program to enable health and safety home repairs for low-income homeowners. Minor repairs are repairs that do not exceed $25,000 per unit. Program participants must have household incomes at or below 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI).
On December 10, 2019 the City issued a Request for Applications (RFA) for Single Family Minor Repairs Subrecipient. The City has allocated $500,000 from the City’s General Fund and the Affordable Housing Fund to complete a minimum of 16 units. The RFA was open to non-profits and public agencies. Applications were due on January 22, 2020. The City received applications from two respondents: Merced Housing Texas and Terra-Genesis, Inc. On February 6, 2020, both applications were evaluated by a panel that consisted of: Verónica R. Soto, AICP, Director, Neighborhood and Housing Services; William Durham, Contract Manager, Neighborhood and Housing Services; Jennifer Buxton, Housing Production Manager, Neighborhood and Housing Services; Edith Merla, Interim Public Relations Manager, Neighborhood and Housing Services; William Taylor, Senior Management Analyst, Neighborhood and Housing Services; and Pedro De Leon, Construction Contract Officer, Neighborhood and Housing Services. Applications were assessed using the following criteria:
|
Evaluation Criteria |
Maximum Points |
|
Experience, Background, and Qualifications |
40 |
|
Proposed Plan |
40 |
|
Pricing |
20 |
|
Total Point Scale |
100 |
ISSUE:
Staff recommends awarding Merced, as a Subrecipient, $500,000 from the City’s General Fund and Affordable Housing Fund to provide for minor home repairs on 20 residential units at or below 80% or below AMI.
Merced Housing Texas
Merced scored 84.42 out of 100 points and is ranked first. Merced has over 18 years of experience performing minor home repairs for low-income households in San Antonio, having repaired over 650 homes to date. Merced also provides “supportive resident services” for every home repair client, which consist of staff visiting homeowners as repairs are proceeding to collect data and work with homeowners to ascertain their needs beyond home repairs. Examples include: food security, wills and advance directives, and budgeting. Merced funds the supportive resident services out of its own funding independent from minor home repairs funds, such as those it is requesting in the RFA.
ALTERNATIVES:
Alternatives to awarding this funding to the recommended project would be to award no contract and have City staff provide these direct services or to not have the services provided at all. In addition, other alternatives would delay the timely commitment and expenditure of funds and repairs.
FISCAL IMPACT:
This funding recommendation awards up to $500,000 from the City’s General Fund and the Affordable Housing Fund (TIRZ sourced).
Funding for the Single Family Minor Repair Program (MR) was appropriated in the FY 2020 Operating Budget pursuant to Ordinance No. 2019-09-12-0691 passed on September 12, 2019 and the FY 2020 Affordable Housing Fund pursuant to Ordinance No. 2019-11-14-0970 passed on November 14, 2019.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends approval of awarding Merced Housing Texas up to $500,000 in a subrecipient funding agreement for 20 single family minor home repairs.