DEPARTMENT: Neighborhood and Housing Services
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Verónica R. Soto, AICP
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: Citywide
SUBJECT:
HUD FY 2019 Fair Housing and Housing Counseling Grant
SUMMARY:
Neighborhood and Housing Services Department (NHSD) requests authorization of the following actions related to a grant application for the Fair Housing/Housing Counseling Program:
a) submission of a grant application to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for Housing Counseling Grant funds and acceptance upon award of an amount up to $40,000 for the HUD designated performance period July 17, 2019 to January 16, 2021 and approves a budget for the term of the grant;
b) negotiation and execution of Memorandum of Agreements, after review and approval by the City Attorney’s Office, to collaborate with community agencies and educational institutions to support NHSD community assistance programs when at no cost to the City;
c) negotiation and execution of any and all necessary documents and a grant contract to effectuate the application and acceptance of this grant, and to execute grant contract amendments pertaining to the grant when approved by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, to include: a) carry-over funds; b) line item budget revisions; c) modifications to the performance measures so long as the terms stay within the general parameters of the intent of the grant; d) no cost extensions; e) supplemental grant funds in an amount up to 10% of the total amount initially awarded; f) reimbursement increases or decreases due to a change in the number of participant served; g) one-time equipment purchases or defined program services; and h) changes in regulations.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
Fair Housing/Housing Counseling Program (FHHC) has provided housing counseling services to homeowners as a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Certified Housing Counseling agency since 1979. FHHC supports the delivery of a wide variety of housing counseling services to homebuyers, homeowners, low to moderate income renters, and those in danger of or experiencing homelessness. Services are provided regardless of income. The primary goal of FHHC is to improve housing stability by:
• Providing public education to reduce discrimination in housing
• Educating landlords and tenants regarding their legal rights and responsibilities
• Expanding homeownership opportunities and improve access to affordable housing
• Helping homeowners prevent or resolve mortgage delinquency, default and foreclosure, and maintain homeownership
• Providing relocation assistance in the event of displacement
• Connecting residents to emergency assistance, financial empowerment to prevent homelessness
In HUD FY 2018 (City FY 2019), the FHHC helped 2,619 households maintain housing stability. Of these households, 80 received HUD Housing Counseling services to include individual counseling on mortgage default and rental prevention and/or group counseling on renting and fair housing rights; 71 received foreclosure prevention counseling, and staff conducted 10 HUD Housing Counseling education sessions, “Renters’ Rights” with more than 147 individual in attendance. 2,619 received fair housing counseling related to housing stability, 207 households received prevention rental assistance and relocation.
ISSUE:
HUD Housing Counseling funding augments NHSD’s Fair Housing/Housing Counseling Program. For HUD FY 2019, NHSD received $246,000 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds to operate the Fair Housing/Housing Counseling Program as part of the FY19 HUD Action Plan on April 5, 2018, Ordinance No. 2018-04-05-0221.
NHSD is requesting authorization to submit a Housing Counseling Grant application to HUD and accept upon award $40,000 for the HUD designated performance period July 17, 2019 to January 16, 2021. NHSD anticipates serving 80 households with HUD FY 2019 Housing Counseling funding of $40,000.
Upon Council approval of the HUD Housing Counseling grant dollars in the amount of $40,000, the NHSD FHHC Program combined budget will total $286,000. Combined funding will assist 1,800 households with maintaining housing stability.
ALTERNATIVES:
If this ordinance is not approved, another grantee would need to be identified by HUD to provide service in this area. The process of identifying a new grantee to implement services would delay the provision of housing counseling services. In addition, the discontinuation of this grant may affect the City’s ability to secure HUD Housing Counseling grant funding in the future.
FISCAL IMPACT:
This ordinance authorizes the acceptance of HUD FY 2019 Housing Counseling Grant funds in the amount up to $40,000 from HUD for the HUD designated performance period of July 17, 2019 to January 16, 2021, and approves the HUD FY 2019 budget. There is no associated personnel complement. There is no fiscal impact to the General Fund.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends approval of this ordinance to authorize the acceptance of FY 2019 Housing Counseling Grant funds, if awarded, in an amount up to $40,000 for the HUD designated performance period of July 17, 2019 to January 16, 2021.