To: Board of Supervisors and Board of Commissioners
Department or Agency Name(s): Community Development Commission
Staff Name and Phone Number: Felicity Gasser, (707) 565-7507
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supervisorial District(s): All
Title:
Title
2019 Equity in Housing Project
End
Recommended Action:
Recommended action
A) Authorize Community Development Commission to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Cities of Santa Rosa and Petaluma to prepare the 2019 Countywide Assessment of Fair Housing and to receive revenue in a total amount of $81,000.
B) Receive grant revenue from the Kaiser Foundation to implement the Equity in Housing Project in an amount of $75,000.
C) Adopt a resolution authorizing a budget adjustment to the Fiscal Year 2019-20 Final Budget for the Community Development Commission in the amount of $156,000 for the Equity in Housing Project.
(4/5th Vote Required)
end
Executive Summary:
To address housing inequity among protected classes in Sonoma County, the Community Development Commission (Commission) has embarked on an Equity in Housing Project. It includes the preparation of an Assessment of Fair Housing (AFH), conducted jointly with the Cities of Petaluma and Santa Rosa, and the creation of an Equity in Housing Agenda (Agenda). The Commission is requesting a budget resolution to accept $81,000 from the two cities, $61,000 from the City of Santa Rosa and $20,000 from the City of Petaluma, and $75,000 from a separate Kaiser Foundation grant to help fund this project.
Discussion:
Background:
Consistent with established Board priorities and the Recovery and Resiliency Framework, the Commission has started an Equity in Housing Project to help Sonoma County address longstanding disparities in access to jobs, transportation, education, community amenities, and housing. Federal, state and local government policies have perpetuated these disparities, while the current political climate has made it more difficult to reach certain populations. Recently, immigrant community members have become even more reluctant to seek housing resources for fear of immigration enforcement, despite often needing those resources the most. This has resulted in a lack of representation from non-English speaking and communities of color in some Commission programs.
Discussion:
The Equity in Housing Project consists of conducting a federally and state mandated Assessment of Fair Housing (AFH) and implementing an Equity in Housing Agenda (Agenda). While the AFH is a required federal and state mandate, the overarching Agenda is an agency-led effort to ensure that all Commission actions are approached with an equity-based lens - a comprehensive approach to modifying agency policies and programs that will put the Commission at the forefront of equity efforts in the Bay Area. - a required step putting the Commission at the forefront of equity efforts in the Bay Area
To ensure that all publicly and privately funded housing and housing-related activities in the Cities of Santa Rosa and Petaluma and the County of Sonoma affirmatively further fair housing, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires that all HUD entitlement jurisdictions receiving CDBG, HOME and ESG dollars complete an Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing (AI). However, shifting federal priorities have resulted in less robust requirements related to assessment and implementation of fair housing issues.
Recent State legislation (AB 686) contains requirements that exceed current federal standards and mirror the previous (2015) federal Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) Rule. The 2015 AFFH rule required a more robust community-wide assessment of fair housing issues than the AI; extended the requirement to prepare the assessment public housing authorities; and required that the AFH result in “meaningful actions, in addition to combating discrimination, that overcome patterns of segregation and foster inclusive communities free from barriers that restrict access to opportunity based on protected characteristics.” While state guidance has yet to be released on how to implement the new law, the 2015 AFFH Rule will serve as a model for this guidance, and the Commission’s Assessment will be based on the 2015 Rule.
The Commission will be primarily responsible for producing the AFH: analyzing data, managing consultants who will conduct community engagement, coordinating with other agencies and with the seven smaller cities to obtain housing and land use information and preparing the final report, which will include recommendations for policy and program changes that will affirmatively further fair housing. It is a best practice to conduct this assessment collaboratively, which is why the Commission, which serves the Urban County - a JPA of the unincorporated county, Cloverdale, Cotati, Healdsburg, Rohnert Park, Sebastopol, Sonoma and Windsor, is requesting authority to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Cities of Petaluma and Santa Rosa. The Cities of Santa Rosa and Petaluma have each agreed to contribute funds to aid the Commission’s work on the AFH, in the total amount of $81,000. The cities are able to contribute to this work because it is part of eligible administrative expenses associated with managing federal funds. The amounts that the cities are contributing and the authority to enter into the Memorandum of understanding do not require council action.
The Memorandum of Understanding allows the Commission to serve as the lead entity for the preparation of the Assessment of Fair Housing. The MOU that includes the AFH Scope of Work and Budget are attached as Attachments 3 and 4.
In addition, the Commission received a $75,000 grant from the Kaiser Foundation to implement its Equity in Housing Agenda. From these funds, $50,000 will be allocated to the AFH, while the remaining $25,000 will be used to continue the Commission’s Equity in Housing Agenda, including community outreach and engagement and policy overhaul. These actions will be completed through direct neighborhood canvassing, focus groups and partnerships with community groups throughout the County. The Agenda will comprehensively map community assets and engage with the community in a manner that supports a longer-term system redesign that is grounded in equity.
The resulting data, community input, and tools including a map will be available to all County departments and partner jurisdictions, so that issues of housing equity as influenced by broader community development and safety net programs are aligned. This will include efforts such as the General Plan update, various Specific Plans, and grant-writing for safety net services.
The Commission is subject to the affirmatively furthering fair housing requirements under federal law, found at 24 CFR 5.150 through 5.180, and required to prepare an Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing. The County is subject to the affirmatively furthering fair housing requirements found in California Government Code Sections 65583, 65583.2 amended and Section 8899.50 as added by Assembly Bill No. 686. By accepting these funds, the Commission agrees to restrict them for the express purpose of activities within the Commission’s Equity in Housing Project.
Prior Board Actions:
None
Fiscal Summary
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Expenditures |
FY 19-20 Adopted |
FY20-21 Projected |
FY 21-22 Projected |
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Budgeted Expenses |
187,000 |
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Additional Appropriation Requested |
156,000 |
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Total Expenditures |
$343,000 |
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Funding Sources |
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General Fund/WA GF |
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State/Federal |
187,000 |
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Fees/Other |
156,000 |
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Use of Fund Balance |
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Contingencies |
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Total Sources |
$343,000 |
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Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
The Equity in Housing Project budget for FY 2019-2020 is $343,000. This amount includes $187,000 in previously budgeted expenditures. A budget resolution is attached requesting budget authority for an additional $156,000 to be spent on a combination of personnel, consultants and materials to prepare two distinct deliverables: The 2019 Countywide Assessment of Fair Housing (total cost $194,000) and the Equity in Housing Agenda (Total cost $149,000).
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Staffing Impacts: |
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Position Title (Payroll Classification) |
Monthly Salary Range (A-I Step) |
Additions (Number) |
Deletions (Number) |
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Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
None
Attachments:
1. Budget Resolution
2. Budget Resolution Exhibit
3. Memorandum of Understanding with the Cities of Santa Rosa and Petaluma
4. MOU Exhibit B: Work Plan
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
N/A