To: Board of Supervisors of Sonoma County and Board of Commissioners of the Community Development Commission
Department or Agency Name(s): Community Development Commission
Staff Name and Phone Number: Martha Cheever, (707) 565-7521
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Title:
Title
Housing Authority Fiscal Year (FY) 2024-25 Annual Plan and Administrative Plan Updates
End
Recommended Action:
Recommended action
A) Adopt a Resolution of the Sonoma County Housing Authority approving the Sonoma County Public Housing Authority FY 2024-25 Annual Plan;
B) Authorize the Executive Director, or designee, to execute associated Annual Plan documents and submit to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; and
C) Approve significant eligibility, income, income verifications, reexaminations and other administrative changes to the Sonoma County Housing Authority Administrative Plan.
end
Executive Summary:
The Sonoma County Housing Authority (SCHA) administers the Housing Choice Voucher Program (Program) under contract with the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). This Program enables very low-income households to rent from private landlords at fair market rental rates and provides rental assistance in the form of project-based vouchers, tying assistance to specific units. Vouchers provide the best avenue to housing stability for low-income households.
Required elements of Program administration include a Five-Year Public Housing Agency (PHA) Plan and an Annual PHA Plan. Each of these documents must be approved by the Housing Authority’s Board of Commissioners. The PHA Five-Year Plan approved by the Board in 2020 lays out the Housing Authority’s goals and strategies for serving the needs of low-income and very low-income families for the five-year period spanning July 1, 2020 - June 30, 2025. The FY 2024-25 PHA Annual Plan provides a status update on the Housing Authority’s progress in meeting the goals outlined in the Five-Year Plan.
Separately, the Housing Authority Administrative Plan, which serves as the local guide for implementation of HUD’s requirements, is recommended for amendment in accordance with Sections 102 and 104 of the Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act of 2016 (HOTMA) related to eligibility, income, income verification, and reexaminations; for which HUD issued final ruling and implementation guidance in February and September 2023, respectively; as well as other discretionary local policy changes. Approval of the proposed changes, a general summary of which is shown in the attachments, will incorporate all required HOTMA changes and make several operational changes.
Staff are requesting approval of the FY 2024-25 PHA Annual Plan and the modifications to the SCHA Administrative Plan along with delegating execution and submission to HUD by the CDC Executive Director.
Discussion:
Section 511 of the Quality Housing and Work Responsibility Act of 1998 requires that all housing authorities prepare a Public Housing Agency (PHA) Plan, which includes both a 5-Year Plan and an Annual Plan for each fiscal year. The PHA Five-Year Plan was approved by this Board in 2020 and is included as an attachment to this item. The PHA Five-year Plan lays out the Housing Authority’s goals and strategies for serving the needs of low-income and very low-income families for the five years between July 1, 2020 - June 30, 2025.
Planning for the July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2030 PHA Five-Year Plan will begin in calendar year 2024. It is anticipated that the next Five-Year Plan will be released for public comment in December 2024.
FY 2024-25 Annual Plan
The PHA Annual Plan provides an annual status update on the Housing Authority’s progress in meeting the goals outlined in the Five-Year Plan. Combined, these PHA Plans provide HUD, program participants, and other interested parties information related the Housing Authority’s accomplishments, progress, and strategies for serving the needs of low-income and very low-income families. The goals laid out in the Five Year Plan are 1) Expand rental assistance opportunities for low-income, vulnerable populations; 2) Continue to partner with local non-profit agencies to provide housing navigation to low-income and/or hard to serve populations; 3) Expand collaboration with the Sonoma County Accessing Coordinated Care and Empowering Self-Sufficiency (ACCESS) program, an initiative developed to holistically support clients with complex needs; 4) Expand the supply of affordable housing; 5) Promote self-sufficiency; and 6) Ensure equal opportunity and affirmatively further fair housing.
The FY 2024-25 Annual Plan provides an update on the progress the Housing Authority made in accomplishing the goals established in 2020. Key accomplishments achieved by the Housing Authority in FY 2023-24 include the following:
• Receipt of 53 new Family Unification Vouchers (FUP) to serve foster youth who are aging out of the foster care system and are at risk of homelessness and families whose last barrier to having children return to their care is housing stability. Advances Goals 1, 2, 3 and 4.
• Receipt of 20 new Foster Youth Initiative Vouchers (FYI) to serve foster youth who are aging out of the foster care system and are at risk of homelessness. These vouchers were deployed upon receipt and are no longer available for issuance. Advances Goals 1, 2, 3 and 4.
• Receipt of 30 new Mainstream program vouchers to serve non-elderly (ages 18-62), disabled households who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. These vouchers were deployed upon receipt and are no longer available for issuance. Advances Goals1, 2, 3 and 4.
• During calendar year 2023, 112 new project-based voucher units came into service in Healdsburg (14), Petaluma (78), Sebastopol (9) and Sonoma (11). Advances Goal 1.
• Receipt of HUD Certificate of Achievement for the success of the Mainstream Voucher Program which partners with local service providers. Advances Goal 2
• 100% score on the Section Eight Management Assessment Program and continued recognition as a High Performing Housing Authority. Advances Goal All Goals.
• 13 households graduated from the Family Self Sufficiency program in 2023. Advances Goal 5.
• Completion of a successful waitlist lottery in calendar 2023. Advances Goal 6.
• During 2023, the Housing Authority assisted 3,795 households through its various programs, an increase of 1,303 since the start of the current PHA Five-Year Plan. An additional breakdown of comparative data is included below:
|
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CY 2020 |
CY 2023 |
Increase in Households Assisted since 2020 |
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Households |
Individuals |
Households |
Individuals |
|
|
Seniors (age 62+) |
1330 |
1404 |
1823 |
1928 |
493 |
|
Disabled Households |
1694 |
1812 |
2417 |
2594 |
723 |
|
Large Households (5+ members) |
91 |
|
146 |
|
55 |
|
Homeless at Entry |
33 |
|
836 |
|
803 |
|
Female Head of Household |
1761 |
|
2598 |
|
837 |
|
Extremely low income |
1952 |
|
2915 |
|
963 |
|
|
|
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|
|
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Total |
2492 |
|
3795 |
|
1303 |
As required by HUD, the proposed FY 2024-25 PHA Annual Plan is consistent with the HUD-required Five-Year Consolidated Plans of the County of Sonoma and the City of Petaluma, the two HUD entitlement jurisdictions in which the Housing Authority operates the Housing Choice Voucher Program.
Administrative Plan
The Housing Authority’s Administrative Plan is a required attachment to the Annual Plan. This Administrative Plan differs from the Annual Plan in that includes guidelines for program implementation and operation at a local level.
This round of revisions is being driven largely by the implementation of Sections 102 and 104 of the Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act of 2016 (HOTMA). The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) issued a final rule in the Federal Register for Sections 102 and 104 on February 14, 2023, and provided housing authorities implementation guidance on September 29, 2023. All required HOTMA changes are required to be incorporated into each housing authority’s administrative plan and be submitted with the PHA Annual Plan no later than 75 calendar days before the start of the fiscal year.
In addition to the changes being driven by HOTMA, the Housing Authority is proposing a complete reorganization of its Administrative Plan to conform with the template supplied by a national consultant. This template will make it easier for staff to incorporate required changes in the future and adds informative regulatory background to provide staff, assisted clients, and the public additional information, keeping them better informed.
A summary of proposed changes is included as an attachment to this item. Full copies of all nineteen chapters of the Administrative Plan are available for review at the link below. For ease of review, only policy changes are shown in red-line at this link. <https://share.sonoma-county.org/link/coKwZb91y44/>.
All nineteen chapters with full red-line changes are available for review at this link: <https://share.sonoma-county.org/link/5Qu3cQ-6SyQ/>.
Public hearings on the Administrative Plan and the 2023-24 Annual Plan were held at the Community Development Committee meeting on February 14, 2024 (Administrative Plan) and March 20, 2024 (Annual Plan). As of this writing both items are expected to be recommended to the Commission for approval by the Committee.
Strategic Plan:
This item directly supports the County’s Five-year Strategic Plan and is aligned with the following pillar, goal, and objective.
Pillar: Healthy and Safe Communities
Goal: Goal 4: Reduce the County’s overall homeless population by 10% each year by enhancing services through improved coordination and collaboration.
Objective: Objective 3: Create incentives for developers to promote affordable housing development in the County.
Racial Equity:
Was this item identified as an opportunity to apply the Racial Equity Toolkit?
No
Prior Board Actions:
04/07/2020: Approval of the Housing Authority’s 5-Year Plan
04/07/2021: Approval of the Housing Authority’s Annual Plan
12/07/2021: Approval of Updates to the Housing Authority’s Administrative Plan
04/05/2022: Approval of the Housing Authority’s Annual Plan
04/04/2023: Approval of the Housing Authority’s Annual Plan and Administrative Plan
Fiscal Summary
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Expenditures |
FY23-24 Adopted |
FY24-25 Projected |
FY25-26 Projected |
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Budgeted Expenses |
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Additional Appropriation Requested |
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Whole Person Care funding |
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State/Federal |
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Measure O funding |
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Use of Fund Balance |
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Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
There will be no fiscal impacts resulting from this item.
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Staffing Impacts: |
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Position Title (Payroll Classification) |
Monthly Salary Range (A-I Step) |
Additions (Number) |
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Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
N/A
Attachments:
1. Resolution approving the Sonoma County Public Housing Authority Annual Plan
2. Sonoma County Housing Authority Annual Plan for 2024-25
3. Sonoma County Housing Authority 5-Year Plan
4. Summary of Changes to the Sonoma County Housing Authority Administrative Plan
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
None