Housing Commission

City of Falls Church Housing Commission MINUTES PURPOSE OF MEETING: The five-member Commission is appointed by the City Council for three year terms. The Housing Commission maintains awareness of housing needs and opportunities, including affordable housing; proposes housing policy initiatives and changes; investigates fair housing complaints and conciliates these complaints; mediates conflicts relating to the Virginia Residential Landlord & Tenant Act and offers reconciliatory services in conflicts relating to other housing laws. DATE OF MEETING: December 14, 2021 PLACE OF MEETING: Virtual MEETING CALLED TO ORDER BY: Joshua Shokoor at 6:31 PM THOSE PRESENT: Commission Members Planning Commission Liaison Joshua Shokoor, Chair Andrea Caumont Jordan Hicks, Vice Chair City Council Peter Davis Letty Hardi Meredith Anderson Guests Kristina Martinez Gene Gresko Staff Debra Roth Dana Lewis Mansur Abdul-Malik – NHP/FCHC Noha Osman Paul Boesen Nancy Vincent Minutes from the November 9, 2021, meeting were approved Proceedings: Meeting and Roll called to order – Chair Joshua Shokoor (6:35 PM) Reading of Virtual Meeting Notice – Staff Lewis Approval of Minutes – Chair Joshua Shokoor (6:38 PM) Motion to approve by Chair Jordan Hicks and seconded by Kristina Martinez Housing Equity Workshop - February – Debra Roth (guest)  Equity and cultural competency workshop, taking place Saturday February 12, 2022, at Meridian High School (in person)  Tackling issues such as housing affordability and equity issues  Facilitated by Dr. Juliette Shedd, George Mason University, includes a brief 30-minute panel  Civil rights history of the City of Falls Church  Diverse group of graduate students to facilitate small groups/interactions  Learn how to handle conflict resolution Welcome to Falls Church – Refugee Resettlement – Paul Boesen (guest)  “Renting to Refugees”  Awareness of refugees as a global and local initiative  Connecting with landlords to make affordable housing more affordable for refugees (waiving security deposit, background checks etc.)  Several landlords are interested in this idea  Resettle families into the City of Falls Church The Fields Apartments – Follow Up – Staff Dana Lewis ● Two-week update sent by Kettler Management ● Repairing all the mold issues, no new complaints from residents ● “Working closely with all work orders and completed most issues regarding mold and mildew, installing exhaust fans by mid-January, sealed gaps to keep mice out and additional pest control service will be provided” ● 100% renewal rate in three months ● Update email will be sent to everyone ● Kettler shared that they are operating on strict cash flow so it’s difficult to replace appliances/carpets however cleaning of carpets is offered at renewal ● Emergency rent assistance will increase as rent increases ● Annual REAC inspections done by HUD to maintain upkeep but does not apply as not a Project based HCV property Amazon Grants UPDATE – Staff Dana Lewis/Mansur Abdul-Malik  Contract received for review last week from VA Housing - Amazon 2  Officially received notice of the $3.75 million acquisition strike fund for Virginia Village  Cooperative agreement with NHP and the City of Falls Church  NHP will make a request to the Affordable Housing Fund  Outreach to increase the waiting list, expecting 18 townhouses/condos   Repayment in the future will consist of refinancing funds to the Economic Development Authority  Virginia Housing Community Impact Grant may cover the cost of rehab,  Long term preservation of all 80 existing units as committed affordable units  Non-profit partner is a specific requirement for the grant Affordable Housing Goals Discussion Continuation – Commissioner Pete Davis  Falls Church set an affordable living policy in 2021 to preserve and increase the city's affordable housing stock.  Almost all the goals were missed, with the top line goal missing by 309 units (a decrease in 159 units from 2021).  We should set a new goal for 2032 (or perhaps 2042) to help jumpstart Council and community interest in increasing affordable housing.  We can't just set one single number as a goal, because we need to take into account AMI, unit size (1 bedroom or 2+ bedroom), and rent vs. own.  If we were to set a goal, we could evangelize it by: getting sign off from other boards, getting sign off from Council, creating a public dashboard of progress, routinely check on the goal's progress, and more  The point of the goal is not just to set a goal, but to push concrete policies, like increasing set-asides, funding standalone affordable housing projects, changing zoning for affordability, and experimenting with legal forms that move to permanent affordability.  Small working group to discuss technical issues involved with the process.  Lisa created an affordable housing profile/demographic study for the City to show where we stand in terms of affordable housing Recruitment for New Commission Member – Chair Shokoor  Check into Changing code to include 5-7+ commission member  One interview for new member done Other (7:48 PM) Meeting Adjourned – 7:52 PM