Human Services Advisory Council

MINUTES Human Services Advisory Council City of Falls Church PURPOSE OF MEETING: To advise City Council on human services delivery to Falls Church citizens. DATE OF MEETING: January 27, 2022 PLACE OF MEETING: Virtual MEETING CALLED TO ORDER BY Craig Cheney: at 6:35 p.m. THOSE PRESENT: HSAC Members: Staff: Dana Lewis Craig Cheney Ripal Patel Alisa Macht City Council Liaison Nicole Newman (chair) Marybeth Connelly Anne Norloff Student Members Debra Z. Roth Joseph Dakin Olivia Games Katherine Hart Eva Williams David Ziayee OTHERS PRESENT: Paul Bosen, Brian Bowden APPROVAL of MINUTES: The minutes from the November 18, 2021 meeting were approved. NEW BUSINESS: • Renting to refugees Paul Bosen discussed an effort that would support the City’s 2040 strategic plan that states Falls Church will be a welcoming and inclusive community. He represents Welcoming Falls Church, part of a national effort to make local communities more welcoming to refugees. The program, “Renting to Refugees,” brings together public and private stakeholders, including landlords, to adjust the way that rental housing works in order to address housing affordability and to encourage refugees to settle here. This structure has been used successfully elsewhere in the country. One way to support this effort is through rent supplements. Future applications to the Community Services Fund are a possibility as are applications to the Affordable Housing Fund. Refugees are eligible to participate in the Affordable Dwelling Unit program and apply to the waiting list. Members expressed support for this effort. • Community Services Fund Presentation No applicants made presentations. Ms. Lewis and Ms. Newman will send a note to the student members requesting that they propose funding amounts. • Falls Church Farmers Market is now accepting SNAP Mr. Patel reported SNAP is now being accepted at the Farmers’ Market. Fresh Match provides a match dollar for dollar. Outreach is being conducted to make folks aware.  • Policy on participation in meetings through electronic means Ms. Lewis presented a policy that would allow some electronic participation even after boards return to in-person meetings. Policy attached. Ms. Macht moved to adopt the policy. Mr. Cheney seconded. Motion passed unanimously. OLD BUSINESS: • Social equity community training Ms. Roth gave an update on the progress of planning a community training. It will be held March 26 in-person in the library at Meridian High School. Outreach is being stepped up. There will be an RSVP page that will be live a month out. A brief panel will open the training to discuss issues related reducing and eliminating racism. Panelists will be Ed Henderson, Valerie Hardy, Dong Bui, Julio Idrobo, Eva Williams. Dr. Julie Shedd will facilitate and will have her graduate students facilitate break out groups. Don Beyer and the Commonwealth Attorney have committed to attending. STAFF REPORT: • The Housing Commission hosted John Russel, the Building Official. He met with Fairfax County regarding complaints from residents at The Fields. He reported that the owner, Kettler, hired new staff and hired a new pest control company. Residents continue to report mice and mold at the property. Localities do not have legal recourse to address mold. State law puts the onus on renters to deal with it. Some of the units don’t have fans in the bathroom because they were not required in the older buildings built under a previous code. Peter Sheehan from Fairfax County Health Department presented to City Council and he shared that Kettler first they hired Orkin and then American Pest Control. Fairfax is keeping track of what they are doing. • Interviews are being conducted for a Housing Specialist. Meeting adjourned at 7:40 p.m. STAFF REPORT: • The City’s Economic Development Authority has purchased two additional quads on Shirley Street in order to be held as committed affordable housing. • The City is waiting for the contract from Virginia Housing for the Amazon REACH grant which will provide an award of $3.75M for an affordable homeownership program as well as extension of covenants for Teacher Workforce Units at the Reed Building. • The City will apply for the next round of Amazon REACH funds, amounting to $5M, for a project that will establish a housing strike fund in order to purchase Virginia Village quads as they become available. The long term plan is to create an affordable housing development on that land. ADJOURN: The meeting adjourned at 7:58 p.m. SIGNATURE OF RECORDER: Nancy Vincent The City of Falls Church is committed to the letter and spirit of the Americans with Disabilities Act. This document will be made available in an alternate format upon request. Call 703-248-5005 (TTY 711).