Housing Commission

8/24/2020 - Minutes I. Call to Order Members Present: Leslie Black-Plumeau, Anna Wageling, Robert Millar City Staff Present: Heather Carrington T Guests Present: Councilor Jim Duncan Call to Order by: Robert Millar F Meeting Start Time: 6:07 PM Minutes Recorded by: Anna Wageling A II. Public Comment None III. Approve Previous Meeting Minutes Tabled due to lack of quorum of members present for previous meetings R IV. Elect Officers The Commission re-elected Robert Millar as Chair, and Anna Wageling as Secretary. The vote on Vice Chair was tabled for a future meeting. V. 2021 Work Plan Review and Approval Motion by: Leslie Second: Anna D The Commission reviewed the FY 2021 Housing Commission Work Plan document prepared by staff based on last month’s discussion. The Housing Commission finalized and approved the work plan which will focus on implementing the Housing Trust Fund, continuing to monitor housing-related issues in our community and developing policy recommendations. VI. Discuss Housing Stability Indicators and Reporting City staff provided a report on some initial data gathering. Through July, Winooski had higher unemployment rates than the surrounding communities or Chittenden County as a whole. Currently, Winooski’s unemployment rate is 4.5% higher than that of the county, and 3.7% higher than the overall Vermont rate of unemployment. The highest rate of unemployment in Winooski was recorded in April 2020 at 18.7%. The rate as of June 2020 dropped to 13.1%. Combined with the higher rates of cost-burdened households in Winooski, the higher unemployment rate may indicate that housing is less secure in the city than is reflected in data for the county or state as a whole. Based on census data, Vermont as a whole had a rent non-payment rate of 14% in mid- July, but renters are expressing growing confidence in their ability to make their payments. Mortgage non-payment is much lower in Vermont (3% as of July), but Vermont homeowner  Winooski, the higher unemployment rate may indicate that housing is less secure in the city than is reflected in data for the county or state as a whole. Based on census data, Vermont as a whole had a rent non-payment rate of 14% in mid- July, but renters are expressing growing confidence in their ability to make their payments. Mortgage non-payment is much lower in Vermont (3% as of July), but Vermont homeowner confidence in ability to pay next month’s mortgage declined between June and July. If the state level non-payment rates for both renters and homeowners are applied to the City, around 313 households have not paid for their housing in the past months. Another early indicator is that participation by Winooski households in the state’s Mortgage Assistance Program (https://www.vhfa.org/map/) is more than double the statewide number, though the overall numbers are fairly low. Staff will continue to compile indicator T data for review. VII. Adjourn F Motion by: Leslie Second: Anna A Meeting End Time: 6:48 pm D R