HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-06-27 Housing & Human Services PACKET
Community Development Building
51 Winburn Way
Note: Anyone wishing to speak at any Housing and Human Services Advisory Committee meeting is encouraged to do so. If
you wish to speak, please rise and, after you have been recognized by the Chair, give your name and complete address for
the record. You will then be allowed to speak. Please note the public testimony may be limited by the Chair.
June 27, 2024
AGENDA
I.CALL TO ORDER: 4:00 p.m.
II.APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA
III.CONSENT AGENDA
A.Approval of May 23, 2024, Minutes
IV.PUBLIC FORUM (4:05-4:10 p.m.)
A.Public Forum.
V.NEW BUSINESS
A.Wildfire Community Risk Reduction Protection Plan Presentation (4:10-
4:40p.m.).
CDBG Allocation Adjustment Update (4:40-4:50 p.m.).
B.
C.Homeless Services Masterplan Subcommittee Closeout Process and
Schedule (4:50-5:15 p.m.).
D.Education and Community Engagement Planning (5:15-5:45 p.m.).
VI.UNFINISHED BUSINESS
A.None
VII.INFORMATIONAL ITEMS
A.Liaison Reports
B.General Announcements
VIII.AGENDA BUILDING – Future Meetings
IX.ADJOURNMENT:6:00 p.m.
Next Meeting Date: July 18, 2024
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Community Development Building
51 Winburn Way
Note: Anyone wishing to speak at any Housing and Human Services Advisory Committee meeting is encouraged to do so.
If you wish to speak, please rise and, after you have been recognized by the Chair, give your name and complete address
for the record. You will then be allowed to speak. Please note the public testimony may be limited by the Chair.
May 23, 2024
I.CALL TO ORDER: 4:00 p.m.
II.APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA
III.CONSENT AGENDA
A.Approval of April 25, 2024, Minutes
Gilliland/Bass. M/S. Voice Vote: ALL AYES
IV.PUBLIC FORUM (4:05-4:10 p.m.)
A.Public Forum.
N/A
V.NEW BUSINESS
A.Rogue Planning Annexation and Affordable Housing Overview (4:10-4:30
p.m.). Memo to Housing Commisison.pdf
Amy Gunter gave the Committee an exciting update on the future development of a new
subdivision which would provide 21 residential lots (with potential for two family dwellings
on each lot) off Clay St.
Ms. Gunter will submit for her pre-application conference with the Planning
department between mid-end of June 2024.
25% of this development will be affordable housing units.
Ms. Gunter went over how the subdivision would be laid out and the process
behind each phase of the construction.
B.Rural Development Home Loan Program Presentation-Jacob Ghena,
Realtor (4:30-4:55p.m.). Jacob Ghena Slideshow.pdf
Mr. Ghena gave an educational presentation which touched on the following topics.
House Hacking
Grants
Land Trust
Vouchers
Subsidies
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C. Long Range Planning Update-Brandon Goldman, Community Development
Director (4:55-5:10 p.m.).
Mr. Goldman updated the Committee on the short- and long-range planning projects the
Community Development Department is currently working on.
Accessory Dwelling Unit guide is in the works.
Land Trust
Working with the Legal Department on tax exemption for nonprofit affordable
housing.
Climate Friendly area designation and code analysis.
Croman Mill District to rezone to allow for a greater amount of residential.
Manufactured house zone, the process will start ideally now, and should go
through December of this year. The city will be working with the Department of
Land Conservation and Development, which is a state agency under the
Governor’s office.
Economic development for future business growth for our community. The goal is
to create housing above business buildings, mixed used buildings.
D.Middle Housing Development Presentation-Derek Sherrell (5:10-5:25 p.m.).
Mr. Sherrell gave an exciting presentation on ADU’s (Accessory Dwelling Units) and how
obtainable they are for every homeowner in the city of Ashland.
Deciding which ADU is right for you and your property.
How to save on costs by the homeowner taking on the role as the project
manager.
Setting expectations on costs and the process.
Infrastructure costs.
E. Homeless Services Masterplan Subcommittee Update (5:25-5:40 p.m.).
Reschedule the next meeting for later in June as opposed to July. The draft report
needs to be completed so it can be presented to Staff at the next City Council
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meeting. July 18 will be the next meeting.
VI.UNFINISHED BUSINESS
A. None
VII.INFORMATIONAL ITEMS
A. Liaison Reports
Councilor Kaplan gave the committee a detailed report on the happenings with the city
council.
The Ad hoc committee for the site plan at 2200 Ashland Street has been created.
There are 12 committee members who are a mix of local business owners in the
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neighborhood, local service providers, and residents of the area. Mayor Tonya
Graham and Councilors Duquenne and Kaplan will be liaisons to the committee.
Building Official Steven Matiaco and Community Development Director Brandon
Goldman presented the new updated building code to the City Council.
The city has a new website which went live on May 22, 2024.
Development Services Coordinator, April Lucas, who represented the DPMAC
(Development Process Management Advisory Committee) presented the DPMAC
report which gave the city councilors great insight into the city’s development
process. DPMAC Report_final_05082024.pdf
B.General Announcements
VIII.AGENDA BUILDING – Future Meetings
Consolidated plan updated needs to be on the agenda for June’s
meeting.
Planning for our rent burden event.
CDBG item.
IX.ADJOURNMENT:6:00 p.m.
Next Meeting Date: June 27, 2024
In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in this meeting, please
email linda.reid@ashland.or.us. Notification 72 hours prior to the meeting will enable the City to make reasonable
arrangements to ensure accessibility to the meeting (28 CFR 35.102-35.104 ADA Title 1).
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DATE: June 27, 2024
TO: Housing and Human Services Advisory Committee
FROM: Linda Reid, Housing Program Manager
DEPT: Fire & Rescue
RE: Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) Update
A Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) identifies and prioritizes
opportunities for wildfire risk reduction in at-risk communities. Ashland
ranks high in state and regional wildfire risk assessments. Homes have
burned in the past 15 years, including the Almeda Fire in 2020, which
started in Ashland and burned more than 2,800 structures in Ashland and
neighboring communities. Smoke from regional wildfires annually
plagues tourism and public health. In 2018, the entirety of the City was
formally declared a Wildfire Hazard Zone (aka WUI) by the City Council.
In 2023, Ashland received a grant to implement an ambitious proposal
to fund a major rewrite of Ashland’s 2004 CWPP. The updated CWPP will
enable the City of Ashland to better understand wildfire risk in the built
environment, wrestle with fire-adapted community issues and capacity
limits, address vulnerable population knowledge gaps, and map out and
prioritize community initiatives based on extensive public engagement.
By design, the CWPP belongs to the community. To be inclusive we need a
wide range of perspectives and ideas for engagement and problem
solving before, during, and after a major and worst-case wildfire. We are
particularly interested in enabling “socially vulnerable” persons to have
wildfire resistant homes.
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Goal Statement
Develop a strategy/framework/plan to motivate and enable socially
vulnerable persons (SVP*) who have not been engaged so far for
whatever reason to reduce the risk of wildfire where they live.
*Socially vulnerable populations in this context are renters, low-income, housing-
insecure, manufactured home park, limited mobility (e.g., disabled, senior, and single
parent), and non-English speaking residents. Others may be identified as we learn
more.
Desired Future Conditions
Socially vulnerable persons are empowered and motivated to do what is
necessary to have a home to return to when wildfire occurs in Ashland.
Measurable Outcomes/Deliverables for the CWPP Development Process:
Formulate a project implementation plan before July 1, 2024.
Significantly improve understanding of the perspectives of renters,
low income, housing insecure, manufactured home park, disabled,
seniors, and single parent residents’ that affect their ability to
create and maintain a wildfire resistant residence.
Formulate strategies that are humanizing, empowering, effective,
and meaningful for target populations to have wildfire resistant
homes and outdoor spaces.
Integrate renters’ issues from a sampling of that population who
rent from landlords who don’t use property management
companies and/or have less than 1-4 rentals.
Develop strategies to educate renters and motivate landlords to
reduce wildfire risk on residential rental properties.
Develop forward-looking customized framework(s) and pathway(s)
to progressively address the needs of target populations for at
least the next five years. Identify potential means to support follow-
through.
Incorporate findings in the Ashland’s updated CWPP and make
recommendations to address needs for from 1-10 years.
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Assumptions:
Addressing the needs of the unhoused is not part of this project.
Reducing the risk of the unhoused starting wildfires is addressed in
WG3.1.
Evacuation and smoke preparedness concerns and issues
(including evacuation for vehicle less and limited mobility
populations) will be the responsibility of the Public Health and
Safety Work Group (PHS). However, the SVP focus group will
collaborate with the PHS to engage and seek out information from
residents relevant to both work groups.
Everybody is “vulnerable” to the impacts of extreme wildfire.
SVP residential units are co-located (e.g., in a neighborhood) AND
scattered throughout the city; some may be a room or larger
portion of a shared residence.
Language matters. To meet equity, diversity, and inclusivity goals
we need to focus on listening in preference to simply “educating”
and be respectful and cautious of the words we use to
communicate.
To engage SVPs we will strive to interact with them on their terms.
We may use trusted individuals and organizations to represent
the interests and needs of these populations (called “community
navigators”).
We may consult with organizations that are not physically based in
Ashland but serve the interests of the community in some capacity.
The project has limited funding for a “Discovery Phase” Sociologist
with the Center for Social Ecology and Public Policy, Inc (CSEPP). IF
we need to compensate “community navigators” or residents who
volunteer to have their homes assessed, we need to seek funding
for gift certificates.
Volunteers may assess residential units for wildfire risk using
customized protocols.
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Due to limited AF&R capacity, the work will be done primarily by
volunteers. All volunteer contributions (i.e., hours and mileage) will
be tracked.
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DATE: June 27, 2024
TO: City Manager, City Council, and the Housing and Human Services
Advisory Committee
FROM: Linda Reid, Housing Program Manager
DEPT: Planning
RE: Final CDBG Allocation and Award Adjustment
The City of Ashland has received the final formula allocation for
Community Development Block Grant funds from the Department of
Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The City received a decreased
allocation from the previous year, by approximately 10%. Consequently,
the awards recommended by the Housing and Human Services Advisory
Committee and approved by the City Council will need to be amended.
Each year the City issues a Request for Proposals for the use of
community development block grant funds in January. This is necessary
to meet the timelines for submission of plans required by HUD. HUD often
does not release the final formula allocation until later in the spring.
Consequently, all grantees estimate the grant amount by looking to the
prior years’ allocation, which is generally close to the actual allocation.
The grant funds are advertised with the caveat that the entity can be
awarded based on the actual allocation. When the allocations are
released, staff generally adjusts all grantees by the same percentage so
that each grantee shares in the loss or gain equally. However, given that
for the 2024 program year there were only two grantees, and one of the
grantees received a provisional award, staff would rather opt to have the
provisional award take to total reduction of funds and leave the activity
that will be utilizing the funding right away fully funded to assure the most
expedient use of the funding to benefit populations in need right away.
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Anticipated/Awarded Equal Adjustment Recommended
Adjustment
Grant Amount$179,575 $162,639 $162,639
City-Administration$35,913$32,527 $32,527
Public Services (up to 15%) $18,000 $16,615 $18,000
requests-Maslow
Capital Requests-(up to $125,660 $113,497 $112,409
100%)
Because this change does not constitute a substantial amendment under
the City’s public participation plan for the CDBG program, this change is
not required to go through a full public hearing process. However, staff
will bring this item back before the Housing and Human Services Advisory
Committee, to keep that body informed of the change and to provide an
additional opportunity for the public to be aware of the changes being
made to the way the City is allocating CDBG funding.
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DATE: June 27, 2024
TO: Housing and Human Services Advisory Committee
FROM: Linda Reid, Housing Program Manager
DEPT: Planning
RE: Homeless Services Masterplan Subcommittee (HSMS) Closeout
Process and Schedule
In January the HHSAC establisheda workgroup to address the City
Council's request to create a masterplan report on how the City can best
invest limited resources toward addressing homelessness in a more
thoughtful and holistic manner. To that end a subcommittee of
community volunteers, City Councilors and advisory committee members
have been meeting twice a month since February to accomplish this task.
The work of that workgroup will culminate in a masterplan report which
will need to be reviewed by the HHSAC at the next regular meeting
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rescheduled for July 18 and a recommendation to the Council will need
to be made at that time as well.
Due to the tight timeline, a preliminary draft of the report was emailed to
the full HHSAC members prior to having been discussed and revised by
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the HSMS at their next regular meeting on June 26. The HHSAC liaisons to
the HSMP would like to hear any initial impressions or feedback from
HHSAC members to help inform revisions to the report so that the HSMS
members can bring back a more complete draft for review and
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recommendation at the July 18 meeting.
HSMS Draft Review and revisions 06/26/2024
HHSAC Initial thoughts for revisions 06/27/2024
HHSAC Draft review and recommendations07/18/2024
City Council Review-Study Session 08/05/2024
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DATE: June 27, 2024
TO: Housing and Human Services Advisory Committee
FROM: Linda Reid, Housing Program Manager
DEPT: Planning
RE: Education and Community Engagement Planning
Each year the HHSAC is in charge of developing an educational and
community engagement event. The event can take place at any time
during the year and should include a component that addresses the issue
of rent burden to meet the City’s obligation to the State regarding the rent
burden education to the community. The HHSAC will also have the
additional responsibility of incorporating community engagement to help
inform the development of the Consolidated Plan for the use of
Community Development Block Grant funds, at this or another event.
However, both the rent burden and the CDBG events have a lot of flexibility
in how the engagement and education can be accomplished.
In previous years the HHSAC has organized education and engagement
events that were community forums with panels of experts. Events that
included round table/world café types of discussions and prioritization
processes. One time the HHSAC organized an affordable housing bus tour
with the affordable housing developers providing on site presentations
about the projects.
Staff would like the HHSC to begin the process of brainstorming about
what the Committee members might like to do/see/accomplish for this
year’s event.
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