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04/13/2021 Neighborhood and Affordable Meeting Minutes April 13, 2021 Housing Advisory Board City of Clearwater Main Library- Council Chambers 100 N. Osceola Avenue Clearwater, FL 33755 m s Meeting Minutes Tuesday, April 13, 2021 9:00 AM Main Library - Council Chambers Neighborhood and Affordable Housing Advisory Board Page 1 City of Clearwater Neighborhood and Affordable Meeting Minutes April 13, 2021 Housing Advisory Board Roll Call Present 7 - Chair Camille Hebting, Vice Chair Kevin Chinault, Board Member Linda Kemp, Board Member Carmen Santiago, Board Member Gabby Camacho, Board Member Peter Scalia, and Board Member Lindsay Dicus-Harrison Also Present - Denise Sanderson — Economic Development & Housing Director, Chuck Lane — Economic Development & Housing Assistant Director, Nicole Sprague — Deputy City Clerk 1. Call To Order The Chair called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. at the Main Library. To provide continuity for research, items are in agenda order although not necessarily discussed in that order. 2. Approval of Minutes 2.1 Approve the March 9, 2021 NAHAB Meeting Minutes Member Dicus-Harrison moved to continue minutes of the March 9, 2021 Neighborhood & Affordable Housing Advisory Board meeting. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously. 3. Citizens to be Heard Regarding Items Not on the Agenda Councilmember Kathleen Beckman thanked board members for their service. She said she had toured Pinellas Hope and Safe Harbor and supported increased funding for homeless programs. She said she was considering ways to establish concrete measurements for streamlining the permitting process for affordable housing. She said she had sent letters to all Florida representatives supporting protection of the Sadowski Trust Fund. She said she was passionate about providing Pinellas County residents with more housing options. 4. New Business Items 4.1 Presentation by Applicants for Community Development Block Grant funding for Public Service programs, Public Facility improvements and Economic Development programs. Applicants for Community Development Block Grant funding for Public Service programs, Public Facility improvements and Economic Development programs will present to the Neighborhood and Affordable Housing Advisory Board. Economic Development & Housing Assistant Director Chuck Lane reviewed Page 2 City of Clearwater Neighborhood and Affordable Meeting Minutes April 13, 2021 Housing Advisory Board the Annual Action Plan Schedule for FY(Fiscal Year) 2021/22. Agency presentations: Public Services funding: 1) Gulf Coast Legal Services, 2) WestCare; 3) Pinellas Opportunity Council, 4) Kimberly Home, 5) Intercultural Advocacy Institute, 6) Hope Villages of America (Also Public Facilities funding), 7) Pinellas Ex Offender Re-Entry Coalition (Also Public Facilities funding), and 8) St. Vincent DePaul Community Kitchen and Resource Center(Also Public Facilities funding). Public Facilities funding: 1) Clearwater Martin Luther King Jr. Neighborhood Center Coalition; 2) R' Club Child Care, 3) Directions for Living, and 4) Homeless Emergency Project. Homebuyer Education (classes and 1-on-1 pre-purchase counseling)/Down Payment Assistance funding: 1) Clearwater Neighborhood Housing Services, 2) Suncoast Housing Connections, f/k/a Tampa Bay CDC, 3) and Bright Community Trust. Microenterprise Technical Support funding: 1) Hispanic Business Initiative Fund of Florida, d/b/a Prospera and 2) Tampa Bay Black Business Investment Corporation. In response to questions: Gulf Coast Legal Services representative Chelsea Wait said the organization had met increased demand by reassigning staff. She said approximately 30% of clients were Hispanic and about 10% did not speak English. WestCare representative Larry McArthur said facility occupancy was reduced during COVID-19. He said clients were provided vaccinations every other week. He said individuals were picked up anywhere in the County and driven to their St. Petersburg shelter. He said clients were provided case management during the 30-day program, afterwards, staff tried to move clients to other resources. Pinellas Opportunity Council (POC) — CHORE Services Program representative Kathleen Russell said POC had spent $125,000 in Cares Act funds by the end of 2020. She said CHORE was working to restaff and replace employees lost during the program's COVID-19 shutdown. She said some past clients did reapply for services after a time. She said the City and Senior Help Line referred clients, some called directly. She said in homes with more than one resident, the service only cleaned the elderly person's room. Kimberly Home representative Kate Kelly said the facility had 15 beds and Page 3 City of Clearwater Neighborhood and Affordable Meeting Minutes April 13, 2021 Housing Advisory Board 6 residents, occupancy was reduced during COVID-19. She said another house was under renovation. She said last year the City had only provided $14,000 to fund the house mom position. She said donations were down this year. She said without funding, the housing director would have to assume the house mom's responsibilities and get nothing else done. Intercultural Advocacy Institute representative Kristy Padilla said the agency provided virtual programming that allowed interaction with students. She said the agency was adapting by offering different activities to engage families. She said the agency followed CDC guidelines. She said the Youth Leadership Program, which meets every other week, was intended to unite parents and students and provide leadership skills. Hope Villages of America representatives Melina Perry and Mark Dufva said $95,000 had been budgeted for initial engineering costs for 6 additional units. They said residents stayed up to 2 to 3 months. They said the agency's goal was to put people in housing. Ms. Perry said 112 people a day seek shelter or assistance. She said when the eviction moratorium expires, the agency anticipated a large influx of every type of family. She said unit occupancy was reduced from 2 to one family during COVID-19. Pinellas Ex Offender Re-Entry Coalition representative Michael Jalazo said the agency will split the position's cost. He anticipated the 9,000 square-foot resource center would open by spring 2022. He said St. Petersburg College had committed to provide an instructor when classes begin in Summer or Fall 2022. He said the agency's objective was to offer a pre manufacturing training program. He said the agency also was working to raise funds from additional sources. St. Vincent DePaul Community Kitchen and Resource Center representative Christine Bond said the order of her priorities was: 1) kitchen equipment, 2) security doors, 3) office space, and 4) replacement of the 40-year-old restrooms. She said the agency served 100 to 135 people daily. Clearwater Martin Luther King Jr. Neighborhood Center Coalition representative Carmen Lundy said funds were requested for the roof, air- conditioner, and updated plumbing for toilets. She estimated the building was 43 years old. She said 10 separate organizations with their resources of health education, mentorship, recruiting, etc. used the facility. She said the facility was reaching out to collaborate with additional partners and planned to contact St. Petersburg College. R' Club Child Care representatives Lynn Tucker said the order of her priorities was: 1) playground equipment, 2) gateway shed, 3) lighting at the gateway, and 4) air-conditioning, which did not function. She said playground and craft times in the shed were staggered to separate the toddlers and older children. Page 4 City of Clearwater Neighborhood and Affordable Meeting Minutes April 13, 2021 Housing Advisory Board The Directions for Living representative said the Belcher Road campus served approximately 15,000 people annually. He anticipated a surge of service requests due to COVID-19. He said a staff member accompanied employees who worked late to their vehicles. He said trimming the trees would improve safety. Homeless Emergency Project (HEP) representative Zach White said due to mandates and other requirements, HEP did not have much leverage re who was placed in units. He said HEP took referrals through the VA or Section 8 for unsubsidized units. He said HEP sometimes made self-pay arrangements. He said HEP was aligned with St. Vincent de Paul to work with Stars students who committed to attend class even when homeless. He said all windows in all 3 buildings were in similar condition. He said the 8- unit complex was dedicated to Court entry. He said some units were unmandated. He said HEP did not house families. He said HEP was in the process of obtaining funds from other sources. The 3 buildings'3— 4 vacancies were being filled. Clearwater Neighborhood Housing Services representative Mike Holmes said the agency was doing homebuyer education classes online and soon hoped to do more face to face. Representative Isay Gulley said the agency started in Clearwater in 1979 but no longer provided a rehab program as the City began to administer the program inhouse and cut their funding. She said roof repairs were for the Head Start building which the agency now owned, the building's previous business was a problem neighborhood bar. She said Head Start provided early learning for 90 children from very low income families. She said the agency also requested funding for professional services to process, approve, and distribute City DPA funds to qualified individuals. She said the agency served income challenged people and provided credit counseling and classes. She said the length of the DPA approval process varied, applications from clients who completed training processed faster. Suncoast Housing Connections, f/k/a Tampa Bay CDC representative Ellen Stoffer said 106 people were being counseled, homebuyer education classes averaged 50— 70 people per month. She said the agency offered monthly classes in Spanish. She said the virtual classes had students from all over. Bright Community Trust representative Dania Perez said the agency offered a HUD certified class and did not turn away any students. She said the agency built houses as a CHODO (Community Housing Development Association) in partnership with local governments; land was not included in the purchase price. She said Clearwater subsidized houses for people at 80% AMI (Area Median Income). Page 5 City of Clearwater Neighborhood and Affordable Housing Advisory Board Meeting Minutes April 13, 2021 Hispanic Business Initiative Fund of Florida, d/b/a Prospera representative Fabian Yepez said the agency had assisted 18 people this year and anticipated assisting 8 more. He said the agency held workshops and seminars to provide general business advice and also provided technical assistance and financial grants. He said while the organization was based in Orlando, it had a Tampa office and a person exclusively dedicated to Pinellas County. Tampa Bay Black Business Investment Corporation representative Albert Lee said the agency's interest rate cap was 9% but most loans were in the 7% - 7.5% range. He said the agency had engaged 200 business with one on one meetings and seminars. He said this year the agency was focused on moving more capital into the hands of businesses. He said it had been easy for the agency to pivot and provide COVID-19 services. Discussion ensued with comments that the representatives had provided positive information re affordable housing and homeless service efforts, application paperwork included important information, distribution of those materials to board members should be reinstated, TRC members should tour applicant agencies, and some applications included photos. 5. Old Business Items: None 6. Director's Report Mr. Lane reviewed said the TRC (Technical Review Committee) met in an open public forum and accepted feedback. TRC members: City Clerk Rosemarie Call, Neighborhood & Affordable Housing Board Member Kevin Chinault, Neighborhood Services Coordinator Jordan Morang, Dominique Randall with the Homeless Leadership Council, and Bilal Habeen-Ullah with the Clearwater Urban Leadership Coalition. Staff will provide the board with the TRC scores and staff funding recommendations for approval on May 11. 7. Board Members to be Heard: None 8. Adjourn Attest: Board Reporter City of Clearwater The meeting adjourned at 11:25 a.m. Chair, Neighb Page 6 ffordable Housing Advisory Board