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11/06/2001NEIGHBORHOOD & AFFORDABLE HOUSING ADVISORY BOARD MEETING CITY OF CLEARWATER November 6, 2001 Present: Stephen Jefferies Chair Peggy M. Cutkomp Vice-Chair Rev. William Graham Board Member Joyce L. Smith Board Member Warren Hunt Board Member William Turner, Sr. Board Member – arrived 10:06 a.m. Laurel Braswell Board Member Vacant Seat Board Member Vacant Seat Board Member Also Present: Nina Bandoni Assistant Housing Director Brenda Moses Board Reporter The Chair called the meeting to order at 10:04 a.m. at City Hall, To provide continuity for research, items are in agenda order although not necessarily discussed in that order. ITEM 3 – Approval of Minutes In reference to the minutes of the regular meeting of September 11, 2001, it was requested that page 3, section c, sentence 4 read “…funding will be withdrawn…”; that Member Smith’s title as Vice-Chair be changed to “Board Member”; that Member Hunt be shown as “absent”, and Member Turner be shown as “present”. Member Graham moved to approve the minutes of the regular meeting of September 11, 2001, as corrected. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously. ITEM 4 – Citizens to be Heard - None. ITEM 5 – Performance Reports – None. Assistant Housing Director Nina Bandoni said as subrecipients are currently finalizing their contracts. No reports will be available until January 2002. ITEM 6 – Old Business Spending/performance process for CDBG (Community Development Block Grant) Funding Recipients Ms. Bandoni said she would revise paragraph #3 of the document changing “suspended” to “withdrawn”. The remainder of the draft is the suggested language proposed at the September 11, 2001, meeting. Member Cutkomp moved to accept the spending/performance process as proposed for the CDBG funding recipients. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously. Final Discussion: Non-Clearwater residents on NAHAB (Neighborhood and Affordable Housing Advisory Board) Ms. Bandoni said this item was part of the discussion at the September 11, 2001, meeting, at which time the NAHAB requested further discussion. In response to a question, Ms. Bandoni said all the other City advisory boards require board members to be City residents. Discussion ensued and concern was expressed that allowing a non-resident to serve on the NAHAB would allow other City advisory boards to appoint non-residents. It was felt there are sufficient numbers of residents qualified to serve on the NAHAB. It was remarked that a City resident would have a greater commitment to the NAHAB’s purpose. Ms. Bandoni said the City has not experienced difficulty filling the “neighborhood” positions on the NAHAB, but has had difficulty filling the professional seats. She suggested the if the professional seats were filled with non-Clearwater residents, they would tend to be applicants that tend to do business in Clearwater. She said the “housing provider” category is currently vacant. A representative from CSF (Community Service Foundation) offered to help find a potential candidate for the vacant position. Member Graham moved that non-residents of Clearwater continue to be prohibited from serving on the NAHAB. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously. Updates: Fulton and Greenwood Apartments Ms. Bandoni said the City is in the process of acquiring the 4 one-bedroom units at Fulton Apartments and determining their best use. The contractor has been selected. Construction of the 16 units at the Fulton Apartments will begin the first quarter of 2002. The County will provide bond financing and initiate a tax credit application to be approved by the State for the Greenwood Apartment rehabilitation project. The County has asked the City to modify the terms of the agreement by extending the payment another 3 years, for a total of an 8-year repayment plan. The agreement includes a clause stating if the Greenwood Apartments experience a cash flow sooner than the tenth year, the County would be required to begin the repayments. ITEM 7 – New Business – None. ITEM 8– Announcements Sylvia Costello, Executive Director of Partners in Self-Sufficiency, said her agency will be applying for an economic development grant from the City and federal grants. The agency was awarded a $500,000 self-sufficiency grant from HUD to help Jasmine Courts become self-sufficient within 3 years. The agency also applied for a $600,000 Housing Services and Assistance Program grant eligible to communities with high increases of poverty in certain neighborhoods. The grant will enable the agency to serve 100 Section 8 clients a year, or a total of 300 clients in a 3-year period. The intention of the grant is to increase the number of landlords that would allow Section 8 clients, decentralize Section 8 neighborhoods, and hire a social case management worker to maintain stability in the family. Clients will receive financial assistance and training in social services and landlords would be better educated regarding Section 8 opportunities. Andre Dobson, Greenwood Community Health Resource Center, announced an annual banquet at 6:30 p.m. on November 30, 2001, at the Clearwater Country Club. Beth Eschenfelder, Mustard Seed and President of the Pinellas County Coalition for the Homeless, said the Coalition identifies churches and other facilities that are willing to provide shelter to help the homeless. She is always searching for more shelters and volunteers. Donations of toiletries, mattresses, and floor mats are needed. She announced the first planning for Cold Night Shelter will be held at the St. Petersburg/Clearwater Airport conference room. Carole Ciokiewicz, Executive Director of CHIP (Clearwater Homeless Intervention Project), said CHIP is partnering with the Clearwater Police Department and Directions for Mental Health in a 2-year $ 1million grant program funded from the Department of Justice. The policing/homeless outreach initiative program which began October 12, 2001, has enabled 50 trained police officers to patrol the downtown corridor to identify homeless individuals. The program seeks to recruit homeless persons and refer them to appropriate social service programs. The program is strictly voluntary. Ms. Ciokiewicz said to date, only 15 persons of 300 homeless persons interviewed have attended the program. Other homeless organizations are working with CHIP throughout the County. She said although working with the homeless population requires repeated counseling, she feels this program will make a difference in Clearwater. Jerry Spilatro, CSF (Community Service Foundation) said his agency often does not report the addresses of homes that have been rehabilitated by CSF. He said they include 1200 North Saturn Avenue and 1741 North Greenwood Avenue. He encouraged NAHAB members to visit the homes. The next NAHAB meeting is scheduled for January 18, 2002. Ms. Bandoni said she expects her replacement will be on board at that time. ITEM 9 – Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 10:33 a.m.