Lake County Gazette

Lake County Housing and Community Development Commission Executive Committee met May 10.

Here is the agenda as provided by the committee:

1. Roll Call

2. Approval of Minutes

2.1 17-0340

Approval of the February 15, 2017 Minutes

Attachments: 2.15.17 Exec Minutes.pdf

3. Chair's Remarks

4. Public Comments (items not on the agenda)

5. Old Business

6. New Business

6.1 17-0560

Joint resolution authorizing renewal of the HOME Investment Partnership Program Consortium

Agreement with the cities of North Chicago and Waukegan.

· Pursuant to HUD requirements, Lake County must renew its HOME Investment

Partnership Program Consortium Agreement with the cities of North Chicago and

Waukegan every three years in order for all three jurisdictions to continue operating as

a consortium, thereby increasing the level of available HOME funding.

· The current agreement (attached) runs through the end of program year (PY) 2017 and

the draft agreement will cover PY 2018 through PY 2020.

· The draft agreement is currently under review by the States Attorney’s Office and the

Cities of Waukegan and North Chicago. It is anticipated that the agreement will be

finalized in time for the June 13, 2017 Lake County Board meeting.

· A vote is requested from the Housing & Community Development Commission to

recommend approval by the Lake County Board.

Attachments: PREVIOUS LakeCountyConsortium 2014-2017 HOME Agreement.pdf

6.2 17-0561 Joint resolution authorizing an intergovernmental agreement for the provision of grant

administration and management services for North Chicago Community Development Block

Grant (CDBG) funds.

· For the past three years (2014-2017), the City of North Chicago and the U.S.

Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) have asked Lake County to

provide grant administration and management services for the North Chicago

Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. The initial agreement is

attached.

· All parties desire to continue this arrangement for the next three years, which requires

the execution of a second three-year agreement. This agreement will preserve CDBG

funding in the approximate amount of $226,000 for North Chicago, for program year

(PY) 2018 to 2020.

· Lake County will receive approximately $45,000 annually for planning, oversight and

management on behalf of North Chicago.

· The draft agreement is under review by the States Attorney’s Office and the City of

North Chicago. It is anticipated to be ready for approval by the Lake County Board on

June 13, 2017.

· A vote is requested from the Housing & Community Development Commission to

recommend approval by the Lake County Board.

Attachments: PREVIOUS North Chicago CDBG Joint Agreement 2014_2017.pdf

6.3 17-0557 Joint resolution authorizing additional 2017 grant awards from the Lake County Affordable

Housing Program (AHP).

· The Housing & Community Development Commission (HCDC) was charged with

developing 2017 funding recommendations for the Lake County Affordable Housing

Program (AHP). In the 2017 application round for affordable housing, there were more

than $4.5 million in requests for the available $1.9 million in housing grants available.

· Initial recommendations by the HCDC for investment of Lake County AHP funds were

approved by the Lake County Board on March 14, 2017.

· With demand for housing funds far outpacing supply, several 2017 housing projects

were recommended for funding, but there were not sufficient funds available. One

such project was the potential 78-unit “Towering Oaks” affordable housing development

by True Homes in Island Lake. This project scored 73% of available points in the 2017

housing application round, but the HCDC lacked funds with which to assist the project.

Staff was instructed by the Affordable Housing Advisory & Recommendation

Committee (ARC) to find means of supporting the development.

· Staff has identified $49,789.62 in previously unspent AHP funds available plus

$9,818.38 in AHP program income for a total of $57,808 of housing funds available.

While this amount pales in comparison to the gap funding still needed by

recommended 2017 projects, staff has learned that commitment now of $36,000 in

AHP funds for future rental assistance will help True Homes obtain a better score on its

application for Low-Income Housing Tax Credits due in June. If True Homes receives

an allocation of housing tax credits, it can be considered again for development

funding.

· Staff recommends additional AHP 2017 grants of $36,000 for True Homes (for future

rental assistance) and the remaining $21,808 for Catholic Charities Rapid Rehousing

Program. This amount for Rapid Rehousing would be in addition to an original $75,000

AHP allocation to assist the Program in meeting federal match requirements and in

helping more families exit homelessness to housing.

6.4 17-0554 Resolution Approving the First Amendment to the 2015-2019 Consolidated Plan for Housing &

Urban Development (HUD)

· An amendment to the 2015-2019 Consolidated Plan for Housing & Community

Development is required by the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development

(HUD). This current five-year plan represents the first time that Lake County and its

Consortium Members - North Chicago and Waukegan - report accomplishments using

HUD’s electronic format, and several issues with the electronic reporting format are

resolved in this amendment.

· In April of 2016, HUD provided guidance on the pairing of grant-funded activities (e.g.

owner-occupied housing rehabilitation) with HUD’s Goal Outcome Indicators (e.g. #

units of homeowner housing rehabilitated). The revised five-year plan incorporates the

suggested pairings and recalibrates the five-year targets.

· At the start of planning for each new program year, the Housing & Community

Development Commission (HCDC) assesses how funding trends support or detract

from achieving the Plan’s five-year goals. This first amendment to the 2015-2019 Plan

shifts prospective funding away from infrastructure goals that have already been

exceeded to housing goals that, but for additional funding, would not be projected to

meet the five-year targets as required by HUD.

Attachments: 2015_19 Consolidated Plan First Amendment REDLINE.pdf

6.5 17-0563 Joint resolution approving Fourth Amendment to the 2015 Housing and Urban Development

(HUD) Action Plan.

· HUD requires the submission of an Annual Action Plan and associated amendments to

govern expenditure of federal housing and community development funding for each year

of grant funding.

· The Lake County HOME Investment Partnership (HOME) Consortium is comprised of Lake

County and the Cities of Waukegan and North Chicago; all three jurisdictions receive

Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding.

· The proposed Action Plan amendment shifts $100,000 of HOME funding from a planned

rehabilitation of a to-be-determined scattered site rental unit for which an address was not

identified on a timely basis to the owner-occupied rehabilitation program. In housing

assistance programs, HOME funds can be committed immediately, meeting the June 30,

2017 HOME commitment deadline. Given substantial unmet demand for owner-occupied

rehabilitation, this $100,000 in HOME funds will be spent before the HOME spending

deadline in 2019.

Attachments: 2015 4th Amendment HCDC Version.pdf

6.6 17-0565 Resolution approving the Lake County Consortium Federal Violence Against Women Act

(VAWA) Policy and Emergency Transfer Plan

· The 2013 reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (“VAWA”) expands

housing protections to all of HUD’s housing programs, as well as provides enhanced

protections and options for victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual

assault, and stalking.

· HUD’s Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 Implementation Rule

requires Lake County to complete an emergency transfer plan no later than May 15,

2017.

· This Policy and Plan identifies VAWA protections and limitations, tenants who are

eligible for an emergency transfer, the documentation needed to request an emergency

transfer, confidentiality protections, how an emergency transfer may occur, and

guidance to tenants on safety and security.

· This plan is based on a model emergency transfer plan published by the U.S.

Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Federal agency that

oversees compliance for the HOME and Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) Programs.

This Policy is in the process of being reviewed by the Lake County States Attorney’s

Office.

Attachments: VAWA Policy & Emergency Transfer Plan.pdf

7. Staff Reports

8. Adjournment

https://lakecounty.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=523093&GUID=0D855D87-9C1F-4EEB-BB6C-0845FA902952