Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 01 Housing and Homelessness Project ListAGENDA ITEM SUMMARY SPRINGFIELD CITY COUNCIL Meeting Date: Meeting Type: Staff Contact/Dept.: Staff Phone No: Estimated Time: Council Goals: 2/14/2022 Work Session Erin Fifield / DPW 541-726-2302 45 Minutes Promote and Enhance our Hometown Feel while Focusing on Livability and Environmental Quality ITEM TITLE: HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS PROJECT LIST ACTION Provide direction to City staff on potential projects to address affordable housing REQUESTED: and homelessness. ISSUE With recent state and federal legislation, the City will see an infusion of one-time STATEMENT: grants over the next few years to address the needs of affordable housing and homelessness. Staff have identified several needs and project ideas from community partners that the City could support with these additional funds. ATTACHMENTS: Attachment 1: Council Briefing Memorandum Attachment 2: Project List DISCUSSION/ The state and federal one-time funds are in addition to the annual federal funds the FINANCIAL City receives — Community Development Block Grants to mostly benefit low - IMPACT: income persons in Springfield, and HOME Investment Partnership funds to help develop new affordable housing. Each funding source is asking for details on how the City plans to spend these funds. Each funding source has particular requirements, some of which are more flexible than others. Thus, some projects on this list are eligible to be funded by some of these funds, and not others. In order to be strategic with these funds, and match projects with the best appropriate source of funding available, staff is seeking input from Council on the projects themselves. Following this direction, staff plan to match funding sources with projects, and return to Council for further guidance. MEMORANDUM City of Springfield Date: 2/14/2022 To: Nancy Newton COUNCIL From: Erin Fifield, Community Development Analyst BRIEFING Tom Boyatt, Community Development Director Subject: Housing and Homelessness Project List MEMORANDUM ISSUE: With recent state and federal legislation, the City will see an infusion of one-time grants over the next few years to address the needs of affordable housing and homelessness. Staff have identified several needs and project ideas from community partners that the City could support with these additional funds. COUNCIL GOALS/ MANDATE: Promote and Enhance our Hometown Feel While Focusing on Livability and Environmental Quality BACKGROUND: One -Time Funding The need for more housing at all price levels existed before the pandemic and has been exacerbated since. Recent state and federal one-time funding has been allocated to address the needs in our community, including for more affordable housing for low-income persons as well as other resources for those unhoused and low-income. Oregon Legislative American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding Sources of funds include the state allocation of ARPA funding programmed by our local representatives. Representative Lively and Senator Beyer have each allocated a portion of their ARPA funds toward affordable housing and/or a new behavioral health center, respectively, in Springfield. These projects need to follow federal guidance, be approved by the Oregon Department of Administrative Services (DAS) and be obligated by December 31, 2024. $1 million in state funding The legislature awarded $1million to Springfield, among other communities, to address the need for affordable housing, housing affordability and homelessness. The specific guidance on these funds is still being worked out, but it is thought the City will have flexibility in how and when these funds get spent. $3 million for a new Manufactured Home Park Representative Lively also secured $3 million toward the development of a new Manufactured Home Park in Springfield for low-income persons. This was a project that grew out of Springfield's Oregon Solutions project to address the needs of park residents at risk of displacement. City staff are working with Oregon Housing and Community Services to identify a project; funds need to be awarded to a non-profit developer by June 30, 2023. Attachment 1, Page 1 of 2 MEMORANDUM HOME -ARP funding Page 2 The Eugene -Springfield HOME Consortium has also been awarded $4.7 million in HOME -ARP funds, about $1 million of which is expected for projects in Springfield. The HOME Consortium Governing Board will have a chance over the next few months to review a needs analysis given specific guidance on these funds and determine how to best allocate these funds for each respective jurisdiction. This list of projects The projects listed in the attached table would create affordable housing for low-income persons, help maintain affordability for housing, create shelter for the unhoused, and/or provide resources for low-income and unhoused persons. Many of these projects are unique and do not qualify for or align with the annual federal funds the City receives for housing and social services. Some of these project ideas have been around for a few years and are ready to proceed but for funding. There are other affordable housing project ideas in Springfield that aren't listed here. Local developers Homes for Good, St. Vincent de Paul, Cornerstone Community Housing, devNW, and Mainstream Housing have all expressed development ideas to staff. Many of those projects are still being developed and not ready to proceed. The City's annual CDBG or HOME funds may also be a good source of funding for those projects and would be available in the future. Council Direction Given staff's limited time to explore these additional projects, staff is seeking Council direction on where to focus our efforts. Council's guidance will help ensure the city spends these one- time funds within the required timeframes and in a way that meets the community's needs. Next stens Staff will take the direction received and come back to Council at a future date with a more detailed proposal to allocate funds. To note, funding guidance and projects themselves are dynamic. There may be additional information received regarding funding sources, or projects themselves, that may influence whether or how a project could move forward. RECOMMENDED ACTION: Provide direction to City staff on potential projects to address affordable housing and homelessness. Attachment 1, Page 2 of 2 Shelter for the Unhoused Project Activity Cost Notes Install sprinklers in order to Ebbert Methodist Church had been a longstanding Egan 1. Egan Warming Site allow Ebbert to serve as an $490,000 Warming Center site. A fire safety inspection a few years ago Egan Warming site determined it was unsafe for people to sleep in the basement without a sprinkler system. Creating a group home for homeless women called Ann's Heart 2. Ann's Heart Women's guy/rehab a house $525,000 has been in the works for many years. Carry It Forward would Shelter - Purchase partner with the group to provide staffing. Operational costs are projected at $308K/year. 3. Ann's Heart Women's Operating costs for a group $308,000/ The City could fund up to 3 years of initial operating costs Shelter - Operation home/ shelter year ($924,000) to allow for time to secure on-going funding support. New Affordable Housing for Low-Income Persons Project Activity Cost Notes 4. Fischer Village near R Pay for construction of 2 Habitat for Humanity has approval to construct 12 units on this and 11th Streets units for low-income $300,000 site. The site is prepped, Habitat has some funds on hand, but homeownership. otherwise needs to fundraise to finish constructing all 12 units. 5. F Street Co-Op / Land SquareOne Villages has identified a property developed with Buy land / house $370,000 one house on which to build 14 "suites" as a housing Trust cooperative. Rep. Lively secured $3 million in state funding for this project. 6. New Manufactured To buy land, pay for The City recently purchased a 33-acre property off of Linda Home Park - Linda Lane development costs $3 Million + Lane for wetland mitigation. The City could partition a portion of the site for a new MHP; staff are currently doing site due diligence. 7. New Low-Income To buy land, pay for TBD SVDP has a plan to develop a project with Willamette Family Rental Housing development costs using prefabricated units but has yet to find land. Attachment 2, Page 1 of 3 Attachment 2, Page 2 of 3 Cornerstone Community Housing is looking at purchasing 8. New Low-Income To buy land, pay for property from a private seller. The City may need to purchase Rental Housing development costs TBD the property first. The City is in talks with Springfield Utility Board (SUB) about this project given its proximity to a potential drinking water well site. To incentivize property In the past, devNW, SVDP, CCS, Better Housing Together and 9. ADUincentive owners to build an others have expressed interest in an ADU pilot program that additional housing unit on TBD would help fund the construction / property management of an program am their property to rent to accessory dwelling unit (ADU) on an existing lot, in exchange for low-income persons a commitment to rent the unit to a low-income person. Resources for the Unhoused Project Activity Cost Notes Springfield police is purchasing a van for CAHOOTS but would 10. New CAHOOTS back-up Pay for a new van and otherwise rely on White Bird for a shared backup vehicle. $93,500 Purchasing our own backup van would increase reliability of van conversion service with quality equipment, add flexibility to City Shops and would extend the life of the recently purchased vehicle. Temporary sanitation During COVID, with City Hall shut down, the EOC put up port-a- 11. Downtown port-a- facilities at City Hall and $18,000 potties and handwashing stations in the City Hall Library potties Ebbert parking lot, and at Ebbert Methodist Church (@ $1,000/mo). $225,000+ Eugene Loo (public restroom open 24/7) cost about $225,000 "Loo" Build a public "Loo" open p p ($110K for the Loo; $115K for design/site prep). Maintenance 12. Downtown 24/7 in downtown ongoingoi ng costs TBD but Eugene staff stressed that having daily maintenance maintenance and management would be key to its success. 13. Mental/Behavioral Buy land for a new Lane County Behavioral Health has identified the need for a mental/behavioral health TBD regional mental/behavioral health center and is looking for Health center center property. Sen. Beyer asked for this project with ARPA funding. There are over 400 kids in the Springfield School District TBD (school district will identified as homeless per the federal McKinney-Vento 14. Resources for regroup post-holiday and TBD definition. The school district has two staff members to assist Homeless Families share unmet needs list) homeless families, but otherwise has limited funds. A McKinney-Vento liaison sits on the steering committee for OASIS. Attachment 2, Page 2 of 3 Resources to help low-income persons Project Activity Cost Notes Catholic Community Services (CCS) administers a program for 15. Help fund low-income Assist low-income SUB, helping low-income residents pay overdue electricity bills. residents with residents with $20,000 But CCS does not have money to help residents with water or water/trash service water/sewer/trash trash bills. Some residents then have potential water shutoffs, or choose not to get trash service. Resources to maintain housing affordability Project Activity Cost Notes 16. Filbert Grove This is a recently acquired, resident -owned, Manufactured Manufactured Home Help pay down permanent $445,000 Home Park for seniors (formerly The Patrician). Rep. Lively Park loan asked for this project with ARPA funding. Staff met with CASA about this request. Attachment 2, Page 3 of 3