Title
Approval of Resolution to Authorize Interlocal Agreement for Conducting the Countywide Fair Housing Assessment
Recommended Action
Committee Recommendation:
Not referred to a committee
City Manager Recommendation:
Move to approve a resolution authorizing the City Manager to execute an Interlocal Agreement with Thurston County for the purpose of conducting a Countywide Assessment of Fair Housing as per federal Housing and Urban Development (HUD) regulations.
Report
Issue:
Whether to approve resolution to authorize authorize the City Manager to execute an Interlocal Agreement with Thurston County for the purpose of City of Olympia conducting the Countywide Assessment of Fair Housing, as per federal HUD regulations.
Staff Contact:
Anna Schlecht, Community Service Programs Manager, Community Planning and Development Department, Community Services Division, (360) 753-8183
Presenter(s):
None - Consent Calendar Item.
Background and Analysis:
Federal History: Fair Housing is founded on the belief that fair housing choice is a fundamental value in the United States. The federal Fair Housing Act of 1968 established federal-level protections to address discrimination for households that rent, buy, or secure financing for any housing. The initial protections specifically covered discrimination based on race, color, national origin. Over the years, congress added other federally protected classes to include: religion, sex, disability and the presence of children.
State and Local History: At the state and local levels, other protected classes were added over the years to address other groups of people who experienced housing discrimination, including protections based on: sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status and other classes. Very recently, efforts to protect low-income people using state or federal housing subsidies have been added in some jurisdictions to protect people on the basis of “source of income.” This protected class - source of income - has been added in both Olympia and Tumwater in an effort to provide fair housing choice for low income people. Beyond the fair housing issues, this type of discrimination defeats one of the key tools for addressing homelessness and need for low-cost housing. If housing subsidies are rejected, many households will remain homeless.
Regulatory Changes: Recent changes to HUD Regulations now require all recipients of federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME Program funds to conduct an Assessment of Fair Housing (AFH) with recommendations that will guide their multi-year strategic plans known as the “CDBG Annual Action Plan.” This AFH process replaces the previous approach titled the “Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing” (AI). One of the key changes is a new requirement to analyze demographic maps that present US Census information about the geographic distribution of people based on race, culture, income and handicap status. The AFH requires specific strategies to address areas of concentration. The regulations also call for an examination of ways that investment of federal housing dollars may have contributed to the concentration of low-income people of color and/or handicap status.
Partnership with Thurston County: The City and County work together on planning and reporting for the federal CDBG and HOME Programs. This includes developing the Consolidated Plan, the Annual Action Plans, and the annual reports for the CDBG and HOME programs. This year, the City and County will work together to conduct the Assessment of Fair Housing. Given the City’s limited administrative funding and the shared need to conduct the AFH, the County wishes to contract for services with the City to perform this work. The Interlocal Agreement identifies that the City will provide $4,500 from our CDBG administrative funds for our pro-rata share of the expense, and the County will provide its pro-rata share of $19,500 payable to the City to conduct the AFH. The proposed resolution to authorize this Interlocal Agreement is attached.
AFH Value for Other City Initiatives: The primary purpose of the AFH is to produce recommendations to guide the CDBG Consolidated Planning process for the next Five-Year Plan (2018 - 2022). However, the AFH process will also produce useful information on affordable housing, zoning and other issues that will be highly relevant to the City’s “Missing Middle” project as well as provide deeper information for the Council’s Ad Hoc Committee on Housing Affordability (AHCOHA). The final report will also provide valuable information for the County’s Five Year Homeless Housing Plan, which will be brought up for its first annual review in early 2018.
Neighborhood/Community Interests (if known):
All Olympia neighborhoods have a compelling interest in Fair Housing to ensure that Olympia residents as well of those residents of Thurston County can live, work and raise their families in the neighborhoods they choose.
Options:
1) Approve resolution to authorize the City Manager to execute an Interlocal Agreement with Thurston County for the purpose of the City of Olympia conducting a Countywide Assessment of Fair Housing as per federal Housing and Urban Development (HUD) regulations.
2) Do not approve resolution to authorize the City Manager to execute an Interlocal Agreement with Thurston County for the purpose of City of Olympia conducting a Countywide Assessment of Fair Housing. This option would require the City to conduct its own Assessment of Fair Housing or risk violation of federal Housing and Urban Development (HUD) regulations.
Financial Impact:
This Interlocal Agreement will require that the City dedicate $4,500 of its Program Year 2016 and 2017 administrative funding for the AFH. It will also bring in $19,500 from the County to support this work for a total budget of $24,000.
Attachments:
Interlocal Agreement for Assessment of Fair Housing PLAN 2018 - 2022
Resolution to Authorize Approval for Fair Housing Interlocal Agreement