Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 1997 - 1998EVANSTON HOUSING COMMISSION MEMBERS PRESENT: MEMBERS ABSENT: OTHERS PRESENT: STAFF PRESENT: PRESIDING OFFICIAL: I. CALL TO ORDER MINUTES JANUARY 16,1997 ROOM 2403 - 7:30 P.M. EVANSTON CIVIC CENTER A. Gitelson, Y. Dickerson, P. Wallace S. Calder, M. Lane, P. Miller, D. Lach, C. Murphy, L. Nesbitt John Mitchell and Erica Quinn, Habitat for Humanity S. Janusz, M. Baaske, S. Calder S. Calder called the meeting to order at 7:35 p.m., a quorum being present. II. CONSIDERATION OF NOVEMBER 21,1996 AND DECEMBER 19,1996 MINUTES P. Wallace made a motion to approve the minutes of December 19, 1996; D. Lach seconded. Motion carried 7-0. D. Lach made a motion to approve the minutes of November 21, 1996; Y. Dickerson seconded. Motion carried 7-0. III. OLD BUSINESS Habitat jar Humanity - Discussion of Redevelopment Plan John Mitchell handed out the proposed revised version of the Redevelopment Agreement. He explained that there were a few changes from the version of the redevelopment agreement in their packet and listed those changes for the Commission. P. Wallace asked for an explanation of what was wrong with the original Redevelopment Agreement Plan (written in 9/7/94). He wondered if the City stood to gain or lose by changing the Agreement or would the City's position remain the same. S. Calder explained that several members that were on the Housing Commission at the time the Redevelopment Plan was written were in the mortgage business and most of the Commission deferred to those members to write the Redevelopment Plan. She said there were some items in the Agreement that she wanted such as the house must be maintained for low income families up to ten years because the Housing Commission's goal was to support a diversity of housing. Ms. Calder said that she has since Housing Commission Minutes Page Two January 16. 1997 found out that Habitat feels ten years is to long to tie up their money, and what is being suggested now in the Redevelopment Plan is after three years, the house could be sold at market value. This would enable the home owners to pay Habitat back, pay off the mortgage, pay the City for the land and still have money left. Habitat would have first refusal in buying the house back. It was felt that if the family sold the house after three years, the Commission would still be accomplishing their goal of diversifying the neighborhood by selling to a family that could afford to pay full market value. P. Miller fclt that tying the property up for ten years may not give any incentive to the owner to maintain the house. M. Lane said the family in the house may not want to sell, but they would rather keep the house. S. Calder said that would be fine, and that Habitat's records showed (for the past eleven years) none of the homes Habitat has built have been resold. Alan Gitelson moved to approve and recommend the amended and restated Redevelopment Agreement to the City Council. Mary Lane seconded. Motion passed unanimously. IV. NEW BUSINESS A. Election of Chair and Vice -Chair, Housing Commission for a one-year term. (Current Chair Suzanne Calder, Vice -Chair, Penny Miller) M. Lane moved the Commission nominate Suzanne Calder as Chair of the Housing Commission. P. Miller seconded. A. Gitelson moved that Penny Miller be nominated as Vice -Chair. Seconded by M. Lane. A. Gitelson moved closure of discussion. Motion seconded and passed unanimously. Motion nominating Suzanne Calder as Chair and Penny Miller as Vice Chair passed unanimously. B. Court Cases: Scheduled for 1/24/97 Results of 12/27/96 S. Janusz gave a report of the above court cases. V. ADJOURNMENT Meeting adjourned at 9 p.m. Respectfully submitted, TaVBaa�sk: Executive Secretary Planning Division Community Development Department DRAFT MEMBERS PRESENT: MEMBERS ABSENT: EVANSTON HOUSING COMMISSION MINUTES FEBRUARY 20,1997 ROOM 2403 - 7:30 P.M. EVANSTON CIVIC CENTER S. Calder, A. Gitelson, D. Lach, P. Miller, C. Murphy, L. Nesbitt, P. Wallace M. Lane OTHERS PRESENT: John Mitchell, Executive Director, Ted Miller, Project Council Chair, Habitat for Humanity; Patrice Caruthers, Interfaith Housing Development Corporation STAFF PRESENT: J. Wolinski, S. Janusz, M. Baaske, Jay Larson PRESIDING OFFICIAL: S. Calder 1. CALL TO ORDER S. Calder called the meeting to order at 7:31 p.m., a quorum being present. 11. CONSIDERATION OF JANUARY 16, 1997 MINUTES A. Gitelson moved approval of the January 16, 1997 minutes. D. Lach said Comments made by Y. Dickerson were absent from the minutes and should be included. Minutes were approved with this amendment. III. NEW BUSINESS A. Interfaith Housing Development Corporation's Application for Community Housing Development Organization (CHDO) Status. S. Calder asked why Interfaith was wanting the CHDO status, and if they were interesting in purchasing property here in Evanston. Ms. Caruthers replied that they were looking at a 24-unit apartment building on Clyde Avenue. P. Miller asked if the Housing Commission would have any input into the property that Interfaith was buying after Interfaith was certified. S. Janusz replied that there would be no need for Interfaith to come back to the Housing Commission. P. Miller inquired if all Housing Commission Page Two February 20. 1997 twenty-four units would be low income or if it would be mixed income property. Ms. Caruthers answered that it is intended to be a mixed income property. P. Miller stated that the Housing Commission wanted to go on record as very interested in mixed income development. James Wolinski, Community Development Director, noted that the property that Interfaith is interested in developing is the center of antisocial behavior of the whole Clyde/Callan area. He said that this building is important in turning this neighborhood around. P. Wallace asked if the building is fully leased to which Ms. Caruthers replied that it is, but that there are several leases that will expire soon. A. Gitelson moved to accept the proposal, P. MiIler seconded. Motion passed seven ayes with Y. Dickerson abstaining. B. Habitat for Humanity Redevelopment Agreement P. Miller moved that the Housing Commission reconsider the Redevelopment Agreement. A. Gitelson seconded the motion. Motion passed 8-0. John Mitchell, Executive Director for Uptown Habitat for Humanity, introduced Ted Miller, Project Council Chair for Uptown for Humanity. Mr. Mitchell thanked the Commission for their time and informed them that when he went back to Habitat's Board with the Redevelopment Agreement, they asked if one issue could be reexamined so that they could find a solution that is palatable for them in terms of their sale of their program to the homeowners. That issue is the value of the land donated by the City of Evanston. Mr. Miller, said that from the time Habitat for Humanity responded to the RFP and presented a proposal about developing the three lots in Evanston, they considered it a partnership with Evanston. He stated that Habitat thought that this land was donated by the City of Evanston. The RFP was presented in such a way that the land was donated to a developer who would develop the land. He felt it was ill advised for the Housing Commission to receive money back for the land. Mr. Miller said that the land would soon be back on the tax rolls and would be paying for itself. D. Lach asked if Habitat for Humanity had experience with the soft second loan being forgiven over a period of five years. Mr. Mitchell replied that they have, the first being the City of Chicago which forgives the loan after a period of five years. Secondly, their most recent experience was with the Federal Home Loan Bank. Their program is a ten year program which reduces over the course of the ten years. C. Murphy said that the whole issue is "Do we want something coming back to the City or not?" Discussion ensued concerning the City getting their money back and the original intent of the Commission. A. Gitelson questioned what the issue was now. S. Calder said she believed the issue was that the Commission is going in a different direction than they were two years ago when they were trying to maintain Housing Commission Page Three February 20, 1997 the homes for low-income families. She stated that now the Commission is saying that after three years or so, the homes could be sold for the going rate to whoever could afford it. In response to a question from Y. Dickerson, it was stated that this (Redevelopment Agreement) relationship was for the three properties only and that there was not a precedent being set. After further discussion, C. Murphy made a motion that the Commission approve a soft second mortgage for the period of five years with it to be forgiven at the end of the five years. D. Lane seconded the motion. Motion passed 8-0. C. Court Cases S. Calder asked if the house at 1126 Florence was in full compliance. S. Janusz replied that it was not, that the owner was given a $500 fine. S. Calder asked how often the fines are collected. S. Janusz said that a lien can be put on the property, and that eventually the fines are collected. IV. ADJOURNMENT A fire alarm sounded at 8:25 ending the meeting. Respectfully submitted, Mary Baaske Executive Secretary Planning Division Community Development Department DRAFT MEMBERS PRESENT: MEMBERS ABSENT: OTHERS PRESENT: STAFF PRESENT: PRESIDING OFFICIAL: DRAFT EVANSTON HOUSING COMMISSION MINUTES MARCH 20, 1997 ROOM 2403 - 7:30 P.M. I. CALL TO ORDER EVANSTON CIVIC CENTER S. Calder, Y. Dickerson, A. Gitelson, M. Lane, P. Miller, C. Murphy, L. Nesbitt, P. Wallace D. Lach David Myers, Executive Director, Center for Public Ministries S. Janusz, R. Schur S. Calder S. Calder called the meeting to order at 7:33 p.m., a quorum being present. S. Calder welcomed the new Housing Planner, R. Schur, and thanked S. Janusz for his work with the Commission in the absence of a Housing Planner. Commission members introduced themselves. IL CONSIDERATION OF FEBRUARY 20, 1997, MINUTES A. Gitelson moved approval of the February 20, 1997 minutes. C. Murphy seconded. On page 3 it should read D. Lach instead of D. Lane. Y. Dickerson was present at the meeting but was not mentioned in the minutes. Minutes were approved 8-0 with these amendments. It was noted that the January 16, 1997 minutes had additional language added that the Housing Commission wanted to review which were included in the packet. III. NEW BUSINESS A. Court Cases S. Janusz apologized for not having the February court cases, however he had been out of town. Included in the packet are the court cases for March 22, 1997. N B. Comments on City Council Minutes P. Miller asked for the January 25,1997 Council minutes when the Council discussed the Landlord -Tenant Ordinance. These issues go to the Human Relations Department but she thought it was important for the Commission to be kept up to date on complaints. On March I0, 1997, the Human Relations Commission (HRC) discussed the issue of the 5 % interest on security deposits. C. Murphy said that it was decided that the 5 % would remain. P. Miller asked if the landlord -tenant ordinance was coming back to the Housing Commission; if so, the Commission should receive the information. M. Lane asked why the Housing Commission was not involved. S. Janusz said that when the responsibility for the Landlord -Tenant Ordinance was transferred from the Housing Planner position to the Human Relations Department, that these issues were removed from the scope of the Housing Commission. At the time, the Housing Commission wanted the Housing Planner to be more involved in housing issues other than landlord -tenant complaints. M. Lane was concerned that the Housing Commission was not getting necessary information and questioned the separation of issues between the Commission and the HRC. C. Murphy wanted to know if the Commission could get summary reports. S. Janusz said that the minutes from the Human Relations Commission could be provided. M. Lane believed that it was important for the Housing Commission to be informed on housing related matters. P. Miller noted that Ebenezer is building a Section 202 senior project. She asked if they need to come before the Commission for certification. S. Janusz responded that that was the procedure when the City had the CHAS, now Ebenezer gets its own funds. S. Calder mentioned that they came to the Commission for the project at Dodge and Crain, across from the Silo. She thought they had wonderful ideas but they were beyond the scope of what they could manage. C. David Myers, Center for Public Ministries, (CPM) regarding a Regional Approach to Homelessness S. Calder welcomed D. Myers and introduced him by saying that the issue of homelessness and taking an area -wide approach has interested the Commission for some time. D. Myers said that a "regional approach" means something different to everyone. For Evanston, because of the ease of access via public transportation, we need to look at a broader range of issues than other areas that are not as accessible. Approximately 88 % of the people served in the shelter are not from Evanston, most are from Chicago. This is not the case for other shelters in less accessible areas like Wheaton. D. Myers also noted that this is the only shelter located between Chicago and Wisconsin that serves adults year-round. David Myers said that CPM would like to see the political barriers between Evanston and Chicago be diffused since there really is no geographic barrier. CPM thinks the current approach should include Chicago, Evanston, Glenview, Waukegan. Oak Park and Arlington Heights, for example, have their own designation vis-a-vis funding sources. David Myers told the Commission that Evanston is an Entitlement Community and money is sent from Washington, D.C. directly to entitlement communities. For non - entitlement areas, Washington, D.C. sends the funds to the county which, in turn, distributes the money. There is a balkanization of funding locations. Chicago is viewed separately from the rest of the metropolitan region. Even though CPM services Chicago residents, Evanston can get neither City of Chicago funds nor HUD funds from Chicago because Evanston is designated for getting its own resources. He felt that Chicago should be working with the suburbs in a coordinated fashion, in order to have a regional approach in this area. S. Calder asked if Evanston is getting more dollars per person served now than if we got involved in a regional approach. D. Myers responded that a threat could be a decrease in funding. The HIV/AIDS community is one area where a regional approach is working. The AIDS Foundation of Chicago is a central place for funds. BE -HIV can access money thrown into a general pot and has as much access to those funds as any Chicago organization, S. Calder said that the current approach presumes that the incidence of homelessness is higher in Chicago. D. Myers said that there is a reference in the Consolidated Plan to people threatened by homelessness. There are a high percentage of people in Evanston who are threatened by homelessness. The reason for this is due, in part, to linkages to the supportive community being better in Evanston than Chicago. People are threatened by homelessness for many reasons. One of the primary symptoms is that they are disconnected from a supportive community. A. Giteison added that CPM is trying to get more communities involved. One problem is the 'dumping' issue. Evanston should continue to be a compassionate city but other cities need to take help out by establishing their own shelters or by providing funds. D. Myers said that there are times when other communities 'dump' their homeless here. It's worth talking to other communities about shouldering their responsibility. Many foundations have made policy decisions to only fund inner city homeless people. This has posed a challenge to CPM since they received money from several of these foundations in the past. C. Murphy asked if CPM has a Chicago branch since, 89% of Evanston's homeless come from Chicago, or if there are a shortage of shelters in Chicago. She also wanted to know what was being done in Chicago. D Myers responded that there are beds available every night in Chicago. People have been coming to Evanston for more than 100 years because it is a nice place to be, it's a safe, stable, nice community, that is accessible by public transportation. People will bypass Chicago shelters to come to W Evanston's shelter because it is known in the homeless community as safe, and has a solid program with trained staff. People don't come here unless they are committed to change. A. Gitelson added that another issue for people is that many of the Chicago shelters are religiously based and people don't want that. S. Calder asked about the Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission's (NIPC) and the Metropolitan Planning Commission's (MPC) role in a regional approach. D. Myers said that CPM is approaching this from the ground up. The Iongstanding enmity between Chicago and the County has a negative effect on moving toward a regional approach. For example, every year there is a Notice of Availability of Funds (NOFA). Chicago, Cook County, CPM, etc. apply for funds. No one except Chicago is funded in the northern portion of Illinois. Last year Chicago received $41 million of the $44 million allocated to Illinois. Myers and day Terry spoke with the local HUD office and asked what they see as its role in a regional approach. HUD doesn't want to get involved in the local spat. Myers believes that until HUD gets involved, this will continue to be a problem. Mayor Daley claims, however, to want a regional approach. P. Miller asked if, because CPM serves so many Chicago residents, Evanston residents are being turned away. D. Myers assured people that CPM is not turning away Evanston residents. P. Wallace asked what it is that the Commission is trying to accomplish. The Commission is not going to solve the problem of homelessness; it's a symptom of Other social problems. He felt Commission members need to agree on what they want to accomplish. Most people felt that they were still in the information gathering stage. A. Gitelson asked how are they going to force the situation. The Commission needs to deal with the facts that it knows; there are homeless in Evanston and there is a shelter. It is important to deal with Chicago and the other localities. Chicago has more political power in DC. He believes that we need to start talking with Chicago and other communities. If Evanston cannot get help from Chicago, then avenues must be pursued with other communities to see what services they can provide. D. Myers said that a `frontal approach' with Chicago is not going to work. He mentioned that the editorial board of the Chicago Tribune supports a regional approach and that this is an avenue to take advantage of. CAM is going to write a letter to Wycliff, of the Chicago Tribune editorial board, to thank him for the support. D. Myers is networking with other providers in Chicago regarding fundraising. He also mentioned that there has to be a creative way to approach other suburbs to get their participation. Many CAM volunteers come from other northshore suburbs but Myers doesn't think that the other suburbs will participate on a programmatic level. However, lie thinks it is important to take advantage of Daley's new appointee, an advocate of the regional approach, and to involve Eisendrath (HUD -Chicago office). S. Janusz asked if the HIV/AIDS approach would be a good model. While there are differences between HIV/AIDS and homelessness it was agreed that it would be worth investigating how that community has made a regional approach work. When asked if the Commission would be willing to ask the City to ask HUD to get involved, S. Calder responded that she feels more comfortable talking to people at a lower level right now since the Commission is still in the fact finding stage. Calder added that when talking about regionalism, this is not just a Cook County issue. She believes that it should include the entire six county region in northern Illinois. S. Janusz asked how Evanston's Health & Human Services (Jay Terry) worked with CPM. CPM receives funding from HHS through HUD's Emergency Shelter Grant and CDBG programs. Forty-two percent of CPM funding comes from governmental sources. S. Calder asked how the Commission should proceed. It was suggested that HHS might be able to set up a meeting with other providers to discuss this issue. More information needs to be gathered including getting a list together of other providers. S. Calder volunteered to contact the mayor's appointee and Mary Sue Barrett. P. Wallace agreed to investigate the model used by the HIV/AIDS community. Y. Dickerson agreed to research where the real estate transfer tax goes. She heard that it went to fund homeless programs. D. Myers agreed to keep the Commission informed on what CPM was doing (networking with other service providers, meeting with o Tribune editorial board, meeting with HUD) and to forward any correspondence to R. Schur. IV. COMANNTS C. Murphy asked if the Commission needed to do marketing for the Police Homebuyers Program. S. Janusz said the brochure is being developed internally. S. Calder said that this should be on the agenda for April so that new members would be up to speed on this program. V. ADJOURNMENT A. Gitelson moved to adjourn the meeting. Meeting adjourned at 9:02 p.m.. R p Iy submitted by: Roberta Schur Housing Planner DRAFT MEMBERS PRESENT: MEMBERS ABSENT: OTHERS PRESENT: STAFF PRESENT: PRESIDING OFFICIAL: DRAFT EVANSTON HOUSING COMMISSION MINUTE'S MAY 159 1997 ROOM 2402 - 7:30 P.M. I. CALL TO ORDER EVANSTON CIVIC CENTER Y. Dickerson, A. Gitelson, D. Lach, M. Lane, P. Miller, C. Murphy, L. Nesbitt, P. Wallace none John Mitchell, Habitat for Humanity Erica Quinn, Habitat for Humanity S. Janusz, R. Schur P. Miller P. Miller called the meeting to order at 7:35 p.m., a quorum being present. 11. CONSIDERATION OF MARCH 20, 1997 MINUTES M. Lane motioned and L. Nesbitt seconded the motion for approval of the minutes. P. Miller noted that on p. 2, Section B, the date of the requested City Council minutes should be March 10, 1997. Minutes were approved 8-4 with this amendment. III. OLD BUSINESS Habitat for Humanity will be approaching City Council to introduce the changes to the original agreement that they made with the City. P. Miller said that she would be going to the Planning & DeveIopment Committee of the City Council and asked if anyone else could go. C. Murphy said that she would also attend the committee meeting and the Council meeting. P. Miller introduced this discussion by reminding Commission members that in February, the Housing Commission, agreed to a soft, 5 year mortgage. P. Miller introduced J. Mitchell from HfH and he explained the situation further. 1 J. Mitchell reported that after the Housing Commission agreed to make the change to a soft second, included in the redevelopment agreement, changing the lien to a 5 year, $5,000 reducing mortgage instead of a shared appreciation. J. Mitchell explained that the City's legal department had four small additional changes: Section 1 regarding language; Section 3 regarding fair housing Ianguage; Section 5 regarding the soft second; and, Section 10 changing the terms of the agreement from 3 to 5 years. J. Mitchell reminded Commission members that it was the RFP from 1994 that is being addressed and that this is not meant to be broad reaching housing policy. P. Miller reinforced the importance of being able to respond to why the condition of selling to low income residents is being taken out of the agreement. One of the reasons, explained P. Miller, is that the Housing Commission doesn't want HfH to be penalized. This requirement was a hardship for HfH. In addition, P. Miller stressed the fact that the Housing Commission would like to see HfH put money into the Clyde/Callan area. 1. Mitchell let people know that HfH is going back to multifamily rehabilitation in Evanston. E. Quinn informed members that the family has been chosen for 1928 Foster. It is a 7 member family from Evanston. C. Murphy motioned to approve the amendments to the agreement. M. Lane seconded. Motion passed 8-0. Brief discussion concerning preparation for the City Council meeting and questions that may be raised ensued.. S. Janusz recommended that they be prepared to answer questions regarding the shift from shared appreciation to the 5 year, $5,000 mortgage. J. Mitchell addressed a previous question as to whether a Habitat house had ever been sold. The answer was no, but one Habitat homeowner died; the son inherited the home and he has since passed away. This house will be sold. IV. NEW BUSINESS A. Elect New Housing Commission Chair P. Miller voiced concern that since she is difficult to reach, she should not be the Chairman, as this could lead to a communication problem. As a result, the Commission would move very slowly on issues and she doesn't believe that is an efficient way to run a Commission. A. Gitelson expressed his own willingness to assist P. Miller and believed that other members would do the same. He thinks that collectively, they can run the Commission well. A. Gitelson moved that P. Miller be placed as Housing Commission Chair. D. Lach seconded. Motion passed 8-0. A. Gitelson moved that C. Murphy be seated as Vice -Chair. D. Lach seconded. Motion passed 8-0. E B. HUD Annual Performance Report P. Miller voiced concern over the priorities listed in the Report; especially the Regional Approach to Homelessness (item #12). It had been listed as number one and in the Report, it was listed as #12. R. Schur said she would check with S. Lufkin, CDBG Administrator, who put this part of the Report together. P. Miller questioned the activity on p. 6, #12 regarding its applicability to that goal. She felt it belonged under #13. P. Miller raised a question regarding the progress of the dialogue with Cook County Housing Authority (CCHA). M. Lane asked for the name of the inspectors from CCHA and the contact person. S. Janusz said he would get those names for her. P. Miller had several questions regarding the item referencing Interfaith Housing Development Corporation (IHDC). The Housing Commission specifically asked IHDC about a mixed income development and they were told that it would be mixed income. Yet in the Report, it indicates that all residents will be below 80% of median income. M. Lane added that HUD has also emphasized mixed -income. P.Miller quoted the 2/20/97 minutes indicating IHDC's intention of developing a mixed -income project. P. Miller voiced concern that the project would preclude anyone at 90% of median from renting. Saul Klibenau, community resident, commented that it is important to look at the pro - forma. The use of federal money requires low income units. M. Lane asked the status of the Interfaith deal. P. Miller mentioned that the Housing Commission had asked to be on their mailing list and that she had received little information. She also wanted to know what IHDC meant by mixed income. P. Miller also raised two other questions regarding the report: 1. On page 16 it references a prioritizing of objectives; she wanted to know when this took place. 2. Police Homebuyer program should be listed under local Rrggrams. A. Gitelson mentioned that there were some large gaps between amounts budgeted and amounts expended. He asked if they balance was carried over to the next fiscal year. S. Janusz answered the question by giving an example from the Single Family Rehab program. A. Gitelson responded by saying that without knowing what was allocated, it is difficult to explain the discrepancy. Additional columns would be helpful: amount brought forward; difference between money allocated and not expended. C. Murphy added that a column is needed for what is being rolled forward. C. Murphy raised a question regarding Affordable Housing and Homeless Objectives, p. 3, #1, and how administration fits into this particular objective. C. Murphy also voiced concern over the phrasing of the last paragraph on p. 18 (Self -Evaluation section). 3 P. Wallace asked for information on the Railroad Embankment Program mentioned on p. 12. C. Murphy asked for clarification about the graffiti removal program. P. Miller and A. Gitelson want it included that the Housing Commission brought up some questions regarding the Report. A. Gitelson motioned to approved the Report with the suggestions. C. Murphy seconded. Motion passed 8-0. C. Police Homebuyers Program S. Janusz explained that a brochure went out to the entire police force approximately six weeks ago and that brochures were mailed to the 14 new hires.Y. Dickerson added that she worked with S. Janusz and an officer on this program. She said that the officers brought up some interesting reasons for not living in the area. A. Gitelson explained that these officers do not want to be on duty 24 hours a day. Y. Dickerson added that the equity portion was difficult for the individual she worked with and that we needed to establish a better "carrot". C. Murphy asked how we can better market the program since the officers only see and hear about the worst parts of the City. She suggested that the officers be given a tour of the neighborhoods. M. Lane and Y. Dickerson expressed a need for the housing incentive programs to be marketed. Y. Dickerson suggested going to the weekly realtor meetings. S. Janusz updated the Commission on the Evanston Housing Corporation board meeting. Three changes were made: 1. Two unit buildings are now eligible for the Police Homebuyer and First-time Homebuyer programs; 2. Pre -approvals will be allowed for; and 3. The Multifamily Code Loan program expanded to include the entire CDBG target area. (This change also requires City Council approval.) It was decided that a sub -committee would work to market the Police Homebuyer program, particularly to the realtors. C. Murphy, Y. Dickerson and D. Lach agreed to work on this. M. Lane requested two dozen police homebuyer brochures. V. Communications Court Cases S. Janusz presented the current cases. M. Lane asked for an update on the Callan cases. S. Janusz provided her with the pertinent information as listed in the packet. VI. Adjournment A. Gitelson moved to adjourn the meeting. M. Lane seconded. Meeting adjourned at 9:20 pm 4 Respectfully submitted by: u Roberta Schur Housing Planner 6 RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS ABOUT THE ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REPORT 1. Regarding the Placement of a Regional Approach to Homelessness: In the 1996 Consolidated Plan, the priorities are listed as indicated in the Annual Performance Report. In 1997, the Regional Approach was made the top priority. For the purposes of the this report, Sally Lufkin, CDBG Administrator, was responding to the 1996 Plan and the priorities listed there. 2. Regarding the Placement of the activity listed on p. 6, #12: This activity should be under item #13. 3. Regarding the Prioritization of Objectives (p. 16, Section f): 4. The Police Homebuyers Program will be included with the other Local Programs (p. 17, Section h) 5. Regarding the large gap between Amount Budgeted and Amount Expended: A column will be added indicating the amount of money committed which will help explain where the money is going. 6. How does Administration fit the objective on p. 3, item #1: S. Lufkin explained that it is the Administration that administers the loan program. 7. Railroad Embankment Program: S. Lufkin will provide information to the Commission on this program 8. Explanation of accomplishments under the Graffiti Removal Program (p.12, #2): S. Lufkin explained that the number (37) refers to graffiti removed from public property only. r DRAFT MEMBERS PRESENT: MEMBERS ABSENT: OTHERS PRESENT: STAFF PRESENT: PRESIDING OFFICIAL: 0 Lriya �l EVANSTON HOUSING COMMISSION MINUTES JUNE 19, 1997 ROOM 2402 - 7:30 P.M. 1. CALL TO ORDER EVANSTON CIVIC CENTER Y. Dickerson, A. Gitelson, D. Lach, M. Lane, C. Murphy, L. Nesbitt, P. Wallace P. Miller George Gauthier, Evanston Housing Coalition S. Janusz, R. Schur C. Murphy C. Murphy called the meeting to order at 7:35 p.m., a quorum being present. II. CONSIDERATION OF MAY 15, 1997, MINUTES M. Lane motioned and A. Gitelson seconded the motion for approval of the minutes. Minutes were approved 7-0. III. NEW BUSINESS A. Designation of Evanston Housing Coalition as a Community Housing Development Organization C. Murphy introduced George Gauthier, executive director of the Evanston Housing Coalition (EHC), and informed Commission members that EHC has applied to the City of Evanston to be a Community Housing Development Organization (CHDO) for the purpose of the HOME program. C. Murphy explained that 15 % of HOME funds must go to CHDOs. G. Gauthier explained that EHC is already an Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA)-designated CHDO but now that Evanston receives its own HOME funds, EHC 1 can no longer approach IHDA for HOME money. G. Gauthier informed Commission members of the two projects that EHC has undertaken. The first project was a purchase and rehab of three buildings on Wesley, north of Foster. They account for 24 units. This project was done in 1986. The second project EHC completed was the purchase and rehab of five single family homes. These homes are operated as rental property. The rehab was completed in December 1994. All 29 dwelling units are considered affordable housing. G. Gauthier explained that EHC has a ten year history in Evanston and is committed to affordable housing. A. Gitelson informed Commission members that he served on the board of EHC and was president of the organization. A. Gitelson believes that EHC is an excellent, professionally run organization which is sensitive to the needs of the community and its tenants. C. Murphy reported that she toured the single family homes after they were completed and that EHC had done a thorough rehab. C. Murphy asked G. Gauthier to clarify why EHC now needed to come to Evanston for HOME funds and receive CHDO status from Evanston. G. Gauthier explained that since Evanston is a participating jurisdiction in the HOME program, which means the municipality receives HOME funds directly, IHDA will not accept applications for HOME funds to do projects in Evanston. A. Gitelson moved to approve EHC as a Evanston -based CHDO. M. Lane seconded. Motion passed 7-0. B. Families in Transition (F.I.T.) Program C. Murphy explained that a F.I.T. family sponsor is requesting approval from the Housing Commission to terminate a family from the program effective September 1997 when the current lease expires. D. Lach asked what participation is requested on the part of families prior to their entrance into the F.I.T. program. R. Schur explained how a family is selected and A. Gitelson shared his experience with how the program operated. C. Murphy added that the success of the program depends on the sponsors of the families. A. Gitelson reminded Commission members that they had received a summary of the F.I.T. program which summarized what happened with all the families who had participated in the program. A. Gitelson added that the Commission is now facing a weakness in construction of the program and that we now have a failure. Based on information learned at a meeting with the sponsor, R. Schur explained that the family is showing a lack of motivation and initiative. The family is not following through with available resources. In addition, the family has received a Section 8 certificate which will provide housing assistance. The landlord has accused a member K of the family of participating in illegal behavior. In addition, the landlord has received numerous complaints about the family from other tenants in the building. R. Schur continued by saying that this situation has never occurred with a F.I.T. family before therefore there is no existing policy to deal with this situation. A. Gitelson commented that the Commission advise staff to sever the relationship and for the City to review the contract and address a termination policy and reinforced, in this particular situation, that it is a mutually agreed decision between the City and the sponsor. D. Lach added that the agreement should be in writing. C. Murphy moved that City staff revise the contract to ensure no liability would be incurred by the City and that the Sponsor and the City have the right to terminate. A. Gitelson seconded the motion. Motion passed 7-0. D. Lack moved that a revised contract be sent to City Corporation Counsel to come up with a mutually agreed upon termination. C. Murphy seconded. Motion passed 7-0. M. Lane requested an updated report on the F.I.T. program C. SUPERNOFA UPDATE R. Schur informed the members of the Commission that for the July meeting they would be reviewing applications to HUD for the SuperNOFA that was distributed regarding homelessness. The Commission is responsible for reviewing the applications and certifying that they follow the priorities outlined in the Consolidated Plan. IV. Communications Court Cases S. Janusz presented the current cases. C. Murphy voiced surprise at how many times a tenant would not allow a landlord into the unit to do repairs and at the number of "repeat offenders" there were. S. Janusz responded that to deal with repeat offenders the City has drafted a couple of pieces of new correspondence. In addition, the City can proceed directly to a court case with a repeat offender. M. Lane inquired as to whether or not the McDaniel case was current. S. Janusz replied in the affirmative and explained that the City had problems finding the current owner due to foreclosure and bankruptcy filings which added to the duration of this case. C. Murphy asked what qualifies as an abandoned auto. S. Janusz explained that the auto had to be parked for an extended period of time, have neither a license plate sticker nor City sticker and be inoperable. 3 auto had to be parked for an extended period of time, have neither a license plate sticker nor City sticker and be inoperable. Y. Dickerson asked if the housing court fines are being paid. S. Janusz said yes, they are. Y. Dickerson also voiced concern that in some cases the owner might not be able to do what is necessary, due to lack of resources, to comply. S. Janusz reassured her that everything possible is being done to help people prior to going to court; court is used as a last resort. V. Comments C, Murphy brought a copy of the City of Elmhurst public relations piece produced by its Chamber of Commerce. Y. Dickerson reported that there is a lot of pressure on the real estate community to develop a marketing piece. A conversation ensued about Evmark's new materials. C. Murphy stressed the importance of good public relationas, especially when bad things happen in a community. S. Janusz distributed the new brochures to the Commission. He highlighted a new service being offered--pre-approvals for the First Time- and Police-Homebuyer Programs. For a $75 fee, the City will tell potential buyers the mortgage they can support. Y. Dickerson reported that she has stumbled upon some "senior scams". She wants to know if there is a way for the City to find out if work is done property. S. Janusz responded that housing rehab monitors the work closely and that they make sure the work is done property. Y. Dickerson will forward to S. Janusz the relevant information in order for him to follow-up appropriately. VI. Adjournment M. Lane moved to adjourn the meeting. D. Lach seconded. Meeting adjourned at 8:35 pm Respectfully submitted by: ` t�{� Roberta Schur Housing Planner 4 P. DRAFT DRAFT EVANSTON HOUSING COMMISSION MINUTES JULY 17, 1997 ROOM 2402 - 7:30 P.M. EVANSTON CIVIC CENTER MEMBERS PRESENT: Y. Dickerson, A. Gitelson, D. Lach, M. Lane, P. Miller C. Murphy, L. Nesbitt, P. Wallace MEMBERS ABSENT: none OTHERS PRESENT: David Myers, Center for Public Ministry, Jay Terry, Director, Health and Human Services Saul Klibanow STAFF PRESENT: S. Janusz, R. Schur PRESIDING OFFICIAL: P. Miller I. CALL TO ORDER P. Miller called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m., a quorum being present. II. CONSIDERATION OF JUNE 19, 1997, MINUTES A. Gitelson clarified that he was a former member of the board and former president of the Evanston Housing Coalition. C. Murphy motioned that the minutes be approved with the noted change. M. Lane seconded. Motion passed 8-0. III. COMMUNICATONS M. Lane announced that Alderman Rainey was getting a bus to take people to housing court on Friday, July 25, for the housing court case against Chris Bhatt, the owner of 142-48 CIyde. The case will be heard at 1:30 in courtroom L of the Skokie courthouse. L. Nesbitt asked if fliers were being passed out to inform the neighbors. M. Lane said that they were. L. Nesbitt said she had not received one. M. Lane also announced that Bhatt would be in court on August 12 for his arrest under the charge of "keeping a disorderly house". 1 S. Janus informed the Commission that the illegal 3 flats would be going to housing court in August as well. There is one building currently in court. P.Miller asked if a kitchen in the basement made it a dwelling unit to which S. Janusz replied in the affirmative. P. Miller asked where Habitat for Humanity stood in regard to its contract negotiations. S. Janusz reported that it is up to Habitat for Humanity to discuss the matter with J. Wolinkski. P. Miller informed the Commission that she has been doing research at City Hall on the Buck development. P. Miller reported that the Redevelopment Agreement has a clause that if and when Buck converts the units to condominiums, he agreed to pay $250,000 to the City. According to City Council minutes of Sept. 26, 1994, and referenced in the Planning & Development, Economic Development and Housing Commission minutes, this money was to go into the Mayor's Special Housing Fund. However, in the Final Agreement, it says that the money goes to the City. A. Gitelson asked if the Commission should clarify the intent of this clause. S. Klabinow recommended to ask the City Attorney if this stipulation can be added to the contract so that this requirement runs with the land. P. Miller mentioned that at one point $50,000 was to be put into the Fund when rental began. A. Gitelson expressed the opinion that as long as the Mayor's Special Housing Fund exists, the money should go into that fund or a similar fund. Y. Dickerson brought pamphlets from the Evanston Chamber of Commerce and distributed them to the Commission members. Y. Dickerson reported that the Chamber also has an expanded directory. IV. CONSIDERATION OF CENTER FOR PUBLIC MINISTRY'S PROPOSAL TO HUD FOR COi41PLIANCE WITH CONSOLIDATED PLAN J. Terry explained that the Continuum of Care was a requirement for this SuperNOFA. HUD has mandated that cities play an active role in development of the Continuum of Care. J. Terry reported that he has been involved with trying to get HUD to use a regional approach to homelessness but has not been successful. He made a presentation to the Northwest Municipal Conference but only Maine Township responded. Maine Township gets a lot of spill -over from O'Hare airport. J. Terry said that Evanston has not clearly defined what we as a community want from surrounding communities and that is a problem. A. Gitelson asked J. Terry if any of these conversations have included the City of Chicago to which he replied no. P. Miller asked for a clarification of the units Interfaith Housing Center of the Northern Suburbs has in Evanston. R. Schur explained that they do not currently manage any units in Evanston but that nine of the families now living in Skokie are 2 originally from Evanston. M. Lane expressed gratitude in having received the Continuum of Care document. C. Murphy asked where the single women referred outside of Evanson end up. J. Terry responded that most likely they go to Chicago. J. Terry explained that this is the third year of the 5uperNOPA. Two years ago Housing Options applied for funds and did their own Continuum of Care. They received $900,000. Last year Center for Public Ministry applied for funds, went through the same process that Housing Options had the year before but was turned down for funding. J. Terry and D. Myers met with HUD and asked why. HUD responded that the Continuum of Care had taken on a more important role and that the community and the city must be involved in the process. The City convened a process to draft a Continuum of Care. Each agency in Evanton wanting to apply for these funds will apply independently, attaching the Continuum of Care to the application. Thus far, only Center for Public Ministry has indicated an intention to apply. P. Miller asked if the Housing Commission needed to endorse the Continuum of Care. J. Terry responded that it doesn't need to but it would help if it did. A. Gitelson moved to endorse the Continuum of Care, D. Lach seconded. The motion passed 8-0. D. Myers stepped forward to answer any questions the Commission members might have about the proposal. He explained that he thinks outreach is sorely needed in Evanston. P. Miller asked if the database would be networked so that other agencies could use the information and so that individuals' progress could be tracked. D. Myers explained that the database wasn't envisioned that way. CPM's main concern was coordinating the services within Evanston. D. Lach asked how large the outreach staff would be. D. Myers indicated that CPM would have five full time employees. This enables them to cover seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day and to accomodate vacations. D. Lach requested D. Myers to explain what the 'volunteer buddies' were. D. Myers responded that volunteers would be recruited for this program. Each volunteer would work with more than one client to navigate the available services. P. Miller asked if there was a time limit on how long someone could be "outreached" to which D. Myers responded that it is based on the program and the professional staff's recommendation. D. Myers explained that this program was modeled after an agency in Chicago. P. Miller inquired as to whether or not CPM would have to come back again next year for approval. D. Myers explained that if CPM is funded it is for three years. P. Miller invited him to return in a year to let the Commission know how the program is running, if they are funded. 3 .,0 r. D. Lach made a motion that Center for Public Ministry's proposal was consistent with the Consolidated Plan. Y. Dickerson seconded. Motion passed 7-0. VI. Adjournment C. Murphy moved to adjoum the meeting. D. Lach seconded. Meeting adjourned at 8:10 pm. Respec Illy submitted by; r� Roberta Schur Housing Planner 4 DRAFT DRAFT EVANSTON HOUSING COMMISSION MINUTES AUGUST 21, 1997 ROOM 2402 - 7:30 P.M. EVANSTON CIVIC CENTER MEMBERS PRESENT: Y. Dickerson, A. Gitelson, D. Lach, M. Lane, P. Miller C. Murphy MEMBERS ABSENT: L. Nesbitt, P. Wallace OTHERS PRESENT: Anna Boekstegen, Brummel Park Neighbors; Karen Chavers, Evanston Neighborhood Conference; Saul Klibanow STAFF PRESENT: R. Schur PRESIDING OFFICIAL: P. Miller I. CALL TO ORDER P. Miller called the meeting to order at 7:34 p.m., a quorum being present. 11. CONSIDERATION OF JUNE 19, 1997, MINUTES A. Gitelson motioned to approve the minutes. D. Lach seconded. Motion passed 6-0. III. NEW BUSINESS A. POLICE HOME BUYER PROGRAM C. Murphy summarized the work of the Police Home Buyer Subcommittee. The first meeting was held July 23 at which Y. Dickerson prompted them to evaluate the program critically in light of the fact no one has used it to date. One tactic the subcommittee would like to try is using a survey to gather information from the officers about what they would like to see the program offer. Y. Dickerson expressed her difficulty in using the program as a realtor. She also asked why the program did not include the fire department. P. Miller explained that the fire fighters already have a residency clause in their negotiating package. M. Lane voiced concern over the 1 N requirement that officers must have been sworn for a period of one year before they are eligible for the program. She believed that most people want to get settled when they start a new position and not wait a one year. P. Miller asked R. Schur to get information about the City of Chicago's Police Home Buyer program. S. Klibanow added that the City of Chicago program allows the officers to take advantage of other Chicago Department of Housing programs in conjunction with police home buyer. A. Gitelson pointed out that there were two problems at the inception of Evanston's program: 1. The income qualifications and 2. Many officers do not want to live in the community in which they work. Y. Dickerson presented an article from HUD which addresses a new housing initiative. A. Gitelson expressed that he felt it important to get more information about how this initiative will be financed. A. Gitelson also inquired about the number of HUD homes that there are in Evanston. B. INVITATION TO HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION P. Miller explained that the Housing Commission had been invited to the September Human Relations Commission meeting to discuss landlord -tenant issues. P. Miller continued by saying that the Housing Commission used to get a report on landlord - tenant issues when the Planning Division used to handle these concerns. However, now that the Human Relations Commission handles these calls, the Housing Commission does not receive the same amount of information. P. Miller referenced the March 10, 1997, City Council minutes where the aldermen addressed security deposits and sub -letting. Alderman Newman also asked if it was more appropriate for the Housing Commission to handle these issues to which P. Haynes explained that most of these matters were of a fair housing nature and, as such, the Human Relations Commission was more well suited to handle these issues. At this same city council meeting, AIderman Newman requested a breakdown of complaints received. The Housing Commission asked for a copy of this report for the next meeting. K. Chavers interjected that the January -February City Council meeting is when this issue began when the Evanston Property Owners Group addressed the City Council. Several questions were raised regarding late charges and evictions. P. Miller explained the process as she has experienced it, being a landlord in Evanston. The Commissioners requested a copy of the new tenant -landlord ordinance with the lead - based paint and the burglar ordinance attached. P. Miller listed the items to be addressed on September 24 with the Human Relations Commission: the landlord tenant ordinance; subletting; security deposits; late fees and public education. She also suggested that it might be advantageous to have an attorney at the meeting as many of these issues have legal technicalities. 2 Upon being asked by P.Miller, K. Chavers explained that she had attended the Housing Committee meeting because she is terribly concerned about the large number of calls ENC receives regarding these issues. In her experience, renters, especially in low and moderate income areas are not aware of the governance involved. A. Gitelson moved to cancel the Housing Commission meeting scheduled for September 18 and to tentatively schedule a meeting for 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, September 24, if there are items which need to be discussed by the Commission. C. Murphy seconded the motion. Approved 6-0. D. Lach moved to meet before the Housing and Community Development Act Committee meeting on Tuesday, October 28, (to which the Commission will be invited to review CDBG proposals) instead of the October 16 meeting date. C. Murphy seconded the motion. Approved 6-0. C. PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE UPDATE P. Miller informed the Commission that it had been invited to attend the August 18 Planning & Development Committee meeting to discuss establishing a housing authority. However, since many members would not be able to attend, the invitation was declined at this time. It turned out that this issue was not discussed at the meeting but remains on the P&D agenda to be discussed. P. Miller mentioned that Alderman Newman raised the issue of establishing a public nuisance ordinance similar to the one in the City of Chicago which allows the City to post buildings that are considered a pubic nuisance. P. Miller doesn't think that this proposal is a bad idea. C. Murphy, who attended the August 18 meeting, said that the aldermen were concerned with the legalities associated with such an ordinance and its impact on property values. C. Murphy's feeling is that people would welcome it. M. Lane believed that a notice in the local newspaper of the property owner would be more effective. A. Gitelson added that the number of land trusts would probably increase as a result of such an ordinance. He thought that this ordinance should be recommended. Y. Dickerson felt that the mortgage holder should also be notified. P. Miller summarized the discussion by saying that it sounded as though everyone concurred that the ordinance was a good idea and that a provision should be added to include the mortgage lender in the process either through notification or posting on the sgng. C. Murphy moved to recommend to Planning & Development that the Housing Commission highly endorses this ordinance and encourages the addition of the lender's name. M. Lane seconded the motion. C. Murphy added that the aldermen also want to include an opportunity for public input before the signs are posted. Motion approved 6-0. 3 Vt. Adjournment D. Lach moved to adjourn the meeting. Y. Dickerson seconded. Meeting adjourned at 9:00 P.m.. Rlly submitted by: L Roberta Schur Housing Planner 4 DRAFT MEMBERS PRESENT: MEMBERS ABSENT: STAFF PRESENT: PRESIDING OFFICIAL: DRAFT EVANSTON HOUSING COMMISSION MINUTES SEPTEMBER 24, 1997 ROOM 3705 - 7:00 P.M. I. CALL TO ORDER EVANSTON CIVIC CENTER A. Gitelson, M. Lane, J. Lomax, P. Miller C. Murphy. L. Nesbitt Y. Dickerson, D. Lach, P. Wallace R. Schur, J. Wolinski P. Miller P. Miller called the meeting to order at 7:07 p.m., a quorum being present. H. CONSIDERATION OF August 219 1997, MINUTES M. Lane motioned to approve the minutes. A. Gitelson seconded. Motion passed 6.0. III. NEW BUSINESS A. POLICE HOME BUYER PROGRAM C. Murphy began the discussion regarding the Police Home Buyer program by inquiring about the City of Chicago program. In particular she and other commissioners were curious about whether or not the $5,000 Ioan could be used for the down payment; if it was a loan or a grant; what type of probationary period existed; has anyone defaulted on the loan; and what makes an application not go through. The commissioners noted that officers could buy buildings that were up to four units. R. Schur was able to provide answers to some of the gpestions based on the information from the City of Chicago's Department of Housing that she received: the loan is forgivable over five years and the money cannot be used for the down payment C. Murphy then turned the conversation to the survey that was prepared for distribution to the Evanston police officers. Additional space needs to be added to allow the officers to respond and an assurance of anonymity will be provided. L. Nesbitt moved to distribute the survey as soon as the changes are made. A. Gitelson seconded. Motion approved 6-0. 1 B. DANGEROUS BUILDING CODE P. Miller asked J. Wolinski about the Dangerous Building Code ordinance which was referenced in the September 8, 1997 Planning & Development Committee minutes. J. Wolinski explained that this Ordinance has been in front of the Committee on two occasions. At the first meeting it was decided that the Committee wanted to move ahead with the idea of putting signage in front of problem property which would indicate the owner of the property. Certain criteria were set up and the requirement that there be opportunity for community input before a sign was posted. The Ordinance that was drafted indicated that a building which had been in court more than six times would become a candidate for demarcation. The Committee, upon seeing the Ordinance, decided that they did not like the idea of the number of times in court to be the measure. Instead it was decided that the Iength of time was more appropriate. J. Wolinski relayed to the Commission the feedback Alderman Rainey received when she brought this up to the Citizens Planning Committee which was, in general, positive but there was concerning over the labeling a neighborhood. M. Lane clarified the sentiment of the CPC as she attended the meeting. J. Wolinski informed the Commission that this Ordinance would be in front of P&D on October 13. IV. SET NEXT MEETINGS P. Miller asked for two pieces of information to be provided for the next meeting: the Housing & Community Development Act Committee minutes from August 12. 1997 which references the Housing Commission; and, information regarding the Oak Park Housing Authority in order to discuss the establishment of an Evanston Housing Authority since it has been discussed as a model for Evanston. It was decided by the Commission that it would meet on Wednesday, October 22 at 7:30 to discuss CDBG proposals in preparation for the joint meeting with the Housing and CD Committee on Tuesday, October 28, and the possible creation of an Evanston Housing Authority. VI. Adjournment A. Gitelson to adjourn the meeting in order to attend the Human Relations Commission meeting. C. Murphy seconded. Meeting adjourned at 7:38 p.m.. Resoaffully submitted by: Roberta Schur Housing Planner 2 "PIA-TV-4 MEMBERS PRESENT: MEMBERS ABSENT: STAFF PRESENT: PRESIDING OFFICIAL: DRAFT EVANSTON HOUSING COMMISSION MINUTES ,x,r a r,,dBER 24, 1997 ROOM 3705 - 7:00 P.M. I. CALL TO ORDER EVANSTON CIVIC CENTER A. Gitelson, M. Lane, J. Lomax, P. Miller C. Murphy, L. Nesbitt Y. Dickerson, D. Lach, P. Wallace R. Schur, J. Wolinski P. Miller P. MiIler called the meeting to order at 7:07 p.m., a quorum being present. II. CONSIDERATION OF August 21, 1997, MINUTES M. Lane motioned to approve the minutes. A. Gitelson seconded. Motion passed 6-0. M. NEW BUSINESS A. POLICE HOME BUYER PROGRAM C. Murphy began the discussion regarding the Police Home Buyer program by inquiring about the City of Chicago program. In particular she and other commissioners were curious about whether or not the $5,000 loan could be used for the down payment; if it was a loan or a grant; what type of probationary period existed; has anyone defaulted on the loan; and what makes an application not go through. The commissioners noted that officers could buy buildings that were up to four units. R. Schur was able to provide answers to some of the gpestions based on the information from the City of Chicago's Department of Housing that she received: the loan is forgivable over five years and the money cannot be used for the down payment C. Murphy then turned the conversation to the survey that was prepared for distribution to the Evanston police officers. Additional space needs to be added to allow the officers to respond and an assurance of anonymity will be provided. L. Nesbitt moved to distribute the survey as soon as the changes are made. A. Gitelson seconded. Motion approved 6-0. 1 V B. DANGEROUS BUMDING CODE P. Miller asked J. Wolinksi about the Dangerous Building Code ordinance which was referenced in the September 8, 1997 Planning & Development Committee minutes. J. Wolinski explained that this Ordinance has been in front of the Committee on two occasions. At the first meeting it was decided that the Committee wanted to move ahead with the idea of putting signage in front of problem property which would indicate the owner of the property. : Certain criteria were set up and the requirement that there be opportunity for community input before a sign was posted. The Ordinance that was drafted indicated that a building which had been in court more than six times would become a candidate for demarcation. The Committee, upon seeing the Ordinance, decided that they did not like the idea of the number of times in court to be the measure. Instead it was decided that the length of time was more appropriate. J. Wolinski relayed to the Commission the feedback Alderman Rainey received when she brought this up to the Citizens Planning Committee which was, in general, positive but there was concerning over the labeling a neighborhood. M. Jane clarified the sentiment of the CPC as she attended the meeting. J. Wolinski informed the Commission that this Ordinance would be in front of P&D on October 13. IV. SET NEXT MEETINGS P. Miller asked for two pieces of information to be provided for the next meeting: the Housing & Community Development Act Committee minutes from August 12, 1997 which references the Housing Commission; and, information regarding the Oak Park Housing Authority in order to discuss the establishment of an Evanston Housing Authority since it has been discussed as a model for Evanston. It was decided by the Commission that it would meet on Wednesday. October 22 at 7:30 to discuss CDBG proposals in preparation for the joint meeting with the Housing and CD Committee on Tuesday, October 28. and the possible creation of an Evanston Housing Authority. VI. Adjourrunent A. Gitelson to adjourn the meeting in order to attend the Human Relations Commission meeting. C. Murphy seconded. Meeting adjourned at 7:38 p.m.. Res lly submitted by: Roberta Schur Housing Planner K DRAFT EVANSTON HOUSING COMMISSION MINUTES October 22, 1997 ROOM 2401- 7:30 P.M. MEMBERS PRESENT: MEMBERS ABSENT: STAFF PRESENT: PRESIDING OFFICIAL: 1. CALL TO ORDER EVANSTON CIVIC CENTER Y. Dickerson, A. Gitelson, D. Lach, P. Miller C. Murphy, L. Nesbitt M. Lane, J.Lomax, P. Wallace S. Janusz, R. Schur P. Miller P. Miller called the meeting to order at 7:35 p.m., a quorum being present. II. CONSIDERATION OF September 24, 1997, MINUTES A. Gitelson motioned to approve the minutes. C. Murphy seconded. Motion passed 6-0. III. OLD BUSINESS POLICE HOME BUYER PROGRAM R. Schur reported on her follow-up conversation with the City of Chicago Department of Housing regarding its police home buyer program. It is not just for first time home buyers nor is there any income cap. The money provided is a forgivable loan. They are also in the process of changing their program. C. Murphy and Y. Dickerson pointed out that the goal of the Evanston program is to promote police officers living in Evanston and not to promote affordable housing. P. Miller added that one of the Housing Commission's goats. as outlined in the enabling ordinance, is to promote quality housing in Evanston. A. Gitelson mentioned that the problem is where the money is coming from (Evanston Housing Corp.) since their mission is to promote affordable housing. Y. Dickerson suggested that the Housing Commission meet with a residential banker who might be willing to fund the program. It was decided that Y. Dickerson and L. Nesbitt will attend the next Evanston Housing Corporation board meeting, which will be held in November, to report on the progress of the Police Home buyer Program and to recommend changes. P. Miller emphasized that the most important 1 change is the one regarding the income cap. 1V. New Business A. Fair Housing According to the list of participants, Y. Dickerson was representing Baird & Warner and not the Housing Commission as P. MilIer had thought. P. Miller wanted it on the record that there was Housing Commission representation at this meeting. R. Schur responded that it would be noted. S. Janusz clarified the difference between being pre -approved and pre -qualifying for a loan. S. Janusz also mentioned that he recently sent out 200 fliers about the program to landlords and tenants. R. Schur explained that the Impediment to Fair Housing Focus Group meeting was held as part of the consolidated plan process as required by HUD. The Analysis of Impediments (AI) is a required document to be included as an attachment to the Consolidated Plan. The purpose of the Al is to highlight any impediments which may exist. A separate document to address any impediments identified would be under its own cover. B. Community Development Block Grant Proposals P. Miller explained that in order for the Commission to prepare for the upcoming joint meeting with the Housing & C.D. Act Committee to review the CDBG proposals, this is a good time to raise any questions or express particular feelings about the proposals that people might have. A. Gitelson asked if the $17,500 being requested by Interfaith Housing for the homesharing program was for the Evanston portion of or for the entire program. D, Lach raised the issue of screening participants and what kind of background check was done. P. Miller raised questions about the new proposal for an additional zoning officer. According to the proposal, this person would work solely in the CDBG target areas. P. Miller wanted to know how zoning issues were different in the target areas from the rest of the city. C. Murphy wanted to know if this was in reaction to home -business occupations and/or illegal apartments. Y. Dickerson added that it sounded like an outreach program. A. Gitelson asked if this position was necessary to relieve the burden of the current zoning officers and inquired as to the motivation behind this proposal. D. Lach inquired as to how salaries were determined since there was a wide range of salaries. S. Janusz explained that some proposals were from private entities which developed their own pay scale and than the city proposals followed the city pay scale. D. Lach then turned her attention to the Housing Rehab proposals. She inquired why two proposals had been submitted. S. Janusz explained that one proposal was for the current administrative positions and that the second proposal was for a newly created position. Hearing no additional questions regarding any of the proposals, P. Miller asked the Commissioners if they wanted to prioritize the proposals now or wait until after the joint meeting when they would have had the opportunity to hear the presentations by the applicants and ask questions. It was decided that the Commission would prioritize the submissions after the joint meeting. 2 C. Housing Commission Planning R. Schur broached the subject of what she and S. Janusz can do to help the Commissioners get more out of their experience and how organizing information differently might assist the Commissioners learn the material more effectively. A. Gitelson shared that at one time the Commission had outside speakers present a variety of topics. One of the problems was that the speakers often took up too much time, considering the Commission only meets once a month and they do have business to conduct. A. Gitelson was happy with the amount of information he was able to get from staff at the meetings however, if might be helpful to occasionally bring in outside speakers. C. Murphy added that it would be helpful if there was a single page which outlined the responsibilities of the Commissioners and a list of definitions and acronyms that one needs to know. It was also suggested by Colleen Murphy that the city hold "City Open House" once a year in the evening, for example, for citizens to come in to talk to staff people that they cannot access if the citizens work during the day. V. Adjournment A. Gitelson moved and L. Nesbitt seconded to adjourn the meeting. Meeting adjourned at 8.56pm after a unanimous vote. Respectfully submitted by: Roberta Schur Housing Planner 3 EVANSTON HOUSING COMMISSION MINUTES November 20, 1997 ROOM 2402 - 7:30 P.M. EVANSTON CIVIC CENTER MEMBERS PRESENT: Y. Dickerson, A. Gitelson, D. Lach, J. Lomax, P. Miller C. Murphy, L. Nesbitt z MEMBERS ABSENT: M. Lane, P. Wallace STAFF PRESENT: R. Schur, S. Steen, J. Wolinski OTHERS PRESENT: G. Gauthier, N. Belser, C. Hersee, B. Haworth, M. Sotir, P. Lisbrook. L. Murphy, C. Anglin, B. Wood Evanston, Housing Coalition PRESIDING OFFICIAL: P. Miller I. CALL TO ORDER P. Miller called the meeting to order at 7:33 p.m., a quorum being present. II. CONSIDERATION OF October 22, 1997, MINUTES Y.Dickerson motioned to approve the minutes. D. L.ach seconded. Motion passed 6-0. III. NEW BUSINESS A. HOUSING COMMISSION MEETING FOR 1998 P. Miller asked if there were any problems with the 1998 dates as indicated on the hand out in the packet. They assume that the Commission will continue to meet on the third Thursday of the month at 7:30 p.m. There was some concern about being able to get a quorum on the third Thursday of December, but after some discussion it was decided that a quorum would be gathered for December 18. 1 N B. REPORT FROM PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT MEETING 11/10/97 The Commission wishes to be kept apprised of what is being discussed regarding any change in property standards policies and licensing of property. It was requested that the letters sent out to property owners be included in the December packets. R. Schur indicated that they would be included. C. CONDOMINIUM MEMORANDUM C. Murphy believed it was important to include condominium units being sold "as is" in the ordinance. She believed people should be given the opportunity to purchased the units that way. C. Murphy also indicated that it was smart for the City to remove itself from any potential legal involvement it does not need to get involved in. P. Miller asked if other municipalities have a condominium ordinance and where this issue originated, R. Schur indicated that yes, most of the neighboring municipalities do have a similar ordinance. S. Steen, of the City Manager's office, indicated that the issue was raised in the City Manager's Office. Y. Dickerson added that the conversion process is a cumbersome one for a developer. Each city has different regulations and some are easier to deal with than others. The Commissioners asked to be kept informed on any changes to the Condominium Ordinance. R. Schur and S. Steen assured them that they would be. The Commission reviewed the list of Housing Court cases. Y. Dickerson asked what accounts for the increased number of cases. The increase in cases reflects a direction from City Council to make sure all property is up to code. It was pointed out that 821-3 Forest is in housing court due to violations of the condominium ordinance. C. Murphy mentioned that from reading the City Council minutes, it seems as though there are a number of large bills and expensive items that need to be addressed. For example, the water mains need to be ungraded and the condition of the parks. D. REVIEW HOME PROPOSAL The Housing Commission convened in Executive Session to discuss a HOME proposal submitted by the Evanston Housing Coalition. D. Lach moved to close the executive session. C. Murphy seconded. Approved unanimously. A. Gitelson moved that the Housing Commission recommend this proposal with the same stipulations as the HOME Loan Committee (1. EHC needs to provide a rental schedule which would at least break-even in case the units are not sold successfully as condominiums; 2. Since EHC is planning on assuming the mortgage, they need to make sure the lender will release the building; 3. EHC needs to provide more market information on selling the condominiums; 4. EHC needs to provide a specific plan on to whom they will target the units and how they will be educated on home buyer related issues) The Housing Commission voted 7- 0 to recommend EHC's proposal with the same 4 stipulations as the HOME Loan Committee. P. Miller asked if a date has been selected for the joint subcommittee meeting with the Human Relations Commission. R. Schur responded that one has not yet been scheduled as she has not been able to contact P. Haynes. A. Gitelson asked if it,was possible for the Commission to meet at 7:00 p.m. from here forward. D. Lach made a motion to begin meetings at 7:00 p.m. instead of 7:30 p.m. beginning December 1997. P. Miller seconded the motion. Approved 7-0. V. Adjournment C. Murphy moved to adjourn the meeting; L. Nesbitt seconded. Meeting adjourned at 9:20 p.m. after a unanimous vote. Respectfully submitted by: bLI Roberta Schur Housing Planner 3 DRAFT EVANSTON HOUSING COMMISSION MINUTES December 18, 1997 ROOM 2402 - 7:00 P.M. MEMBERS PRESENT: MEMBERS ABSENT: STAFF PRESENT: OTHERS PRESENT: PRESIDING OFFICIAL: I. CALL TO ORDER EVANSTON CIVIC CENTER Y. Dickerson, A. Gitelson, M. Lane, J. Lomax, P. Miller C. Murphy, L. Nesbitt D. Lach, P. Wallace S. Lufkin, R. Schur Richard Koenig & Patrice Carruthers, Interfaith Housing Development Corporation P. Miller P. Miller called the meeting to order at 7:09 p.m., a quorum being present. II. CONSIDERATION OF October 22, 1997, MINUTES A. Gitelson motioned to Approve the minutes. Y. Dickerson seconded. Motion passed 6-0. III. NEW BUSINESS A. AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSOLIDATED PLAN Sally Lufkin, CDBG Grants Administrator, made a presentation regarding the amendments to the Consolidated Plan. S. Lufkin explained that the Consolidated Plan was a new HUD requirement in 1995 which replaced the CHAS. The City produced its first Consolidated Plan in 1996. The Plan is a five-year plan, however the City may amend it as needed. In 1997 the City amended it to accommodate changes and, as S. Lufkin explained, it is now time to update the Plan again. S. Lufkin pointed out that the current amendments are highlighted in bold type. One of the changes is the proposed use of the 1998 CDBG, HOME and Emergency Shelter Grant (ESG) funds. S. Lufkin reminded the Commission that the Housing & CD Act Committee just completed the most recent round of funding. S. Lufkin drew people's attention to Appendix D which contains the Analysis to Impediments to Fair Housing Choice, another 1 m HUD requirement. S. Lufkin, along with D. Marino and R. Schur, completed the Analysis this fall. The City's zoning records, housing and mortgage data, Fair Housing Ordinance and the effect of development were some of the areas researched to produce the Analysis. S. Lufkin informed the Commission that a group of housing professionals was invited to a focus group meeting in September to discuss the issue of housing choice in Evanston. S. Lufkin explained that as part of the process to approve the amendments to the Plan, she is seeking recommendations from the Housing & CD Act Committee, the Housing Commission and the Plan Commission. S. Lufkin continued by informing the Commission that the Amendments, Budget and Appendix D will be presented to City Council on January 12, 1998, and then on to HUD. S. Lufkin explained that there would be some changes when the City learns the exact amount the City will receive from HUD. P. Miller requested that Y. Dickerson and M. Lane, who attended the focus group, be identified as representing the Housing Commission. P. MiIler said that she did not have a lot of time to review the Plan, but found a couple of errors which she pointed out to S. Lufkin (11- 9, Section 8 certificates doesn't jive with III-8). M. Lane indicated that she would have to abstain since she did not have time to review the entire document. A. Gitelson moved to recommend approving the Amendments to the Consolidated Plan. Y. Dickerson seconded. Motion passed 6-0-1. B. HOME FUNDS PROPOSAL --INTERFAITH HOUSING DEVELOPMENT CORP. R. Koenig, executive director of the Interfaith Housing Development Corporation (IHDC), presented Interfaith's request for $15,000 of HOME funds for general operating expenses. R. Koenig gave the background of IHDC and explained that the organization's mission was to develop affordable housing in the northern suburbs, from Highland Park to Evanston. The organization has been in existence since the 1980's. R. Koenig informed the Commission that IHDC had received a seed grant from Chicago Community Trust to fund the executive director's position. IHDC is coming to the Housing, Commission to request, as a Community Housing Development Organization (CHDO), operating funds to pay staff and fund development projects. R. Koenig reported that IHDC currently owns and manages two buildings in Skokie. IHDC is looking to acquire a building at Brummel and Elmwood. It is a thirteen -unit building that Interfaith would like to purchase and rehabilitate. Interfaith is currently managing the property for the owner with a contract to purchase the property in mid- 1998. P. Miller asked if Interfaith was renting to low income individuals at the property now. P. Carruthers, housing coordinator, replied in the affirmative. She explained that five of the tenants are currently earning less than 50% of median income and one tenant is earning less than 80% of area median. P. Carruthers explained that Interfaith has 2 prioritized placing Evanston residents into the Evanston property. M. Lane inquired about the level of rehabilitation Interfaith planned to do. R. Koenig responded that Interfaith plans to put in approximately $300,000 in rehab, which includes doing work on the plumbing, electrical, and new doors, windows and roof. R. Koenig explained that Interfaith had applied to the Illinois Housing Trust Fund for approximately 50% of project costs, the Evanston HOME Program for approximately 35% and a first mortgage for just less than 20%. The total project cost will be approximately $900,000. R. Koenig explained that approximately $50,000 of the IHDC non -development budget comes from Cook County, the rest is from fundraising and corporate foundations. A. Gitelson asked if IHDC applied to Skokie for funds. P. Carruthers responded that they had not applied this year but they had in the past. A. Gitelson asked if Interfaith was planning on purchasing property in any other suburbs or if they were only active in Evanston. P. Carruthers explained that they are interested in purchasing property in Winnetka, Fort Sheridan and Morton Grove, however they have yet to identify property yet in those locations. A. Gitelson inquired about the certainty of the Cook County CHDO funds to which R. Koenig responded very sure. A. Gitelson continued by asking what would happen if Interfaith does not get the anticipated funding. R. Koenig said that there would be severe cuts. M. Lane, after looking at IHDC's budget, inquired as to why the corporate contributions were so low. P. Carruthers explained that until recently, Interfaith Housing Center and Interfaith Housing Development Corporation shared the same staff and were considered by the outside as the same agency. As a result, it was difficult to do separate fund raising for the two agencies. Now that there is a clear distinction between the two organizations, it will be easy for outside funders to discern the difference between the two agencies. P. Miller asked if IHDC was getting a management fee from the Brummel property. P. Carruthers answered that they were not. William Moorehead & Associates is managing the property for them. A new law has mandated that in order to lease property, one must have a real estate license. P. Carruthers continued by saying that they took over the management of the property since they wanted to acquire it. They wanted to secure it until they had obtained the funds to purchase it. Moorehead receives a 5% management fee. L. Nesbitt asked if they have any Section 8 tenants. P. Carruthers said that they do. R. Koenig explained that the plan is to have 5 very low-income units, 6 low income units and 2 units with no restrictions in the Evanston building. 3 Y. Dickerson asked if they had any intention of helping the Section 8 tenants leave the Section 8 program. P. Carruthers said that they do. IHDC helps locate resources which provide job training, counseling and homeownership counseling if interested, and budgeting assistance. M. Lane moved to recommend approval of $15,000 in CHDO HOME funds be allocated to Interfaith Housing Development Corporation. J. Lomax seconded. Motion passed 7-0. P. Miller emphasized that she wants the property to serve Evanston people. Like Interfaith, she wants to see the organization become regionalized. M. Lane requested that IHDC report back in 3-6 months on its progress to date. III. OLD BUSINESS Y. Dickerson reported on the Evanston Housing Corporation meeting regarding the Housing Commission's request for changes in the Police Homebuyer program. The Corporation agreed to drop the income cap and the CDBG target area restriction. IV OTHER BUSINESS A. Gitelson moved to convene in an executive session in order to discuss real estate developments in southeast Evanston. M.Lane seconded the motion. Vote was unanimous by voice -vote. A. Gitelson moved to exit the executive session. J. Lomax seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously. V. ADJOURN A. Gitelson moved to adjourn. M. Lane seconded. Meeting adjourned at 8:25 p.m. after a unanimous vote. Respectfully submitted by: Roberta Schur Housing Planner 4 • DRAFT MEMBERS PRESENT: MEMBERS ABSENT: STAFF PRESENT: OTHERS PRESENT: PRESIDING OFFICIAL: DRAFT EVANSTON HOUSING COMMISSION MINUTES January 29, 1998 ROOM 2402 - 7:00 P.M. I. CALL TO ORDER EVANSTON CIVIC CENTER Y. Dickerson, A. Gitelson, D. Lach, M. Lane, P. Miller C. Murphy, L. Nesbitt J. Lomax, P. Wallace D. Marino, R. Schur, S. Steen George Gauthier, Evanston Housing Coalition P. Miller P. Miller called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m., a quorum being present. II. CONSIDERATION OF December 18, 1997, MINUTES L. Nesbitt motioned to approve the minutes. M. Lane seconded. Motion passed 6-0. III. NEW BUSINESS A. CONDOMINIUM ORDINANCE REVISIONS UPDATE Stephanie Steen, from the City Manager's Office, explained the process staff is undergoing to revise the Ordinance. Two of the overarching problems with the ordinance are the language of the ordinance is outdated and it is difficult to enforce. S. Steen and R. Schur have already met with other staff members who administer various parts of the ordinance. The next steps are meeting with developers to get their feedback; write a draft ordinance; meet with a subcommittee of the Housing Commission to get feedback and further direction and submit the revised ordinance to Council on March 9. P. Miller asked S. Steen to clarify what the discrepancy was with the Landlord -Tenant Ordinance. S. Steen replied that the language was unclear and that staff wanted to ensure no discrepancies existed or could exist. 1 • Y. Dickerson asked if everyone on the Commission had seen the Ordinance. P. Miller responded that all members were given a copy of the Ordinance when they became Commissioners. P. Miller asked Y. Dickerson if she, as a realtor, found the ordinance difficult to work with. Y. Dickerson responded that it depends on the developer. Many developers find the ordinance annoying. P. Miller asked how it was enforced. R. Schur explained that Building Division works closely with her to make sure that she is aware that a conversion is taking place before issuing permits for work. Y. Dickerson, M. Lane and C. Murphy volunteered to be on the subcommittee to review the ordinance before it goes to Council. It was agreed that the subcommittee would meet on Thursday, February 26, 1998, at 6:30 to review the ordinance. A draft copy of the ordinance will be mailed to Commissioners prior to February 26. B. EVANSTON HOUSING COALITION REQUEST FROM THE MAYOR'S SPECIAL HOUSING FUND G. Gauthier, executive director of the Evanston Housing Coalition (EHC), updated the Housing Commission on the status of EHC's real estate purchase. EHC purchased 124-132 CIyde at a foreclosure sale using HOME funds. The plan is to de -convert the property from 25 units to 12 condominium units and one rental unit for a janitor. Ten of the condominium units will be HOME assisted. The other two will not fall under the HOME regulations. G. Gauthier explained that the major difference between the current pro -forma and what he presented to the Commission in December was that the HOME funds were used for acquisition instead of rehabilitation; the acquisition price was different; and, the proposed selling price of the condominium units was decreased based on the feedback he received from the Housing Commission, the HOME Loan Committee and other real estate professionals he consulted. The units will have three bedrooms, two bathrooms, Iiving room, dining room, study and children's play room. The units will be approximately 1,600 square feet. They will be sold for $55,000. A down payment of $1,500 is required. If by some chance the units are not able to be sold, the units will be rented at HOME rents and the building should break even. As the units are sold, 10 percent of the selling price will be returned to the City to repay the HOME fund. The mortgages the homeowners will obtain will pay back 11 % of the HOME funds. The balance will be reduced at no interest over fifteen years. If a unit is sold during that time to a non -eligible HOME resident, the baIance of the HOME funds is due. Rehabilitation will include new windows, a new boiler, upgrade electrical, a new layer on roof and security fencing. The restrictions are that the purchasers are Evanston residents for a minimum of two years; family income cannot exceed 80% of area median; households cannot pay more than 33% of their income on housing costs; and the minimum household size is four. G. Gauthier explained that at this time EHC is requesting a $35,000 grant from the Mayor's Special Housing Fund to cover 1997 property taxes, insurance costs and title transfer costs which would normally be covered by the seller in a real estate E transaction. However, since the property was acquired at a foreclosure sale, there was no such payment. A. Gitelson asked what percentage of the taxes stay in Evanston. D. Marino responded that it is approximately 18%. P. Miller asked if it was possible to get any of that money back to replenish the Mayor's Special Housing Fund. D. Marino explained that the $35,000 was a grant. The money returned to the HOME account will replenish that source. The goal of the City is to use a combination of these two sources in financing housing deals to increase the amount of revenue available for projects. M. Lane motioned to recommend the EHC's request for $35,000 in additional funds from the Mayor's Special Housing Fund for taxes and insurance costs in the form of a grant. Y. Dickerson seconded the motion. The motion carried 7-0. C. UPDATE ON INTERFAITH HOUSING DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION . P. Miller reported that at the Planning & Development on Monday, January 26, the CHDO operating grant requested by Interfaith was discussed. P. Miller was unable to go. P. Miller asked what transpired at the meeting. R. Schur responded that the Committee approved the request. D. ELECT HOUSING COMMISSION CHAIR AND VICE -CHAIR C. Murphy made a motion to nominate P. Miller as the Chair of the Housing Commission. M.Lane seconded the motion. Motion carried 7-0. D. Lach motioned to nominate C. Murphy as Vice -Chair. M. Lane seconded. Motion carried 7-0. IV. ADJOURN A. Gitelson moved to adjourn. M. Lane seconded. Meeting a(Vourned at 8:10 p.m. after a unanimous vote. Respectfully submitted by: Roberta Schur Housing Planner 3 DRAFT DRAFT EVANSTON HOUSING COMMISSION MINUTES February 19, 1998 ROOM 2402 - 7:00 P.M. EVANSTON CIVIC CENTER MEMBERS PRESENT: Y. Dickerson, D. Lach, J. Lomax, P. Miller C. Murphy MEMBERS ABSENT: A. Gitelson, M. Lane, L. Nesbitt, P. Wallace STAFF PRESENT: R. Schur, S. Steen OTHERS PRESENT: Richard Koenig & Patrice Carruthers, Interfaith Housing Development Corporation Kristen Cleary, Medill School of Journalism PRESIDING OFFICIAL: P. Miller I. CALL TO ORDER P. Miller called the meeting to order at 7:12 p.m. II. NEW BUSINESS A. CONDOMINIUM ORDINANCE REVISIONS UPDATE Stephanie Steen, from the City Manager's Office, updated the Housing Commission on the status of revising the Condominium Ordinance. She explained that additional complexities have been encountered, delaying the process. On the advice of Ellen Szymanski, City of Evanston Assistant Corporation Counsel, S. Steen and R. Schur will be reviewing the old minutes which explain the rationale for many of the provisions in the ordinance. S. Steen reported that she hoped to have a draft to the Commission members prior to the March meeting. R. Schur reported on the Developer's Forum which was conducted in early February. All four developers who were invited attended. One developer was accompanied by his attorney which added a different perspective to the conversation. The two items that were of major concern were the warrantee provisions and the code requirements for new construction vs.existing buildings. 1 B. UPDATE ON POLICE HOMEBUYER PROGRAM R. Schur reported that the changes recommended by the Housing Commission to the Evanston Housing Corporation were adopted. They include removing the income cap and expanding the program citywide. R. Schur added that new brochures would be printed reflecting those changes. C. INTERFAITH HOUSING DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION REQUEST FOR FUNDS R. Koenig, executive director and Patrice Carruthers, housing coordinator, of Interfaith Housing Development Corporation, presented Interfaith's request for funds for the acquisition and rehabilitation of 743 Brumme11201 Elmwood. This is a thirteen -unit building located across from Brummel Park. Interfaith proposes to do a moderate rehabilitation which includes, but is not limited to, electrical and plumbing work and putting on a new roof. R. Koenig explained that they are currently using a band -aid approach to keep this building afloat while they are getting their financing in place. Once Interfaith has all the necessary funds they will purchase and rehabilitate the building. During the rehabilitation, all the tenants will be moved to one side of the building while the work is being done an the other side. The tenants will then be moved into the newly rehabbed units. When the building is completely renovated the remaining units will be rented out. P. Miller asked if Interfaith has spoken with the current tenants. P. Carruthers responded yes. She also informed the Commission that Interfaith was currently managing the property for the owner. R. Koenig explained that he is currently working with the architect to develop the scope of work. In addition, he is in the process of selecting a general contractor. P. Miller asked if Interfaith would be using Evanston workers to which R. Koenig responded that they are trying to do that. R. Koenig addressed a question the Commission had posed the last time he was there regarding local preferences. Evanston residents will have priority over other applicants for the apartments. D. Lach informed everyone that both the City of Chicago's and Cook County's MBEIWBE regulations are being challenged. She inquired if Evanston's regulations had been challenged. To the best of R. Schur's knowledge, they had not. (C. Murphy arrived. Quorum is attained) P. Carruthers informed the Commission that Interfaith already has a waiting list for this building. C. Murphy asked if the property would remain on the tax roles. R. Koenig said that it would. Interfaith is applying under the County's Class 9 program. This program allows for some tax relief. The property is assessed at 16 % (single family rate) instead of 33 % (commercial property) for a period of ten years. P. Miller asked how Interfaith was able to have market rate units in the building. R. Koenig explained all the financing sources they were using and the various requirements of each. HOME and IHDA require income caps, however the private sources do not. R. Koenig E Itz informed the Commission that IHDA requested that Interfaith put some equity into the bad>ng. As a result of that, Interfaith is requesting that $30,000 of the total amount be a grant. Thin amount, coupled with two other sources of fttads, provides the equity for the project. In response to a question about how many people would be in the units, R. Koenig and P. Carruthers explained that based on the current tenancy, the 1-bedroom units will have no more than three people and the 2-bedrooms will probably have no more than four people. There will be laundry facilities and a meeting room in the basement. Interfaith will conduct tenant meetings at the property. In addition, one of the tenants will serve on Interfaith's Board of Directors. C. Murphy inquired about the parking situation. R. Koenig explained that there are four attached parking spaces which will be rented out. For those tenants who chose not to rent a space, there is ample parking on the street. P. Miller requested that the character of the building be maintained. P. Miller asked about the rent structure and whether or not they have Section 8 tenants. P. Carruthers replied that rents will range from $350 for a small 1-bedroom to $750 for a 2-bedroom. She also informed the Commission that there are current Section 8. recipients living in the building. P. Miller asked if they had the support of Alderman Rainey to which R. Koenig replied in the affirmative. In fact, Alderman Rainey directed them toward this property. In addition, she wrote a letter of support to be included in the application to IHDA. P. Miller asked if they did a criminal background check when screening tenants. P. Carruthers responded that they do criminal and reference checks, conduct home visits, and speak with the two previous landlords in the process of screening tenants. P. Carruthers invited members of the Commission to the tenant meeting at one of the Skokie buildings which was being held next week. D. Lach made a motion to recommend that the Planning & Development Committee and City Council approve the interfaith Housing Development Corporation request for $309,944 to be divided as follows: $180,000 from the Mayors Special Housing Fund and $129,944 from the HOME Fund with the understanding that $30,000 of the HOME funds are a grant. Y. Dickerson seconded the motion. Motion passed 5-0. P. Miller noted that she would like Interfaith to keep in mind four things: use Evanston contractors when possible, priority for Evanston residents, provide tenant counseling, and retain the buildings vintage character. P. Miller also expressed a preference for not IHDC not renewing the Class 9 abatement after the initial ten year time frame expired. III. CONSIDERATION OF January 29, 1998, MINUTES D. Lach motioned to approve the minutes. J. Lomax seconded. Motion passed 5-0. IV. ADJOURN J. Lomax moved to adjourn. D. Lach seconded. Meeting adjourned at 8:12 p.m. after a 3 .+�+r.r rr rri rr1�11rL WL�W -� •�-r"�•• .. �Y'y;{�6" •...f *4+N�7R'� � .��»•�xro.�'.y�yP�iVl iX�{�-�«� � l;'t'�`y�•r.�� y. 1 � �����r`rr lax f�ir-.= ..:i�wr���rr'r.S w. �i'�C :llilt� �ii;7.,' .'7�?, xi: ia'fii h+.hfu_ �i�asi i1T37�Y+��9Y��iL-.`�z„': �•i•:�SJ���" ReqxcdWy 1 'by' Roberta Schur Housing Planner e 4 DRAFT HOUSING COMMISSION WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6, 1998 I�%MER DRAFT Members Present: A. Gitelson, D. Lach, M. Lane, J. Lomax, P. Miller, C. Murphy Members Absent: Y. Dickerson, L. Nesbitt Staff Present: R. Schur, J. Wolinski Others Present: David Rasch, Gates Capital Corporation Amanda Carroll & Carrie Warburton, Northwestern Students 1. DECLARATION OF QUORUM P. Miller called the meeting to order at 6:37 p.m., a quorum being present 11. PRESENTATION: DAVID RASCH, GATES CAPITAL CORPORATION P. Miller, before introducing D. Rasch, asked J. Wolinski to explain what the bond volume cap is and why the Housing Commission hasn't dealt with it in the past. J. Wolinski explained that the bond volume cap is like "Funny money." There is a provision in the 1986 tax legislation which allots $50 per person in each community. For Evanston, this translates to just less than $3.6 million. The bond volume cap may be used for a number of things including mortgage credit certificates and industrial revenue bonds. The City of Evanston, in the past, has also sold off the volume cap to other institutions. J. Wolinski informed the Commission that Staff is requesting $1.5 million for the Illvnois Housing Development Authority's (IHDA) mortgage credit certificate (MCC) program. The City has worked with IHDA in past on this program and it has been successful. J. Wolinski also informed the Commission that this year the City would not be issuing industrial revenue bonds (IRBs) as there are no projects in the pipeline. After hearing the background information, P. MilIer introduced David Rasch, Senior Vice President of Gates Capital Corporation. D. Rasch explained that Gates is offering the Assist Down payment Assistance Program (Assist) in a number of communities across the state. It is a first time home buyer program. It offers a 30 year, fixed rate below r� market interest rate loan, zero points and provides 4.75% of cash assistance as a gift for down payment and/or closing costs. D. Rasch stated that the Assist program helps put "borderline" home owners into their own home. D. Rasch explained that by "borderline" he means people who have not yet saved enough money for the down payment. D. Rasch described the typical borrower as one who needs the financial assistance based on the average price of homes. For example, in Aurora, the limits are $160,000 for new construction and $150,000 for existing construction. The average purchase price in Aurora for households in the Assist program is $80,000. A. Gitelson asked D. Rasch what the range of home prices is in Aurora. D. Rasch informed the Commission that the range is $41,000 - $134,000. P. Miller clarified that the purchase price and income limits are based on county data and not individual city data. P. Miller then asked if there was money available for rehabilitation. D. Rasch replied that the money could be used for rehabilitation. It is dispensed on a spent -down basis. M. Lane asked what the difference was between FHA and FNMA loans. D. Rasch stated that both FHA and FNMA were government loan programs. FNMA is a conventional loan that allows for lower loan to value ratios, insures the loan up to 95%, and closing costs must be an out of pocket expense for the borrower. FHA loans are governmental loans that are insured up to 97% and the closing costs can be rolled into the mortgage. J. Wolinski pointed out that a major difference between the Gates program and the City of Evanston's first time home buyer program is in the down payment assistance and the income limits. The Gates program is targeted to the moderate income home buyer. P. Miller stated that she believes there is a lot of demand for such a program. D. Rasch informed the Commissioners that 2-, 3- and 4-flats are eligible in the Assist program. A. Gitelson asked D. Rasch how successful he though the program would be in Evanston. D. Rasch responded that he believed the program would be very successful. Already half a dozen banks have called him to ask if Evanston would be participating in the program. M. Lane asked how the target area is determined. D. Rasch indicated that the target area is determined by the state or HUD. Target areas are census tracts where 70% of the population has a median income of 80% or less. Currently, there is one census tract which is considered a targeted area under this program. M. Lane stated some concern and disbelief that there was only one census tract that was considered a target area. She asked staff to investigate this. A. Gitelson made motion to approve the allocation of$1.5 million in bond volume cap to the MCC program and $2.079 million ($2,079,650) to the Assist program. J. Lomax seconded the motion. Motion passed 6-0. M. ADJOURNMENT <: fi.. <'• A. Gitelson made a motion to adjourn. D. Loch seconded the motion. Motion passed 6- 0. Meeting adjourned at 7:15 p.m. Respectfitlly submitted: Roberta Schur Housing Planner DRAFT DRAFT EVANSTON HOUSING COMMISSION MINUTES MAY 21, 1998 7:00 P.M. Members in Attendance: R. Brooks, A. Gitelson, D. Lach, J. Lomax, P. Miller, C. Murphy, L. Nesbitt Members Absent: Y. Dickerson, M. Lane Staff Present: S. Lufkin, R. Schur I. DECLARATION OF QUORUM P. Miller declared a quorum and called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m.. II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES D. Lach made a motion to approve the minutes from February 19, 1998 and April 6, 1998. R. Brooks seconded the motion. Motion passed 5-0. III. NEW BUSINESS A. HUD ANNUAL REPORT S. Lufkin, CDBG Grants Administrator, introduced herself to the Commission and ex- plained that the City is required by HUD to put together an Annual Performance Report to account for the HOME, Emergency Shelter Grant (ESG) and Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) monies. S. Lufkin pointed out that the first section follows the priority needs which are identified in the Consolidated Plan. The second section is a narrative response to questions posed by HUD. Following that section is the Match Report which is a requirement of the HOME program. S. Lufkin explained to the Commission that the ESG program accomplishments will be provided. At the time of writing the Report, the information had not yet been provided. The Housing & CD Act Committee has voted to recommend to City Council to approve the document. S. Lufkin is looking for the input of the Housing Commission and would also like a recommendation from them to City Council for approval. A. Gitelson pointed out a discrepancy between page 2 and page 28. S. Lufkin explained that the figure on page 28 is a tally of funds expended. The number on page 2 is an adjusted figure from the budget office. S. Lufkin assured the Commissioners that the numbers matched the summary form from HUD. A. Gitelson inquired about the difference in the amount budget and amount expended columns. In a number of instances, there is a significant difference in the two numbers. S. Lufkin explained that the funds carry over to the next fiscal year. Many projects cannot or have not been completed within the twelve-month period but are in progress. A. Gitelson asked is the City is making any progress in getting HUD to address the problem of homelessness on a regional level. R. Schur and S. Lufkin explained that J. Terry, Director of Health & Human Services, has had contact with HUD regarding that issue and in fact, a meeting is in the works between Cook County municipalities and the city of Chicago. P. Miller pointed out that in the copy of the Report that they had, the sentences on p. 21, 27 and 29 do not end. S. Lufkin apologized and read from her copy the end of those sentences and assured the Commissioners that the final report had taken care of that problem. P. Miller asked if the City has always had a Fair Housing Educator. S. Lufkin explained that it had but that the position has been vacant for some time. D. Lach made a motion to recommend adoption of the Annual Performance Report. A. Gitelson seconded the motion. Motion passed 7-0. R. Schur reminded the Commissioners that they had been invited to the next Housing & CD Committee meeting on Tuesday, June b at 7:30 p.m. If was decided that, if needed, the Housing Commission would meet at 7:00 p.m. prior to the joint meeting. B. HOME PROGRAM PROJECT UPDATES R. Schur reported on the status of the two HOME projects. The Evanston Housing Coalition (EHC) has received a commitment from First Chicago/NBD to provide the rehabilitation financing. EHC expects to begin construction June 1. Several of the tenants have already been relocated. Interfaith Housing Development Corporation (1HDC) should be closing on its loan by the end of May. IHDC expects to begin construction immediately. 2 P. Miller pointed out that page 5 of the Housing Court cases was missing from the packet. L. Nesbitt inquired about the status of the Policy Home Buyer program. R. Schur informed her that there were no applicants in that program. C. FAMILIES IN TRANSITION (FIT) PROGRAM R. Schur presented the two families to the Commission, families 98-1 and 98-2. Both families are being sponsored by the Evanston African American Ministerial Alliance (the Alliance). Reverend Curry is the individual with whom R. Schur has been in contact. However, no one from the Alliance was present at the meeting but information was delivered during the Housing Commission meeting. It was not sufficient to answer the Commissioners questions. A. Gitelson informed the Commission that the Alliance is a good organization however it is not one singular church with staff. A. Gitelson was concerned since the Sponsor Proposal sections of the applications were identical and the two families are different with different needs. After much discussion it was decided by the Housing Commission to postpone making a decision on these applications given the information that was before them and that no one was available to answer questions. The Housing Commission instructed staff to inform Reverend Curry of the decision to postpone and ask that several things be taken care of before the Commissions next review of the applications: a representative of the Alliance be present at the Housing Commission meeting when the applications are discussed; both families should identify apartments; describe the short term job goals for family 98-2; the Alliance needs to assure the Commission that there will be personal involvement with the families; and, specific plans for the individual families must be completed. Commissioners requested that a FIT application be included in the June packet. IV. ADJOURNMENT C. Murphy moved to adjourn the meeting. D. Lach seconded the motion. With no additional business to conduct the meeting was adjourned at 8:07 p.m. after a unanimous vote. 5pqfe—c)—Xully Submitted: Roberta Schur, Housing Planner 3 it DRAFT EVANSTON HOUSING COMMISSION MINUTES Thursday, June 18, 1998 DRAFT Members Present: A. Gitelson, D. Lach, M. Lane, J. Lomax, P. Miller, C. Murphy Members Absent: R. Brooks, Y. Dickerson, L. Nesbitt Staff Present: R. Schur Others: Bob Roy & Rana Patner, Evanston Community Defenders Office I. DECLARATION OF QUORUM P. Miller declared a quorum and called the meeting to order at 7:12 p.m. II. FAMILIES IN TRANSITION (FIT) APPLICATIONS P. Miller asked Bob Roy, attorney, and Rana Patner, social worker, of the Evanston Community Defenders Office (ECDO) to introduce themselves, to describe what the ECDO does and to present the three FIT applications that they have submitted. Bob Roy explained that the ECDO is a legal and social work agency. ECDO's target population is low income youth under the age of 21 and their families. ECDO was established in 1973. He distributed an ECDO informational packet to the Commissioners. Family 98-3: This is a five member family, a mother and her four children. The mother is currently employed and the school age children are attending school. R. Patner explained that the mother has a full time job. ECDO will have contact with her to help her find a better paying job. In addition, the relationship between the mother and son will be developed. ECDO will act as a liaison with the school to get the school age children enrolled and assist in finding housing. The initial contact will be once per week. ECDO will also be referring the family to Metropolitan Family Services. R. Patner informed the Commission that the family had been a Section 8 recipient in the past but the certificate was discontinued in 1996 due to an expired certificate prior to finding alternative housing. The need for this family to get out on its own is tremendous considering there It are twelve people living in the current household. P. Miller asked if day care had been arranged for the five -month -old. R. Patner indicated thai it had not. B. Roy asked what type of supervision and contact the Housing Commission expects from a Sponsor. P. Miller responded that the Commission wants to see the program succeed. So ECDO needs to have as much contact as necessary to make it successful. Family 98-4: This is a three person family, a mother and her daughter and granddaughter. The family has been homeless for two years. They have been living with friends and relatives during that time period. P. MiIler started off the conversation regarding this family by asking if the father provided any sort of monetary support for the children to which the answer was no. R. Patner explained that the child, who has been out of school for a couple of years, is being tested at ETHS to determine the appropriate placement. She will be enrolled at ETHS this fall. In addition, she will be participating in a youth job program. The mother is currently involved with a welfare to work program. She is participating in a two week training program which promises a job at completion. C. Murphy inquired about the status of the baby, the daughter's child, and the relationship between the daughter and the father of the baby. B. Roy explained some of the complexities involved in that relationship. R. Patner explained that the family is currently homeless but has been getting by for the past two years by living with friends and family. However, they are currently in a situation that will result in the family being homeless if an apartment is not found and if they do not have some kind of financial assistance. They have located an apartment and B. Roy indicated that the housing piece is a stability issue for the family. D. Laeh asked if the mother had a GED but it was unknown. Family 98-5: This is a three person household, a mother and her two preschool age children. They are currently living in a shelter. The mother is employed part-time. R. Patner explained that the family unit has dissolved due to domestic violence. The mother has obtained apart time job and hopes that the hours will be increased overtime. P. Miller asked how realistic it was that the mother would be receiving child support from the father of the children. R. Patner explained that public aid is pursuing obtaining that assistance for the family. P. Miller asked if the mother needed an order of protection. R. Patner said no. R. Patner informed the Commission that the paternal grandmother of the children is still in contact with the children and is supportive of the mother's action to leave the husband. Regarding child care, B. Roy informed the Commission that the Title XX funds came through today. B. Roy explained that this woman is a real fighter and that she has already taken a number of very brave steps toward restarting her life. M. Lane made a motion to approve all three FIT applications with the stipulation that all M school age children be enrolled in school and that the adults should be working or in a training program. J. Lomax seconded the motion. The motion passed 6-0. R. Schur explained that the next step would be the Planning & Development meeting on July 13 and the City Council meeting of the same night. She informed the sponsor that they need to be present and requested that members of the Housing Commission also attend. III. APPROVAL OF May 21, 1998, MINUTES D. Lach moved to approve the minutes as written. M. Lane seconded the motion. The motion passed 5-0. IV. COMMENTS J. Lomax inquired about the FIT program. P. Miller provided old copies of reports that the Housing Commission used to receive from the Housing Planner. R. Schur said that she would begin supplying the information to the Commission. D. Lach referred back to the joint meeting with the Housing and Community Development Act Committee and voiced her concern regarding the information Alderman Kent shared about landlords taking advantage of Section 8 tenants. M. Lane commented that the Housing Commission never received the information they had requested from the Human Relations Commission regarding the Landlord -Tenant Ordinance. The Commission would like to receive information regarding landlord -tenant complaints and anything related to housing. In addition, she would like the Human Relations Commission minutes included in the Housing Commission packets. V. ADJOURNMENT There being no other business to conduct at this time, Mary Lane moved to adjourn the meeting. D. Lach seconded the motion. Meeting adjourned at 8:32 p.m. after a unanimous vote. Respectfully submitted: Roberta Schur Housing Planner DRAFT Evanston Housing Commission MINUTES Thursday, July 16, 1998 DRAFT Members Present: R. Brooks, Y. Dickerson, A. Gitelson, D. Lach, C. Murphy, L. Nesbitt Members Absent: M. Lane, J.Lomax, P. Miller Staff Present: R. Schur Others: Dorothy Lloyd -Still, Executive Director, Housing Options (HOME); Claire McCarthy -Peterson, Advisory Council HOME; Angela Schwartz, Board Member, HOME; Frederica Fissell, Clinical Coordinator, HOME; Scott Morgan, President of the Board, HOME. DECLARATION OF QUORUM C. Murphy declared a quorum and called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: June 18, I998 D. Lach made a motion to approve the minutes as written. A. Gitelson seconded the motion. Motion passed 6.0. III. REQUEST FOR CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE WITH THE CONSOLIDATED PLAN: HOUSING OPTIONS FOR THE MENTALLY ILL OF EVANSTON (HOME) Scott Morgan, President of the Board for Housing Options (HOME), made a presentation to the Housing Commission regarding HOME's application to HUD for renewal funding. This funding will be for a continuation of services which are currently supported by HUD funding under the 1995 SUPERNofa. The current funding ends in 1999, but must be applied for now given the HUD system. The funding is for maintaining two of the four houses and for supportive services. S. Morgan explained that one of the requirements of the HUD application is certification that the programs are consistent with the Consolidated Plan, which is why HOME is before the Commission. In April 1995, the Housing Commission provided that Certification. At that time HOME was seeking funding to purchase and rehabilitate two buildings which came to be known as Keeney House and Ganey House. Together, these buildings house ten individuals with chronic mental illness. The residents moved in during February 1996. S. Morgan informed the Commissioners that the psycho -social services are provided by Thresholds. Both projects received Honorable Mention from the Fannie May Foundation. S. Morgan reiterated that HOME is seeking renewal of Certification. At this point S. Morgan ended his presentation and asked for questions. A. Gitelson asked about HOME's plans for the future with regard to any expansion of services. S. Morgan responded that at this point, HOME has no plans to purchase any additional facilities. HOME is looking to possible provide services to other members of Evanston and the best way to do it. Subpopulations being considered include families and the elderly. A. Gitelson asked if there was a need for more housing for the chronically mental ill. S. Morgan replied that it is hard to know. More people are applying for residency than HOME currently has space for but many are individuals with whom HOME is not prepared to handle. D. Lloyd -Still explained that HOME is looking at growth but it is uncertain as to what shape that growth will take. D. Lloyd -Still reiterated the need in the community for HOME's services and that given the eligibility criteria, it is coming close to meeting the needs of the particular segment of the population HOME has concentrated on. However, it may be necessary to address the needs of various subpopulations, for example, the elderly, in the future. D. Lach asked if HOME had a waiting list. F. Fissell responded that a "waiting pool" is kept. Even though every resident has his or her own room, roommate compatibility must be kept in mind when selecting new residents. Individuals who are homeless or who are being referred by a hospital take priority. D. Lach inquired about the amount of follow-up done with individuals when they leave a HOME apartment, if any. F. Fissell explained that thus far only three individuals have moved out. Two of them have been difficult to follow because they are no longer receiving treatment and no longer live in the Chicago area. The third moved out two weeks ago and, at this point, there is still contact with this individual. D. Lach commented that it did not appear as though HOME had budgeted funds for a mortgage and asked if HOME owned the building. The answer was that HOME does, in fact, own the two buildings. C. Murphy provided a historical context to the discussion and informed the Commissioners that in 1995 when HOME was before the Commission, there was a great deal of concern voiced by Evanston residents. This was due, to a large extent, to the fact that Evanston residency is not required. S. Morgan clarified that statement by stating that some Evanston connection is required. A. Gitelson commented that in the budget, there is only $3,900 allocated for health treatment. A. Gitelson asked why that was so. D. Lloyd -Still explained that it is only a portion of the budget for this line item. A. Gitelson moved to certify that this application is consistent with the Consolidated Plan. Y. Dickerson seconded the motion. Motion passed 6-0. IV. COMMENTS C. Murphy inquired as to the status of the Condominium Conversion Ordinance. R. Schur informed the Commissioners that the ordinance is still undergoing legal review. Once it is ready, R. Schur will provide a copy of the Ordinance. R. Schur updated the Commission on the process; the Housing Commission will have a chance to review the amendments and then a public hearing will be held at a Housing Commission meeting in order to get public input. C. Murphy mentioned that the Families in Transition (FIT) applications did not pass the Planning & Development committee's review. She asked R. Schur to update the Commission as to what occurred at the meeting. R. Schur summarized the proceedings of the Planning & Development meeting, highlighting the three main concerns of the council members. The three main issues were: how was the Evanston Community Defender's Office (ECDO) connected to the applicants; ECDO's concern over acting as a guarantor on the three leases; and, perceived lack of fully developed self-sufficiency plans. R. Brooks raised an issue that the Housing Commission and the Planning & Development Committee may be asking questions that may or may not be legal under fair housing. Many of the concerns that arose at the P&D meeting and, to some extent, the Housing Commission meeting could probably not be asked of a perspective tenant by a landlord. What guidelines and rights do the Housing Commission have in the process of overseeing the use of government funds. Y. Dickerson agreed with R. Brooks' concerns. The Housing Commission requested guidelines regarding the types of question the members may ask in the course of their work. In particular, what boundaries are there with regard to recommending FIT families. 11 V. ADJOURNMENT A. Gitelson made a motion to adjourn which was seconded by L. Nesbitt. Motion passed 6-0. Meeting adjourned at 8:10 p.m. Respectfully submitted: Roberta Schur Housing Planner � v DRAFT EVANSTON HOUSING COMMISSION MINUTES SEPTEMBER 17, 1998 DRAFT Members Present: R. Brooks, A. Gitelson, M. Lane, P. Miller, L. Nesbitt, J. Lomax Members Absent: Y. Dickerson, D. Lach, C. Murphy Guests Present: Corinne Jaspar, Mark Greenwood & David Kasprisen, First of America Staff Present: R. Schur Presiding Official: P. Miller, Chair I. DECLARATION OF QUORUM P. Miller declared a quorum and called the meeting to order at 7:08 p.m. II. APPROVAL OF JULY 16, 1998 A. Gitelson made a motion to approve the minutes of July 16, 1998 as written. M.Lane seconded the motion. Motion passed 5-0. III. NEW BUSINESS A. First of America Presentation: R. Schur summarized the process of how it was the Housing Commission got to this point by ceding over a portion of the City's bond volume cap to Gates Capital Corporation for the purpose of participating in the Assist First Time Home Buyer Program. R. Schur informed the Commission that First of America was the financial entity that would be making the loans to purchsers using the Assist program. Representatives from First of America are present at the meeting to review the program and describe the marketing of the program to the Commission. M. Greenwood introduced himself as the Affordable Housing Program Director for First of America and directed Commission members to the informational folders he had provided. M. Greenwood explained that Evanston, along with twenty (20) other municipalities were participating in the 1998 program. The major incentive to using this program, in addition to its low interest rate (6.75%) is the 4.25% of loan amount cash gift at closing that may be used for down payment and 1 or closing cost assistance. M. Greenwood informed the Commissioners that most borrowers pay 3 % toward down payment. First of American uses FHA and VA loans since they allow for more lenient underwriting guidelines which allow more people to own homes. M. Lane asked why First of America is not using an FNMA product. M. Greenwood reiterated the leniency of FHA. For example, FHA allows for higher rations and requires less time to have transpired from a declaration of bankruptcy. FHA's ratios are 29% and 41 %. In addition, FHA considers alternative credit sources such as utility, rent and car insurance payments. P. Miller asked if First of America was doing all of the Assist loans for all of the participating municipalities. M. Greenwood responded that it was doing most but not all of the Ioans. P. Miller inquired as to the location of First of America's closest office. M. Greenwood informed the Commission that the closest office to Evanston was the Niles location. He added, however, that the loan officers will meet potential borrowers wherever it is most convenient for them. P. Miller wanted to know what First of America's success rate was and whether or not they have had to do any foreclosures. M. Greenwood responded that they have not had any foreclosures. He was uncertain as to the exact figure but assured the Commission that they have a very high success rate. In addition, they have a sixteen -year history of working with the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA). L. Nesbitt asked is First of America or National City will be holding the loan as First of America is being purchased by National City. The Commissioners were told that National City would be holding the loans. Regarding the 4.25% gift, L. Nesbitt inquired how it was disbursed. The Commissioners were reassured that none of the funds go to a purchaser directly. The funds are used to supplement the down payment or to help the borrower cover the closing costs. So in essence, the funds are being returned to the Bank. M. Greenwood informed the Commission that there is also a recapture provision if the property is sold within ten years and 1 or certain conditions are met which are outlined in the brochure. Approximately 3-5 `I of the borrowers face recapture. L. Nesbitt asked M. Greenwood is First of America, as a lender, feels comfortable with someone purchasing a $100.000 home without a down payment from his or her own pocket to which he responded in the affirmative. He reiterated that they check out their borrowers very carefully. M. Greenwood moved on to discuss the marketing of the program since the substance of the program had not changed since the Housing Commission approved using the bond volume cap for the Assist program. He informed the Commission that they have 12,000 brochures which will be distributed to realtors and other interested parties. First of America has sent out a press release to the local press, including the Chicago Sun Times, Chicago Tribune, Evanston Review. In addition they have developed a special marketing piece for realtors. First of America will be holding seminars around the community to attract potential buyers. R. Schur asked whether or not home ownership counseling was required. M. Greenwood replied that it was. Buyers may attend counseling sessions through CCCS or any HUD approved lender. M. Greenwood asked the Commissioners for their suggestions on where to hold seminars; First of America's goal is to have at least one seminar per month. Suggestions form the Commissioners included local churches, local schools and the larger employees in Evanston. M. Lane also asked M. Greenwood to contact her in order to arrange a time for him to attend a Citizen's Planning Committee meeting. M. Greenwood added that First of America has a Community Development Corporation which may assist in the efforts that are occurring in southeast Evanston. R. Schur inquired as to what type of reporting mechanism existed so that the City would be aware of the number and location of loans being made using the Assist program. M. Greenwood responded that he could provide monthly data to the City. B. Affordable Housing Set -Asides. P. Miller refreshed recalled that at the joint meeting of the Housing Commission and CD Committee, Alderman Rainey made a reference to require developers who receive some type of city assistance to reserve a portion of the residential units for affordable housing. The Housing Commission was asked to look into this option and, if the Commission found it to be an effective tool, to develop a policy recommendation. The Commissioners agree with the concept of requiring developers who receive city assistance to reserve a certain number of units as affordable. The Commissioners asked R. Schur to prepare a list of questions that need to be considered in this discussion before making a decision. (For example: what constitutes city assistance? What percentage of units should be set aside'? Affordable to whom`?) In addition, Commissioners requested information from other cities that have a similar requirement to use as a model for Evanston. It was decided that once the information was gathered, a meeting would be dedicated to this discussion. C. Condominium Ordinance Revisions. R. Schur updated the Commission on the status of the condominium ordinance revisions. She is in the final stages of making the 3 y revisions and expects the ordinance to go to the Iegal department for final review in the next week. The legal department needs approximately four weeks to review the changes. Afterward, the Housing Commission will need to conduct a public hearing in order to get feedback on the ordinance before it goes to the Planning & Development Committee and City Council. R. Schur asked the Commission for a tentative date for the public hearing. It was decided that November S, 1998 would be reserved for that purpose. D. Families in Transition. (Off -agenda item) P. Miller reminded the Housing Commission that based on the most recent experience of bringing FIT applications to the City Council that revisions to the application might be needed. For example, P&D stressed the transition portion of the application (e.g., education, training) and wanted more detailed information on a completion scenario. R. Schur was asked to supply the application in a future packet for review. IV. ADJOURNMENT A. Gitelson moved to adjourn the meeting. M. bane seconded the motion. There being no further business in from of the Commission, the meeting was adjourned at 8:40 p.m. after a unanimous 6-0 vote. Respectfully submitted: L Ro erta Schur Housing Planner 4 DRAFT DRAFT EVANSTONHOUSING COMMISSION MINUTES NOVEMBER 19, 1998 Members Present: A. Gitelson, D. Lach, M. Lane, J. Lomax, C. Murphy, L. Nesbitt Members Absent: R. Brooks, Y. Dickerson Guests: Maureen Brandt & Nick Pavletic, Cook County Assessor's Office Jill Bruss, Medill School of Journalism Presiding Official: C. Murphy, Vice Chair Staff Present: R. Schur, Housing Planner I. DECLARATION OF QUORUM C. Murphy declared a quorum and called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. II. APPROVAL OF SEPTEMBER 17, 1998, MINUTES A. Gitelson made a motion to accept the minutes as written. D. Lach seconded the motion. Motion passed 5-0. III. NEW BUSINESS A. Cook County Assessor Presentation. Nick Pavletic and Maureen Brandt from the Cook County Assessor's Office gave a brief presentation regarding the residential property tax and how it is determined. N. Pavletic explained that the first thing the Assessor does is place a market value on property for tax purposes. The market value is then multiplied by the assessment level (in the case of single family residential, 16%). to determine the assessed valuation. The assessed valuation is multiplied by the multiplied by the equalization factor, also known as the multiplier, to determine the equalized assessed value (EAV). The EAV is multiplied by the city tax rate to determine the amount of the tax bill. Mr. Pavletic gave a summary of the various taxing rates: 16% for single family residential (1-6 units); 33% for commercial property with seven or more units; 37% for mixed use property; and, 36% for industrial property. Mr. Pavletic informed the Commission that Cook County is the only county in Illinois that has this taxing structure. A. Gitelson asked how the Assessor determines the market value. Mr. Pavletic explained that it is determined by what the property could sell for on the open market. D. Lach asked how the Assessor determines what is in a home to arrive at the market value. Mr. Pavletic explained that the square footage is one measure that is used. The Assessor also looks at the composition and amenities of a home. If necessary, they will send someone out to measure a home. Mr. Pavletic stated that there are several exemption programs for qualified individuals. The Homeowner Exemption is for people who have resided in their homes since January 1. It provides, on average, a $500 reduction in the tax bill. The Senior Citizen Exemption is for homeowners 65 years of age and older. On average, seniors in this program save $250. The Senior Citizen Assessment Freeze program is for individuals 65 years of age and older who have a total household income of $35,000 or less. This exemption freezes the equalized assessed value of the property. The last exemption is the Home Improvement Exemption. This program delays the taxation on a portion of the improvements made to a home. Up to $45,000 worth of improvements may be delayed for at least four years. A. Gitelson asked how many individuals take advantage of the Assessment Freeze program. N. Pavletic responded that in Cook County 90,000 households are eligible for the program. He did not know the actual number of households that took advantage of the program. After expressing concern for the seniors in Evanston who had paid off their homes but were having a difficult time paying their taxes, M. Lane asked if there were any other programs for seniors. N. Pavletic said that there were not but that the Assessor has a Tax Payer Advocate whom residents may call for further assistance. J. Lomax inquired as to how the Assessors office disseminates information on their programs. N. Pavletic informed the Commission that the information is available at the Assessor's office, in newspapers and on the Internet. R. Schur added information about the Class 9 program which provides a tax incentive for developers to set aside a certain number of affordable units. In order to qualify for the program, a property must be in a low -mod census tract and the developer must rehabilitate at least three major systems in the building. The 16% tax rate (instead of 33`l0) is in effect for 10 years and may be extended up to 30 years. M. Brandt suggested inviting representatives of the Assessors office back when the tax bills come; the Housing Commission could sponsor a public forum for the Assessor's office to explain the various programs and the appeal process. M. Brandt stated that property owners may appeal their taxes every time a tax bill is received, not just during a reassessment year. In reference to the Home Improvement Exemption, L. Nesbitt asked where the Assessor gets the information about any improvements to a property. N. Pavletic replied that his office gets the information from permit applications. C. Murphy thanked N. Pavletic and M. Brandt for coming to the Housing Commission to explain these programs. B. Affordable Housing Set Asides. A. Gitelson began the conversation by asking what is the best way for the Housing Commission to approach this issue. D. Lach asked what type of profit margin is expected of developers when doing residential development and how would this requirement affect that. C. Murphy wondered if developers would perceive Evanston as "hostile" to development and instead go to surrounding communities. M. Lane questioned where Evanston would be if it doesn't do something to maintain or create affordable housing. R. Schur directed the Commissioners to the memorandum she sent to them with a list of questions to consider. One set of questions was meant to address the issue of deciding whether or not requiring set asides from developers who receive city assistance was appropriate for Evanston. The second set of questions was provided in the event the Commission deciding to require affordable housing set asides. A. Gitelson expressed a need for more information about Evanston, for example the number of permits issued for new construction for developments with more than six units. Other Commissioners added the desire to know the following: the result in the other municipalities who require set asides and the number of developments that have received city assistance over the past five years. J. Lomax added that perhaps the Interfaith project could be used as a model of how to create a mixed income development. M. Lane suggested finding out how Reba Place Church operates its housing programs. R. Schur said that she would find out as much information as possible before the next meeting. C. Families in Transition (FIT) Application. A. Gitelson introduced the need for changing the application by stating a concern about the sponsors and their preparedness to handle the responsibility of being a sponsor. A. Gitelson suggested that language be added to let sponsors know that the application must be filled out with very specific information and that additional pages may be attached if necessary. C. Murphy added that very specific directions should be added to the proposal. M. Lane pointed out that perhaps we should be very clear that the responsibility of the sponsor is the key to success in this program. L. Nesbitt inquired about the City Monitoring Section. She asked what would happen if changes were not reported within la days. R. Schur responded that any changes should be reported in a timely manner in order for payment changes to be made if necessary. If there was gross neglect on the part of the sponsor or family the contract could be terminated and, in extreme cases, the FIT program could be reimbursed. L. Nesbitt said that the consequences should be added to the information part of the proposal. A. Gitelson suggested adding a contact schedule to the application so that the Commission knew up front how often the sponsor would be in contact with the family and the sponsor got the message how strongly the Commission felt about the ongoing relationship between the two parties. M. Lane recommended that on p. 3, where it lists the sponsors' responsibilities, it say very specifically that the sponsor is financially responsible for the lease if the tenant does not pay or moves out early. Everyone present agreed that was an important addition. R. Schur mentioned that she will be giving the application to Jay Terry, director of Health and Human Services, to review in order to get input from that department. D. Elect New Chair & Vice Chair. It was decided that the Commission would hold off on this vote until the next meeting when all members were present. Commissioners requested a list of the duties of the chair and vice -chair in order for them to understand what the time requirement would be. R. Schur promised to include this list in the next packet. E. Request from Human Relations Commission. The Human Relations Commission requested support from the Housing Commission to amend the Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance. They are proposing to add language to the ordinance which would prohibit illegal activities, such as drug dealing, prostitution, etc., and allow landlords to terminate a lease if such activities occur. The Housing Commission is in support of these recommended changes. They would like to see the draft document with these changes so that they may offer input. In response to the other materials provided to the Housing Commission by the Human Relations Commission, they were very happy to receive it, however, they would like to see it broken down more specifically. In particular, Housing Commissioners would like to see the list broken down by ward so that they can see if there are any patterns occurring and get a better idea of the rental market. Additionally, they would like to receive the minutes from the Human Relations Commission on a monthly basis and the break down of inquiries and/or complaints on a quarterly basis. J. Lomax also voiced interest in knowing the resolution on some of the highest complaint items. V. ADJOURNMENT There being no additional items before the Commission, A. Gitelson made a motion to adjourn. D. Lach seconded the motion. Motion passed 6-0. Meeting was adjourned at 8:30 p.m. Res a tfully submitted: oberta Schur Housing Planner DRAFT EVANSTON HOUSING COMMISSION MINUTES DECEMBER 17, 1998 DRAFT Members Present: R. Brooks, Y. Dickerson, A. Gitelson, M. Lane, J. Lomax Members Absent: D. Lach, L. Nesbitt Guests: Mary Pat Kerrigan, First Chicago Bank Karen Chavers, Evanston Neighborhood Conference Presiding Official: A. Gitelson Staff Present: S. Lufkin, R. Schur, J. Wolinski I. DECLARATION OF QUORUM A. Gitelson declared a quorum and called the meeting to order at 7:09 p.m. II. APPROVAL OF November 19, 1998, MINUTES B. Brooks made a motion to accept the minutes as written. Y. Dickerson seconded the motion. Motion passed 5-0. III. NEW BUSINESS A. Recommendation to City Council Regarding the 1999/2000 Consolidate Plan Action Plan. S. Lufkin, CDBG Grants Administrator, explained that the Commissioners received three documents in their packets from her: a memo, the Action Plan and a spread sheet which summarizes the Action Plan. At the November 10 meeting of the CD Committee, the Committee made their funding recommendation for the 1999/2000 year. At the bottom of the spread sheet there are estimates of thr city's allocation. S. Lufkin explained that the city does not get notified of the actual amounts it will receive in CDBG, HOME or ESG grants until the end of the year, S. Lufkin continued by saying that based on past allocations the city can assume a grant of approximately $2,350,000, S. Lufkin pointed out on the spread sheet that Housing Rehabilitation Administratimi ti would be funded through the Revolving Loan Fund and that funding for the Southeast Evanston Community Outpost (633 Howard) would come from money allocated to the Howard Street projects. The CD Committee de -funded the Howard Street project by $100,000 to be re -funded in the following year. S. Lufkin explained that the Action Plan gets inserted into the Consolidated Plan on a yearly basis to reflect the funding allocations for the year. The Consolidated Plan is a five-year document; certain aspects of the Plan are updated yearly. The city will be rewriting the Plan next year. S. Lufkin outlined the approval process from this point forward for the Action Plan. City Council will review the changes and the Action Plan on January 11, 1999. The public hearing on the Action Plan occurred at the December 8, 1998 CD Committee meeting; the Plan has received recommendations for approval from the Plan Commission. S. Lufkin informed the Housing Commission that the CD Committee is seeking a recommendation for approval by the City Council by the Housing Commission. M. Lane asked for clarification regarding the funding sources on the Action Plan. S. Lufkin explained that the reason CDBG is the only funding source with money allocated is because the Action Plan only reflects CDBG monies. A. Gitelson asked why HOME money is not included. S. Lufkin directed him to the last page of the Action Plan. S. Lufkin informed the Commission that HUD approved a higher level of funding for HOME, ESG and CDBG but that the set aside amounts had been increased. A. Gitelson asked if there were any serious cutbacks or concerns in the budget. S. Lufkin responded in the negative. Most agencies were funded close to or at the requested level. M. Lane asked if HOME funds could be used by renters to rehabilitate their buildings. S. Lukfin and R. Schur informed her that it was not possible. The building owner must apply for the funding. M. Lane moved to recommend the Action Plan for approval by City Council. B. Brooks seconded the motion. The motion passed 5-0. B. Presentation on Reading a Pro Forma. Mary Pat Kerrigan of First Chicago Bank introduced herself as not only an employee of the bank but a member of the Evanston Housing Corporation and the Howard Street and HOME Committees. M.P. Kerrigan reviewed what a bank looks for when evaluating a loan application for a multi -family project (5 + units). In addition to the cash flow, the loan officer also reviews the management capacity of the borrower. A lender wants to make sure that the borrower is a good manager so he/she will often visit a borrower's properties to evaluate how the buildings are maintained. M. P. Kerrigan distributed a sample pro forma to the Commissioners and went step by step over it to show what an underwriter would do. A lender requests that the borrower submit a Schedule E which outlines the income and expenses for a building. This form is submitted to the IRS on a yearly basis as well. M.P. Kerrigan pointed out some of the items that a lender will make sure are present in the cash flow. They include real estate taxes, utilities, water & sewer and management fees. A lender will use a 5% management fee in the calculations. By subtracting the expenses from the income you get the Net Income. The Net Income is used to calculate how much the applicant can afford to borrow. M.P. Kerrigan explained that mortgage interest is not included in the equation because the interest paid out will change if the lender approves the loan. M. P. Kerrigan continued; Buildings that are less than 15 years old should have expenses around 55% of gross income. If expenses are less than 50% a lender may be concerned that an owner is not spending enough on the property. If an owner is spending more than 60% there is a concern that there are some inefficiencies in the management and maintenance of the property. The property rent roll is another integral part of the cash flow, M.P. Kerrigan continued. A lender is going to look for one year leases, leases that do not expire at the same time, rents and sizes of units. A lender will compare the rents with the average rents in the area. M. P Kerrigan explained that in the process of underwriting a loan, or evaluating the income and expenses, the loan officer will add a 5 % management fee and an amount for replacement reserves (usually $200 per apartment or .I5 per square foot ). By subtracting the expenses, including management fees and replacement reserves, from the income, you get the net operating income (NOI). To determine how much a bank would lend, the lender uses the NOI. For a loan amortized over 25 years, the NOI should be no less than 125 % of the loan payment. The NOI is also used to determine a fair sales price. In Evanston today, someone buying property is looking for an 8%-9% return on their investment (cap rate). The expected return on the investment changes as the economy changes. M. P. Kerrigan added that when dealing with HOME funds or other subsidized programs, a lender can lend more because the interest rate is lower. Typically, banks do not want more than an 80% loan to value ratio. The Commissioners expressed their gratitude to M.P. Kerrigan for her excellent explanation of reading a pro forma. IV. OTHER BUSINESS A. Issue of Electing a New Chair. A. Gitelson asked the members who were present if anyone had an interest in becoming the new chairperson. As no one responded he asked R. Schur if she had heard from anyone on this matter. R. Schur informed him that she had spoken with several members all of whom expressed some concern over taking on such a responsibility. A. Gitelson referred to the memorandum that was in the packets regarding the responsibilities of the chair and vice -chair. R. Schur reminded the Commission that per the Housing Commission Ordinance, an election must take place in January. B. Human Relations Commission. M. Lane referred to the memorandum from Paula Haynes, Executive Director of the Human Relations Commission, and said that the information received from her is not what the Housing Commission is asking for. M. Lane suggested that the Housing Commission invite the Human Relations Commission (HRC) to a meeting in order for them to continue the dialogue that was initiated over a year ago and to address some of the Housing Commissions concerns. It was suggested that the Housing Commission use the January meeting to prepare for such a meeting and invited the HRC to a meeting in March. C. FIT Report. Commissioners thanked R. Schur for the Families in Transition (FIT) financial report to date. They requested a success rate summary report for the past three years if possible. V. COMMENTS Karen Chavers asked to be recognized by the Commission. She took the opportunity to remind the Commission to focus and prioritize new and creative ways to make safe, clean and accessible housing available for more of Evanston's low and moderate income residents. For the census tract that Evanston Housing Coalition's condominium conversion project and Interfaith Housing Development Corporation's rental rehabilitation project are in this is a very exciting time. K. Chavers asked the Commission to explore other opportunities rid Evanston of any impediments in housing and to examine the characteristics of the Evanston housing market. J. Wolinski took the opportunity to share his thoughts on the progress that has been made in the Clyde -Callan neighborhood. He realizes that the goal has not yet been reached but major strides have been made in reaching the objective of a safe, clean neighborhood. He credited the Housing Commission. Clyde -Callan Neighbors and the Evanston Neighborhood Conference. He mentioned that new problems were arising at 125 Clyde so he. the ward alderman and the police chief met with the management of the building to express their concern. J. Wolinski highlighted the success the city had in dealing with Chris Bhatt and how that model is being used with other negligent landlords. J. Wolinski believes that the message is now clear to landlords that mismanagement and deteriorated building conditions will not be tolerated in Evanston. He thanked everyone involved in the process for their efforts. 4 11 VI. ADJOURNMENT M. Lane made a motion to adjourn. Y. Dickerson seconded the motion. Motion passed 5-0. There being no further business before the Commission, the meeting adjourned at 8:26 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Z� Roberta Schur Housing Planner 5