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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-24-2025 Housing & Community Development CommissionHOUSING & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION (HCDC) March 24, 2025 Regular Meeting — 6:30 PM Emma J. Harvat Hall 410 E Washington Street (City Hall) AGENDA: 1. Call to Order 2. Consideration of Meeting Minutes: October 21, 2024 3. Public Comment of Items not on the Agenda Commentators shall address the commission for no more than five minutes. Commissioners shall not engage in discussion with the public concerning said items. 4. Discuss Potential Amendment to the HCDC By -Laws to Reduce the Size of the Commission from Nine to Seven Members After the previous two meetings were cancelled due to lack of quorum, the Chair requests that the Commission discuss a potential amendment to the by-laws to reduce the size of the Commission from nine to seven members. The adjustment would also change the number of members required to form a quorum from five to four. The Commission may not vote on the matter until the following regular meeting. The Commission may also consider a recommendation to City Council to defer additional appointments. 5. Staff & Commission Updates This item includes an opportunity for brief updates from staff and Commissioners. Commissioners shall not engage in discussion on updates. 6. Adjournment If you will need disability -related accommodations to participate in this program or event, please contact Brianna Thul at bthul(a)iowa-city.org or 319-356-5240. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to meet your access needs. Next Meeting: April 21, 2025 � r CITY OF IOWA CITY 410 East Washington Street Iowa City, Iowa 52240-1826 (319) 356-5000 (319) 356-5009 FAX www.icgov.org Housing and Community Development Commission Meeting Packet Contents March 24, 2025 Agenda Item #2 a) October 21, 2024 Draft HCDC Meeting Minutes Agenda Item #4 a) Current Housing and Community Development Commission By -Laws b) Attendance History 2021 to Present Agenda Item #5 a) March 17, 2025 Staff Memo — FY25 Aid to Agencies Year to Date Accomplishments b) Correspondence - Escucha Mi Voz Progress Report MINUTES HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION OCTOBER 21, 2024 — 6:30 PM FORMAL MEETING E M M A J. HARVAT HALL, CITY HALL PRELIMINARY MEMBERS PRESENT: Daouda Balde, Maryann Dennis, Karol Krotz, Kiran Patel, Denise Szecsei, Kyle Vogel MEMBERS ABSENT: Horacio Borgen, George Kivarkis, James Pierce STAFF PRESENT: Erika Kubly, Brianna Thul, Sam Turnbull OTHERS PRESENT: Simon Andrew (The Housing Fellowship) RECOMMENDATIONS TO CITY COUNCIL: By a vote of 5-1 (Vogel opposed) the Commission voted to recommend that City Council approve Substantial Amendment #1. CALL MEETING TO ORDER: Vogel called the meeting to order at 6:30 PM. WELCOME NEW MEMBERS: Balde introduced himself noting he is from West Africa moved to Iowa in April 2016. He used to work with Johnson County Food and Grow at Melrose and likes to help others in the community so volunteered for this commission. CONSIDERATION OF MEETING MINUTES: SEPTEMBER 16, 2024: Krotz moved to approve the minutes of September 16, 2024 with changes. Dennis seconded the motion. A vote was taken and the minutes were approved 6-0. PUBLIC COMMENT FOR TOPICS NOT ON THE AGENDA: None. REVIEW AND CONSIDER RECOMMENDATION TO CITY COUNCIL ON APPROVAL OF SUBSTANTIAL AMENDMENT #1 TO THE CITY'S FY24 ANNUAL ACTION PLAN: Vogel noted they have some federal monies that weren't spent, and staff is proposing using those funds towards the City's GreenState and Hills Down Payment program to fund up to 12 additional households. There are also some other monies that weren't used by a couple other organizations that staff recommend allocating to The Housing Fellowship to buy two affordable rental units. Thul explained there were two projects from the FY24 Annual Action Plan that were not completed. One was United Action for Youth. UAY was awarded HOME funded to acquire and rehab transitional housing units, however, with federal funding there are a lot of restrictions and regulations attached. United Action for Youth canceled their project because it was able to proceed without federal funding and through a partnership with The Housing Fellowship. The second project was the Ronald Street student -built home, which was awarded $200,000 HOME funds. This project had to go through a historic preservation review which took longer than anticipated and therefore that project ultimately proceeded without federal funding. Staff would like to Housing and Community Development Commission October 21, 2024 Page 2of6 reallocate the money from those two canceled HOME projects towards rental acquisition to honor the intent of the original projects. Dennis asked when the funds need to be spent. Thul explained typically it needs to be committed within two years and spent within four, however, with the way the appropriations have been structured, there are some waivers for the deadlines, but staff try to stick the standards in case anything changes. Since these are FY24 funds they need to commit those soon. Patel stated she recalls the Down Payment Assistance program changed its requirements and the homes no longer have to be in certain census blocks but now it's open citywide. Thul confirmed that was correct. Krotz asked regarding The Housing Fellowship and the two additional rental units, would those be for people under 80% or 60%? Thul replied that HOME requires under 60% for rentals. Krotz asked if it is possible for the Commission to place a suggestion to attempt to fund those for people under 40%? Kubly stated they can suggest, however, staff typically leaves it at the maximum when they fund projects like this. They also might be serving someone with a Housing Choice Voucher and so being able to get the maximum rents would be helpful, but the Commission can suggest what they wish. Dennis stated she thinks it's a good suggestion, however for the folks that are administering the program and trying to do all the compliance it might be more work, and she also believes the majority of the folks that rent from The Housing Fellowship fall far below 60%. It's also difficult to have only two rental homes that have to be under a certain amount because if somebody comes in and they're a couple dollars over they won't quality. Vogel stated he feels like they're doing the shell game, they all voted and gave money to United Action for Youth. They also awarded money to The Housing Fellowship. Now without going through that process again, they are just deciding to take that money and just give it to The Housing Fellowship. Why can't these funds go back into the next award cycle? Thul replied that the Commission could wait and put the funds into the next competitive round, but they would be asking staff to wait until July of next year to start any projects. Dennis agreed that waiting that long doesn't leave the agency awarded with enough time. Simon Andrew (Director, The Housing Fellowship) wanted to address both of the questions raised by the Commission. First, regarding the income levels, the vast majority of the households The Housing Fellowship serves fall well below 60%, and in most cases even below 40%. The average household income for their tenants is $27,000 a year and they have large households to serve, sometimes up to 10 person households. Andrew stated they do like to have the limit set at 60% to serve the households that do have a voucher. Otherwise, they are basically turning down free federal money if it's restricted at the lower rate, because the voucher picks up that 60% rent. Krotz asked if somebody has an income of under $25,000 and they also have a voucher that would pay 50% of a person's rent. Andrew replied no, the voucher in that case would likely pay all of their rent. The voucher is structured that households shouldn't be paying more than their income so if their income is low enough, the voucher will pay all of their rent, up to a set cap of what a rent can be (which is based on average rents). If the voucher holder starts making more money, the voucher will pay less. The Housing Fellowship has many households that don't pay anything out of pocket. Krotz finds that really interesting because she falls in that category of having income below that amount but has never had all of her rent paid, she usually pays between 40% and 50%, sometimes up to 55% and she has a Housing Choice Voucher. Andrew noted that would be a question for City staff but The Housing Fellowship does have households with vouchers that pay $5 of the rent and the tenant is responsible for the rest up to the tenant not paying anything, the latter are usually families with children. Krotz asked if they ever have one -bedroom units on vouchers. Andrew replied yes, they have 17 one - bedrooms but those are limited to find, they are seeing right now the biggest demand is at the extremes, very large families and single person households. They do have quite a bit of two- and three- bedroom units, but not enough one -bedroom or larger than three -bedroom units. Housing and Community Development Commission October 21, 2024 Page 3 of 6 Andrew next addressed the question about the United Action for Youth (UAY) project and the student build project. The Housing Fellowship was really proud to partner with UAY to help that project go forward. He stated in both cases The Housing Fellowship is borrowing that money and taking on that debt with the hope and understanding that they would be able to access those unused HOME funds. He explained that UAY was in a position where they had eight homeless clients that they were serving between the ages of 16 and 22 that were already renting private apartments but weren't going to be able to continue in those apartments. UAY was afraid those individuals would be homeless again come July, when the lease was up, and when it the funding did not come through in a way that would allow them to purchase the house and they needed help. UAY first went to the Community Foundation and then they asked City staff and United Way if there was any way they could get bailed out and still be able to close on the house for these individuals. Effectively, they just needed a landlord with a borrowing capacity to be able to borrow the gap in the home purchase. The Housing Fellowship took over the purchase agreement as a way to help out one of their partner agencies to help them complete their mission, which in this case is the same mission, preventing more homeless individuals on the street. In this case, it was 16- to 22-year-olds that really had nowhere else to go. Andrew explained The Housing Fellowship would like to use the HOME funds from UAY to purchase a home they would have otherwise had to borrow money for. They are basically using the debt on the UAY purchase instead of the new acquisition and hoping to use the HOME funds for that new acquisition. The student build home on Ronalds Street, was a timing issue due to the school district calendar. Students are back in school in August, and they needed to start building in August. Due to the archeological review they weren't going to have the answers needed in time to get the students rolling. Again, The Housing Fellowship doesn't have other funds for that project and had to incur a private debt at 7% interest to finish that construction. The Housing Fellowship is hoping to use the $200,000 for other acquisitions that will cash flow such that it will pay the debt on Ronalds Street. Because it is a student build project, they believe in the project so much they are willing to take a loss on that second house. So again, they are just hoping for that remaining $200,000 to be allocated to The Housing Fellowship so they can acquire additional properties that will help that cash flow picture. Dennis acknowledged it is sort of a shell game but one that has really good results for the community. Krotz asked if staff anticipates if any other agencies will raise concerns with this reallocation. Thul cannot speak for other applicants, but they are approaching the next CDBG and HOME funding round again in December so there's that funding available. Also, for affordable housing projects like this, the City contributes to the local Affordable Housing Fund, which is administered by the Housing Trust Fund of Johnson County, so this isn't the only opportunity for affordable housing funds at the moment. Vogel noted he just intrinsically has a hard time with moving money from the other projects to a new project without a discussion about the merits of everybody's proposals. Perhaps that $310,000 could be used by an organization that plans to assist more than two households. Maybe someone wants to buy a $1.2 million 24-plex of one -bedrooms and just needs $310,000 for the down payment, and suddenly there are 24 households in Iowa City that can be assisted with the same $310,000 versus two. They are not getting the opportunity to have that discussion. He did acknowledge the pressure and extra work it puts on staff to do that work but those are simply his concerns with it. Krotz asked if this would go to City Council for final approval. Thul replied yes, this is currently in a 30-day public comment period and then it will go to City Council on November 4. Kubly also wanted to note, this is the standard process for a substantial amendment like this. This is the public process and they are following normal procedures to accommodate for changes that have happened since the initial Action Plan was approved. Dennis noted if they were to put the money back for the next round it again lowers the amount of time that somebody has to finish the project and if that project isn't finished within the guidelines that money goes back to Washington, DC, and everyone loses the money. Kubly noted they do substantial amendments all Housing and Community Development Commission October 21, 2024 Page 4 of 6 the time. Thul agreed it is common for staff to bring this Commission substantial amendments to the Consolidated Plan. Krotz asked if The Housing Fellowship will be using the funding for rental housing, specifically a duplex. Andrew replied not necessarily, they own 211 rental housing units and they range from single family homes, duplexes, town homes, and they look at zero lots basically the same as single family homes. There are a couple that they have their eye on now to acquire and will probably acquire three more in the next nine months, in addition to, hopefully, these two. Krotz wondered if they had a specific property in mind to acquire if they were awarded these funds. Andrew replied they are always looking and currently there is a duplex for sale on Muscatine that's real close to a few other units that they own and that's always very attractive, just for efficiency of maintenance. Andrew wanted to state as well, effectively this is a mechanism to get done projects that the Commission has approved, but the projects wouldn't have happened without this mechanism, so it really is a way to get them done the projects that this Commission initially considered and approved. If The Housing Fellowship had not stepped in and that UAY money had just gone back into the pot and those kids would be homeless. He also stated they will probably see more of these in the future, collaborations between the nonprofits, the clients UAY are serving, The Housing Fellowship doesn't have the skill set to serve. They have daily case management services that's beyond what The Housing Fellowship does and likewise, The Housing Fellowship is much more experienced a a property manager and dealing with acquisition. They have more debt capacity with the ability to move things between properties in a way that UAY isn't capable to do. The Housing Fellowship has had a lot of success recently with master leases with the Salvation Army and their homeless vet program. They worked with DVIP and Shelter House early on in the pandemic. Overall it's a good thing to have the local nonprofits collaborate and play to their strengths, for case managers to be doing the best case management services, property managers, likewise. Therefore, part of the logic and taking that risk on the UAY project, not knowing whether those funds would be reallocated, was to show that those master lease projects are very fruitful. Szecsei asked if there have there been any public comments. Thul replied no, but public comment will go through November 4. Szecsei asked if they expect any public comments. Thul stated they don't usually get many comments and the bulk of the feedback typically comes from this Commission. Kubly added that the agencies that staff regularly works with are pretty comfortable coming to staff. They know they would have the opportunity to speak at the Council meeting or anytime between now and then as well. Sometimes they also get favorable public comments, so if The Housing Fellowship wanted to come and make a public comment like that at the Council meeting they could as well. Krotz asked if the other agencies generally watch things like this. Kubly is unable to know if they watch the meetings but when agencies have projects that they need funding for they typically would come to staff and talk through them. Dennis moved to recommend that City Council approve Substantial Amendment #1. Seconded by Patel. A vote was taken and the motion passed 5-1 (Vogel opposed). OVERVIEW OF NEXT STEPS FOR FY26 LEGACY AID TO AGENCIES: Staff wanted to give an overview of next steps for FY26 Legacy Aid to Agencies process. The joint application was due October 15 and staff has all of the submissions. The submissions are available online as well as printed hard copies for those that wanted it. However, with the hard copies that is only the application and there's supporting materials posted online. United Way did three training sessions and staff received some good feedback on that. Staff will supply the Commission with summary sheets of each application by November 7 but encouraged all to start reading the applications. The Commission has until January 6 to score the grant proposals, that sounds like a lot of time but time tends to fly. Staff is also going to be offering one on one sessions and will meet with members individually to help work 4 Housing and Community Development Commission October 21, 2024 Page 5 of 6 through any questions. There will also be the Q&A session with the applicants so if anyone has clarifying questions for the applicants, they can submit those to staff, and staff will work with the agency to get answers. Questions for the agencies will be due to staff by November 21 so the agency has time to respond. Once scores are submitted by January 6, staff will tally those and supply averages to the Commission that will be included in the information in the packet for the January 20 HCDC meeting. At that January 20 HCDC meeting is where they will make the group funding recommendations to City Council. Patel noted January 20 is Martin Luther King Day, so will HCDC still meet that day. Thul noted that on MLK Day, City offices will be closed and they'll have to shift. The meeting was shifted to the 271" Dennis reminded everybody that the Legacy Aid to Agencies funds generally go for operating costs for the applicants. Thul noted the funding source is part CDBG and part local funding. She acknowledged this is a challenging grant that HCDC has to work through. There's a lot nonprofits in Iowa City doing good work and its always a tough decision. Krotz asked how much money is available for agencies this round. Thul stated it's on the website but believes it is around $754,000. Also, typically there's about 5% of the total budget that's set aside for Emerging Aid to Agencies - now called Non -Legacy Aid to Agencies. She also reminded them that the awards have a minimum of $15,000. The Legacy Aid to Agencies is limited to the applicants identified in the Consolidated Plan and in the packet staff provided is some information just for reference, like historic funding for the last 10 years, best practices, and the calendar, which will need updated due to that new January meeting date. STAFF & COMMISSION UPDATES: Dennis noted an article in the Gazette or Register Sunday about a new homeless liaison in Cedar Rapids and the work they are doing with landlords to lower rents. It was interesting because some of the things mentioned here are actually happening in Linn County, so it might be worth looking at. Szecsei started thinking about things like vacancy taxes, or things like that to encourage landlords or property managers to fill vacancies. There are a bunch of other communities, more so probably in California, that are toying with an idea of a vacancy tax and she thought would be interesting here in Iowa City and provide some incentive for landlords. That money could then go towards being able to cover deposits or things like that for higher risk tenants to address the concerns that landlords have. Vogel noted it would be a nightmare logistically in know how to prove or get any kind of real number on whether units are vacant or not. Additionally, what about complexes like The Hive or The Lodge, if one of those four- or five -bedroom suites have only two of the rooms are rented is that counted as occupied. There are a lot of minor caveats. Szecsei suggests maybe it's time to have another conversation about strategies to address vacancy rates and housing shortages and needs as a part of the landlord incentive discussion because they haven't resolved anything or moved forward with anything from that previous meeting. Vogel suggested perhaps staff could put that back on an agenda after all the funding rounds end as the next several months will be busy with Legacy Aid to Agencies funding, and then CDBG/HOME funding rounds. ADJOURNMENT: Dennis moved to adjourn, Krotz seconded the motion and a vote was taken and the motion passed 6-0. Housing and Community Development Commission October 21, 2024 Page 6 of 6 Housing and Community Development Commission Attendance Record 2023-2024 Name Terms 9/21 10/19 11/16 3/21 4/18 5/16 6/13 8/19 9/16 10/21 Exp. Balde, Daouda 6/30/27 -- -- -- -- -- O/E O/E X Dennis, 6/30/25 O/E X X X X X X X X X Maryann Kivarkis, 6/30/27 -- -- -- -- -- X X O/E George Krotz, Karol 6/30/27 X X X O/E O/E X X O/E X X Vogel, Kyle 6/30/26 X O/E X X X O/E O/E X X X Patel, Kiran 6/30/26 X O/E X O/E O/E X X X X X Pierce, James 6/30/26 X X X O/E X X X O/E X O/E Szecsei, Denise 6/30/25 -- X X X X O/E X O/E X Borgen, Horacio 6/30/25 -- -- O/E O/E X X X O/E O/E Resigned from Commission Key: X = Present O = Absent O/E = Absent/Excused --- = Vacant 6 Item #4 Prepared by: Susan Dulek, First Ass't City Attorney, 410 E. Washington St., Iowa City, IA 52240 (319)356-5030 Resolution No. 22-214 Resolution adopting the by-laws of the Housing and Community Development Commission and rescinding Resolution No. 17-94. Whereas, the by-laws of the Housing and Community Development Commission (HCDC) provide membership should include at least one person with expertise in construction and one in finance; and Whereas, HCDC would benefit from having at least one person with expertise in nonprofit management and one person with expertise in property management; and Whereas, additionally appointments to HCDC should take into consideration various racial, cultural, social, and economic groups in the City; and Whereas, HCDC approved amendments to the by-laws at its meeting on July 28, 2022, but they are not effective until approved by the City Council; and Whereas, the Council Rules Committee has reviewed the proposed amendments to the by-laws and has recommended adoption; and Whereas, the current by-laws were approved in Resolution No. 17-94. Now, therefore, be it resolved by the City Council of the City of Iowa City, Iowa that: 1. The attached by-laws of the Housing and Community Development Commission are approved and adopted by the City Council. 2. Resolution No. 17-94 is rescinded. Passed and approved this _ 6 H� day of 2022. a r Attest'. City Clk l r _ - a Approved By: City Attor "s Office (Sue Dulek - 08/31 /2022) Resolution No, Page 2___ --- hvvoomoved hv and seconded hv Weiner the Resolution 'be -- d, and upon n}U coU there were: Axes, Nays: Absent: �x Alter --�--- ----- BergUa ------' -----' ------- H@[nna8O _.X.-,------- _____ ____ Taylor ______ T�o0U� ----- � ______ ______ Thomas ------ � ______ Weiner[ BY-LAWS ARTICLE I THE COMMISSION Section A. The name of the Commission is the Housing and Community Development Commission of Iowa City, Iowa, as established by Resolution No. 95-199 of the City Council of Iowa City, Iowa, pursuant to Chapter 403A, Code of Iowa (1995). ARTICLE 2 PURPOSE Section A. The purpose of the Commission is to assess Iowa City's community development needs for housing, jobs, and services for low and moderate income residents, and to promote public and private efforts to meet such needs. ARTICLE 3 DUTIES Section A. Duties of the Commission shall include: 1) assess and review policies and planning documents related to the provision of housing, jobs, and services, for low and moderate income residents of Iowa City; 2) review policies and programs of the Public Housing Authority and Community Development Division and make recommendations regarding the same to the City Council; 3) review and make recommendations to the City Council regarding the use of public funds to meet the needs of low and moderate income residents; 4) actively publicize community development and housing policies and programs, and seek public participation in assessing needs and identifying strategies to meet these needs; 5) recommend to the City Council from time to time amendments, supplements, changes, and modifications to the Iowa City Housing Code. ARTICLE 4 MEMBERSHIP Section A. The Housing and Community Development Commission shall consist of nine (9) members appointed by the City Council of Iowa City. All members shall be qualified electors of the City of Iowa City, Iowa, and shall serve as such without compensation but shall be entitled to the necessary expenses, including traveling expenses incurred in the discharge of their duties. Section B. In order to satisfy the purpose and intent of this commission, when possible, at least one person shall be appointed to the Housing and Community Development Commission with expertise in construction, at least one person with expertise in finance, at least one person with nonprofit management experience, at least one person with property management experience, and at least one person who receives rental assistance. Appointments shall take into consideration persons of various racial, religious, cultural, social, and economic groups in the city. Section C. The term of office for each member shall be three (3) years. In order to ensure a staggered turnover, initial appointments shall be three (3) members for each of one, two, and three years respectively. Section D. The Chairperson and Vice -Chairperson will be elected annually (in July) from the Commission membership. The Chairperson shall, when present, preside at all meetings, appoint sub -committees with the approval of the Commission, call special meetings and in general perform all duties included in the office of a Chairperson and such other duties as may be prescribed by the members from time to time. The Vice -Chairperson shall take over the above duties of the Chairperson in the event of the Chairperson's absence. Section E. Three (3) consecutive, unexplained absences of a member from regular meetings will result in a recommendation to the City Council from the Commission to discharge said member and appoint a new member. Section F. If a position becomes vacant by reason of resignation or otherwise and results in an unexpired term the Council may choose to fill the unexpired term in such a manner that the appointee shall continue in the position not only through the unexpired term but also through a subsequent regular term. ARTICLE 5 MEETINGS Section A. Meetings of this Commission shall be on a regular monthly basis. A meeting date and time will be established by the Commission. A regular meeting may be cancelled if no urgent business requires a meeting. Section B. Special meetings of the Commission may be called by the Chairperson and shall be called by the Chairperson at the request of a majority of the membership. Section C. Meetings shall be held in an accessible, public meeting place. Notices of meetings (agenda) for all regular and special meetings shall be posted and distributed to members and the media at least 24 hours before any meeting is held. All provisions of the State Open Meeting Law shall be followed. The Chairperson or a designated representative, together with appropriate members of the City staff shall prepare an agenda for all meetings. Agendas shall be sent to Commission members at least three (3) days prior to the regular meetings. Section D. A majority of the members of the Commission (five or more) shall constitute a quorum of any meeting and the majority of votes cast at any meeting, at which a quorum is present, shall be decisive of any motion or election. Section E. There shall be no vote by proxy. Section F. Time shall be made available during all regular meetings for open public discussion, Section G. Minutes of all meetings shall be prepared and distributed to the City Council within three (3) weeks of the meeting in the manner prescribed by the Council. Minutes of all regular and special meetings will be mailed to all the Commission members during the week prior to the next meeting. Specific recommendations for the Council shall be set off from the main body of the minutes. ARTICLE 6 AMENDMENTS Section A. The By -Laws of the Commission shall be amended only with the approval of at least a majority of the Commission (at least five votes) at a regular meeting or a special meeting. Section B. Policy changes or By -Law changes may be adopted at the meeting following the meeting at which open discussion was conducted on the specific changes. Housing and Community Development Commission Attendance History Does not include meetings cancelled due to lack of quorum. Month and Year of Meeting March 2024 AttendanceNumber of Commissioners in 5 Apri12024 6 May 2024 8 June 2024 6 August 2024 6 September 2024 6 October 2024 6 2024 Average 6 January 2023 7 February 2023 6 March 2023 8 Apri12023 6 May 2023 5 July 2023 7 September 2023 6 October 2023 5 November 2023 8 2023 Average 6 January 2022 6 February 2022 5 March 2022 7 May 2022 6 June 2022 7 July 2022 6 September 2022 5 October 2022 7 November 2022 7 2022 Average 6 January 2021 7 February 2021 9 March 2021 9 Apri12021 6 June 2021 8 August 2021 7 September 2021 5 October 2021 8 November 2021 7 2021 Average 7 I CITY OF IOWA CITY MEMORANDUM Date: March 17, 2025 To: Housing & Community Development Commission From: Sam Turnbull, Grants Specialist Re: FY25 Aid to Agencies Year to Date Accomplishments The Aid to Agencies Program provides nonprofit public service agencies with flexible operational funding to help serve low-income Iowa City residents based on priorities set in the City's consolidated plan known as City Steps. In FY25, the City awarded over $770,000 to 25 nonprofit agencies. Attached to this memo you will find FY25 Performance Goals and FY25 Year to Date Accomplishments (through 2nd quarter of FY25) for the Aid to Agencies Program. • Performance goals are self-selected by the agencies at the time of application. • The Legacy Agencies' number of Iowa City (IC) individuals served comes from the FY24 end of year report. Legacy Agencies submitted first and second quarter year to date accomplishments in the United Way portal. Reports were due on 2/17/25. Non -Legacy Agencies submitted a biannual report with first and second quarter accomplishments. Reports were due on 1/31/25. The next reports for FY25 funding are due July 31. FY25 Legacy Aid to FY25 Funding Agencies Award FY25 Performance Goals FY25 Year to Date Accomplishments Shelter House $100,647.00 1,526 IC individuals served in FY24 1,193 IC individuals served 250 students reporting positive relationships 268 students reporting positive relationships 650 individuals receiving quality case management 972 individuals receiving quality case management 650 individuals receiving services for stable housing 972 individuals receiving services for stable housing 24,000 nights of shelter provided 11,852 nights of shelter provided 990 adults receiving healthcare services 390 adults receiving healthcare services 200 children receiving healthcare services 198 children receiving healthcare services 2,050 volunteer hours invested in programming 1,119 volunteer hours invested in programming DVIP (includes $88,755.00 1,091 IC individuals served in FY24 612 IC individuals served RVAP's award) 1,500 individuals receiving domestic and family violence services 936 individuals receiving domestic and family violence services Neighborhood $70,601.00 2,117 IC individuals served in FY24 1,127 IC individuals served Centers of Johnson 105 children involved in early learning programs 115 children involved in early learning programs County 220 students receiving enriching out of school programming 241 students receiving enriching out of school programming Community $69,679.00 16,792 IC individuals served in FY24 12,826 IC individuals served 560 individuals receiving services for stable housing 226 individuals receiving services for stable housing 18,000 individuals receiving nutritional support services 14,441 individuals receiving nutritional support services 1,300 individuals receiving mental health services from mobile crisis 979 individuals receiving mental health services from mobile crisis Free Medical Clinic $40,344.00 698 IC individuals served in FY24 523 IC individuals served 1,240 adults receiving healthcare services 825 adults receiving healthcare services 250 adults with access to oral healthcare 65 adults with access to oral healthcare 200 individuals receiving information on a healthy lifestyle 235 individuals receiving information on a healthy lifestyle United Action for $34,796.00 2,131 IC individuals served in FY24 997 IC individuals served Youth 900 students receiving enriching out of school programming 440 students receiving enriching out of school programming 400 students reporting positive relationships 136 students reporting positive relationships 50 individuals receiving services for stable housing 43 individuals receiving services for stable housing 500 individuals receiving quality case management 247 individuals receiving quality case management 325 individuals receiving mental health services 257 individuals receiving mental health services Table to Table $40,344 10,368 IC individuals served in FY24 11,285 IC individuals served 2,200,000 pounds of food rescued and distributed to programs 1,418,572 pounds of food rescued and distributed to programs 1,100,000 rescued pounds of produce, meat and dairy 744,366 rescued pounds of produce, meat and dairy Horizons $38,326 222 IC individuals served in FY24 188 IC individuals served 60,297 meals served to adults in meal program 26,978 meals served to adults in meal program Inside Out Reentry 531,266 141 IC individuals served in FY24 99 IC individuals served 196 individuals receiving quality case management 108 individuals receiving quality case management 80 individuals receiving services for stable housing 47 individuals receiving services for stable housing 4C's Community $28,240 306 IC individuals served in FY24 320 IC individuals served Coordinated Child 144 children involved in early learning programs 206 children involved in early learning programs Care 30 adults receiving workforce skill training 42 adults receiving workforce skill training 67 individuals receiving nutritional support services 727 individuals receiving nutritional support services HACAP 527,504 3,450 IC individuals served in FY24 1,089 IC individuals served 200 children involved in early learning programs 192 children involved in early learning programs 200 students reporting positive relationships 192 students reporting positive relationships Big Brothers Big 527,358 125 IC individuals served in FY24 116 IC individuals served Sisters 280 students receiving mentoring services 198 students receiving mentoring services Iowa Valley Habitat 527,261 54 IC individuals served in FY24 54 IC individuals served for Humanity 34 seniors receiving services to live safely at home 12 seniors receiving services to live safely at home 25 individuals involved in financial literacy education 16 individuals involved in financial literacy education 8,000 volunteer hours invested in programming 3,767 volunteer hours invested in programming Dream City $25,215 163 IC individuals served in FY24 145 IC individuals served 160 students receiving enriching out of school programming 74 students receiving enriching out of school programming 160 students receiving mentoring services 74 students receiving mentoring services 160 students reporting positive relationships 74 students reporting positive relationships 80 individuals receiving nutritional support services 74 individuals receiving nutritional support services 160 individuals receiving information on a healthy lifestyle 74 individuals receiving information on a healthy lifestyle Arc of Southeast $22,592 310 IC individuals served in FY24 284 IC individuals served Iowa 70 children invovled in early learning programs 53 children invovled in early learning programs 75 students receiving enriching out of school programming 64 students receiving enriching out of school programming 65 adults receiving workforce skill training 51 adults receiving workforce skill training Center for Worker 515,129 134 IC individuals served in FY24 25 IC individuals served Justice 38 students reporting positive relationships 0 students reporting positive relationships* 26 professional training opportunites in education 19 professional training opportunites in education 24 students involved in college and career preparation 82 students involved in college and career preparation 30 students receiving mentoring services 0 students receiving mentoring services* 80 individuals receiving services for stable housing 48 individuals receiving services for stable housing 160 volunteer hours invested in programming 0 volunteer hours invested in programming* 75 individuals involved in financial literacy education 0 individuals involved in financial literacy education* 36 adults receiving healthcare services 14 adults receiving healthcare services 42 individuals receiving mental health services 0 individuals receiving mental health services* 25 adults with access to oral healthcare 0 adults with access to oral healthcare* Free Lunch Program $15,129 78,876 fruit/vegetable options provided in meal program 64,474 fruit/vegetable options provided in meal program 20,798 meals Houses into Homes $15,129 737 IC individuals served in FY24 389 IC individuals served 5,000 volunteer hours invested in programming 3,471 volunteer hours invested in programming Pathways Adult Day $15,129 127 IC individuals served in FY24 89 IC individuals served Health Center 120 Adults receiving healthcare services 99 Adults receiving healthcare services * agency reports outcome was self selected in error on application. FY25 Non Legacy FY25 Funding Aid to Agencies Award FY25 Performance Goals FY25 Year to Date Accomplishments Escucha Mi Voz $8,000 400 persons served 665 persons served Iowa City Sober $7,500 Living 24 persons served 30 persons served Iowa City Hospice $5,000 17 persons served 7 persons served Iowa City $6,000 Compassion 4,059 persons served 1,800 persons served Healthy Kids $5,000 School -Based Clinics 550 persons served 479 persons served TRAIL of Johnson $5,500 County 100 persons served 30 households served I ESCUCHA MI VOZ IOWA Fighting for Worker justice and Immigration Reform January 31, 2025 Iowa City Housing and Community Development Commission Associate Planner / Grant Specialist Sam Turnbull Senior Community Development Planner Brianna Thul Neighborhood Services Coordinator Erika Kubly RE: Biannual Report, Emerging Aid to Agencies Iowa City Grant Specialist Sam Turnbull: Escucha Mi Voz Iowa 113 S Johnson St Iowa City, IA 52240 Thank you for the $8,000 Emerging Aid to Agencies grant to help partially fund our Refugee Housing and Migrant Health Services Project. During the reporting period July I - December 31, the project provided 180 consecutive days of permanent supportive housing to 40 immigrant working men, women, and children - or 7,200 nights of hospitality. Twenty-five immigrant men, women, and children were moved into our permanent supportive housing program. Sixteen men, women, and children transitioned out of the program and into their own stable and independent housing. Also during the reporting period, seven children received mentoring services twice a week, or 364 tutoring sessions. In addition to housing, during the reporting period the project served an additional 588 immigrant workers with quality case management, legal aid, transportation, and other services. ScIvi(.,,es,july I IDec'�,,T The transportation chart below shows a breakdown of 119 rides given to immigration, biometric, passport, attorney, and medical appointments. I nx NpIatatioI, i J Wy 'I [)ec 31 The case management chart below highlights assistance 149 immigrant workers received filling out immigration paperwork, pre-screening for WIC and SNAP benefits, applying for financial assistance for medical bills and more. Gacie Manageirtent July I Dec, 31 M of acidn,ss ICE of address ICE Ch-g. of address .­g,,n­, nntfl P—po fi,t.s M.d­d 10 Phone contact The legal aid chart below shows that 182 immigrant workers received legal aid support during the reporting period. The project connected 30 immigrant workers with free legal consultations with an immigration attorney, and 93 immigrant workers received assistance paying their legal bills. Gown� or i egal Also during the reporting period, 13 immigrant workers came to the project office seeking support for workplace issues, including 12 who had wage theft issues. Eight wage theft cases were resolved and four remain in negotiation at this time. W00q')1ac"C Issues JWY � -L)ec 3 t Also during the reporting period, the project served adults and children with 3,120 nutritious meals with fruits and vegetables. In addition, during the reporting period, eight immigrant workers received a 0 percent micro -loan to help pay off debt, begin their immigration cases, or buy a car to get to work. Invoice of Expenses: During the reporting period, organization revenue was $159,760.25. During the reporting period, expenses were $118,261.20. Of the $4,000 expended HCD grant, $2,800 was allocated to full-time equivalents, and $1,200 to program expenses. Challenges during the reporting period included meeting the growing need with limited resources. This concludes our biannual report. Thank you for the opportunity to partner with the city and your commission on this vitally important work. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out, 141. N David Goodner Director, Escucha Mi Voz Iowa 113 S Johnson St Iowa City, IA 52240 319-499-8929