Housing First Recommendation Cover Letter
City of Northampton
Community Preservation Committee
210 Main Street, City Hall
Northampton, MA 01060
April 3, 2008
Mayor Clare Higgins
City of Northampton
210 Main Street, City Hall
Northampton, MA 01060
Re: Community Preservation Committee Recommendation to fund the Community
Housing for Chronically Homeless Project
Dear Honorable Mayor Higgins,
On February 1, 2008, the deadline for the first round of Community Preservation Act
(CPA) funding requests in the City of Northampton, the Community Preservation
Committee (CPC) began reviewing the ten project proposals submitted for CPA funding.
During the first two weeks of February, the Community Preservation Committee and the
Community Preservation Planner reviewed each of the ten proposals for technical
correctness. The CPC members met on February 20, 2008 and compiled a list of
questions and additional information necessary for further review. At this meeting the
CPC set up two separate site visits for each of the proposed projects.
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On March 1 and March 12, the CPC met with each of the ten applicants to discuss, in
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detail, their project proposals. Also, on March 12, the CPC held a formal public
discussion on the project proposals. The purpose of the public discussion was to let
members of the CPC hear the views of the public on any of the applications prior to their
final review.
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On March 19, the CPC held its summary evaluative discussions of the applications and,
during this six hour meeting, the CPC voted on all ten funding requests.
At the March 19, 2008 meeting, the Community Preservation Committee voted 7-0 to
recommend $220,000 to the Community Housing for Chronically Homeless Project for
the purchase of a house in Northampton to provide up to six units of housing for
chronically homeless individuals.
The following are conditions/contingencies that the Community Preservation Committee
is requiring as part of its recommendation for the Community Housing for Chronically
Homeless Project:
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Occupancy will be restricted to individuals with incomes at or below 30% of area
median income. Resident selection will be undertaken in accordance with State
requirements associated with its “Housing First” initiatives.
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The Community Preservation Committee must approve the site selected prior to
disbursement, in terms of its suitability for the purposes articulated by the
applicant and its financial feasibility, initially and over time. The grantee must
provide the information requested by the Community Preservation Committee
(and allow a reasonable time for the Committee’s review of the information),
including (but not limited to) the following:
a. The Purchase Agreement for the property.
b. Information to document sufficient funding to acquire and develop the
property, including a development budget including the cost of any
required renovations, a commitment by FHCHI to provide $100,000 in
cash on hand for acquisition, the commitment of ServiceNet to cover the
cost of any required renovations, and the commitment of any other
funding needed to complete the acquisition and renovation of the project.
c. Information to document sufficient funding to maintain the operations of
the property after renovations, including a written commitment by
ServiceNet to be responsible for the costs of ongoing maintenance. At the
CPC’s request, the applicant will provide a budget for the first year of
operating the project, including information on anticipated rental income
(including from public sources) and information on anticipated operating
expenses.
d. The ongoing Agreement between FHCHI and ServiceNet.
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Use of the structure must be assured to serve homeless individuals with incomes
less than 30% of AMI for at least thirty years.
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The Community Preservation Committee’s award may be withdrawn, at its
discretion, if either of the following occurs:
a. Within 8 months of the date of award of Community Preservation Act
funds, the grantee has not entered into a Purchase Agreement for a suitable
property; or
b.
Within 12 months of the date of award of Community Preservation Act
funds, the grantee has not met all the conditions associated with the
Community Preservation Committee award, acquired the property, and
received the disbursement of some or all of the Community Preservation
Act funds awarded.
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Procedures for monitoring and reporting shall be worked out among the
Committee, Mayor and the grantee.
We hope that you will find this overview useful during this critical stage in the funding
process. The Community Preservation Committee has worked diligently to ensure that
both the Committee and the process have been comprehensive, transparent and inclusive;
we welcome your input and expertise on this project recommendation.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Jack Hornor
Chair, City of Northampton Community Preservation Committee