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CHSSP renewal app. CPC q and aNORTHAMPTON HOUSING PARTNERSHIP Northampton City Hall 210 Main Street Northampton MA **************************************************************************************************** Community Preservation Committee October 4, 2017 RE: Community Housing Support Services Program Application Response to Questions Dear Committee Members; Please find below the responses to the questions that have been posed with regard to the CHSSP renewal application. 1.) The previous application indicated that long term continuation funding would be pursued. Please provide a description of the efforts and response to date, and a realistic assessment of the ability for this program to become self-sustaining. The Center for Human Development, the agency that administers the program, applied to the Hampshire County United Way, the City of Northampton’s Community Development Block Grant Program and the Northampton Housing Authority, to leverage additional funds. None of those efforts have been successful to date. The NHA is considering an allocation, once they receive their State budget allocation. Additional requests are being made to the larger apartment complexes and property managers, such as Meadowbrook. CHD has contributed its own funds to provide additional resources. The core program needs to be continued in order to pursue additional funding. We feel strongly that this program can become self-sustaining as it is more cost effective for property owners to fund this position, than to process evictions in court. 2.) Would it be possible to provide these services with a part-time position? It would be possible but not preferable. The purpose of the project is to have someone trustworthy and accessible to assist families in crisis. Requiring families already experiencing stress and facing multiple challenges to try to remember when staff is available, would create more stress. 3.) Does this type of support service qualify under CPA guidelines? See below. Has the applicant attempted to raise funds for this position elsewhere? See#1 The Community Preservation Act states that funds may be spent “for the acquisition, creation, preservation, and support of community housing…” M.G.L. c. 44B, s. 5(b)(2). In 2012, the CPA was amended by adding a definition which states “Support of community housing, shall include, but not be limited to, programs that provide grants, loans, rental assistance, security deposits, interest-rate write downs or other forms of assistance directly to individuals and families who are eligible for community housing or to an entity that owns, operates or manages such housing, for the purpose of making housing affordable. “ (Emphasis added). It was on the basis of this new definition that CPA funds could be expended to support individuals and families residing in community housing that the CPC approved our initial application for funds in 2014. This renewal application will continue to use CPA funds to support individuals and families residing in Northampton’s community housing. Our renewal application has already been through an initial eligibility determination – a prerequisite to receiving approval to submit a full application. 4.) When prior CPC funds were allocated almost three years ago, it was our understanding that every effort would be made to locate long-term continuation funding for the project. Can you outline why those efforts have not been successful and whether or not you feel there would be any chance of future success. Has the Northampton Housing Authority offered any financial support? If not, why not? See #1. 5.) Given our limited funds, why should we support funding this project over direct support to affordable housing units? The statutory language cited above in response to Question 3 makes clear that the CPA funds can be expended on more than just the acquisition, creation and preservation of community housing. The rationale for this is likely based on the fact that in order to insure the individuals and families can access (or “thrive”) in community housing, there needs to be support for those individuals and families as well. As observed by Judge Fields in the Housing Court, as well as attorneys at Community Legal Aid, more than half of the households facing eviction for non payment of rent already reside in community housing. (See Support Letters from Hon. Robert G. Fields, Associate Justice, Western Mass. Housing Court, and Attorney Jennifer Dieringer, Managing Attorney, Community Legal Aid). Simply creating affordable housing does not insure that our residents will be able to sustain those tenancies for a number of factors which are detailed in our application. This project simply seeks to use CPA funds to address those factors, and help those families remain housed in Northampton’s community housing. While creation of affordable housing is a very worthy use of CPA, we believe that it is just as important to fund initiatives that will help our residents access and sustain this housing.