HomeMy WebLinkAbout2006-04-17 Correspondence
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Greater Iowa City Housing Fellowship
opening the doors of Iowa City
1700 South First Avenue, Suite 25B
Iowa City, IA 52240-6036
319.358.9212
DATE:
April 17,2006
TO:
FROM:
Iowa City City Council
Maryann Dennis, Executive Director
Charlie Eastham, President, Board of Trustees
Iowa City Scattered Site Housing Taskforce Recommendations for
City Council
RE:
As a Community Housing Development Organization, we have followed closely the
process of the Scattered Site Housing Taskforce. We believe that the observations and
views of the Housing Fellowship deserve your consideration prior to deliberating on the
recommendations of the Taskforce. We urge you to carefully examine the motivation
behind the process and ask you to make decisions based on all relevant data. Our main
concern is that the acceptance of the fair share matrix will result in missed opportunities
for housing providers to build quality affordable homes in areas of our community with
beneficial effects on the school system and newly developing neighborhoods.
It is our opinion that the fair share matrix as proposed by the Taskforce is not a good tool
to determine where additional assisted homes should be located. The matrix excludes
normal development of assisted homes in most of the new residential subdivisions in the
City. According to the Task Force, new development now taking place east of Scott
Boulevard, west of Mormon Trek (including all of the Camp Cardinal development), and
south of Burns Avenue and west of Sycamore (including Sand Hills subdivision) can
have assisted affordable homes only if the Council provides additional funding. We
believe building of affordable homes can and should occur in these new neighborhoods
even if the City does not commit additional funding.
There are three major problems with the matrix proposed by the Taskforce. First, it
includes affordable owner occupied homes sold to first time homebuyers by the Housing
Fellowship, Habitat for Humanity and the Housing Authority in the count of assisted
housing. Few if any of the families who purchased these homes would qualifY for free
and reduced lunch.
Second, the matrix incorporates all supportive housing in the total of assisted homes in
each census tractlblock group. Supportive homes operated by Systems Unlimited, Inc. as
well as developments for seniors and people with disabilities are mingled with other
kinds of supportive housing. No rationale is given for equating these very different
housing programs.
Most importantly, the criteria for designating a census tractlblock group as being over
representative of assisted housing is radically lower than the criteria for establishing
concentrations in other City programs. No justification is provided for lowering the
concentration threshold for the purpose of guiding assisted housing policy. The standard
definition of concentration is the City wide average plus 10%. In Table 2, column 8 of the
Taskforce report the City wide average of assisted units is 4.4%, a remarkably low
percentage. Adding 10% to the average would normally mean that a census tractlblock
group has a concentration of assisted housing if the number of assisted homes is greater
than 14.4% of all homes in that area. We believe that the Council should adopt this
measure of concentration to guide policies affecting the future location of affordable
homes. Doing so will result in needed assisted homes being built in all areas of the City
where market rate residential development is now occurring
We have observed and you have heard certain Taskforce members consistently using the
terms "concentration of poverty" and "concentration of assisted housing"
interchangeably. This is misleading and should be discounted. The family income
guidelines for children to receive free and reduced school lunches are lower than the
income guidelines used for affordable housing programs. Ninety percent of HUD
assisted renter families must have incomes at or below 60% of the federally established
Area Median Income. A four person family qualifies for a rental home with an income of
up to $43,560 while the income cap for free lunch is $25,155 and reduced lunch is
$35,798.
At the time of our presentation to the Taskforce, 36% of our renter families did not
include elementary aged students. Of those families having elementary age students, 10%
did not qualify for free and reduced lunch because their incomes exceeded the guidelines.
Thus, of the nearly 100 Housing Fellowship renter families, 46% were outside the
Taskforce's identified population.
Persons and families in assisted homes must be low-income. They do not need to have
incomes placing them at or below the poverty level. It is an error to purport that all
families in assisted homes are living at or below the poverty level.
We believe that the School District and the Taskforce have unfortunately approached
low-cost housing as a neighborhood problem rather than as a community resource. The
people renting homes with us are largely hard working, one wage earner families.
Everyday, they are earning the right to choose where to live as do all residents of our
community. The Housing Fellowship has long been a proponent of scattered site housing
and owns and manages rental homes in 11 of the 13 Iowa City elementary school
attendance areas. We intend to continue providing decent affordable homes in scattered
sites and invite the support of the Council and the community as we work to meet the
housing needs of our friends and neighbors.
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Marian Karr
From:
Sent:
To:
Cc:
Subject:
Jeremy Schreiber [homers742@hotmail.com]
Monday, April 17, 2006 5:39 PM
Marian Karr
austin-baeth@uiowaedu
RE: Thursday Meeting Packet
Marian-
While I would much rather be here in person, there are two issues that I would like to
address regarding the late night bus service. One is the issue of accommodating people
with disabilities, and the other is student funding for such a route.
Regarding transit for people with disabilities, I have discussed this issue with Brian
McClatchey of Cambus, and, so long as they can accommodate the number of requests, he sees
no reason why Cambus cannot partner with the city in order to provide our paratransit
needs during the late night hours.
Since we have modeled our own late night route to coincide with that of Cambus, they
already have the personnel and equipment in place to provide this necessary service. This
would likely act to reduce the cost of running the new route close to our original
estimates.
In the case of student funding, we have found a safety grant that, if awarded, could give
us money to be put towards this bus route. I would most likely apply for this grant in
the amount of approximately $5,000.
Unfortunately, the awarding of this grant would corne well after the council decides
whether or not to implement the late night bus route. However, I can assure the council
that every effort will be made to secure money if they show the good faith of granting
approval to this new route.
Again, I apologize that I cannot be present for this deliberation, however, Austin Baeth
will be there in my place and will field any questions that may arise. Thank you for your
consideration.
Jeremy Schreiber
Iowa City City Council Liaison
48 Iowa Memorial Union
Iowa City, Iowa 52242
jeremy-schreiber@uiowa.edu (e-mail)
(847) 903-1316 (phone)
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