[Housing and Affordability Committee on April 15, 2025.]
[00:00:02]
UH, COUNCIL MEMBER CARTER AND I HAVE A WAGED, UH, A SMALL LITTLE WAGER ON THE AMOUNT OF TIME TODAY'S COUNT, UH, COMMITTEE MEETING WILL, UM, UH, TAKE.
SO, UH, I'M NOT GONNA TELL Y'ALL WHAT IT IS, SO YEAH, I'M NOT GONNA TELL 'EM WHAT IT IS.
UH, SO WE HAVE A VERY BRIEF, UH, VERY BRIEF AGENDA.
SO I WANNA THANK EVERYONE, UH, IN CHAMBERS THIS MORNING.
WE HAVE, UH, VICE CHAIR DAVIS, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER CARTER STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO'S OFFICE, STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON, STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER PLUMMER, STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER EVAN SHABA, STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN AND STAFF REPRESENTING MAYOR PRO TEM, WHO I BELIEVE IS WATCHING VIA HTV.
UM, SO I'M GONNA GO AHEAD AND, UM, INTRODUCE DEPUTY DIRECTOR SELLERS, DEPUTY DIRECTOR JONES, AND THEN WE WILL, UH, MOVE TO THE ITEM ON THE AGENDA.
AS WAS MENTIONED, IT'S A BRIEF AGENDA, SO LET'S GO AHEAD AND GET STARTED.
FIRST UP, WE HAVE TAMIKA JONES, OUR DEPUTY DIRECTOR, AND CFO TO TAKE US THROUGH SOME UPDATES ON DR.
17 AND OUR BENCHMARK PROGRESS.
A VERY SMALL UPDATE FOR YOU, WE HOPE NEXT MONTH TO HAVE A MORE ROBUST UPDATE.
UM, WE ARE GOING TO BE MEETING WITH THE GENERAL LAND OFFICE THIS UPCOMING WEEK OR NEXT WEEK? NEXT WEEK, NEXT WEEK, NEXT WEEK, SORRY, WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK.
UM, NEXT WEEK FOR OUR QUARTERLY MEETING, WE HOPE TO HAVE AN UPDATE ON AMENDMENT FOUR, AND HOPEFULLY WE CAN GET STARTED WITH OUR HBA 2.0, UH, PROGRAM PRETTY SOON.
SO WE ARE EAGERLY WAITING, UM, FOR THE PASSAGE OF AMENDMENT FOUR, BUT THIS, UM, SLIDE IS FROM LAST MONTH, SO NO CHANGES FROM THAT.
WE ARE, LIKE I SAID, JUST WAITING ON THAT AMENDMENT FOR, UH, TO BE REVIEWED AND APPROVED BY THE GENERAL LAND OFFICE.
THE LAST WE HEARD IT WAS WITH THEIR LEGAL TEAM.
AND SO WE ARE JUST WAITING ON THE UPDATE FROM THAT.
SO AS SOON AS WE GET AN UPDATE, WE'LL BE SURE TO LET, UH, CHAIR THOMAS LET YOU KNOW, UH, AND THEY'RE JUST WAITING.
AND THEN ONCE, UH, WE RECEIVE THAT FROM THE GLO, THEN THAT ALLOWS US TO PUT THIS ON THE STREET, THE PROGRAM ON THE STREET TO RECEIVE APPLICANTS, AND THEN ADDRESS THE BACK FIELD QUEUE, CORRECT? CORRECT.
I DO WANNA PROVIDE THE COMMITTEE WITH AN UPDATE OF OUR SUBMISSIONS THUS FAR.
SO THE, UM, FINANCE TEAM HAS BEEN WORKING AND WE HAVE SUBMITTED OVER THE LAST MONTH AN ADDITIONAL $4 MILLION IN SUBMISSIONS.
AND SO, UM, THE LAST MONTH, JUST LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS, WE WERE AT 580 MILLION.
WE'RE AT 584 MILLION IN SUBMISSIONS.
AND SO YOU CAN SEE HERE THE PROGRESS THAT WE'VE MADE.
A COUPLE OF OTHER CHANGES THAT HAVE OCCURRED SINCE LAST MONTH IS WE HAVE EXTENDED OUT THE BUYOUT TO DECEMBER, 2025, JUST WITH THE DELAYS IN THE DEMOLITION OF THE TWO, UH, BUYOUT MULTIFAMILY PROPERTIES.
UM, AND TRYING TO GET THROUGH THOSE CLOSEOUT ACTIVITIES FOR BOTH THE DR 16 AND DR 17 GRANTS.
BUT OTHERWISE, EVERYTHING ELSE PRETTY MUCH REMAINS THE SAME.
WE ARE MOVING RIGHT ALONG WITH SUBMISSIONS AND CLOSING OUT SOME OF OUR PROGRAMS. SURE.
AND FOR THE TWO REMAINING, UH, PROJECTS, I KNOW THE ONE IN DISTRICT, UH, K WAS DEMOLISHED, AND I THINK THERE, THERE WAS ALSO ONE IN DISTRICT J THAT WAS ALSO DEMOLISHED AS WELL, CORRECT.
SO DO WE ALREADY HAVE CONTRACTS FOR THE REMAINING, OR ARE WE, ARE WE STILL REMOVING ONE IN DISTRICT J OFF THE LINE? I THINK THERE WAS ONE IN TWO J.
SO WE'VE GOT THREE PROPERTIES REMAINING, RIGHT? ONE PROPERTY RIGHT NOW IS GOING THROUGH THE ABATEMENT AND DEMO PHASE.
THE SECOND PROPERTY JUST HAD THE NTEP RELEASED AND IS ABOUT TO START ABATEMENT, AND THEN WE'LL BE GOING TO DEMO BEHIND IT.
THE THIRD ONE, Y'ALL SHOULD BE SEEING THE CONTRACTS COME FORWARD SOON FROM SPD.
I THINK THEY'RE SLATING THE FIRST WEEK IN MAY.
UH, FOR ALL OF THE CONTRACTS, 'CAUSE IT'S MULTIPLE CONTRACTS, UH, RELATED TO THIS.
SO YOU SHOULD BE SEEING THAT ROUND THE FIRST WEEK OF MAY FOR THAT FINAL PROPERTY.
UH, AND I ALSO WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER MARTINEZ'S OFFICE AND COUNCIL MEMBER RAMIREZ IS JOINING US IN CHAMBERS AS WELL.
WE HAVE NO QUESTIONS IN THE QUEUE RELATED TO THE C-D-B-G-D-R 17 HARVEY UPDATE.
SO UP NEXT WE'RE GONNA TAKE YOU THROUGH SOME, UH, PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS, UH, UH, WHAT'S GOING ON AND, UH, SOME RECENT EVENTS ASSOCIATED WITH IT.
UM, SO ON THE NEXT SLIDE, JUST A REMINDER, WE DO HAVE COMMUNITY OFFICE HOURS EVERY WEDNESDAY FROM ONE O'CLOCK TO FOUR O'CLOCK.
THIS IS WHERE WE INVITE THE PUBLIC TO CALL US AND, AND ASK ANY QUESTIONS THEY HAVE ABOUT ANY OF OUR PROGRAMS OR PROJECTS AND SEE HOW THEY MAY BE ELIGIBLE TO PARTICIPATE IN THOSE.
SO PLEASE TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT.
OUR STAFF ARE ALWAYS, UH, LOOKING TO HELP OUT ON THAT.
SO ONE TO FOUR EVERY WEDNESDAY.
[00:05:01]
UP, I JUST WANNA HIGHLIGHT ON APRIL 2ND, WE HAD OUR IN-PERSON SPRING COMMUNITY MEETING RELATED TO OUR CONSOLIDATED PLAN, AN ANNUAL ACTION PLAN.IT WAS AT THE HIRAM CLARK, UH, MULTI-SERVICE CENTER.
HAD STAFF FROM, UH, CASTEX HAMM'S OFFICE FROM, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER CARTER'S OFFICE ATTEND THE EVENTS.
UH, IT WAS GOOD TURNOUTS AS ALWAYS.
I ENJOY SEEING THE COMMUNITY, ESPECIALLY IN OUR DISCUSSION AT THE TABLES, REALLY GET TO GET INTO OUR WORK AND SOME OF THE CONVERSATIONS WE HAVE ABOUT HOW WE BUDGET AND WHAT WE FOCUS AND PRIORITIZE ON.
UM, WE DISCUSSED, UH, THESE BUDGETS, UH, AT THE LAST HOUSING COMMITTEE JUST FOR AWARENESS.
AND THEN WE ALSO HAD OUR VIRTUAL COMMUNITY EVENT, UH, ON, UH, MARCH THE 27TH.
UH, WE TRANSITIONED TO DO AT LEAST ONE OF THOSE DURING COVID, AND I THINK IT'S GONE REALLY WELL.
UM, WE USUALLY HAVE AROUND 80 TO A HUNDRED PEOPLE JOIN US IN THAT.
SO IT'S JUST ANOTHER MEANS TO CONNECT TO THE COMMUNITY NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE WITHOUT, UH, TRANSPORTATION BEING A BARRIER.
UM, SO JUST SOME, UH, SLIDES FROM SOME OF THE STAFF AS WE DO SOME OF, DO SOME OF THAT WORK IN OUR OFFICES, UM, IN OUR CONFERENCE ROOM.
RELATED TO THAT, UH, ON APRIL THE NINTH, WHICH WAS LAST WEDNESDAY, WE HAD THE RIBBON CUTTING FOR ROSEMARY'S PLACE APARTMENTS.
IT'S A NEW DEVELOPMENT IN MIDTOWN.
UM, IT'S, IT'S ALL RESERVED FOR 30% A MI AND BELOW, UH, FAMILIES AND PERSONS.
UH, SOME OF THE UNITS ARE, UH, PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING FOR THOSE TRANSITIONING OUT OF HOMELESSNESS.
WE PUT IN $18.6 MILLION IN C-D-B-G-D-R 17 FUNDS INTO THIS DEVELOPMENT.
UM, COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, UH, EVAN SHABA SPOKE AT THE EVENT.
UH, OUR FORMER, UH, DIRECTOR KEITH BYNUM SHOWED UP AND, UH, IN ONE OF THESE PICTURES HE'S THERE WITH ALL OF OUR STAFF MEMBERS.
IT WAS A REALLY GOOD EVENT THAT WAS HELD LAST WEEK.
UM, WE ALSO HAD MEMBERS FROM HHA THERE AND FROM THE COUNTY AS THEY BOTH ALSO PARTICIPATED IN THIS DEVELOPMENT.
AND THEN, UH, WE ALSO DID THE RIBBON CUTTING FOR HOUSTON AREA WOMEN'S CENTER.
UM, SO THIS WAS 135 NEW UNITS THAT WERE CONSTRUCTED ON THEIR CAMPUS TO HELP WOMEN AND FAMILIES FLEEING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE.
WE CONTRIBUTED 15.8 MILLION AT HOME, A RP FUNDS TOWARDS THIS DEVELOPMENT.
UH, SEVERAL MEMBERS OF COUNCIL ALSO ATTENDED THE EVENTS.
THIS IS ONE OF THOSE PROJECTS THAT THE CITY, I THINK SHOULD BE TRULY PROUD OF CONSIDERING THE PEOPLE WE'RE ASSISTING IN, ESPECIALLY IN THE, IN THE TIMES THAT WE'RE ASSISTING THEM.
IF WE CAN HELP STABILIZE THEM IN THAT MOMENT, IT'S, IT GOES A LONG WAY, I'M SURE.
AND I BELIEVE, UH, THIS IS NEXT TO, UM, HARRIS COUNTY COMMISSIONER, UH, ELLIS'S BUILDING, AND THEY HAVE AN AGREEMENT TO ALLOW THE RESIDENTS TO USE THE TRAIL, THE GYM, AND THE SPACE.
SO IT'S A GOOD PARTNERSHIP, UM, THERE AS WELL.
SO SHOUT OUT TO, UH, PRECINCT ONE FOR THE PARTNERSHIP.
UH, SO ON APRIL THE FOURTH, WE DID THE GROUNDBREAKING FOR THE RUSHMORE APARTMENTS.
UH, THIS IS LOCATED OFF HIGHWAY SIX, JUST SOUTH OF I 10.
SO RIGHT OUTSIDE OR NEAR THE ENERGY CORRIDOR THERE.
UH, WHEN IT'S COMPLETED, WE'LL HAVE 101 UNITS WITH 85 FOR, UH, INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES BELOW 60% A MI.
UH, WE'VE INVESTED 3 MILLION IN HOME FUNDS TOWARDS THIS DEVELOPMENT, SO IT'S ONE OF THE DEVELOPMENTS THAT CAME OUT OF ONE OF OUR LAST NOFA THAT WE RAN TOWARDS THE TAIL END OF LAST YEAR.
UM, UH, HARRIS COUNTY ALSO HAS AN INVESTMENT IN THIS AS WELL.
SO JUST SOME OF THE SLIDES AND RENDERINGS OF THAT DEVELOPMENT FOR THE RUSHMORE.
AS TJ HAS MENTIONED, WE'RE COMING UP ON THE VERY END OF OUR DR 17 PROGRAMMING, AND ONE OF THOSE PROGRAMS IS OUR SMALL RENTAL PROGRAM.
AND SO WE HAD TWO DEVELOPMENTS THAT WE'RE JUST GONNA GIVE YOU SOME UPDATES HERE AS THEY ARE ALMOST COMPLETED.
UH, THE FIRST ONE IS, UM, OLD SPANISH TRAIL.
UM, SO THIS, THIS SMALL RENTAL PROGRAM, WE WERE LOOKING FOR DEVELOPMENTS OF 20 UNITS OR LESS.
WE'RE LOOKING FOR INFIELD DEVELOPMENT AND WORKING WITH NONPROFITS ON THOSE.
THIS ONE SPEC SPECIFICALLY HAS SEVEN UNITS, UH, ALL FOR FAMILIES BELOW 80% A MI.
UM, SO WE PUT IN $2.2 MILLION IN DR 17 FUNDS TOWARDS THAT.
AND THEN SIMILAR TO THAT, OUR NEXT ONE IS ON TABOR STREET.
THIS, AGAIN, IS ANOTHER SEVEN UNITS, UH, RANGING FROM 30% TO EIGHT 80% A MI FOR THE RENTS ASSOCIATED WITH THAT.
SO YOU CAN SEE A COUPLE OF THOSE PICTURES.
UH, JUST AN UPDATE ON CONNECT HIGHSTAR.
UM, THIS IS OFF HILLCROFT IN DISTRICT J.
IT'S NEARING A HUNDRED PERCENT COMPLETION.
UH, 77 UNITS WITH 70 THAT ARE RESTRICTED, 11.9 MILLION IN DR.
AND YOU'RE GONNA SEE THIS THROUGH THE NEXT COUPLE SLIDES, UM, THAT MOST OF THESE PROJECTS ARE COMING TO COMPLETION.
SO THERE SHOULD BE A LOT OF GOOD RIBBON CUTTINGS COMING.
[00:10:01]
SO MARK YOUR CALENDARS, WE'LL SHARE THOSE AS WOOD MADE AWARE OF THEM TO MAKE SURE IF YOU CAN ATTEND, WE'D LOVE TO HAVE YOU OUT FOR IT.UH, JUST QUICK UPDATE ON NEW HOPE HA UH, NEW HOPE HOUSING AVENUE C.
THIS ONE IS GETTING UNDERWAY, 28% COMPLETE, UH, 120, UH, UNITS.
UH, ALL OF THEM BELOW 60% A MI, UH, 3 MILLION IN HOMELESS AND HOUSING BONDS IN THIS ONE.
AND THEN WE HAD OST LOFTS IN DISTRICT J.
THIS ONE'S 99% COMPLETE, 130 UNITS DISTRICT I, YOU'RE RIGHT.
AND I EVEN HAVE AN, I WRITTEN HERE IN DISTRICT I 99% COMPLETE 130 UNITS WITH 109 THAT ARE RESTRICTED.
UH, IT WAS A 19.3 MILLION THAT WE PUT IN, IN DR 17 FUNDS TOWARDS THIS $43.7 MILLION DEVELOPMENT AND OST LOFTS, THAT WAS, UM, 2021, 9% LIKELY.
THEN WE HAVE, UH, RICHMOND SENIOR IN DISTRICT J.
THIS ONE IS A HUNDRED PERCENT COMPLETE.
JUST FINISHING UP ON SOME FINAL ITEMS THERE, 125 UNITS WITH A HUNDRED OF THEM RESTRICTED.
15 POINT A HALF MILLION DOLLARS WE PUT INTO THIS, TOWARDS THIS $35.8 MILLION DEVELOPMENT SUMMIT AT RENAISSANCE RENAISSANCE PARK IN, UH, GREENSPOINT.
OUT THERE ON THE GREENSPOINT MALL SITES, 87% COMPLETES 325 UNITS WITH 166 THAT ARE RESTRICTED.
WE'RE EXPECTING COMPLETION LATE SOMEWHERE ON THIS DEVELOPMENT.
UH, WE PUT IN 14.9 MILLION IN DR 17 FUNDS TOWARDS THIS 88 POINT A HALF MILLION DOLLAR DEVELOPMENT.
AND THEN FINALLY, UH, JUST A QUICK UPDATE ON THE HAY CENTER IN DISTRICT.
I, UH, 99% COMPLETES 50 UNITS WITH 40 RESTRICTED.
AND JUST AS A REMINDER, THIS IS SERVING YOUTHS AND YOUNG ADULTS THAT ARE AGING OUT OF FOSTER CARE.
SO WE'RE LOOKING AT THE AGES OF ANYWHERE FROM 14 TO 25 ON THIS, UH, MOSTLY EFFICIENCY TYPE UNITS WITH SOME ONE BEDROOMS IN THERE AS WELL.
UM, SO THAT ONE IS COMING UP TOWARDS COMPLETION.
SO WE HAD $5 MILLION IN THIS DEAL.
UH, IT'S 39.3 MILLION FOR THE TOTAL DEVELOPMENT ON THIS, AND THAT CONCLUDES PRESENTATION FOR TODAY.
I ALSO WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE STAFF FROM OUR VICE MAYOR PRO TIM'S OFFICE AS WELL IN CHAMBERS.
UH, WE DO HAVE, UM, UM, REMARKS FROM COUNCIL MEMBER EVAN SHABAZZ'S OFFICE.
THANK YOU CHAIR, AND GOOD MORNING.
UM, THANK YOU FOR SUCH A REALLY DETAILED REPORT.
UH, MY QUESTION IS ABOUT OCCUPANCY.
UH, I NOTICED MANY OF YOUR PROJECTS IN DISTRICT D THANK YOU, UH, AT A HUNDRED PERCENT COMPLETION.
ANY IDEA ON OCCUPANCY AT THIS POINT? UH, IF YOU'LL LET US KNOW WHICH ONES, IF YOU HAVE SPECIFIC QUESTIONS AROUND SPECIFIC DEALS, WE CAN GIVE YOU, UH, SOME INFORMATION DIRECTLY ABOUT THE OCCUPANCY OF 'EM.
WE'RE SEEING THE LEASE UP HAS BEEN GOING VERY WELL FOR MOST OF THESE DEVELOPMENTS, BUT IF YOU HAVE A SPECIFIC ONE IN MIND, LET US KNOW AND WE'LL, WE CAN GET YOU THE NUMBERS ON IT.
THANK YOU DEREK AND TAMIKA FOR YOUR PRESENTATIONS.
DEREK, UH, I KNOW WE'VE BEEN HEARING A LOT IN THE NEWS ABOUT FEDERAL CUTS, AND I KNOW WE DEPEND, UH, TO A LARGE EXTENT ON FEDERAL DOLLARS FOR OUR HOUSING PROGRAMS. UM, ARE, ARE YOU FOLKS IN HOUSING, UM, PLANNING FOR THESE CUTS OR MAKING, UH, CONTINGENCY PLANS? WHAT, UH, HOW ARE Y'ALL REACTING TO THIS? UH, WE ARE, I THINK WE'RE ALL BEING VERY AWARE OF ANY NEWS RELATED TO CUTS.
UM, ONE OF THE, WE'RE PRIMARILY FUNDED THROUGH OUR ENTITLEMENT GRANTS.
IT'S ROUGHLY $50 MILLION A YEAR LOOKING AT THE CONTINUING RESOLUTION THAT WAS JUST PASSED BY CONGRESS.
IT APPEARS THAT THOSE MAY STAY LEVEL FOUR THIS YEAR.
WE'RE EXPECTING TO SEE THE GRANT ALLOCATIONS FOR EACH OF THOSE GRANTS BE PUBLISHED BY HUD BY MAY THE 15TH.
THAT WILL ALSO BE OUR TRIGGER TO BRING OUR CONSOLIDATED PLAN TO CITY COUNCIL FOR Y'ALL'S APPROVAL.
NOW, WHAT WE DO HAVE TO FOCUS IN ON IS WHAT HAPPENS THEN, RIGHT.
YOU KNOW, WHAT DOES CONGRESS DO FOR THEIR FY 26? BECAUSE THAT'S GONNA BE THE REAL IMPACTS FOR US FOR FY 27 MOVING FORWARD.
UM, I KNOW TJ, WE AS A SENIOR TEAM, WE'RE VERY MUCH TALKING ABOUT OUR STAFFING LEVELS AND WHAT THAT MEANS THAT THE, THE CITY IS FOCUSED IN ON THAT, BUT WE'RE FOCUSED IN ON THAT AS WELL.
AND I'LL ADD, UM, ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS WE LOOK AT IS, UNFORTUNATELY YOU'VE SEEN MEMBERS OF OUR STAFF COME TO CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS AS OUR DISASTER GRANTS
[00:15:01]
WIND DOWN, RIGHT? MM-HMMUM, WHAT WE'D LIKE TO DO IS BE ABLE TO HAVE THE ABILITY TO REPROGRAM THAT STAFF TO OTHER DISASTER GRANTS.
UM, BUT WITH THE VOLATILITY OF THE NEWS COMING FROM DC, IT PUTS A LOT OF OUR PROGRAMS IN JEOPARDY.
UM, WHEN THE INITIAL NEWS CAME OUT, WE DID AN ASSESSMENT TO DETERMINE HOW MUCH OF OUR FEDERAL AWARDS, UM, ARE OPEN.
AND SO WE'RE LOOKING AT OUR PORTFOLIO.
WE ARE, AS DEREK MENTIONED, 99.9% FEDERALLY GRANT FUNDED.
WE HAVE ONE FOURTH OF ONE EMPLOYEE THAT IS ON THE GENERAL FUND.
SO OUT OF OUR 200 EMPLOYEES, ONLY OUR DIRECTOR, ONE FOURTH OF HIS TIME IS COVERED BY THE GENERAL FUND.
EVERYONE ELSE IS COVERED BY SOME LEVEL OF FEDERAL FUNDS.
AND SO WE ARE EVALUATING THE STAFF ALONG WITH THE CITY'S EFFICIENCY STUDY, UM, AND TAKING A LOOK AT OUR DISASTER PROGRAMS AND DECIDING AND DETERMINING, YOU KNOW, WHERE CAN WE, UM, YOU KNOW, REEVALUATE OUR STAFF, DETERMINE, YOU KNOW, WHERE STAFF CAN BE REPROGRAMMED, WHAT PROGRAMS ARE GOING TO BE IN JEOPARDY DUE TO WHAT SOME OF THE CONGRESSIONAL, UM, PRIORITIES ARE, WHERE SOME OF THE CONGRESSIONAL PRIORITIES ARE ELIMINATING, UM, JUST TO DETERMINE WHAT PUTS US AT RISK AND THEN DETERMINE, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS GONNA BE AT RISK.
WE DON'T WANT TO NECESSARILY GET CAUGHT LIKE HEALTH WHERE, YOU KNOW, THEY RECEIVED AN AWARD THAT SAYS YOUR PROGRAM IS BEING TERMINATED TODAY.
UM, AS YOU KNOW, THE CITY HAS A UNION AND WE HAVE TO PUT EMPLOYEES ON NOTICE.
UM, AND THEN BEING ABLE TO HAVE COVER THOSE COSTS.
AND SO WE'RE TRYING TO DETERMINE WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE AND TRYING TO MAKE AS MUCH PREPARATION AS WE CAN, BUT ALSO KEEPING OUR EMPLOYEES TOP OF MIND AND UNDERSTAND THAT OUR EMPLOYEES HAVE FAMILIES THAT THEY NEED TO SUPPORT.
AND THAT, UM, WE ARE TREATING EVERYONE WITH THE RESPECT AND DIGNITY THEY DESERVE.
AND HAVE, HAVE Y'ALL BEEN MADE AWARE OF ANY, UH, RETIREMENTS, UH, PURSUANT TO THE MAYOR'S, UH, OFFER YES.
SO IN OUR DEPARTMENT, WE HAVE 29 ELIGIBLE EMPLOYEES, AND WE'VE BEEN TALKING TO OUR EMPLOYEES TO DETERMINE WHO, UM, IS WILLING TO, UM, ACCEPT THE RETIREMENT PACKAGE, KNOWING WE CAN'T FORCE ANYONE TO LEAVE.
UM, I'LL TELL YOU IN FINANCE, UM, ALL OF MY PEOPLE EXCEPT ONE ARE LIKE, WHOA, THIS NEVER HAPPENS.
UM, AND SO OUT OF THE SIX EMPLOYEES, I HAVE ONE I'VE THREATENED TO SAY, YOU CANNOT GO.
UM, TECHNICALLY YOU'RE NOT REALLY ELIGIBLE.
UM, BUT I HAVE FIVE JUST WITHIN FINANCE ALONE.
AND SO WHAT WE'RE DOING IS LOOKING AT THAT AND SAYING, WHAT IS THAT GOING TO DO TO OUR WORKFORCE? UM, BECAUSE WHEN YOU START LOOKING AT THE INSTITUTIONAL KNOWLEDGE, AND I'LL TELL YOU, I HAVE, I HAVE AN EMPLOYEE WE'RE GOING TO CELEBRATE NEXT WEEK, WHERE TWO EMPLOYEES, THAT ONE IS RETIRING WITH 40 YEARS OF SERVICE, AND HER NEXT DOOR NEIGHBOR HAS 35 YEARS OF SERVICE.
SO BETWEEN TWO EMPLOYEES, YOU HAVE OVER 75 YEARS OF SERVICE.
AND SO THAT INSTITUTIONAL KNOWLEDGE, MAKING SURE THAT WE CAN TRANSITION THAT TO THE APPROPRIATE, YOU KNOW, EMPLOYEES.
SO WE'RE TRYING TO DO, MANAGE ALL THOSE THINGS WHILE STILL BEING ABLE TO CELEBRATE THOSE.
BUT IT'S SOMETHING THAT IS DEFINITELY TOP, TOP OF MIND FOR US, BUT TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DO IT, UM, AND, AND FOLLOW ALL THE APPLICABLE REGULATIONS.
UM, AND JUST AS AN ASIDE, BEFORE WE MOVE TO PUBLIC SPEAKERS, I, I THINK IT'S HELPFUL TO NOTE THAT, UM, WE HAVE LIMITED BREATHING ROOM TO OUR FISCAL 27 LIMITED BREATHING ROOM.
AND I THINK WE SHOULD CONTINUE TO, UM, REMIND HOUSTONIANS THAT THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT IS NOT FUNDED BY THE GENERAL FUND, UM, UH, AND ALREADY LEAN HOUSING DEPARTMENT, UH, THAT IS TASKED WITH ROLLING OUT, YOU KNOW, ALL TYPES OF PROGRAMS, RIGHT? SO I, I THINK THE, UM, IMPORTANCE IN HOW VULNERABLE THAT DEPARTMENT CAN EVENTUALLY BE OVER THE NEXT 18 MONTHS IS SOMETHING WE NEED TO MONITOR.
SO THANKS FOR BRINGING THAT UP.
UH, NO OTHER QUESTIONS IN THE QUEUE ABOUT THIS.
COUNCILMAN BACARD, YOU'RE TRACKING, YOU'RE TRACKING, YOU'RE TRACKING.
WE DO HAVE TWO, UH, UH, PUBLIC SPEAKERS IN THE QUEUE.
UH, DONNA RICKENBACKER, WE'LL BRING IT DOWN.
UH, THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME, UH, SPEAK THIS THIS MORNING.
I WANT TO, THIS IS A GOOD SEGUE OFF OF WHAT COUNCIL MEMBER MARTINEZ WAS SPEAKING TO RAMIREZ WITH RAMIREZ.
I, I, I APOLOGIZE RAMIREZ WAS SPEAKING TO, WITH RESPECT TO THE FEDERAL CUTS AND CONTINGENCY PLANS, IF YOU WILL.
UM, I, I WANNA WORK WITH THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT AND THIS COMMITTEE TO FIGURE OUT
[00:20:01]
WAYS THAT WE CAN POTENTIALLY BRING IN SOME ADDITIONAL FUNDING SOURCES TO THE HOUSING COMMITTEE, GIVEN WHAT'S HAPPENING AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL AND THE REDUCTION IN THE AMOUNT OF FEDERAL DOLLARS COMING IN.UM, I HAVE A COUPLE OF IDEAS, SOME OF WHICH ARE PROBABLY NOT GOING TO BE ALL, UH, VERY MUCH, YOU KNOW, SUPPORTED, IF YOU WILL.
UM, THERE HAVE BEEN, UH, GLO FUNDS THAT HAVE MADE, BEEN MADE AVAILABLE TO MULTIPLE PROJECTS IN INCLUDING SOME OF MINE, AND POTENTIALLY, UH, TURNING THOSE INTO MUST PAY, IF YOU WILL, LOANS TO OFFSET OR, OR, OR REDUCE, IF YOU WILL, UM, THE PERMANENT FINANCING ON THESE TRANSACTIONS.
IT'S AT A VERY LOW, UM, INTEREST RATE.
SO I THINK, UH, BUT IT STILL IS SOMETHING THAT POTENTIALLY CAN BE COMING BACK TO THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT, IF YOU WILL, TO REDISTRIBUTE TO TRUE AFFORDABLE HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS GOING FORWARD.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE OR HOW THAT CAN BE DONE, BUT IT MIGHT BE SOMETHING TO, TO LOOK AT AND SEE HOW WE CAN DO IT.
ANOTHER ITEM THAT, AGAIN, I DON'T KNOW THAT IT WILL BE, UM, UH, APPRECIATED BY A LOT OF FOLKS IS THAT, UM, YOU'VE GOT THREE NEW CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS MOVING FORWARD THAT DID RECEIVE RESOLUTIONS OF SUPPORT FROM THE, UM, CITY COUNCIL ON THE HOUSING AUTHORITIES MOVING FORWARD.
THESE ARE OVER, YOU KNOW, TWO OF WHICH ARE LIKE 300 PLUS UNITS.
UM, THOSE COME OFF THE TAX ROLL OBVIOUSLY.
I JUST THINK THAT THERE SHOULD BE A WAY THAT THE, YOU ALL CAN ENTER INTO SOME SORT OF PILOT PROGRAM WITH THE HOUSING AUTHORITY TO BENEFIT FROM SOME OF THAT CASH FLOW THAT'S GENERATED FROM THOSE VERY LARGE PROJECTS.
WE CAN DEBATE ALL DAY LONG WHAT'S AFFORDABLE AND WHAT'S NOT AFFORDABLE.
UM, I PERSONALLY DON'T VIEW THOSE PROJECTS AS AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
UM, THE 9% PROGRAM, WHICH IS REALLY STRUGGLING RIGHT NOW IN TERMS OF THE HOUSING THAT WE'RE TRYING TO PUT ON THE GROUND, IS REQUIRED TO SET ASIDE AT LEAST 50%, UM, OF ALL, WELL, ALL OF ITS AFFORDABLE HOUSING IS, IS SET ASIDE AT 60% OR LESS OF THE AREA MEDIAN INCOME, OF WHICH 50% IS SET ASIDE FOR 50% OR LESS.
AND 10% IS SET ASIDE FOR 30% OR LESS.
SO IT'S VERY MUCH INCOME RESTRICTED DEVELOPMENTS IN THE 9% SIDE.
THESE DEVELOPMENTS ARE ABSOLUTELY STRUGGLING RIGHT NOW, AND THEY HAVE FUNDING GAPS, INCLUDING SEVERAL OF THE 24 DEALS, SOME OF WHICH WAS WERE PROVIDED, UH, HOME FUNDS.
AND SO I, I'M HERE TO TALK MORE ABOUT, LET'S FIGURE OUT AND MAYBE HAVE A SEPARATE COMMITTEE, OBVIOUSLY THAT'S INCLUSIVE OF THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT THAT CAN TALK THROUGH WAYS TO BRING ADDITIONAL FUNDING SOURCES TO THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT THAT HOPEFULLY CAN BE DISTRIBUTED TO TRUE AFFORDABLE HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS, UH, MOVING FORWARD.
UM, AND I'D LIKE TO BE PART OF THAT CONVERSATION.
SO FOR SOME OF Y'ALL GO, THIS CAN BE A LONG DAY 'CAUSE I KNOW SOME OF Y'ALL HAVE.
THERE'S A, A PUBLIC SESSION CITY COUNCIL, I'M DOMINIC MAZO.
UH, COUPLE THINGS I WOULD LIKE TO SUGGEST.
NUMBER ONE IS SOMETHING IS HAPPENING AT CROSS TIMBERS AND YALE STREET.
THERE'S GOING TO BE A NEW HOUSING, UH, PROJECT AT AN OLD HARRIS COUNTY FLOOD CONTROL DISTRICT, UH, FACILITY.
WHAT'S GOOD ABOUT THAT IS IT'S GOT GOOD METRO ACCESS.
YOU CAN GET DOWNTOWN, YOU CAN GET THE RED LINE, YOU CAN GET THE WALMART.
AND I THINK THAT'S ONE THING WITH AFFORDABLE HOUSING YOU GOT TO DEAL WITH, PUT 'EM IN HOUSING IS ONE THING, BUT IS THE HOUSING ACCESSIBLE TO TRANSIT OR COULD, UH, THERE BE SOMETHING LIKE, UH, EVOLVE OR SOME SORT OF MICRO TRANSITS, GET PEOPLE OUT TO JOBS AND STUFF LIKE THAT FROM THE FACILITY.
SECOND OF ALL, AND I DID RIDE METRO HERE, 90 96, THE RED LINE, I WALKED FROM MAIN STREET.
THE OTHER THING IS, WE ARE A PORT AND WE ARE ONE OF THE LARGEST CONTAINER PORTS IN THE WORLD, AT LEAST IN THE UNITED STATES.
BUT THOSE CONTAINERS GET OLD AND THEY CANNOT BE USED FOR SHIPPING ANYMORE.
AND THOSE THINGS GOTTA BE STRONG.
I MEAN, YOU SEE 'EM ON TRAINS, YOU SEE 'EM ON SHIPS, YOU SEE 'EM ON, ON, UH, ON TRUCKS.
AND MY THING IS, THERE'S SOME PARTS OF THE COUNTRY THAT HAVE TAKEN THESE CONTAINERS, WORK WITH THEIR CO UH, YOU KNOW, BUILDING CODES AND MADE NICE HOUSES OUT OF THESE THINGS.
YOU, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN STACK THEM THIS WAY, THAT WAY.
NOW, WOULD I PUT THAT NEXT DOOR TO, TO A COMMUNITY LIKE, UH, RIVER OAKS? NO, I THINK, BUT THERE ARE SOME PLACES IN THE CITY THAT ARE RELATIVELY FLAT.
[00:25:01]
YOU CAN CONVERT THESE, AND I THINK THIS WOULD BE A WAY TO HAVE SOME AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND RECYCLE STUFF.THAT'S LIKE, IF YOU GO ALONG LOOP SIX 10 NORTH OF THE, UM, THE BRIDGE, UH, THERE ARE, THERE ARE PLACES THAT THERE ARE RETIRED CONTAINERS AND THEY'RE JUST SITTING THERE.
WHY CAN'T WE USE THAT? I THINK WE HAVE TO BE, THE LADY HAS SOME IDEAS.
AND I THINK TOO, MAYBE WITH THE THING WITH THE TURDS, UM, WILLIE, YOU'RE A, YOU'RE A MINISTER, MAYBE THE TURDS TO START THINKING ABOUT TITHING.
IN OTHER WORDS, TAKING A 10TH OF THEIR, THE MONIES THAT THEY GET BACK OR SOME AMOUNT OF THAT, AND DO THINGS LIKE AFFORDABLE HOUSING, NOT JUST IN THEIR AREA, BUT MAYBE THEY CAN ADOPT AN AREA.
MAYBE ONE CHURCH THAT HAS A LOT OF MONEY THEY CAN ADOPT, SAY, UM, SUNNYSIDE FOR, FOR INSTANCE.
I THINK THERE'S WAYS AROUND THIS THAT'D BE EQUITABLE FOR EVERYBODY.
YOU HAVE A COMMENT IN THE QUEUE.
UH, VICE CHAIR DAVIS, GO AHEAD.
THANK YOU, DONALD, FOR COMING.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS ON THE IDEA ABOUT THE CONTAINERS.
INTERESTING, BECAUSE ACTUALLY THERE ARE THREE PARTICULAR COMPANIES THAT I KNOW HAVE MET WITH THAT HAVE BUILT CONTAINERS FOR HOUSING.
I KNOW THAT'S SOMETHING THAT PROBABLY'S GOING TO TAKE SOME TIME TO, TO ADAPT, BUT I THINK IT WILL BE COMING BECAUSE THERE ARE SOME AREAS WHERE THERE, THERE, UH, PEOPLE WHO ARE BUILDING THE CONTAINERS, CUTTING THEM IN DOUBLE DECK TWO STORY HOUSING, THAT TYPE OF THING, CARPORTS THE WHOLE NINE.
IT IS, UH, AN IDEA THAT HAS ALREADY BEEN TESTED AND PROVEN NOW HOW WE WORK THAT INTO THE HOUSING, AFFORDABLE HOUSING, UM, THAT'S ANOTHER ISSUE.
BUT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I'VE BEEN, UH, LOOKING AT TO MAYBE AT SOME POINT AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN SOME AREAS WHERE PEOPLE CAN'T REALLY AFFORD IT.
SOME OF THE OTHER COMPLEXES AND COMMUNITIES PROBABLY WOULDN'T ACCEPT IT, BUT THEN THERE'S ALWAYS A WAY TO, UH, TO POSSIBLY DO IT.
BUT THAT, BUT THAT IS A WORKING PROCESS.
I'M, I'M THINKING THAT THE HOME TRAILERS DON'T WORK ANYMORE, RIGHT? THEY'RE FIRE TRAPS, RIGHT.
THESE THINGS ARE DESIGNED FOR HURRICANES.
AND THEY, I MEAN, AND THEY, THEY DESIGN THEM.
THEY PUT EVERYTHING IN IT, THE FULL WORKS ON IT.
BUT THAT, THAT IS CERTAINLY SOMETHING THAT I KNOW WILL PROBABLY BE COMING IN THE FUTURE, BUT GREAT, GREAT POINTS YOU MADE.
UM, AND BACKTRACK WITH FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING TOO, AGAIN, LOOK ON A MAP BEFORE YOU PUT HOUSING DOWN AND MAKE SURE A BUS GETS THERE BEFORE YOU COULD PUT IT DOWN.
THEN YOU LIKE TO BACKTRACK THE METRO AND SAY, HEY, CAN YOU DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS? THANK YOU.
UM, AND THEN IF I MAY JUST OPINE BRIEFLY ON YOUR COMMENT.
SO THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT HAS A, A FRAMEWORK THAT, UH, WE APPROVE EVERY YEAR AND WANT.
AND, UM, PARTICULARLY AROUND OUR 9% LOW INCOME TAX CREDIT DEALS.
AND A PART OF THE POINT SYSTEM FOR DEVELOPERS IS TO BE NEXT TO TRANSIT, UM, TRANSIT ORIENT DEVELOPMENT.
THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WAS IMPLEMENTED A WHILE BACK, UM, AND IS A PRIORITY, UM, AND HAS BEEN FOR A WHILE AND CONTINUES TO BE.
AND YOU, YOU MAKE A, A REALLY GOOD POINT.
AND I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT AS WE WANNA ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO USE OUR PUBLIC TRANSIT SYSTEM.
UM, SECONDLY, UM, MANY OF OUR TURS IS ALREADY, UH, CONTRIBUTE TO THE TITHE IN A, IN A SENSE.
UM, AND THAT GOES TO THE 24 0 9 ACCOUNT TO THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
AND THAT INCREMENT THE TITHE THAT THEY, UM, SEND BACK TO THE CITY SUPPORTS, UH, AFFORDABLE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT.
YEAH, THAT'S WHY, THAT'S WHY I'M OFFERING MY, MY COMMENTS.
UM, THEY OFFER THAT ALREADY TO THE CITY.
AND NOT ONLY DOES IT HELP WITH BRICK AND MORTAR, IT ALSO SUPPORTS OPERATIONS OF THE CITY AND IT SUPPORTS EVERYTHING AROUND THE HOUSING.
IT CAN BE SIDEWALK DRAINAGE, ALL OF THAT.
AND THAT COMES UP ON THE COUNCIL AGENDAS PERIODICALLY.
AND THEN THIRDLY, AS SOMEONE THAT TEACHES IN THE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, PRAIRIE VIEW A AND M, I HAVE SOME COLLEAGUES THAT MAY WANT TO CHALLENGE THE IDEA OF USING SHIPPING CONTAINERS FOR HOUSING.
UM, THAT'S JUST BEEN AN ONGOING, UM, UH, DISCUSSION.
I KNOW IN ACADEMIA AND IN THE RESEARCH.
AND ALTHOUGH IT, IT HAS BEEN, UH, DONE, THERE'S DEFINITELY SOME STRONG OPINION TO COUNTER THAT, UM, IN, IN OUR, IN, IN OUR REGION.
UH, BUT I THINK THAT THE DISCUSSION IS DEFINITELY WORTH HAVING, UM, TO LOOK AT ALL OPTIONS FOR HOUSING BECAUSE IT HAS BEEN DONE SUCCESSFULLY IN OTHER PLACES.
UH, AND, AND I'M SURE THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT CAN FACILITATE THAT CONVERSATION.
AND ONE THING YOU MENTIONED, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, KIND ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT METRO IS WORKING ON
[00:30:01]
WE NEED TO HAVE A MEETING BETWEEN THE, BETWEEN THE MINDS, BETWEEN THE TWO ORGANIZATIONS AND, AND, UH, YOU KNOW, COLLABORATION.I MEAN, THE MAYOR WANTS COOPERATION AND I THINK THAT'S, THAT'S JUST FROM HIM.
I THINK HE NEEDS TO CROSS THE BOARD.
UH, COUNCIL MEMBER CARTER HAS, UH, WON THE, UH, THAT IT'S 28 MINUTES
UM, SO, UM, WITH THAT, IF YOU'LL ALLOW ME, I HAVE SOME ANNOUNCEMENTS, UH, FROM THE, UH, DISTRICT F STAFF.
I WANT TO INTRODUCE YOU TO LAMBDA GREEN.
SHE'S, UM, JOINED THE TEAM ON MONDAYS, THE DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF.
IT'S OKAY, RIGHT? DING, DING, DING.
UH, SO SHE'LL BE SUPPORTING THE STAFF AS WELL, SO YOU WILL SEE HER THROUGHOUT.
AND THEN ALSO SOME BITTERSWEET NEWS.
ISAAC, OUR CHIEF OF STAFF IS TRANSITIONING TO HEAD COUNTY, UH, NEXT MONTH.
UM, SO HIS LAST IN PER, THIS IS HIS LAST HOUSING AND AFFORDABILITY MEETING.
UM, AND HIS LAST IN PERSON DAY IS APRIL 23RD.
CLEARLY, WE DON'T KNOW WHICH DAYS IS WHICH, WHICH DAY, BUT IT'S RIGHT.
BUT NEVERTHELESS, UH, WE WILL SEND OUT INFORMATION IN TERMS OF THE CELEBRATION AND LOOK FORWARD TO Y'ALL JOINING US, UH, FOR THAT.
SO HE HAS SURVIVED 9% TAX CREDITS, UH, UH, THE WINTER FREEZE, UH, BARREL, ALL OF THOSE THINGS AND HAS BEEN A TREMENDOUS SUPPORT TO THE OFFICE.
SO DEFINITELY, YEAH, AND DEFINITELY WORKED, UH, CLOSELY WITH THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT OF SERVING ON THE PRC COMMITTEE TO MAKE SURE THAT ITEMS ARE, YOU KNOW, VETTED AND CLERKED AND ALL DIFFERENT OFFICES.
UM, SO I WANT TO THANK YOU PUBLICLY FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTION, UM, NOT JUST TO THE OFFICE, BUT TO THE ENTIRE CITY AND TO YOUR WORK, UM, WITH ALL OF YOUR COLLEAGUES.
UM, AND, BUT HE NOT GOING NOWHERE.
HE'S STILL GONNA BE ON THE WEST SIDE, SO IT'S ALL GOOD.
SO, UH, Y'ALL WILL STILL INTERFACE WITH HIM, UM, IN A, IN AN ELEVATED, IN AN ELEVATED ROLE.
UM, THAT CONCLUDES, UM, MY COMMENTS.
VICE CHAIR, WOULD YOU CLOSE THIS OUT? ABSOLUTELY.
JUST A REMINDER TO EVERYONE THAT OUR NEXT HOUSING AND AFFORDABILITY MEETING WILL BE HELD MAY 27TH AT 2:00 PM THE DISTRICT F OFFICE WILL BE SENDING ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.
AND WE WANT TO THANK EVERYBODY FOR BEING HERE TODAY.