CUYAHOGA COUNTY DEPT. OF DEVELOPMENTexecutive.cuyahogacounty.us/pdf_executive/en-US/... · Fair...
Transcript of CUYAHOGA COUNTY DEPT. OF DEVELOPMENTexecutive.cuyahogacounty.us/pdf_executive/en-US/... · Fair...
CUYAHOGA COUNTY
DEPT. OF DEVELOPMENT
Michelle Brzoska
Public Policy Fellow
Summer 2014
FAIR HOUSING BEST PRACTICES
Projects
• Fair Housing Best Practices
• Demolition Fund Application
• Casino Revenue Spending Research
• Urban County Cooperation Agreement Amendments
Presentation Overview
• Fair Housing Laws
• CDBG funding and Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing
• Fair Housing in Cuyahoga County
• Research Goals and Methodology
• Findings
• Recommendations and Next Steps
• Consider the Person – Housing Choice Voucher
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLD-QVT5vqo
Fair Housing Laws
• Federal
• Fair Housing Act (1968)
• State
• Ohio Fair Housing Law (1965)
• Local
• City, Township, and County Ordinances
Fair Housing Laws
• In Ohio, all properties are covered
• Federal Protected Classes
• Race/color
• National origin
• Sex
• Religion
• Familial status
• Disability
• Ohio Protected Classes
• Military status
• Ancestry
Fair Housing Laws
• Local Protected Classes
• Source of income
• Gender identity
• Sexual orientation
• Marital Status
• Age
• Fair Housing Boards
Fair Housing Laws
• Protect against:
• Denying a dwelling
• Refusing to rent or sell a dwelling
• Making housing unavailable
• Refusing to make a mortgage loan
• Setting different terms or conditions in housing
• Discriminatory advertising
• Coercing, interfering, or threatening someone who is exercising
their fair housing rights
Fair Housing Laws
• Reasonable Accommodations
• Changes in property rules, policies, or practices
• Examples: Allowing a service animal, reserving a parking space,
changing the rent due date, allowing a live-in aide
• Reasonable Modifications
• Physical changes to a property (interior of unit and common areas)
• At tenant’s expense
• Examples: Installing a ramp, widening doorways, installing grab
bars, lowering outlets and switches, installing lever door handles
CDBG Funding and Affirmatively
Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH)
• CDBG = Community Development Block Grant
• Entitlement Funding
• Cuyahoga County Dept. of Development receives CDBG funding
(Urban County)
• Fair Housing Agencies, Housing Rehabilitation Loan Program,
Municipal Grant Program
• Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing
• Taking proactive steps to address segregation, discrimination, or
other barriers to housing
• Analysis of Impediments (AI) to Fair Housing Choice
CDBG Funding and Affirmatively
Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH)
• 40% of CDBG distributed through Municipal Grant
Program
• Urban County Consortium members eligible
• Urban County contract and AFFH
Fair Housing in Cuyahoga County
• Contracts with nonprofit agencies
• Discrimination complaints, landlord/tenant counseling, monitoring
lending and local real estate practices, predatory lending
prevention, etc.
• Individualized assistance
• The Fair Housing Center
• Cleveland Tenants Organization
• Heights Community Congress
• Fair Housing training requirement for municipalities
• Department programs
• Participate in efforts concerning vacant properties,
foreclosure prevention, etc.
Research Methodology
• Goals• Fair housing best practices
• Evaluate our level of fair housing programming relative to others
• How to better work with municipalities in the Urban County
• Methodology• Local fair housing meetings and interviews
• Phone Interviews with counties around the country
• National Association for County Community and Economic Development (NACCED)
• Interview Questions
• Reflect impediments identified in county’s latest AI and research goals
FindingsRequirements for Urban County Municipalities
• Cuyahoga County
• Municipalities sign Urban County Cooperation Agreement (HUD
requirement)
• Fair Housing educational session
• Most counties have no requirements
• Withholding funds if city is found in violation
• Fair Housing educational sessions
• Fair Housing ordinances
• Submit zoning ordinances for review (Chester, PA)
• Contribute portion of funding to pay for Fair Housing Coordinator
(Kern, CA)
FindingsContracting with Outside Agencies
• Cuyahoga County
• Contracts with The Housing Center, Cleveland Tenants
Organization, Heights Community Congress
• Most counties contract with at least one outside agency
• Education, outreach, testing, AI
• Few counties had a dedicated fair housing employee
• Contracts for accessibility, homelessness prevention, rent
assistance, and affirmative marketing
FindingsMunicipal or County Zoning and Occupancy Codes
• Most interviewees have little authority over zoning and
occupancy codes
• Work with municipalities on ordinances
• Group home/student housing (Montgomery, PA)
• Submitting zoning codes for review (Chester, PA)
• Reviewing and technical assistance/recommendations
• Model ordinances
• Universal design
• Inclusionary housing/zoning
• Reasonable accommodations
• Residential density
• Visitability
FindingsCollaboration with local Housing Authority
• Cuyahoga County has worked with housing authority in
past
• Many counties do not work closely with housing authority
• Fair housing training for staff, property managers, residents
• Job training program
• County or fair housing representative attendance at resident board
meetings
• Providing assistance to elderly in locating accessible public
housing
FindingsVouchers and Rental Housing Assistance
• Most counties do not offer rent assistance aside from
HCV
• Eviction prevention, emergency rent/utility assistance, first month’s
rent, security deposit assistance
• Rental assistance for families edging out of welfare (Westchester,
NY)
• Work with voucher recipients and landlords:
• Fair housing training sessions, landlord association meetings promoting
voucher program, mobility counseling
• Consider the Person Campaign (Anne Arundel, MD)
FindingsAccessibility
• Most modifications only for homeowners
• Wheelchair accessibility modifications (ramps, grab bars,
reinforced walls, widening doorways, etc.)
• Only four counties offer modifications for renters
• Hamilton, OH; Montgomery, PA; Contra Costa, CA; Montgomery,
PA
• Westchester County, NY
• Dedicated accessibility rehab program
• Universal Design ordinance
• Database of accessible rental units
• Montgomery County, MD
• Design for Life program
FindingsMiscellaneous Programs and Findings
• Bus tours of affordable housing units
• Open houses at federally funded properties
• Research on low/moderate income housing
• Housing trust funds
• Radio, TV, and Newspaper Ads
• Public Service Announcements
• Opportunity Mapping
• Packet of information about fair housing distributed
• Landlord conferences or forums, renter preparation
programs
Next StepsFair Housing Education and Outreach
• Work with elected officials on fair/affordable housing
education
• Incorporate fair housing into all Department of
Development programs
• Increase amount of fair housing information on website
• Work with Consumer Affairs to post fair housing resources
Next StepsLandlords and Housing Authority
• Work with county landlord registration program
• Outreach and education on the voucher program and
low/moderate income housing (Consider the Person)
• Open houses at federally funded housing developments
• Housing Authority/voucher sessions and information on
fair housing rights
• Job training program with Housing Authority
Next StepsWork with Municipalities
• Draft model ordinances with Planning Commission
• Market 211 and fair housing on municipality websites
• Encourage municipalities to add protected classes or
stronger enforcement language in ordinances
• Offer different training session options
Next StepsAccessibility
• Research other county accessibility modification
programs (specifically for renters)
• Visitability policy or certification program
Next StepsStakeholder Meetings
• Presented research
• Discussed current/future efforts
• Brainstorming
• Accessibility
• Educational requirements for municipalities
• More training options
• Working with volunteer/elected boards
• Promoting the voucher program
• Consider the Person
• Research