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HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - Housing Governing Board Disaster Relief Vouchers RESOLUTION NO. 08-364 RESOLUTION APPROVING RESERVE OF DISASTER RELIEF VOUCHERS FOR CITY'S SECTION 8 HOUSING CHOICE VOUCHER PROGRAM FOR THE CITY OF AMES HOUSING GOVERNING BOARD WHEREAS, staff has received several communications from the Department of Housing and Urban Development(HUD) stating that it, along with Federal Emergency Management Agency(FEMA) staff, is working to assist families affected by the recent flooding in parts of central and eastern Iowa in finding affordable replacement housing; and, WHEREAS,HUD is asking each Housing Authority in Iowa if its agency is in a position to assist families, i.e., if it can immediately process an application and is willing to allow the family to port; and, WHEREAS,although the affected area is designated as a"presidentially"declared emergency,there are no additional federal housing funds provided to assist families who are involuntarily displaced as a result of natural disasters such as floods,tornadoes,or fires; and, WHEREAS,the City's program has approximately 49 open vouchers,and,currently,seven are waiting to be leased,six names have been contacted from the waiting list,and the City is in the process of contacting approximately 25 additional names from that list; and, WHEREAS,the City also has a preference for displaced persons due to disasters in our current administrative plan; and, WHEREAS,staff recommends that the Housing Governing Board allow the City's 11 vouchers be reserved to assist families affected for this purpose with the following stipulations: 1)a waiver will be given to HUD's one-year residency requirement to allow the Voucher holders to remain in their current jurisdiction (as needed) under the portability guidelines, with the other Housing Authority billing the City of Ames Housing Authority; 2) the other Housing Authority will be allowed to bill the City of Ames until such time as the voucher can be absorbed into its own program allocation,and,additionally,the other Housing Authority must absorb the reserved voucher before contacting names from its waiting list to fill openings; and, 3) the 11 vouchers can only be utilized to serve a family in good standing who was displaced from a public housing unit owned by the other Housing Authority or from a project-based housing unit that is owned or managed by the State, a non-profit agency, or a for-profit agency; and, WHEREAS,each affected Housing Authority would be required to sign an Agreement of Understanding prior to the issuance of the vouchers from the City of Ames. NOW,THEREFORE,BE IT RESOLVED by the Housing Governing Board of the City of Ames,Iowa,that the reserve of 11 vouchers from the City's Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers,with the aforementioned stipulations, to be made available to Housing Authorities in Iowa to assist families affected by the 2008 floods,is hereby approved. ADOPTED THIS 26t"day of August,2008. Lold& A. .4/. Diane R. Voss, City Clerk Ann H. Campbell, May Introduced by: Popken Seconded by: Mahayni Voting aye: Campbell,Doll, Goodman,Horness,Larson,Mahayni,Popken,Rice Voting nay: None Absent: None Resolution declared adopted and signed by the Chairperson this 26t`'day of August, 2008.