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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06.09.21 RHAB MinutesRental Housing Advisory Board Minutes 1 Rental Housing Advisory Board Meeting Minutes June 9, 2021 Present: Alec Gulan, Lynnsey Erickson, Timothy Ernst, Linda Jevaltas, Tom Hutchison, Donn Lord, Lateria Garrett Excused: Lydia Christensen Staff: Allen Davis; Community Development Director, John Zarate; Chief Building Official, Anna Maier; Administrative Assistant I. Call to Order Mr. Ernst called the meeting to order at 3:30pm. II. Roll Call Roll call was taken and a quorum declared present. III. Approval of Minutes – February 10, 2021 The minutes of the April 14, 2021 meeting were approved as written. (Erickson/Lord) IV. Welcome New Members RHAB welcomed Ms. Garrett. V. Citizen Statements There were no citizen statements. VI. ADVOCAP Rental Assistance Update Ms. Scheer stated that this information is current as of June 2nd and includes numbers from Energy Services Inc. (ESI). The state of Wisconsin has spent $30,033,207 in seven weeks. It took them six months to spend the same amount with the Wisconsin Rental Assistance Program (WRAP). They have helped 8,940 households and over 24,000 people. They are able to pay utilities, utilities arrearages, rent, rent arrearages, lot rent, and lot rent arrearages. They are working on a way to get water bills paid. 70% of the households served are earning 30% or less of county median income. Ms. Scheer stated that ADVOCAP has spent $1,235,396 of the total $30,033,207 for 349 households. They spent $29,152 in Calumet County for nine households, $512,422 in Fond du Lac for 145 households, $24,665 in Green Lake for eight households, and $688,797 in Winnebago County for 187 households. When they add ESI payments, they have spent approximately $1,100,000 on residents in Winnebago County, $661,000 or 60.1% of which was in Oshkosh. The average spent per household is Rental Housing Advisory Board Minutes 2 $3,359. The maximum for WRAP was $3,000 and the new maximum for this is 15 months of assistance for rent and utilities. They are paying a substantial amount for past due rent. If people are asking for past due rent and haven’t met the 15 month maximum, they are assessing whether or not it is appropriate to pay the current month and two months forward. They are pre-paying for up to three months at a time. Ms. Jevaltas joined the meeting at 3:38pm. Ms. Scheer stated that calls have doubled this week and they have every reason to believe that it has to do with the moratorium ending at the end of this month. They’re also getting more referrals for their People Achieving Self-Sufficiency (PASS) Program because people are finding themselves more and more in crisis. They have people who have been on their homeless waitlist because affordable rental units are unavailable. They are currently recruiting and have three more people starting next week. Calls can last anywhere from 45 minutes to almost three hours, so the new positions will be dedicated support for those applications. They’re also screening for a lot of other needs and community resources. There are a lot of people in crisis who did not expect to find themselves in crisis and they are unsure what to do. Eligibility has nothing to do with fair market rent, family size, or what their housing situation was two years ago. They are able to do LP, oil, and natural gas to municipalities and larger utility companies. The moratorium for utilities has come due now and people are getting threatened with shut offs. Mr. Lord asked if ADVOCAP would still provide assistance after the moratorium ends on June 30th. Ms. Scheer replied affirmatively, adding that they know there are a lot of people with past due rents and it has nothing to do with COVID. They try to be very flexible with what is COVID-related. Child care is one example. They have over 100 people on their wait list right now due to the flood of calls this week. It takes about five or six days to get to the bottom of that number. They have a pre-screen online and they find that it’s very useful. One person is dedicated solely to the pre-screen. When people have been refused, they continue to fill out the pre-screen which is clogging up the system a bit. Those are the extremes and not the normal day to day things. Mr. Lord stated that a lot of times people are not aware of what assistance is available. He asked if she knows what is going on and why people are not aware that there is a lot of funding available. Mr. Hutchison joined the meeting at 3:44pm. Ms. Scheer replied that the landlords are more aware. It’s not that people do not know it’s available, but that they don’t know what to do and they’re afraid to ask for the assistance. People deal with crisis in many different ways and they’re finding a lot of people are hesitant to share that they are in need because they haven’t needed assistance before. They do have some CDBG-CV funds through the City for the same purpose so they do a triage there for anyone that is calling from Oshkosh. Once people get the 15 months of assistance and are shut off, they are able to assist with the CDBG-CV funds. They are getting some calls about mortgages that they didn’t originally get, but most of them have nothing to do with COVID. Rental Housing Advisory Board Minutes 3 Ms. Erickson stated that there will be an ad in the Oshkosh Herald next week and the week of the 23rd to inform readers that the moratorium ends on the 30th and to contact ADVOCAP to pre-screen. She asked if the $30,033,207 the state spent in the last seven weeks excluded Milwaukee, Dane, Brown and Waukesha counties. Ms. Scheer replied affirmatively, adding that they do not have access to the information for those counties. Ms. Garrett asked if there a deadline for use of the funds. Ms. Scheer replied that the funding comes out of the American Cares Act and runs through the rest of this year. The Recovery Act by the current administration has other programs that will be unfolding. They have been told that there will be assistance for people affected by COVID through 2025. The rules haven’t been finalized yet, but they know there is mortgage and small business assistance coming. Mr. Lord asked Ms. Erickson if the Oshkosh Herald advertisements would be available to distribute via social media and e-mail. Ms. Erickson replied that she is sending the final version to the Herald tomorrow and she will share the graphic with the Eviction Prevention Group. Mr. Davis asked if there was any general sense about how long the money will last. Ms. Scheer replied that at this rate they will have money through the end of the year. She is concerned about the number of people who are eligible. They get a lot of calls from full-time students and they cannot be helped through this. Mr. Davis asked if there was anything they could do to educate landlords. Ms. Scheer replied that they are having a difficult time getting landlords to return their paperwork. Not every landlord keeps detailed records. They’ve only had a few landlords refuse payment because there are more issues than non-payment. The board thanked Ms. Scheer for the update. VII. Rental Inspections Update Mr. John Zarate stated that there were 19 inspections with 66 violations so far this quarter. The violations were related to electrical problems, lights or receptacles not working, smoke and CO2 detectors, windows, screens, handrails, guardrails, plumbing issues, no deadbolts on doors, inadequate piping or dryer venting, pest infestations, and exterior issues. Those violations are the most common for complaint based inspections. They are not sending out any letters at this point. VIII. Social Media Update Rental Housing Advisory Board Minutes 4 Mr. Zarate stated the 2020 complaints data, links for ADVOCAP and Fair Housing Wisconsin, and RHAB minutes and agendas were posted to Facebook. Any ideas for future posts should be sent to amaier@ci.oshkosh.wi.us. Mr. Ernst replied that he had an idea for content related to rental rehabilitation loans given that there is a need for affordable housing and renovations. His idea was something showing what x amount of dollars of equipment might look like so property owners can get a sense of what those loans could be used for. Mr. Davis replied that Greater Oshkosh Healthy Neighborhoods and City staff recently gave a presentation about the different housing programs available. It was posted on the City’s website and social media. It could be shared to the RHAB page as well. Mr. Ernst replied that it would be a good idea to promote the rental assistance resources, tenant rights materials, and fair housing related services with a rotating schedule of posts to keep people engaged. Ms. Jevaltas asked Ms. Erickson if the Herald advertisement is strictly for the ADVOCAP assistance. Ms. Erickson replied that it is strictly related to the eviction moratorium lifting and referring people to ADVOCAP or 211 if there are other resources they might need. IX. Virtual or In Person Meetings Mr. Davis stated that Council has tasked each Board and Commission with determining if they would like to meet in person or virtually moving forward. Mr. Ernst asked if there will be a hybrid option if they choose to return to in-person. Mr. Davis replied that the direction to staff has been one or the other. Hybrid is not an option. Ms. Erickson replied that they can also decide if they want to provide the public with a virtual option. If they go back to in-person, they can also decide if members of the public can participate in person or virtually. Mr. Ernst stated that he thinks everyone should participate in this conversation. He has no problem returning to in-person meetings. He thinks the virtual citizen comment option seems a little odd and he’s having trouble imagining how that would work, but it would be good if it increased participation. Ms. Erickson stated that she is open to either option. The other two other boards she is on are going back to in-person. They are back in person for Council, but they do have a virtual option for the public and it has worked out pretty well. It is up to staff if they are able to pull of the virtual option for the public. Mr. Lord replied that he is fine with either, but a hybrid option would be very helpful particularly Rental Housing Advisory Board Minutes 5 during summer when a lot of people are gone. He likes the convenience of virtual. Mr. Ernst replied that they cannot choose a hybrid option. Mr. Lord replied that he would choose virtual then. Ms. Garrett asked if there is a time frame for the decision and if it could be re-visited. Mr. Ernst replied that the idea is to make a decision here and if the need arises they could revisit it at some point in the future. Ms. Garrett replied that her preference is virtual. Ms. Jevaltas stated that her preference is in-person. Mr. Hutchison stated that he doesn’t have a problem with in-person, but he finds the convenience of virtual meetings beneficial. Today he came late because he was stuck in traffic, but he was able to get on his phone and listen to the majority of the meeting before joining from his computer. It is more convenient and they have fewer absences when it is virtual. Mr. Gulan stated that virtual is a lot easier. He is still at work now. He could make it for in-person, but there is a better shot of him making it on time if they can meet virtually and he does not have to commute from Fond du Lac. Mr. Ernst stated that he is fine with either option, but he is persuaded by the attendance arguments. They have had better attendance since virtual meetings started. He understands Ms. Jevaltas’ concerns and thinks there will be a time when in-person meetings will become preferable again. Motion by Erickson for Rental Housing Advisory Board to continue meeting virtually. Seconded by Lord. Motion carried 6-1. (No: Jevaltas) X. Elections for Chair and Vice Chair Ms. Jevaltas nominated Mr. Ernst for Chair. There were no other nominations. Motion by Hutchison to close nominations and elect Mr. Ernst as Chair. Seconded by Erickson. Motion carried 7-0. Mr. Ernst stated that he is happy to serve and will continue to do so to the best of his ability. Mr. Lord nominated Mr. Hutchison for Vice Chair. There were no other nominations. Rental Housing Advisory Board Minutes 6 Motion by Erickson to close nominations and elect Mr. Hutchison as Vice Chair. Seconded by Jevaltas. Motion carried 7-0. XI. Winnebago County Eviction Data Update Ms. Erickson stated that there were 209 eviction filings for Winnebago County in 2021, 61 of which were in May 2021. Both totals are slightly above average. Typically the highest number of evictions is in the summer. Around 20% of eviction filings result in a judgement and the eviction occurring. Mr. Lord asked if there can be an eviction without a judgement. Ms. Erickson replied that it could be mediated in some way or thrown out before it goes through the court process. The Winnebago Conflict Resolution Center is on their Task Force and a lot of their work is trying to figure out how to mediate these cases before they result in eviction. Mr. Lord asked how individuals can get the filing off of their record if there isn’t a judgement. Ms. Erickson replied that the Tenant Resource Center has information about that. If the eviction case was dismissed and there is no docketed money judgement, it will be removed from C-CAP after two years. If there was a writ of restitution where the tenant was evicted by court order, it will be removed from C-CAP after twenty years. She doesn’t know the process for requesting to have a filing removed earlier or if that is even possible. Ms. Jevaltas asked if there are certain landlords who evict more than other landlords. Mr. Hutchison replied that he knows anecdotally from other landlords that some tend to evict more. They start the paperwork if the rent is five days late. Others are more laid back. It also depends on property location. They might have strict policies if it’s a high-demand area. Others are in partnerships with different non-profits and they really want to make sure that tenants are not evicted. Mr. Ernst replied that they could research in C-CAP and figure out who is filing. The information is available, but it would be somewhat labor intensive. Mr. Lord replied that some landlords don’t have very strict screening criteria so they are taking people who are at-risk in the first place. Mr. Hutchison asked if Ms. Erickson would be able to specify which landlords are involved in the filings. Ms. Erickson stated that she can share a map they put together showing clusters of where evictions occur at the next meeting. It might take some effort to drill down to Oshkosh specifically, but she thinks it is possible. Rental Housing Advisory Board Minutes 7 Mr. Hutchison replied that a lot of landlords hold properties under different LLCs, so they might not show as the same landlord. Mr. Ernst replied that they can cross reference with the City rental registry to make sure the properties are registered as well. XII. Wisconsin Eviction Data Project Ms. Erickson stated that there is an Inter-Agency Council on Homelessness that is tracking the number of eviction filings and judgements on a monthly basis. The website is ran by a sociologist from the Eviction Lab. There are graphs for 2019 through 2021 and it can be broken down by county and zip code. Mr. Ernst replied that it was last updated in June. Filings almost doubled from April to May in Winnebago County whereas most other counties had roughly the same number of filings. 35 to 61 is a pretty significant jump even if the number of judgements has stayed relatively consistent. That would seem to be echoed in part by what the board learned today from ADVOCAP in terms of the number of people requesting assistance. XIII. Affordable Housing Study Update Mr. Davis stated that the consultant is continuing with data gathering and meeting with citizens, housing partners, and housing providers. The technical committee is meeting tomorrow and they will have a preliminary report at the end of June or early July. Mr. Hutchison stated that it is important to note that it is a housing study, not just an affordable housing study and that having housing available at the upper ranges will free up housing for the lower ranges. Mr. Lord stated that a few years about 20% or more of affordable housing was being used by more affluent people who could afford more. Ms. Erickson replied that people staying in their homes for longer is also kind of drying up housing that would have otherwise been available. As people are able to live more independently, it trickles down and affects younger generations. Mr. Lord replied that they cannot build affordable housing right now and they really need to look at the older, more established neighborhoods to see what can be done. Mr. Ernst asked if anyone has been contacted by the consultant for feedback. Mr. Lord replied that he was invited to a virtual meeting, but was he was unable to attend. Ms. Erickson replied that she was attended one listening session. Rental Housing Advisory Board Minutes 8 Mr. Lord asked if the listening sessions were still happening. Mr. Davis replied that he can check and staff will send a follow up e-mail with the dates. Mr. Hutchison replied that there was also a survey they sent out. Mr. Ernst asked if Mr. Zarate could share the survey on social media if not done already. Mr. Davis replied that they will make sure it gets on the Facebook page. Ms. Jevaltas asked what the plan is once the study is complete and if the City will be developing new programs. Mr. Davis replied that they are looking at the existing programs to see if they need to be modified or if new programs need to be created. XIV. Public Information Campaign – Tenant and Landlord Rights Mr. Ernst stated that in lieu of attempting to pass a Tenant Bill of Rights for the City the board decided to develop a public information or media campaign focusing on informing both landlords and tenants of their rights as well as providing them with materials and resources. He asked if anyone had any ideas or priorities, topics to cover, media to use, or things of that nature. He has a few ideas, but he is particularly interested in what the landlord board members see as problems that could be addressed through this campaign. Mr. Lord stated that he always liked Mayor Palmeri’s idea of a welcome packet available to tenants at the start of their tenancy. Mr. Ernst asked if the board would need to come up with the welcome packet and provide the packet to landlords. Mr. Lord replied that the packet doesn’t need to be just the law. It could also include neighborhood information. Mr. Ernst replied that it seems more like the responsibility of individual landlords to provide the packets. The board’s involvement might be to develop a document for the packet. Part of the basis for not passing the Bill of Rights was that those materials already exist. Landlords can provide that information to tenants. Some do or make claims that they do, but others don’t. The question is the best ways to get it to the people that need it. He would also like to know what problems landlords need addressing and what the issues they need addressed in terms of the treatment they receive. One example provided was that sometimes landlords can’t make it to court. They can’t do much about that, but they might be able to address other issues that create an imbalance for landlords. They need to identify the problems before they decide on strategies to inform. Rental Housing Advisory Board Minutes 9 Mr. Lord replied that maybe there could be a FAQ page. Mr. Ernst replied that they need to know what the questions are for a FAQ page. Mr. Lord replied that the state receives 1,300 landlord complaints every year. The second most common complaint is about evictions in winter and there’s nothing on the books preventing evictions in winter. Sometimes he thinks clarity is the issue. There is also a misconception about the notice for entry. Mr. Ernst asked which way that problem is running. Mr. Lord replied that he’s seen things saying the landlord can’t come in at all. He’s also seen a 12 hour notice and a 24 hour notice. Ms. Jeavaltas stated that page two of the state handout states that “local housing codes generally establish the standards which rental housing must meet. A landlord must maintain the rental properties under the requirements of local housing codes.” The local housing codes need to be provided if they are going to distribute the state handout to people. It is general legal information, good information, but it’s not specific to Oshkosh. They could also add a list of common violations that they see. Mr. Ernst replied that they have used brochures in the past to distribute that information. Part of what they talked about last time was updating and redistributing the brochures to places where they would be most useful to vulnerable communities. He thinks it is important to identify the vulnerable populations so they can deliver the message to them and craft it appropriately. That is somewhat complicated in this instance because there’s a great variety and stratification in the classes between landlords and tenants. The message applies to a lot of people. Questions about evictions, eviction proceedings, entry, local housing codes, and issues pertaining to landlord retaliation are common. If it’s going to be unique to Oshkosh, they should also talk about a misconception with the rental inspection ordinance that tenants will be held responsible for the City’s findings and punished for allowing the inspection. His vision is a poster or a flyer that mentions renting that can be posted in a variety of locations like service agencies, bars, and restaurants. Renting is one of those interesting words in the English language that signifies both being a tenant and a landlord. The poster could be asking the question “what do you know about your rights?” as it pertains to a list of common issues. At the bottom of the poster they can provide QR codes linking to important resources like the state packet, ADVOCAP, or Legal Aid of Wisconsin. This type of messaging in public places helps get the conversation going and asks questions for people to educate themselves. Ms. Jevaltas replied that she thinks the poster would be a good idea. She thinks it would be a good idea to come up with a one liner that can be repeated and that will help the tenants. Her brother has been renting a place for three years and for three years the front porch has had a hole in the steps that they can’t walk up. He doesn’t want to talk to his landlord because he’s afraid he will be evicted. That is the most common fear across the board for tenants. In terms of the poster, people need to know that they can complain without retaliation. She thinks a one liner that’s simple and repeatable would work for the poster. Is her brother going to read it? She doesn’t think so. If his landlord gives it to him, he’s Rental Housing Advisory Board Minutes 10 not going to read it. He’s a vulnerable guy. He’s one person out of so many that are like him. Mr. Ernst replied that they need to make it clear that part of this is the tenant’s responsibility to empower themselves. Being unwilling to read the literature is unfortunate. Part of the problem they see is that tenant rights get buried among the responsibilities or things the landlord can do to tenants in instances of eviction or non-compliance. It is still up to the tenant to take responsibility for themselves. That being said, he thinks a slogan or a catch phrase is a great idea. Ms. Garrett stated that she definitely agrees that there can be some fear out there, but they have to remember the goal is empowering people. You don’t know what you don’t know. If they’re aware and they don’t do anything, that’s another thing. She does think the catch phrase is a good idea and she would like to make sure that the poster is available in places that vulnerable populations frequent. She loves the idea of a QR code, but they should also make sure there is contact information like a phone number because some people don’t have access to a smart phone or the internet. Mr. Ernst replied that he agrees that contact information in the form a phone number or link in addition to the QR code would make a lot of sense. Ms. Erickson stated that she likes the idea and she wonders if there’s a way they could work with Legal Action of Wisconsin because they might be doing some of this already. Maybe they could come to the next meeting to see what common things they are hearing from landlords and tenants. If they’re already doing some of this education, it might be helpful in terms of avoiding duplication of work. Mr. Ernst replied that on the point of education, access to multilingual materials will be important, but coupling information with trainings and seminars is also important. They have Rent Smart which is useful for a lot of people, but he doesn’t think it covers some of the more specific communication issues like how to navigate the imbalance of the tenant-landlord relationship. He thinks it would be useful to develop and offer or find people to develop and offer seminars and trainings to help focus on skills like communication between landlords and tenants. Workshops on how tenants can organize and form their own associations would be important as well and can be found in similar campaigns nationwide. The more organization the tenants can do on their own, the less work the board will need to do and it will help give voice to tenant concerns. Ms. Garret asked if the board could explore partnering with or involving Oshkosh Healthy Neighborhoods to get the word out because there’s so many of those associations all over Oshkosh. Ms. Erickson replied that they might know where the rental properties are located and can help spread information that way. Mr. Ernst replied that he thinks going directly to renters is important in terms of making them aware that the board is here to be concerned about them and to help them communicate with the City. Ms. Erickson asked Mr. Lord if the Apartment Association is meeting. Mr. Lord replied that they haven’t been and typically don’t meet in summer. They plan to meet in Rental Housing Advisory Board Minutes 11 September and have some plans made to address the supply of affordable housing. Ms. Erickson replied that she was wondering if there was training for landlords or information. Mr. Lord replied that landlord and tenant law can be taught to both groups. He thinks that’s a good idea and they don’t have to recreate the wheel. Maybe the Inspections Department could take an hour to share common violations and how to correct them. He doesn’t think it needs to be one thing for renters and one thing for landlords. A lot of the time it’s the same. Mr. Ernst stated that in summation the important issues are state law pertaining to landlord and tenant rights, local housing codes and how those interact with state law, information specific to local ordinances like the rental inspection ordinance to help counter misconceptions which may still exist, and common issues landlords and tenants face like evictions, unreturned security deposits, illegal entry, and failure to repair. Mr. Hutchison stated that he is still trying to figure out how to disseminate this to tenants or if there is some way they can identify where tenants are located. He’s struggling to figure out how they can specifically target tenants. Mr. Ernst replied that they know which properties are available for rent if they’re registered as the law requires, so they could figure out areas based on that. Ms. Erickson asked how they send out the rental inspection education notices and if that could be used to do direct mailings to tenants. Mr. Ernst replied that direct mailings could be an option. Mr. Hutchison asked if the flyer could be included in the inspection notice when those start again. Mr. Ernst replied that they’ve done the brochures in the past with the notices. That could definitely be part of the strategy. Mr. Hutchison replied that the poster idea with the QR codes and links could have a link to all the other resources as well. Mr. Ernst replied that there would be a QR code for each resource. Ms. Jevaltas stated that there should be graphic on the poster relating to what they want to say to grab people’s attention. The average Joe reads at a sixth grade level, so they need to have a funny graphic or something that grabs someone’s attention. She thinks focusing on the poster first might be a good idea since there are so many moving parts. Mr. Ernst replied that he agrees, but the thinks that having a strategy with multiple stages at the onset is important so that they can decide what the meaningful steps are. If anyone has any design or layout ideas or information, please send them to amaier@ci.oshkosh.wi.us for the next meeting. Rental Housing Advisory Board Minutes 12 XV. American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Project Recommendations Mr. Davis stated that the board received forms to provide American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) recommendations. He can’t provide too many details. The have the option of making a recommendation as a group or as individuals. The deadline is July and more information will be coming. Ms. Erikson stated that there’s going to be an online survey potentially through Polco if people prefer that option. There will be three in-person input sessions in June for people to share their thoughts if anyone would like to attend. More information will be coming out about the sessions. Mr. Ernst stated that he sent his letter with recommendations to Mr. Rohloff after the last meeting. Mr. Rohloff replied that he was interested in pursuing some of the things, but he was also interested in any recommendations the board might have. He asked if anyone had a chance to review the recommendations he provided at the last meeting. Mr. Hutchison replied that he read it initially, but he didn’t think that anything else was going to happen with it because it wasn’t being submitted as a board recommendation. He asked if they would be able to request funds to use for the public information campaign and if there are any parameters on how the money can be used. Ms. Erickson replied that there are a few categories including infrastructure like broadband access and lead pipe assistance, social service or non-profit relief, revenue loss recovery like room and property tax revenue, and business assistance. If they make it broad she thinks they could fit within the social service or non-profit relief section. Mr. Ernst asked what the Apartment Association would like to see. Mr. Lord replied that one of the problems they have with affordable housing in older neighborhoods is that the rents aren’t sufficient to rehabilitate the properties. An older house might need $20,000 to $40,000 in repairs and the numbers aren’t there. He wouldn’t mind seeing something simple like rebates for putting in windows rather than having a lot of paperwork, something easy to understand and implement with fewer strings attached. Mr. Ernst asked if the existing programs that provide low interest loans cover those types of things. Mr. Lord replied that not as many of those loans are given to smaller landlords because there are too many strings attached. His idea is something that would be quick and easy like a windows program. Most lead poisoning comes from windows and not from pipes. Mr. Ernst replied that those are problems that existed perhaps before COVID. He asked what Mr. Lord would like the COVID relief funds to be used for. Mr. Lord replied that he thought windows would fit into what Ms. Erickson identified. Rental Housing Advisory Board Minutes 13 Ms. Erickson replied that they are going to get more clarification, but it may not have not be specifically related to COVID. Mr. Hutchison asked how many rental rehab loans are out there and how much is being used. Mr. Davis replied that it’s been a lukewarm reception for the rental rehab program because they need to monitor the tenant income for 15 years for CDBG funds and they take a match from the landlord. Mr. Hutchison replied that he liked Mr. Lord’s idea about simplifying that. It’s a good program, but one of the things that landlords worry about the most is the rent restriction and verifying the rents. There is a lot of documentation. It would probably be used more and solve more problems if it could be simplified as a rebate program. Mr. Lord replied that the reason he mentioned the windows is that he’s worked with the health department to get grants and it is very difficult. It would go a long way toward investing in the older neighborhoods to get rid of that. Mr. Ernst stated that he made several recommendations specific to landlords in his letter and asked if Mr. Lord had any specific comments about those recommendations. Mr. Lord replied that he did not have any comments. He read it a month or so ago and it was mostly related to COVID relief and he thinks that’s covered in a lot of other programs. They have a large amount of money available for rent and energy assistance, but they don’t have resources available for affordable housing. Their vacancy rate is at 2% and the healthy range is between 2% and 5%, so his focus now is creating higher quality and quantity of affordable housing units. If this funding can be used for that, then he thinks that’s a good idea. Mr. Ernst replied that some of his recommendations were creating local eviction mediation programs to help resolve disputes in housing, helping to subsidize the mortgages for landlords who own single family dwellings or a limited amount of multi-family units, establishing a tenant legal defense fee to help guarantee representation in court, and helping to further subsidize the rental assistance itself if needed. Mr. Hutchison stated that the funds to help with foreclosures is an interesting idea. He was on a conference call this morning where they discussed that when the foreclosure moratorium ends there could be mass foreclosures and the people that will have the biggest problems are going to be smaller landlords who will be gobbled up by larger investors. He doesn’t know if that will come to fruition, but if that’s going to be a problem, then that would be a good idea. Mr. Ernst replied that his research supports that. He spent a lot of time putting it together, especially the reference list. The literature focuses on stabilizing mom and pop landlords specifically for the reasons Mr. Hutchison mentioned and also because they are the most vulnerable. If they’re key to providing affordable housing, then stabilizing them is important. Rental Housing Advisory Board Minutes 14 Mr. Lord replied that he would love to see more help for small landlords. They’re not trying to make much money which is keeping their units affordable. They’re not focused on it as much because it’s not a significant source of revenue for them. The average Wisconsin landlord only owns two units. There’s only so much focus they can give because they’re making money elsewhere. He’s in favor of anything to help smaller landlords. Ms. Jevaltas asked if the foreclosures apply to non-landlords and if homeowners would be able to stay in their homes to keep rentals available. Mr. Ernst replied that at the risk of sounding crass, they’re trying to focus on the housing providers here. Ideally no one should have to risk foreclosure because of COVID. Ms. Jevaltas replied that foreclosures mean that there would be more renters out there with little housing available. For that reason everyone is a responsibility. Mr. Ernst stated that they have the paperwork to send their recommendations to the City Manager. XVI. Other Business Mr. Ernst stated that he has not heard back about the Farmer’s Market dates yet, but he will keep the board updated. Ms. Garrett asked when a decision will be made about the public information campaign. Mr. Ernst replied that they are still in the brainstorming stage. XVII. Adjournment There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 5:25 PM. (Jevaltas/Lord)