2020-11-05 HCHA Approved Minutes

Home

HCHA meeting November 5, 2020 we've discussed with community and with council in the past these HUD fundings are ... is one part of other streams of funding that support other aspects of our recovery effort from the FEMA grants that have been allocated to the County for the restoration of infrastructure to also relief that we received from the State Legislature and the Governor's office to address recovery needs more broadly. Essentially our team ... the county has been in this process since January when following the publication of the Federal Register Notice that allocated these funds the representatives from HUD were with us here on island and had an opportunity to provide some overview with the Housing Agency back in January. Since then we've been working very closely with the HUD team both recovery staff but also the finance staff to really meet these key requirements and milestones that I'm presenting here. Policies and procedures for financial management and grant compliance, our pre -award implementation plan, the CDBG-DR action plan, which is before us today and then the subsequently with the appropriate approvals at the county and being able to enter into a grant agreement to receive and expend the funds. We could print out a book of all of the rules and regulations and important requirements that come with receiving and administering these important funds. I've highlighted here just some of the key ones that really drive where we are in terms of what is being proposed with this grant. In the Federal Register Notice that allocated our funds, as known as 85 FR 4681, it is one of six Federal Register Notices that applies to our funding. For all grantees HUD directed jurisdictions to primarily consider and address our unmet housing recovery needs with this allocation prior to being able to address other recovery needs such as eco ... our economy or infrastructure. I will go in a little bit later with what housing unmet needs means to help provide context. Other key considerations, it is long established HUD policy for this island to not participate, is the framing of it, in assistance with their funding for housing reconstruction, rehabilitation, acquisition for redevelopment and also housing related infrastructure in lava zones one and two. So that's a really important piece that is not specific to these community development... the community development block grant disaster recovery funds but speaks to FHA underwriting, the use of our entitlement CDBG funds as well. And in the Federal Register Notice it is clear and is not unique to ours, our funding, that programs and activities must have a tie back to the disaster that the fund was allocated for and that 70% of program funds must assist low to moderate income households and individuals. So what is the action plan? The current approved action plan by HUD is on our website and as we move through this process since this summer we've made the document available on our website as well. I've highlighted here key chapters essentially, the pieces of this action plan, and they each have a unique role to play and also are one part of the requirements that HUD lays out in these Federal Register Notices, what the action plan actually needs to have. Page 18 of 36