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HCHA meeting <br />March 2, 2021 <br />particular agreement and then get an update from Douglas on where we are <br />with the mechanics of the agreement. With that, Director Kern you have the <br />floor. <br />Kern: Good Morning, I missed the vote on Chair, I'm assuming you're chairing? <br />Morning Madam Chair, members of the Housing Committee. We've reviewed <br />it, Douglas and I have been meeting frequently with the Mayor as well we're <br />good with this, this is a critical milestone and we're going to move forward <br />actually accepted grants, we can move forward with buy outs and the rest of it, <br />we have the survey going out and gathering more data information, it's also a <br />critical component for us to be able to move forward with the substantial <br />amendment that I know we all talked about that's going to happen so it's really <br />not a tremendous amount to it but there's a tremendous amount to it at the <br />same time because it equates to a lot of other moving components but this is <br />actually critical and we're in full support of it. <br />Kierkiewicz: Thank you, Mr. Le? <br />Le: Thank you Chair, Vice -Chair and members of the Housing Agency, pleasure <br />to be here with Director Kern to provide and update on where we are with this <br />Community Development Block Grant for Disaster Recovery and one of the <br />action items before you as an agency. As folks may know, other the past year <br />the Department of U.S. Housing and Urban Development has allocated 83.8 <br />million dollars in Community Development Block Grant for Disaster Recovery <br />funding for the 2018 Kauea eruption. At this point in time, we do have an <br />approved Action Plan from the Department of Housing and Urban <br />Development and that was approved in October of 2020. That Action Plan <br />which went through public comment period I think really has been looked at <br />and discussed very broadly within the community in terms of how the programs <br />that are proposed to serve the community but also what else we have to do to <br />really help our community recover. The priority project is a voluntary housing <br />buyout program that would serve primary homes, second homes, and also <br />undeveloped lands in that rank priority order but would also prioritize serving low <br />and moderate income households before serving non -low and moderate <br />income households and that specific provision that HUD applies to its grants for <br />disaster recovery. Really the motion before you all today is to authorize the <br />County to enter into a grant agreement so we can begin to receive the funds. <br />Why this is really critical as Director Kern mention is that it enables us to stand up <br />the buyout program which we have been working diligently to do over the last <br />several month since we were last before the Housing Agency, we hear weekly <br />from folks who are really looking for that to start so they can start to rebuild not <br />only their housing situation but for many people their financial lives following this <br />incredibly disruptive natural disaster and the grant agreement also enable us to <br />explore a substantial amendment to the Action Plan which is currently <br />Page 4 of 19 <br />