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HCHA meeting March 2, 2021 <br />approved. There's really two things we're achieving with this amendment, the <br />first one is that the amendment will help us to receive an additional 23 million <br />dollars that HUD has allocated to the County to continue to support its recovery <br />through the Community Development Block Grant for Disaster Recovery. <br />Receiving the funds just triggers the amendment, right, cause we're adding <br />money and reprogramming those funds but it's also an opportunity to look at <br />what other solutions in addition to the buyout makes sense with the available <br />resources for recovery. In terms of core policy that have really had to drive <br />where we focus on solutions, HUD requires that we look at housing solutions first <br />and foremost before any grantee from 2018 or 2019 can allocate projects, <br />allocate funding to projects that would otherwise be eligible like infrastructure or <br />economic development so we're taking a really hard look at what our housing <br />need is. There is a lot of data that we looked at from federal sources and what <br />not to really understand our housing need and there's still a gap so as long as <br />there's a gap and right now after factoring the 83 million from HUD there's still <br />just under a 160 million dollar gap in terms of specifically housing need. The <br />one that we're working to understand more deeply is insurance pay outs, right, <br />cause that would really start to tip the scale in terms of what remains in terms of <br />housing need and really the substantial amendment to the Action Plan it <br />will capture that, right, one of the key questions that we made sure to include in <br />the recently launched 0auea housing survey, just last Thursday, was actually <br />asking folks about their level of their insurance coverage both regular <br />homeowner and as well as whether there was any volcanic activity, eruption <br />coverage and if they got a pay out and how much cause that is quantative <br />data that we will confirm once folks apply for buyout programs but for the <br />planning purposes and articulating the data to HUD it's really going to be a very <br />valuable piece of information while we also look at verifying other issues and <br />really that will inform what additional housing solutions or other types of projects <br />can be developed through this process of the amendment. We're on a timeline <br />to do this Action Plan amendment, this amendment is due to HUD because of <br />the additional 23 million dollars by July of 2021 so what this means is that in <br />addition to standing the buyout program over the next weeks and months, we <br />also have to work on the amendment concurrently and so we really hope that <br />between the survey, the folks who kind of register or partake in kind of applying <br />for the buyout program, that will be also data that we can use in terms of <br />reflecting what this amendment says and what it shows. Prior to submission to <br />HUD for initial review, there will be a 30 -day public comment period we <br />anticipate that to be in and around the month of June 2021 so that gives us <br />some time to prepare the amendment, do the public comment period, reflect <br />any updates or changes to the draft Action Plan amendment as a result of the <br />public comment period and still make it in time for HUD review in early July so <br />you know one of the really exciting things about federal funding is that there is a <br />lot of mechanics and a lot of spinning plates but I think that's why, you know, we <br />work real closely together including with the Office of Housing and Community <br />Page 5 of 19 <br />