AHAA Endorsement: District 1

April 1, 2013 7:57 am

Lisa Subeck v Philip Sigurslid

Yeah, we went with Subeck, a long time member of the group who worked in the field for many years . . .

SUBECK ANSWERS
1. Do we have an adequate supply of affordable housing in Madison? (“Affordable” means that the rent or mortgage does not exceed 30 percent of the household income.)
Would you advocate for increasing funding for the City Affordable Housing Trust Fund? What other ideas would you have to increase the supply?

We do not have an adequate supply of affordable housing in Madison. I believe the Affordable Housing Trust Fund is the best mechanism for growing our supply in the long-term. I have long been a proponent of finding a sustainable funding source for the Trust Fund and will continue to seek a mechanism for its funding. The AHTF is under-capitalized and needs to reach a higher level of capital to be useful to its full potential. While I support using AHTF to increase the supply of affordable housing immediately, I am also concerned that we not use so much of it that it eventually ceases to exist. To be effective, it must be fully capitalized and generating adequate interest to fund itself in perpetuity.

Certainly, there are other programs on the state and federal levels – such as Section 42 tax credits – that encourage building affordable housing. On the city level, I would like to see CDA take a more active role in developing affordable housing options.

2. Do you support the city facilitating the use of vacant properties for affordable housing, and if so, what do you think the city’s role should be? Would you support a vacant property registration ordinance?

It depends upon the nature of the vacant property. Clearly, the city should consider affordable housing whenever possible when developing or providing funds for the development of a vacant property. I would also support the city looking for ways to provide or find support for the rehabilitation of foreclosed properties to be used for affordable housing (such as small cap TIF and various federal programs funded over the past few years).

I have not considered a vacant property registration ordinance, but the idea is appealing on the surface. Other communities have used such ordinances as a mechanism to ensure adequate contact information for owners of vacant property, to ensure code compliance, and to encourage property owners to more quickly turn around their distressed properties. I would be concerned about potential fees associated with such an ordinance, however. On the surface, the idea is a good one that I would likely support, but the devil is in the details.

3. The rental housing market in the Madison area is very tight right now, with a 2.07 percent vacancy rate reported for the last quarter of 2012. Do you think the city should get involved in planning to make sure there is enough housing for its residents, and if so, what should its role be?

The city definitely has a role in ensuring adequate rental housing is available for students, individuals and families who choose to rent, and those who are not in a position to own their home. As we approve various neighborhood plans, move forward with our new zoning code, and make decisions on individual development projects, we should have an eye toward the need for additional rental options. Additionally, when we consider development of city owned property or the use of city subsidies for development, we should consider rental housing a critical part of the equation.

4. Given that both the city and county provide funding to homeless shelters, do you think the city/county should play a role in making sure the shelters are adequately operated and meet standards for service and habitability? Would you support efforts to increase transparency and accountability through an improved shelter grievance process?

I believe both the city and county have a responsibility to ensure the quality of the services we fund. I would fully support an improved shelter grievance process and appropriate standards for our homeless shelters.

5. It is estimated that there are 300-400 unsheltered persons living in the Madison area. Shelter stays are subject to annual limits of 60-90 days, depending on the shelter. Would you support making a downtown City building available to unsheltered persons to allow them to sleep in safety and access 24 hour restrooms?

In theory, I support this. Having worked in the homeless shelter system for several years, I understand the need, but I also understand the demands of providing shelter. Therefore, I would only support this if adequate funding and staffing is available to make it work and ensure the health, safety, and welfare of both the homeless individuals using the building and the public. Ideally, we would expand our shelter options to make these services available in a dedicated space.

6. Would you support expanding local equal opportunity ordinances to prohibit discrimination in housing and public accommodations against person who have animals which a qualified professional has recommended as providing a beneficial service or support?

Yes, I would support expanding our local equal opportunities ordinances to prohibit discrimination in housing and public accommodations in these circumstances. I believe this would require expanding the definition of service animal to include any animal recommended by a qualified professional and including a definition of a qualified professional. I am assuming this would generally include medical professionals and other mental health professionals.

7. AHAA is part of a coalition that is working to advance housing as a human right. Are you aware of the Housing as a Human Right resolution that was passed by the Madison City Council? The resolution is available here: http://legistar.cityofmadison.com/detailreport/Reports/Temp/2720127421.pdf
Can we count on you to help implement the resolution? If so, what would be your priorities? Will you include implementation of the resolution in your priorities for the 2014 City Budget?

I was a co-sponsor of the resolution and support its implementation. Obviously, there are many steps to implementing such a broad ordinance, and my first priority would be to focus on the “housing plan” called for in the ordinance. We must start with a meaningful and effective plan if we are ever to make progress. I would support funding necessary to develop such a plan in the 2014 budget. On a non-budgetary note, I also believe one of the biggest barriers to progress in this arena is the fractured city/county relationship as it relates to housing and homelessness. We must do a better job of working together and cannot simply blame each other, or I fear we will never move forward.

Also, as I believe the Affordable Housing Trust Fund is a critical tool for implementing this resolution, I would prioritize finding a sustainable funding source for AHTF in the 2014 budget.

8. Our state legislature recently enacted 2011 Wisconsin Act 108, which attacks local ordinances expanding equal opportunity for lower income tenants. The law can be found here: https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2011/related/acts/108
The legislature also enacted 2011 Wisconsin Act 143, which makes changes to landlord/tenant practices. It can be found here: http://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2011/related/acts/143
If 2011 Acts 108 and/or 143 are repealed, will you support full restoration of our fair housing and tenant protection ordinances?

I absolutely support restoring our fair housing and tenant protection ordinances. Because of these and other ordinances preempted during the last 2 years by our State Legislature, I proposed the 77 Square ordinance (named by our City Attorney’s office) by which such laws are moved into a section of our Madison General Ordinances that states they are not in effect due to state preemption but does not actually repeal the ordinances. It was my intent that by doing so, we would make reinstatement easier should the state laws change in the future.

SIGURSLID RESPONSES
1. Do we have an adequate supply of affordable housing in Madison? (“Affordable” means that the rent or mortgage does not exceed 30 percent of the household income.)
Would you advocate for increasing funding for the City Affordable Housing Trust Fund? What other ideas would you have to increase the supply?

1. No, we do not enough affordable housing. To determine the ability of an potential renter, tenants use a yardstick of 50% of income to determine ability. So half of one’s income may be used to pay rent, with no problems from the renter. The question is often how much will people pay over how much can people pay. The slow decline of the federal governments money into affordable housing has caused a steady increase into homelessness. I will advocate for increased funding to make housing affordable. But we can’t stop there. Housing is sometimes used as a blanket term. Housing can mean placing people where we think they should go. It is far from a concept of home. That is what people want, and it is without question a human right. I don’t want to say that an influx of money is the only solution, but it is needed. I have seen some cities use a public bank as way to help budgets. Instead of funding a large scale bank with interest paid on debt owed, we could internalize the loss with the help of the community. It would allow funds for local projects as well.

2. It makes zero sense to have multiple vacant properties and so many people without homes. We have to facilitate, advocate, and if needed, yell for those who are not heard. If vacant properties are known to us, we can better make use of them. I have no idea why we accept people without homes in the modern era. We can do something about it, and the end result should never be saying “that’s the way it is.” If Madison needs to be aggressive to solve this problem, then so be it. No excuses, let’s just move forward with eliminating this problem in our community.

3. As a renter, I love the idea of having choices in where I live. I’m interested in living in a diverse community. I think that a home should reflect some of a person’s personality. Our homes are extensions of us, after all. But first, we must have enough for everyone. As we all know, Madison is an isthmus, and limited in that regard. Build, baby, build is not a realistic mantra. If Madison needs to be aggressive in making sure there is enough housing, then so be it. I would hope that private industry will meet those demands. If they don’t, the city must answer the call. Using Smart Growth as a guide, the city must recognize and adapt to what is required. If demand for rentals is high, we must accommodate.

4. Forgive me for saying this, but I have a hard time believing that some people would take an opposing view to what you asking. No one could argue that these people should have a shelter that is uninhabitable. Housing is a right, whether that is recognized or not. Our shelters should be as hospitable as we can make such an environment. So yes, to insure that this basic human right is not ignored, the city/county must make sure that our shelters are adequate at the very least. In response to the second question, I am behind open government at all levels. If we need to have shelter grievance process that is more transparent and accountable put in place, then we should do that. I think that this will help quell many abuses that may occur, and we need that in many parts of society.

5. Yes, we should have this in place already. I am certainly not in favor of transporting people away from the downtown as a “solution” for homelessness. Some people don’t homeless residents downtown. I view this as an out of sight, out of mind solution. If we don’t have to think of a problem daily, that problem stills exist. I lived in Las Vegas for a few years. Many tourists are impressed with the absence of homeless people. The casinos transport homeless out of their area to an area known as “Tent City”. The problem is solved from the casino’s end. Meanwhile, thousands of people are forgotten. This is unacceptable. A downtown shelter with restrooms and safe place to sleep is an absolute must for our city.

6. These people need service or support animals. Period. We do not discriminate against people who need a wheelchair. In fact, we make things easy to access for them. The same should be true for people with service/support animals. They need them, we need to be accept them. If they are being discriminated against, we need to prohibit that at any level of government.

7. Actually, I was not aware that Madison had done this. I applaud this as an action. I had seen in the news that some larger cities had done this, and was very happy to learn this news. If we are to serve people better, we need to control some of the language used by our leaders. It is easy for people to dismiss entitlements because that is a drain on our budgets. But it is harder to dismiss help for the disabled, sick or elderly portions of our population. Same idea, but we used a more direct term to describe this. Americans do not like people taking away their rights. If housing is a right, it will better unify people against homelessness. I support the implementation of this resolution, at any time, including the 2014 City Budget. We should make funding a priority and start with people at the greatest disadvantage. Living on the streets is unacceptable. We must not tolerate it as part of the way things are.

8. I support fair housing and tenant protection in all circumstances. We have a duty to bring people together. It starts with equality but it doesn’t end there. If we need ordinances to make sure these practices are occurring, then we should restore them. Regardless if I am elected or not, these are my beliefs. I have no interest in blaming the people who have less in our world. They are disadvantaged enough as it is.