This is from Heidi Wegleitner and supported by the Homeless Services Consortium and many housing advocates, but now, your voice is needed! They need to hear from people in their districts . . . that are not the usual suspects. (Usual suspects – still email your own supervisor or show up tonight, your voices are needed too!)
Contact all county board at: County_Board_Recipients@countyofdane.com (include your address so they know you are a constituent.)
Health and Human Needs members only:
young.hayley@countyofdane.com
wegleitner.heidi@countyofdane.com
levin.jeremy@countyofdane.com
veldran@countyofdane.com
zweifel.nick@countyofdane.com
kilmer.richard@countyofdane.com
ferrell@countyofdane.com
Friends,
Tonight I’ll be introducing amendments to advance our housing justice agenda in Dane County. We know that the solution to homelessness is HOUSING NOT HANDCUFFS and this budget package invests in new housing creation, staff for housing planning and collaboration, and tenant education and counseling services to keep persons secure in their rental housing.
We have made real progress since we recognized housing as a human right in Dane County on July 12, 2012. We have created the affordable housing development fund, updated our comprehensive plan with new strategies to implement housing as a human right, received a UW Report (aka Paulsen report) on Dane County’s affordable housing needs, created due process protections for persons denied access to shelter, established reporting requirements on evictions from county supported housing providers, convened two Dane County Housing Summits, worked to site and fund a comprehensive day resource center, enhanced resources and cooperation with the City of Madison to address our housing needs and gaps in homeless services, and worked with the Homeless Services Consortium to develop a new Community Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness.
While we have made great strides, we must be deliberate in our efforts to create MORE UNITS, prevent new cases of homelessness, and increase our housing partnerships to meet the needs of all Dane County residents. That’s why I am asking for your support for the following amendments to be voted on tonight at Dane County’s Health and Human Needs Committee, at 5:30 PM in Rm. 354 of the City-County Building, 210 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. You can email health and human needs committee members and/or the full county board at county_board_recipients@co.wi.dane.us Here are all the amendments
1. HHN – C-1 Dedicate the County-owned Messner property (3 parcels at or near 1326 E. Washington Ave.) for a development project that includes PERMANENT AFFORDABLE HOUSING, including a significant number of units affordable to those at or below 30% of area median income (AMI). We must create new units in high-opportunity, revitalized areas like the East Washington corridor, to advance equitable and inclusive development. Over 1300 homeless school children were identified by Madison schools last year and many schools, including nearby Lapham elementary, have identified the need for affordable housing for their students. The amendment provides for neighborhood involvement in the drafting of the RFP and evaluation of development proposals.
2. HHN – O-8 To make $55,000 available for tenant counseling and education services. Over 40% of Dane County residents live in rental housing. Due to changes in 2016 County contracts, tenant services have been drastically reduced or eliminated. Increased tenant services is a key objective in the Community Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness. We know many folks are insecure in their housing, sometimes moving on their own accord, because they don’t know their rights under federal, state and local laws regulating landlords. The legal landscape has become even more complicated due to recent attacks on tenant protections by the state legislature. Access to good information and assistance is key to secure housing for Dane County tenants.
3. HHN – O-9 To support a Housing Strategy Coordinator in the Department of Administration to: (a) support strategic administration of the Affordable Housing Development Fund, Community Development Block Grant, HOME Program, and other potential resources to address the housing gap identified in the Dane County Housing Needs Assessment (Paulsen Report, Jan. 2015); (b) participate in the Homeless Services Consortium and provide County support and accountability to the Community Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness; (c) provide technical assistance to Dane County municipalities on workforce housing development strategies and pursue collaborations with municipalities, housing developers, and major employers to address Dane County’s housing gap and coordinate Dane County’s annual Housing Summit; (d) work closely with the Dane County Planning and Development Department and Dane County Housing Authority to further Dane County’s goal of realizing the human right to housing for all Dane County residents; (e) coordinate with Department of Human Services homeless services administration and eviction prevention efforts; and (f) assist Dane County HUD Continuum of Care in its semi-annual point-in-time count of homeless persons, focusing on rural areas not previously covered in point-in-time counts (which factor into federal funding for homeless services, including homeless school children).
Please let me know if you have any questions. After this meeting, the amendments will go to the Personnel & Finance Committee with all the other recommendations from the County Board’s standing committees. I believe they will be presented by the HHN chair on Tuesday, Nov. 1. Personnel & Finance takes will work on a final package of amendments for the deliberation of the County Board, which will begin on Nov. 14.
Thank you!
Heidi
