Report to Mayor and City Council
Tuesday, June 20, 2017
Consent
SUBJECT:
Title
CONSIDERATION OF AMENDMENT NO. 1 TO THE AGREEMENT FOR FAIR HOUSING SERVICES WITH THE HOUSING RIGHTS CENTER
Body
I. SUMMARY
On May 5, 2015, City Council approved an agreement with the Housing Rights Center (HRC) to administer a fair housing services program for the period July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2017, with an option for the City to renew the agreement for an additional year (July 1, 2017 through June 30, 2018) at its discretion. A proposed amendment to that agreement, exercising that option to renew it for that additional one-year period, is being presented for City Council consideration.
This contract is being extended ahead of and apart from the adoption of the CDBG Annual Action Plan because under the CDBG guidelines the City cannot be without contracted fair housing services, per the terms of CDBG requirements. This contract amendment will be replaced with the new contract, which contains additional services, once the Annual Plan is approved and submitted to HUD and HUD releases the grant funding. The delay this year in HUD announcing CDBG allocations for grantees has created a situation where there would be a gap of several months in the service provided.
II. RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
TAKE the following actions:
1. APPROVE Amendment No. 1 to the fair housing services agreement between the City of Carson and the Housing Rights Center, extending the agreement for an additional one-year period (from July 1, 2017 through June 30, 2018) in an amount not to exceed $35,330.00.
2. AUTHORIZE the Mayor to execute the agreement following approval as to form by the City Attorney.
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III. ALTERNATIVES
TAKE another action the City Council deems appropriate.
IV. BACKGROUND
As a condition of receiving housing and community development funding from HUD, local governments such as the City of Carson are required to take steps to affirmatively further fair housing within their jurisdictions. One way in which this mandate is fulfilled is by providing a fair housing education, investigation, and enforcement program. This critical activity provides Carson residents and prospective residents a measure of protection from housing discrimination and facilitates avenues of redress where such discrimination is alleged and subsequently found to have occurred. This service also handles many landlord-tenant disputes and provides much-needed information to the community
HRC (and its predecessor agency, the Westside Fair Housing Council) has been providing fair housing services to Carson for well over a decade. HRC is the largest fair housing services provider in California, and possesses more staff to handle counseling, testing, litigation, and other services than any other fair housing services provider in the area. HRC’s offices are located in Los Angeles at 3255 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 1150. HRC maintains an on-site presence in Carson by offering a twice-monthly walk-in clinic at the Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald Community Center. This amendment is being presented at this time to maintain the continuity of service as of July 1, 2017. Additional fair housing services have been recommended as a result of the City’s recent Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice. Staff is presently in the process of working out an expanded scope of services with HRC, and as a result, will present another amendment to the agreement, incorporating that expanded scope of services, as part of the adoption of the CDBG Annual Action Plan.
The continued agreement, as well as the funding for it, are contingent on the receipt of CDBG funds from HUD, and will be included in the City’s 2017-2018 CDBG Annual Action Plan.
V. FISCAL IMPACT
Funds for this agreement will be included in the proposed CDBG Annual Action Plan and in the proposed FY 2017-18 CDBG budget, in account number 15-70-780-195-6005. There is no anticipated General Fund impact, unless program costs are incurred and Congress eliminates the CDBG program.
VI. EXHIBITS
1. Amendment No. 1 to Fair Housing Services Agreement. (Pgs. 3-7)
Prepared by: Keith Bennett, Community Development Department