Report to Mayor and City Council
Tuesday, November 21, 2017
Consent
SUBJECT:
Title
CONSIDERATION OF AN AGREEMENT FOR FAIR HOUSING SERVICES WITH THE HOUSING RIGHTS CENTER IN THE AMOUNT OF $43,220, PAID FOR FROM COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT FUNDS (CITY COUNCIL)
Body
I. SUMMARY
On June 20, 2017, City Council approved an amendment to the fair housing services agreement with the Housing Rights Center (HRC), extending that agreement for an additional year, from July 1, 2017 to June 30, 2018. As additional services were requested to address issues related to racial discrimination in real estate and lending markets found in the Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice (“AI”) process, Council is now presented with a new agreement which terminates and supersedes the prior agreement and amendment, covering the period July 1, 2017 through June 30, 2018, with the option to renew for an additional year (July 1, 2018 through June 30, 2019), for consideration.
II. RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
TAKE the following actions:
1. APPROVE the proposed Agreement for Contract Services with the Housing Rights Center; and
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 the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), local governments such as the Carson are required to take steps to affirmatively further fair housing within their jurisdictions. One way to fulfill this mandate 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 needed information to the community
HRC and its predecessor agency, the Westside Fair Housing Council, have been providing fair housing services to Carson for over a decade. HRC is the largest fair housing services provider in California, and handles more 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.
A previous contract between the City and HRC covered July 1, 2016 through June 30, 2017. Because of uncertainty as to the continuation of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds and the resulting delay and revision to the timeframe for preparing and submitting the CDBG Annual Action Plan to HUD, that contract was due to expire prior to the approval and submission of the Action Plan so an amendment to the previous contract was presented at the June 20, 2017 meeting to maintain continuity of service on July 1, 2017. Council was advised that staff was in the process of working out an expanded scope of services with HRC, incorporating additional fair housing services as a result of the AI approved in April, and that a new contract, incorporating that expanded scope of services, would be presented to Council for approval after the Action Plan was submitted. Council approved submission of the Action Plan at its July 18, 2017 meeting, and the City recently received notification that the Action Plan was approved by HUD.
The new contract includes some additional services to address some findings of racial discrimination in the real estate and lending markets found during the AI process.
V. FISCAL IMPACT
Funds for the first year of this agreement are included in the 2017-2018 CDBG Annual Action Plan and in the FY 2017/18 CDBG budget, in account number 15-70-780-195-6005. Funding for the second year of the agreement is contingent on the continued receipt of CDBG funds. There is no General Fund impact.
VI. EXHIBITS
1. Agreement for Contract Services Between The City of Carson and Housing Rights Center. (Pgs. 3-37)
Prepared by: Keith Bennett, Community Development Department