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Minutes 05-01-17 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT PUBLIC PARTICIPATION MEETING HELD ON MONDAY, MAY 1, 2017, AT 5:00 P.M. IN COMMISSION CHAMBERS, BOYNTON BEACH CITY HALL 100 E. BOYNTON BEACH BOULEVARD, YT BEACH, FLORIDA Present for the City: Octavia Sherrod, Manager, Community Improvement Division Lashea Brooks, Community Development Specialist Also Present: Sherry Johnson, Community Caring Center Keturah Joseph, Boynton Beach Faith Based.,G­DC1 Jenn Rey, Aid to Victims of Domestic Violet ;�� Rhonda Holder, Pathways to Prosperity Opening A. Octavia S. Sherrod, Commty trQvement ager Octavia Sherrod, Copirnu ity Improent fir, op ' the meeting at 5:13 p.m. and welcomedall Pained ttil wa$� � Mal &mmunityRedevelopment Block Grant (CD Publ cz** rticipat i �.. tingrtised and required by the Department of Hous' and U pn Develo` ent (HUD). She explained there will be a Five-Year Consolidated and One-Ye �, fiction Plan. It was hoped funding would be available tie future 1f Intim_"d be ere made with the above individuals noted aent. vervi4w, f CDBG Prvmrn History,?owerPo4 s e n t abi on Ms. Sherrod expl ed the-City has had CDBG entitlement status since 1997, which means the City ha' ,riven a certain amount of funds to assist in devising innovative approaches i6 ss physical, economic and social community needs in low-income areas. National Objectives include: • Benefit low and moderate income persons • Address slum and blight and address a particular urgent community development need such as hurricane, flood, or tornado or other unforeseen catastrophes. When those instances occur, those emergencies are addressed first. Meeting Minutes CDBG Public Participation Meeting Boynton Beach, Florida May 1, 2017 Activities the City has undertaken with CDBG funds over the years included spending: • $245,400 on the Boynton Beach Senior Citizens Center • $386,600 on land acquisition in the HOB for four lots. • $43,170 on mostly planning and architectural drawings for urban renewal projects such as the Wilson Center and other park projects $79,615 for Sara Sims playground equipment just south MLK Jr. Blvd, behind the handball court ® $38,600 in relocation assistance for Boynton Terre • $400,000 for infrastructure improvements for the Ocean Breeze West project that provided for 21 affordable single-family homes financed by in partnership with the City, the Boynton Beach CRA, Habitat for mah and the Boynton Beach Faith Based Community Development Corporation $638,431 was on economic and • �itunity devele� ent activities including employment training, creation anq`�ention of jobs. pme of the funds were given as matching grants in part hip with Palm Bay,Lounty economic development Core Regions Grants. a • $1.5 million for Infill Housing in the C i ttls area, first , homebuyer assistance. Ms. Sherrod 1vted these we City dollars and SHIP funds were leveraged. • $500,000 federal funds suptmer � 4 millid6;in. State funding for housing rehabilitation including lead ed paw :testin ' "and remediation. Housing rehabilitationint =family de ,hed 1rrn thinity limits. Ms. Sherrod explainer-QDBG t is can bq-used for interim assistance to arrest severe deterioration or alleviate _,empt�py condi%1pps for flooding or hurricanes; clearing, demolitionftte enftt; ± ruc ,of housing in concert with community- based do�relopmbr rganiz;�. ns; and , pY�evention. Funds can be spent on public facilitibe Jncludin th cquis�er installan and construction and rehabilitation of infrastrut -p such as � r/se Vines, streets and sidewalks. Ms. Sherrod noted some of th -was undertal� ini thh;"Heart of Boynton (HOB) and around NW MLK Jr. Boulevard. ., ' 7 C Funds can also be-used for,people with special needs and acquisition construction and rehabilitation of neig'hbr facilities such as homeless shelters, group homes and halfway houses. Ms. Sfi�od explained the City's allocation of CDBG funds is less than $500,000 so the City does not use the funds for large projects. Ms. Sherrod noted: • $208,369 was spent domestic abuse, bullying prevention programs for the City's youth, • $647,881 for emergency services including food banks, shelter, mortgage rent assistance. Ms. Sherrod clarified the funds are used for the provision of these 2 Meeting it s CDBG Public Participation Meeting Boynton cFlorida1 services and not for the actual service. They assisted the agencies that provide those services including job counseling, job skills training, advocacy and nutritional education. • $31500 that was spent on Boynton terrace was for the prevention of homelessness • $199,834 was spent on child care for summer camps, the latch key programs, and gave partial scholarship • $90,930 for used for various students and youth mentoring programs by funding three or four different agencies Ms. Sherrod explained Fair Housing is an eligible,.e*pense and the City funded some agencies to assist applicants who feel they hove ' n discriminated against with purchasing and renting homes. The City also works with.. a Palm Beach County Legal Aid Society and the Fair Housing Center of P.1 a I m Beach vho have both provided educational information to organization as banks, realt r ; and members of the .. public and held workshops to ensure peo j0_are aware of whatI ,eir rights are per the Fair Housing Act. In 2016/2017, the City received $497,889. Fifteeh,perdent of the allocation can be used for public services and 20% of th 4owtipn can b" ed for the administration of the program. The rest of the funds are roth4ativities. , As of May 1St, the had r idea okhat tf17 '4 , tion will be. Ms. Sherrod commented the ,y,has ne er gone t ' S 1pn ''with having any idea of what the allocation would bel of Ms�,Serrod's poe calls anemails to the local HUD office have gone unanswer Ms. Sheero >napshtof what e fundi were used for over the last four years and epiined it ispreative of /2016 budget, because this fiscal year is not o&(Ano all of the 60pndit6a jiave not been finished. Since 2012 they were: • $271;5�(�2 for publicslices • $183,000,fr economi development • $942,717 on olusingr.�Wvities including purchase and rehabilitative services, • $142,615 on ppblicpities 'S The Community Improvement Department served 17,667 people, assisted 25 people to purchase homes and rehabilitated 15 homes. Ms. Sherrod explained this was only reflective of CDBG funds and not inclusive of SHIP funds. The City has expended much more than that because in some years, the City received more SHIP than federal funds. Ms. Sherrod had a copy of the proposed federal budget and read the following statement, "They are still providing $35 billion for HUD's rental assistance program and proposes reforms to reduce costs while continuing to assist 4.5 million low-income 3 Meeting in CDBG Public Participation Meeting Boynton cFlorida1, 2017 houses. It eliminates funding for the CDBG program, a savings of $3 billion from 2017 annualized level. The Federal government has spent $150 billion on the block grant since inception in 1974, but the program is not well targeted to the poorest populations and has not demonstrated results. The budget involves community and economic development activities to the state and local level and redirects the federal resources to other activities." Ms. Sherrod explained it cannot hurt to contact elected representatives in support of the program. Ms. Sherrod commented the City could not serve these,;people without CDBG funds. The regulations require them to work with people who 4am under 80% of the median income. Federal officials do not know about people11 I holes in their roofs or wiring that is bad. These individuals have limited incomes, dd,.;not have clothing, groceries and do not know how to apply for jobs to feed their lldre , Jas. Sherrod has not come across many people that do not want a job to-be,able to d6\#,*se things for themselves and provide for their families. Senior citizen=s have small soci'at security checks and still have mortgages on their homes. The Cir# .housing stock detentes faster than the City can keep up with rehabilitating them. W* Ms. Sherrod start '3,0 years ago, she thought $12,000 to $15,000 was.a lot of money p #In'�rehab and °64�at time a new roof, windows and doors could b�installed. Pre nt1the cost to rehab"Iirfate a home is not less than $50,000 and one re'fit l�ab was $ '' 00. It is still more economical to repair the home than replace the he on the�tistruction cost per square foot. Ms. Sherrod opened tlr#o questies or co `'nnents. -"` Keturah Joseph, i ynton I Fait) � Osed CDC,"`questioned how to combat the Federal government, ng th6"1 program is rteffective. She did not know where they obtained their informat ofr pri_ M .,°Sherrod suggested contacting their Congressman. She expl4ihed thisisan o r nity to uss e community's needs and priorities. Sherry , ohri nson, Comtnity nd Center; explained the CDBG program is the only forum the , ave to addr ,"needs;, She has noticed a sharp decline in public service requests fro: the immigrar opulatio` and was not surprised as they are afraid. The Community tang Center s starting to rethink how to address the situation. They were contemplatl ,;establishtj partnerships with other entities and how they relate to these communities ! al ere considering holding constant mass food programs such as a Farm Share 70, often. This would avoid having to ask recipients for basic information. It provides"-an alternative means to getting people fed. It was noted the citizens the Community Caring Center feeds live in Boynton Beach and not out west. Ms. Sherrod recalled a discussion held years ago about having a soup kitchen and was told there has to be a need. Ms. Johnson had been helping the community battle hunger with the food pantry and then enrolling recipients into Food Stamp and the USDA program. She would tell recipients if it is still not enough, they should return to the Center. She commented the Center needs food to sustain families. Now there is the food pantry emergency. Ms. Johnson explained it is known the Community Caring Meeting Minutes CDBG Public Participation Meeting Boynton Beach, Florida May 1, 2017 Center asks recipients for information such as identitication. Currently, there is an uneasiness for the recipients to ask for help. She was aware other agencies were having the same problem. Presently, the Center asks for certain information and if the recipient does not have any, they request the recipient bring it the next time they come. There are other entities in the community that are putting pantries in a back room so people can get food. It may come back to the churches, supporting these individuals. She agreed to keep Ms. Sherrod apprised. Ms. Johnson commented the office attended training with immigration and legal aid personnel how to handle this and she was in a group with other executive directors. She asked how they were handling the situation and learned they ask for identification. Ms. Shen► noted the City has many immigrants. Rhonda Holder, Pathways to Prosperity, explained they see a lot of Haitians some weeks and less during others. It was noted-P6tnways to Prosperity has a Department of Children and Family Services represen'Wive available to mplete applications for these residents. Ms. Joseph explained a lot of Haitians have sotpe sof"f Immigration sta#us, but they do not want to go through the food, stamp application, It rias noted the application takes one to two hours to complete. ' +ith temporary status, many do not return to renew. Jenn Rey, Aid to Victims of.Domest"ic'-Violenc �AV A , Vlained out of 42 certified domestic violencr ers,' Ors was one of"the bit An the State because of CDBG The Florid ), lition o6l)omettid Vlence intacted them and instead of holding their youth surhmit in brIando, was held` f Bpyn i Beach High School. There were 176 aften q60a; which wed ,rnost „ udents,'� `�:around the State. The conference had nationlecognized skersuse AVDAs Prevention Program, which was funded over the Irs with CDB "funds "a ,leveraged with other dollars, showcased the work they are ► ';and about iplence ale nst women. They developed a public education campaign abo ,positive merges and dating relationships. Ms. Rey commented this is an anecdotal program and 65% to 70% of participating youth are shifting their mindsets as it relates to relationships. Youth are developing programs to teach other youth how to feel confident in their relationships without having to put their hands on anyone. Ms. Rey pointed out there are very measurable outcomes. Discussion followed sometimes people have to be taught how to be a family and social involvement is needed. Ms. Rey noted that since the statewide youth summit in February, students still have four months of school left to support further efforts to reduce domestic violence. Last week, 35 to 40 students in the program put together a pledge at lunch in the Boynton Beach High School courtyard had four banners saying These Hands Are Not For Hurting. Students wrote the pledge themselves and then asked others to take the Meeting Minutes CDBG Public Participation Meeting Boynton Beach, Florida May 1, 2017 pledge. She noted 268 students did so within an hour. They videotaped some of the activities. The youth held activities to encourage peers to respect when people say no. Ms. Sherrod asked Ms. Holder how this impacts the Pathways to Prosperity and learned the impact is ongoing. The CDBG funds subsidize the Circles program which helps bring families from poverty to self-sufficiency with support from mentors and the community. They teach skills families may have missed at some point and they are able to apply it to their own lives. Ms. Joseph was unsure how to move forward if CDBG fUnds are eliminated and SHIP is not available. The attendees discussed new construction within the C'JINwas ongoing and the CRA plans were just starting to make an impact. Mt_K Jr. Boule° looks different now with six new homes. All the plans are just cowing to fruition ` ;, Joseph disputed the sentiment the programs do not work. -� Sherrod agreed Acre has to be local involvement to make an impact, and they need to let elected officials now. It was noted these types of services are not partisan. Ms. Johnson wanted to discusss4he cpnsolidated�plan which identified needs and priorities in the community. She fared'.Jh�luding Gr%ny Pods for senior living in the process. She commented there ar6� ny'sehlors andm landlords who do not fix houses. Seniors need e nt accomr �iations`a try�� n limited incomes. Some seniors were farmu r rs o�-,service pe Id unet*the table. The Social Security they get is the mirium and is� imate :1between00 and $400 a month. There is nothing in the cornhidnity forAlhem. The"immunity Caring Center moved one senior citizen twice to another, pp fit and "0en those living arrangement are not maintain Seniors annot buy ble � with 0, stamps and deterioration occurs. The Community Caring C ter tried to ha*,a living, puling arrangement, but it did not work well either. She liked the idea of the,. ranny,�Pods. Ms. Sherrod had visited a tiny homes manufacturer d one model was reasonable. She explained there is only one tiny home approved by the Florida Building Code, The cost of the land is a consideration as is planning and zonAng. MS: Sherrod saw a news article about paring younger and older people in housing complexes and how the young person was not a caregiver, but the older person was not aloneand they were sharing expenses. Ms. Johnson commented they tried it and it did not work out. Ms. Joseph favored the tiny home concept. Ms. Johnson pointed out if using Granny Pods, they can create an assisted living area with a nurses station as the pods can include medical monitoring, but land is needed. Ms. Joseph suggested having seniors move into an already established living arrangement. She agreed the Granny Pods was a good idea, but they would need to have the land donated and suggested the CRA may be able to assist. Ms. Johnson commented St. John Missionary Baptist Church has a large lot and always wanted a 6 Meeting Minutes CIDBG Public Participation Meeting Boynton Beach, Florida May 1, 2017 senior living facility. She favored developing a trust to pay them rent, use their land, maintain ownership and they put something together. It was noted a tiny home with foundation was $70,000. Using -recipients A Application submittal - one (1) hard copy original and one (1) electronic copy. B. Application Workshop - date and time, M4,'2017 West Wing Conference Room Ms. Sherrod announced the Application Workshop was on, ay 41h for anyone unfamiliar with the process or needing technical assistance.` IV. Public Audience V. Adjournment There being no further business . _ s, Ms. SbOrrod closed the meeting at 6:03 p.m. Catherine Cherry Minutes Specialist