Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Raymond Hodges, Director, Department of Housing
Subject: Approval of a Designated Executive Director of the Housing Authority of the County of San Mateo
RECOMMENDATION:
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Adopt a resolution amending Resolution No. 63342:
A) Removing the Director of the Office of Housing (now Director of the Department of Housing) as the Executive Director of the Housing Authority of the County of San Mateo (“HACSM”); and
B) Creating a dedicated Executive Director for the HACSM; and
C) Providing that the Executive Director of the HACSM will report to the Director of the Department of Housing; and
D) Authorizing the Executive Director of the HACSM to designate the Director of the Department of Housing to execute commitments and contracts on behalf of the HACSM, if the Executive Director of the HACSM is unavailable.
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BACKGROUND:
Currently, the County’s Department of Housing (“DOH”) is comprised of two units -Housing and Community Development (“HCD”) and the HACSM. The HCD assists very low, low, and moderate-income County residents by financing affordable housing development and preservation, subsidizing county-wide public services and community development initiatives, and providing technical assistance in order to stabilize and improve their quality of life. The HACSM is 100% federally funded by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. The HACSM administers various rental assistance programs supporting more than 5,500 very low and extremely low-income, and formerly homeless households within the County.
In January 2000, this Board adopted Resolution No. 63342 authorizing the Director of the Office of Housing (now known as the DOH) to serve as the Executive Director of the HACSM. Thus, for the past 24 years, the Director of the DOH has also served as the Executive Director of HACSM. DOH Director Raymond Hodges currently serves in this dual role as the Executive Director of HACSM and Director of DOH.
DISCUSSION:
In recent years, as the scope of HCD and HACSM’s respective roles and responsibilities have grown, the capacity of a single director to directly oversee both units has become less tenable. HCD’s obligations have expanded as the number and scope of affordable housing developments and housing related projects that HCD develops have increased to meet the County’s substantial housing needs. Concurrently, HACSM has increased its rental assistance portfolio by 1,000 vouchers in recent years with a focus on the County’s most vulnerable households, including persons experiencing homelessness and those with special service needs. Additionally, in recent years, there is a greater need for HCD and HACSM to be involved in local and state policies and broad-reaching initiatives related to housing, including the Board’s focus on reaching and sustaining “functional zero” homelessness in the County as well as the State’s Project Homekey.
Given the growth with these two units, HACSM requires a dedicated Executive Director to ensure HACSM operates efficiently to deliver services and carry out its critical role in supporting the housing needs of the County’s vulnerable populations.
Having a dedicated Executive Director for HACSM will allow the Executive Director of the HACSM to focus their time and attention on the needs of the HACSM. The Executive Director of the HACSM will report to the Director of DOH within the DOH’s organizational structure, but the Executive Director of the HACSM will be solely responsible for HACSM’s administration, day-to-day operations, finances, and policy work. In addition, when the Executive Director of the HACSM is unavailable, the Executive Director of the HACSM can designate the DOH’s Director to execute commitments and contracts on behalf of HACSM.
The County Attorney’s Office has reviewed and approved the resolution as to form.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no net County cost associated with this action. HACSM is 100% funded by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. The compensation and benefits for the position of Executive Director of the HACSM are set forth in a separate resolution for consideration by the Board acting as the Governing Board of the Commissioners of the HACSM.