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2017 Report to the Community Grand Rapids Housing Commission History

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2017 Report to the Community Grand Rapids Housing Commission History 2017 REPORT TO THE COMMUNITY GRAND RAPIDS HOUSING COMMISSION HISTORY The Grand Rapids Housing Commission (GRHC) was established in 1966 to provide affordable housing for low-income residents and to eliminate substandard housing conditions. Over the years, the Housing Commission has expanded its role in the community, partnering with organizations and individuals to advocate for positive change in local social welfare policy and to OUR MISSION offer supportive services families can use to achieve self-sufficiency and a stronger financial future. The Grand Rapids Housing Commission provides housing assistance and affordable housing opportunities Funded primarily through the United States to lower-income families, the disabled and senior Department of Housing and Urban Development citizens in a manner that is fiscally sound and in ways (HUD), the GRHC is independently administered and that support families, neighborhoods and is governed by a five-member board appointed by the economic self-sufficiency. City Manager and approved by the City Commission. Visit our website: www.grhousing.org THE GRAND RAPIDS HOUSING COMMISSION From left: Bobbie Butler, President; Betty Zylstra, Vice President; Angela Bunn, Commissioner; Patrick Miles Sr., Commissioner; Monica Steimle, Commissioner GRAND RAPIDS HOUSING COMMISSION BOARDS AND COMMITTEES GRAND RAPIDS CITY OFFICIALS LEONARD TERRACE HOUSING CORPORATION RESIDENT ADVISORY BOARD Mayor: Rosalynn Bliss Patrick Miles Sr., President Angela Bunn, Chairperson Interim City Manager: Eric DeLong Earl Holton Teresa Boileau City Commission: Shelley Wisdom Peter Ferwerda David Allen Barbara Jones Joseph Jones MOUNT MERCY HOUSING CORPORATION/ Jo Ann Morris Ruth Kelly MOUNT MERCY PHASE I HOUSING CORPORATION Tiana Ortiz Senita Lenear Melvin Fox Leonard Webster Jon O’Connor Ellen James Virgie Young Kurt Reppart Betty Zylstra ADAMS PARK HOUSING CORPORATION RANSOM AVENUE DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION In Memoriam: Jerry Herrema Victor Vasquez, President Charles Carter, President The GRHC leadership and staff were deeply Ellen James Maureen Slade saddened by the passing of Jerry Herrema in Daniel Oglesby Monica Steimle early 2018. Jerry worked to address the housing Betty Zylstra needs of our community for decades, first as GRAND RAPIDS SCATTERED SITES HOUSING the GRHC’s Director of Housing Management, CORPORATION CRESTON PLAZA GENERAL PARTNERSHIP and in his retirement as president of Ellen James, President Melvin Fox the Creston Plaza General Partnership, Melvin Fox Ellen James Mount Mercy Housing Corporation and Betty Zylstra Betty Zylstra Mount Mercy Phase I Housing Corporation. He also served on the boards of Adams Park HOPE COMMUNITY HOUSING CORPORATION Housing Corporation and Grand Rapids Douglas Dozeman, President Scattered Sites Housing Corporation. We are Jamie Ladd truly grateful for Jerry’s many years of service. Continued funding uncertainty and a federal government and preservation of affordable housing. Lastly, we have worked with the focused on trimming or even eliminating many programs Veterans Administration to obtain HUD VASH vouchers that will enable that assist vulnerable families are fueling the creation us to better serve homeless veterans and their families. of robust community partnerships that are helping to ensure the Housing Commission will continue to effectively In addition to partnerships that support development activities, our meet the affordable housing and supportive needs of low- agency is focused on forging community alliances that will help us to income households in our community. meet the supportive needs of the families we serve. For example, when Adams Park Apartments residents lost critical on-site mental health The Housing Commission has long seen the writing on the wall related support due to funding reductions at Network 180, the GRHC partnered to the Capital Fund and Public Housing Operating Fund programs with local colleges and universities to bring senior-level social work that support the maintenance and administration of Low Income interns to the development, which serves disabled adults and seniors. Public Housing (LIPH) developments; both programs are chronically The students work with our Resident Services staff to link residents with underfunded, and the current administration is seeking to eliminate needed resources. Additionally, our Family Self-Sufficiency Program the Capital Fund Program and drastically slash the Public Housing recently began an innovative partnership with West Michigan Works Operating Fund in the year ahead. For the past several years the designed to help residents attain or maintain employment and achieve GRHC has worked to convert our LIPH units to the Section 8 Project- self-sufficiency. Based Program and is well on the way to completing the last of these conversions in 2018. The move to the Project-Based Program affords The silver lining of the tough fiscal and political environment in more stable funding and the opportunities to attract private investment which we find ourselves is that these challenging times are generating in affordable housing. unprecedented community engagement and innovation. Our staff and board are excited about the opportunities that abound to work together The GRHC’s commitment of Section 8 Project-Based Vouchers to to ensure housing equity in our community. I would like to once again several local nonprofit organizations is helping those agencies leverage express my thanks to our Housing Commissioners and staff, the Mayor private financing for the construction of $92.9 million in affordable and the Grand Rapids City Commission, and all of our local, state rental housing. The Housing Commission is also partnering with the and national partners for their invaluable support and unwavering City of Grand Rapids to establish an Affordable Housing Community commitment to equal housing opportunity. Fund that will use private and public funds to invest in the creation DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES BUILD AFFORDABLE HOUSING ACCESS HUD Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) Program awards are making it these vouchers to attract funding for the construction of a 50-unit development possible for the GRHC to convert our agency-owned housing units from the dedicated to meeting the needs of homeless veterans and their families. Low-Income Public Housing Program to Section 8 Project-Based Program housing. Conversion provides 20-year contracts that are compatible PROJECTBASED VOUCHERS SUPPORT 351 AFFORDABLE HOUSING with the federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) Program, UNITS making it possible for the GRHC to attract needed private The GRHC has supported the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit investment in our agency-owned developments. (LIHTC) applications of local nonprofit community partners by providing Section 8 Project-Based Vouchers that have The conversion of 92 units at Campau Commons Apartments helped them attract LIHTC financing for the construction to Section 8 Project-Based housing was finalized during 2017; of $92.9 million in affordable rental housing. Seventy-one $100,000 in improvements are underway, including parking lot vouchers are supporting 351 housing units, including 305 new and energy conservation enhancements. units and 46 rehabilitated apartments. The development projects for which we will administer vouchers include: Twenty Scattered Sites duplex units are currently moving through the conversion process; we anticipate that conversion will be finalized during Developer: Inner City Christian Federation, total of 31 vouchers for use 2018 and that $493,000 in repairs and renovations will get underway at 415 Franklin Street SE (40 units new construction), 501 Eastern before year’s end. Avenue SE (45 units new construction) and Stockbridge Apartments (64 units new construction). The GRHC continues to seek the funding needed to convert 188 units at Adams Park Apartments under the RAD Developer: Genesis Non-Profit Housing Corporation, eight Program. An application for $3.4 million in LIHTC has been vouchers for use at St. James Apartments (52 units new submitted to fund numerous capital improvements. construction). RENOVATIONS PLANNED AND COMPLETED Developer: Dwelling Place, total of 24 vouchers for use at Harrison The GRHC is seeking $1.8 million in LIHTC to fund needed Park Apartments (45 units new construction), Pine Avenue Apartments improvements at Hope Community, a rapid re-housing facility that serves (23 units new construction) and Harvest Hill Apartments (46 units homeless women and their minor children. Originally built in 1990, the rehabilitation, currently awaiting LIHTC award). 24-unit facility is long overdue for extensive renovations. Developer: LINC Community Revitalization, eight vouchers for use Mortgage loan refinancing has made it possible for the GRHC at Garfield Park Lofts (36 units new construction). to undertake major upgrades at two of our senior apartment communities. A total of $2.4 million in improvements GRHC, CITY OF GRAND RAPIDS CREATE AFFORDABLE are near completion at Leonard Terrace Apartments and HOUSING COMMUNITY FUND Mount Mercy Apartments. The Housing Commission is working with the City of Grand Rapids to develop an Affordable Housing Community Fund VASH VOUCHERS SUPPORT HOMELESS VETERANS that will leverage private and public funds to invest in the creation The GRHC was recently awarded 22 vouchers under the HUD Veterans and preservation of affordable housing units, both owned and rented. Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) program, which combines Housing The fund will be
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