Title
Source of Income Protections in City Supported Housing
Action
Action:
Approve the Great Neighborhoods Committee recommendation to adopt the Source of Income Protections in City Supported Housing Policy.
Body
Committee Chair:
Victoria Watlington, Great Neighborhoods Committee
Staff Resource(s):
Shawn Heath, Housing and Neighborhood Services
Rebecca Hefner, Housing and Neighborhood Services
Explanation
§ It is a City priority to promote opportunities for individuals and families to obtain safe, quality, affordable housing. This includes prioritizing support of affordable housing development to expand access to housing opportunities for low-to-moderate income households and aligning resources and policies that support the use of housing vouchers and other rental subsidies, as recommended by the Housing Charlotte Framework.
§ The source of income protections in the City Supported Housing Policy establishes that prospective residential tenants in City supported developments will not be disqualified from renting a housing unit based on a refusal by the housing operator to consider any lawful source of income. City supported housing includes:
- Affordable housing, which is all affordable housing developments receiving any City provided subsidy or financial incentives including conveyance of real estate for the production of affordable housing, and
- Market-rate housing, which is any market-rate housing developed as part of a development receiving City infrastructure reimbursement incentives, such as Tax Increment Grants and capital-funded partnerships for infrastructure improvements.
§ During June 27, 2022 Action Review, City Council received a presentation on the proposed policy.
§ Adoption of the proposed policy will support prospective tenants with rental subsidies, including housing vouchers directly or indirectly funded by the federal government, and all other lawful sources of income, in accessing affordable housing.
Committee Discussion
Source of Income Ad Hoc Advisory Committee
§ The Source of Income Ad Hoc Advisory Committee (Ad Hoc Committee) was appointed in 2021 and charged to develop recommendations for program enhancements and process improvements that will increase the acceptance of all forms of rental subsidies, including Housing Choice Vouchers, the largest source of rental subsidies in the community.
§ The Ad Hoc Committee presented its recommendations to the Great Neighborhoods Committee on February 28, 2022, including recommending that the City and County should include source of income protections for any for-rent residential housing developments receiving public financial support of any kind, including both affordable and market-rate housing developments receiving Tax Increment Grants and other types of financial support, through the creation of a new policy requiring mandatory acceptance of Housing Choice Vouchers, other forms of rental subsidies, and other legal sources of income in City supported housing developments.
Great Neighborhoods Committee
§ On March 28, 2022, the Great Neighborhoods Committee reviewed the Source of Income Protections in City Supported Housing Policy and unanimously agreed (Council members Watlington, Graham, Johnson, Newton, and Phipps) to recommend the policy as presented with applicability to all City funding sources and move it forward to full Council for discussion.
Attachments
Attachment(s)
Source of Income Protections in City Supported Housing Policy