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Legal Aid Fair Housing Initiatives Grant Copyrighted December 17, 2018 City of Dubuque Consent Items # 5. ITEM TITLE: Legal Aid Fair Housing Initiatives Grant SUMMARY: City Manager recommending approval to submit a letter in support of lowa Legal Aid's Fair Housing Initiative Program grant application. SUGGESTED DISPOSITION: Suggested Disposition: Receive and File; Approve ATTACHMENTS: Description Type Legal Air Fair Housing Initiative Letter of Support-NNM City Manager Memo Memo Staff Cover Memo Staff Memo Letter of Supportfor Legal Aid FHIP Grant Supporting Documentation HUD Form 2991 Supporting Documentation THE CITY OF Dubuque � AIFA�erlwGh UB E '�� III► Masterpiece on the Mississippi Z°°'�w'2 7A13 2017 TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members FROM: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager SUBJECT: Letter of Support for Legal Aid's Fair Housing Initiative Program Grant Application DATE: December 11 , 2018 Human Rights Director Kelly Larson recommends City Council approval to submit a letter in support of lowa Legal Aid's Fair Housing Initiative Program grant application. The letter of support commits staff from the Human Rights Department to support Legal Aid with planning and implementing local fair housing outreach events over the next year and distributing fair housing materials created by Legal Aid. Events will include arranging for Legal Aid to provide training to City staff involved with helping residents understand their fair housing rights, as well as arranging for a series of events designed to inform housing program participants of their fair housing rights. Partnering with another organization to conduct fair housing outreach will reduce the burden on City staff to provide this outreach, allowing more staff time to focus on structural issues related to fair and affordable housing. The budget impact is all through in-kind staffing/logistics, space, and materials printing and distribution estimated to be in the amount of$3,000. I concur with the recommendation and respectfully request Mayor and City Council approval. �� �� ��� Mic ael C. Van Milligen �� � MCVM:jh Attachment cc: Crenna Brumwell, City Attorney Teri Goodmann, Assistant City Manager Cori Burbach, Assistant City Manager Kelly Larson, Human Rights Director THE CITY OF Dubuque DuB E � ' � Il �w' Masterpiece on the Mississippi zoo,•�o,�.�a„ TO: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager FROM: Kelly Larson, Human Rights Director DATE: December 5, 2018 RE: Letter of Support for Legal Aid's Fair Housing Initiative Program Grant Application The purpose of this memorandum is to seek your approval to submit the attached letter in support of lowa Legal Aid's Fair Housing Initiative Program (FHIP) grant application. On March 27, 2015, the City of Dubuque submitted our Fair Housing Action plan to the Department of Housing and Urban Development in accord with the requirements of our Voluntary Compliance Agreement. Actions under the action plan included offering to assist Legal Aid in establishing a testing program or seeking a FHIP grant, as well as taking steps to increase the ease of access to information on filing housing discrimination complaints. In 2016, I submitted a letter of support for Legal Aid's FHIP application, but they were not selected for funding at that time. On November 20, 2018, Todd Schmidt, Staff Attorney for lowa Legal Aid in Dubuque, contacted me seeking a letter of support for their 2018 application for a FHIP grant. The letter must be received by Legal Aid no later than December 18. The attached letter of support commits staff from the Human Rights Department to support Legal Aid with planning and implementing local fair housing outreach events over the next year and distributing fair housing materials created by Legal Aid. Events will include arranging for Legal Aid to provide training to City staff involved with helping residents understand their fair housing rights, as well as arranging for a series of events designed to inform housing program participants of their fair housing rights. Partnering with another organization to conduct fair housing outreach will reduce the burden on City staff to provide this outreach, allowing more staff time to focus on structural issues related to fair and affordable housing. I recommend proceeding with this partnership with Legal Aid, as it will directly support the City's efforts to affirmatively further fair housing by addressing needs identified in the Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing and the Fair Housing Action Plan that we submitted to HUD. The budget impact is all through in-kind staffing/logistics, space, and materials printing and distribution. It is estimated to be in the amount of$3,000 from the Human Rights Department. The action requested is that you approve submitting the attached letter of support and accompany HUD Form 2991 for Legal Aid's Fair Housing Initiatives Program application. 2 Dubuque x�w�ta:��parM�i THECITYOF � 1300Ma1v5tred D�� � D�boq�e,IA 52001 O�flce(56T589-0190 Fax(56�690b691 TTY(56�589-0193 MnsmryieceuntheMississippi •���� ��� e�gmryiyorm�e�q�eoB wuu�.atyoN�b�que.oeg December5, 2018 John Gianola, Managing Attomey lowa Legal Aid 1]00 S. FirstAvenue, Ste. 10 Eastdale Plaza lowa City, IA 52240 RE� Letterof Firm CommitmentforFairHousing Initiatives Progrzm (FHIP) application DearMr. Gianola�. On behalf of the City of Dubuque s Human Right; DepaRment, I am pleased to suppoR lowa Legal Aid's FairHousing Initiatives Pmgrzm applicafion to provide fairhousing services in our communiry The DepaRment of Human Rights helps to enforce avii nghts laws in the local community. The Departmenthas enjoyed a good relafionship with lowa Legal Aid in collaborzfing and paRnenng to serve individuals and families in the communiry. In 2013, H UD issued a Letter of Findings of Noncompliance to the City of Dubuque pursuant to a avii nght; compliance review ofthe Ciry's CDBG and Section 8 pmgrzms. Pursuantto a voluntary compliance agreementwith HUD, the Ciry updated it; FairHousing Action Plan to indude assisting Legal Aid in seeking a FH IP grant and also agreed to insure City staff received a minimum of3 hours offairhousing training annually. In October2018, lowa Legal Aid provided a portion of this training, addressing disparate impact and fair housing barriers in Dubuque Ouragency will committo workwith lowa Legal Aid to pmvide fairhousing training to ourstaffto help ourdients understand theirnghts underfairhousing. We will also commit to working with lowa Legal Aid to pmvide at least 3 fair housing events to our dients in our housing pmgrzms. We will also pnnt outand disMbute fairhousing inNrtnafional matenalssupplied by lowa Legal Aid to our dients. If lowa Legal Aid isawaNed a grant, ouragencywill meetwith lowa Legal Aid within one month of the grant award to plan these acfivities. The fair market value of our io-kind conMbution to pmvide staff fime, space, and cost of matenals is estimated to be $3,000. Sincerely, Kelly Larson, Director s..,,�. eme� �soro reee�.ayro �.w�aem, 'r�oa OMB Flpproval No.2506-0112(E�p.6/302017) Certification of Consistency U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development with the Consolidated Plan I certify that the proposed activities/projects in the application are consistent with the jurisdiction's current, approved Con solidated Plan. (Type or clearly print the following information:) Applicant Name: Iowa Legal Aid Project Name: Fair Housing Initiatives Program Education and Ouheach Location of the Project: �99 Main Sheet #280 Dubuque,IA 52001 Name of the Federal Program to which the . . . applicant is applying: HUD Fair Housuig Initiatives Program Name of City of Dubuque,Iowa Certifying Jurisdiction: Certifying Official of the Jurisdiction Name: Kelly Larson Tifle: Human Rights Director Signature: Date: 12/5/2018 Page 1 of 1 form HUD-2991 (3/98)