Here.

Today is the administrative service committee meeting.

Members on the committee with me today, Councilman Woods and Madam Vice President Gregory.

Members present, Councilman Reynolds, President Small, and Councilman Penn.

The purpose of our meeting today is to get an update on Mobile Housing Authority with a focus on the development, land use, policy alignment, and local priorities.

What's happening for our communities, policy changes, how those policy changes impacting our districts and our residents.

And then coordination and strategic planning are particularly in terms of the housing gaps, you know, what's happening there.

And I I want to emphasize again that coordination and strategic planning so that we can make sure that we're making others aware and the public aware of what's happening.

So based on that information, I'm going to go ahead and turn it over to the administrative team.

Thank you.

Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.

Usually nobody has any trouble hearing from me.

All right.

If you'll let me read a little bit, I hope to give you some background, and then I'll be happy to entertain any questions that you have.

But for those of you who don't know, the Mobile Housing Authority, along with housing authorities around the country, was created in 1935 and actually went into operation in 1937.

So we're very soon facing our 90th anniversary early next year.

But currently, the Mobile Housing Authority owns and operates 1,292 units of public housing and over 4,000 vouchers, otherwise, some people refer to as the Section 8 program.

Commissioner Kenneth Gloheim, Caitlin Fidella, and Mabel May, who is our resident member of the board.

Since 2018, Mobile Housing and Housing Authorities all across the country have been directed by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, who is our primary funder, to participate in a process known as repositioning.

As a result of this undertaking, the Housing Authority and these housing authorities all across the country have been converting traditional public housing to what they call the repositioning to tear down or rehabilitate traditional public housing and replacing it with project-based housing vouchers, which is why our voucher number is much higher than our public housing.

And that process is monitored by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development.

And since its inception, the housing authority, our housing authority mobile has been has demolished a number of public housing units.

And we issued vouchers in what we call a one-for-one replacement.

So if we lose a unit of public housing, HUD gives us an additional voucher.

And Mobile Housing sold land formerly, the R.

V.

Taylor, Thomas James, and Boykin sites to the Mobile Airport Authority.

That was done prior to my coming.

The current Board of Commissioners have established some priorities for us on the staff in terms of our operations.

So we're supposed to we have the charge to continue the positive direction that the housing authority has since we recovered from our troubled status by HUD to a designated operating and qualified housing authority.

And to re-establish, and they've made this very clear to us, and we're very enthusiastic about this, to re-establish MHA's presence in the community to be achieved in several areas, which I'll mention.

This is not an exclusive list, but it's a um we have confirmed meetings with the city of Mobile at regular intervals, at least at the time of our board meetings, and then more frequently as good to discuss our common goals.

While we are two separate entities, we have a lot of goals that are uh in the area of affordable housing, which are complementary.

Resume contact with nonprofits and educational entities.

So we have stepped up that process to be a little more external facing than in the past.

And we are in the process right now, have been and are continuing to make some competitive funding applications that have not been made in in recent past that enhance our programs and services to residents, especially.

In that vein, we've uh successfully complete competed for funding to HUD for the family self-sufficiency program, and we have are waiting to hear for the resident opportunities for self-sufficiency grant application we made and the youth build grant.

Um those are pending with HUD, and those are competitive that we have not done recently until until this cycle.

Um, and then we are also have and are continuing to look at funding sources that beyond what HUD um offers, because as you know, uh federal budgets have been cut in a lot of places, and so we're looking to some more traditional, non-traditional sources, and we're exploring housing enhancements, including a renewal uh or establishment of pre-purchase housing counseling and home buyer education programs, which we had and then retracted and now are putting back out on the because of some reasons that I'll go into in a minute.

Beyond um the land that was sold to the airport authority, uh MHA had and the City of Mobile have discussed adaptive reuse of existing MHA properties.

Uh the MHA staff coordinate with local government to make sure compliance with the local zoning regulations, environmental compliance, and flood zone issues, of which we have several.

Additionally, HUD has restrictions or limitations on two very important categories.

One is the high concentration of poverty, and the other is the high concentration of minorities that may prohibit or restrict redevelopment of our sites.

These issues are uh we are working with the HUD to get determination, and even as as late as yesterday, got some update information that HUD may be thinking about relaxing some of those restrictions.

HUD continues to move away from public housing toward voucher funding, HUD funding per unit for housing choice vouchers is higher than it is for public housing.

So it actually we get less money for public housing maintenance than we do for um vouchers, and that process will continue.

It has been for a while, and it will be for the foreseeable future.

And the uh housing authority and the city have successfully collaborated on uh Maryville Place and Live Oak Trace developments with several more that are in process that we hope will um continue to address the need for replacement affordable housing in our communities.

While MHA is a separate entity from the city, there are shared goals and opportunities, and this is one of the things that uh council member Ingram wanted us to make sure that we were deeply aware of.

One is the voucher program that I really uh recently talked about.

Um we opened our waiting list for the voucher program, and it filled up dramatically within the matter of hours, and we closed it.

We held our opening for our public housing sites, all of them, and it they closed on April the 6th.

So we have a substantial number of families who are on the waiting list for public housing or vouchers, and that is pretty significant.

Um we don't we don't worry about not having any potential customers because we have all kinds of them.

Um then we also have um some very interesting areas, which I'll just allude to now and we can go on.

Um, and that is that we have families that entered a program that works with the city in housing counseling and completing housing counseling, and then when they're approved, they can participate in the city's program for home ownership, and they offer several attractive features.

So as we do our day-to-day operations, we make sure that the residents who are interested in in making that transition to home ownership are aware and we refer them to the city for that additional support and counseling because it's an imperative and it's a tremendous, tremendous plus for the residents.

Um we right now, the vision that was articulated by our board of commissioners has been translated in several areas.

One of them is the selection of the chief executive officer.

And out of the housing, most of you know this, but just as a refresher, out of the 147 authorities in the state of Alabama, housing authorities, Mobile Housing Authority is the only housing authority in the state of Alabama that's under the Mobile County Personnel Board.

I just wanted to remind for some of you.

So all of our announcement for positions is advertised through the personnel board and it goes through that selection process.

There are several data points that we have that are available that include background and information in support of MHA's current status and um and our envisioned future.

And they include these, but not limited to a list of all the current public housing sites, including occupancy and bedroom composition.

We like to be very transparent about those things.

Our waiting list numbers for vouchers and public housing, public housing sites that are currently in repositioning process, and I'll get back to that.

And then funding sources for uh HUD formula fund-based and other federal competitive applications, and those that the City of Mobile and MHA can uh coordinate with.

And we're also pursuing those with the state of Alabama.

The housing authority works to be responsible stewards of the taxpayers' hard-earned money and in its operations.

Additionally, MHA is assiduously working to comply with all federal, state, and local requirements.

MHA issues direct payments to landlords at approximately $3.5 million per month throughout the Mobile Metropolitan Community through the voucher program.

And then within our business transactions, we have uh over five million dollars annually for goods and services that we purchase through the housing authority, excluding construction, demolition, and modernization of public housing.

So MHA is actively in promoting Section 3, which is the program of that HUD has and federal agencies have that promotes encourages minority and small business, female and veteran participation in contracts, as well as resident employment, which is an area that we're just getting back into that that realm.

The current repositioning cost for Emerson Gardens, which is our one of our two sites that I will talk about, is um 10 million dollars, and that's uh Emerson is 100% occupied, and it's an elderly community, which is a very, very happy place in the residents low.

And the cost for Central Plaza Towers is still under determination because it's going through a competitive process.

Our current employment for the housing authority is actually 81 people.

And I just this is a plug, and they might be embarrassed that I say that, but for those of you who don't know, our board of commissioners serve with no compensation whatsoever, which is amazing.

MHA is an uh important presence in the mobile community.

The goal of providing quality affordable housing to eligible people and families in a safe community is the same goal it has been since its inception, and certainly will be the future.

It's not difficult to imagine where homelessness, domestic violence survivors, elderly, and veteran housing needs would be addressed without the work of the Mobile Housing Authority.

And this is the objective every day for every single MHA employee and our programs and our contracts.

Several people have asked about our unused land, and uh, Madam Chairman, you alluded to that.

Um, in addition to the six public housing properties that we're operating, the agency owns four parcels of unused land, mostly that's former public housing that's been demolished.

Um the they are they include Josephine Allen, Orange Grove, Roger Williams, and Cottage Hills.

Ummer Josephine Allen property covering 43 acres was demolished with a $1 million um grant from this funds from the city, and they still hold a lien on that property on those properties.

The agency has attempted several times to encourage developers to consider the sale, the site for uh new affordable housing, but a combination of both floodplain issues and surrounding industrial uses indicates that the best course of action is to sell the property at a fair market value, uh most likely for a commercial or industrial site.

Sales there and they're not expected to be for a little while, and and we would have to coordinate with the city to address the uh the lien on the property.

Orange Grove is adjacent to the 247 public housing units that um approximately 80 acres of unused land as a result of the demolition of the former uh housing development.

Although some of these properties are also in the floodplain and cannot be redeveloped.

Most of the site is both a viable and attractive site for development of affordable housing, particularly given its proximity to the downtown area.

MHA successfully applied for funding to build single family homes.

We've made the application, I'm sorry, but we have not been awarded.

We're still waiting for that award designation.

Roger Williams is the site of public housing that contains a total of 70 acres, and about two-thirds of the site cannot be developed because of floodplain issues.

However, the remaining portion of the site would be a good location for affordable housing, particularly since the property is adjacent to the hospital complex.

And there are no current plans for the site, but it's something that we look forward to being able to start planning for in the recent future.

And um we will in that process look for some development partners.

And then Cottage Hill, there are 4.5 4.4 acres of undeveloped, underdeveloped, undeveloped land on the northern end of this mixed income project.

This site is ideal location for a development of affordable housing, and we're still exploring those possibilities.

I wanted to say that this is not all about brick and mortar and land.

Uh mentioned that we had been successful in our family self-sufficiency program.

One of the things we love about the family self-sufficiency program is that we have residents who define for themselves where they want to be and how they want to move forward.

And so the family self-sufficiency grant that we just were awarded, and um we have taken a focus, intentional approach to strengthening and expanding our program uh not only for the public housing residents but for the voucher holders with an emphasis on increasing participation through targeted outreach and engagement.

Currently, we have 62 participants who are in the family self-sufficiency program who are voucher holders, and 42 participants who live currently live in public housing.

And our goal is to increase the public housing participation and to um get some additional opportunities.

So that's why we're working so hard on um competing for funds to sustain program growth and maintain effective service lay.

Our target is to reach over 125 participants, and reaching this level is critical as it supports the need for additional family self-sufficiency staff positions that we're working hard to get funding for in order to do sufficient case management because it takes a good deal of case management work for those um for those people to be successful.

As you probably know, we have a number of families that they are second, third, and fourth and fifth generation public housing residents, and this is a new arena for them.

Um I want to, I'm very proud to say that since January, three participants have completed the program.

Each has obtained stable employment, improved their credit, and made measurable progress toward homeownership.

Notably, one participant is scheduled to close on a home in June, uh, representing a significant milestone and the type of outcome this program is designed to achieve, and we hope to increase that number substantially because this program is just being re-geared.

The results, uh these results demonstrate that the family self-sufficiency program is working and families are making real progress toward financial independence in their own terms, not the way we define it, but in their own definition of success of goals.

We will continue to outreach and engage efforts to increase participation, and with this expansion of funds, we hope to be able to increase those numbers.

We also have a uh resident who is on the board who is a graduate of the family self-sufficiency program because we think it's important that that voice be heard.

Um, in district one, we have one property uh uh and that is Central Plaza Towers.

Central Plaza Towers is as I alluded to before, is up for consideration through the Alabama Housing Finance Agency for tax credit deal that would allow that project to go forward.

We have in District 2 in Miss Ingram's district, we have the land from Roger Williams, we have Renaissance Gardens, the Renaissance Emerson Gardens, Downtown Residence and Orange Grove.

And I have a map if anybody interested in looking at him.

Um then for district three, we have Oaklawn homes, and that's where our current public housing sites are located.

I'd like to stop now.

I'm I'm sure you're tired of hearing from me, but I'd be happy to answer any and all questions you have.

And if I don't know, I'll tell you I don't know.

And just to remind everyone, I am the interim or provisional CEO.

And in a in a reasonably short period of time, we look forward to having a permanent CEO at the housing authority.

And it not me, but permanent person.

Okay.

Well, Miss Moore.

Madam Chairman.

Thank you, Ms.

Moore.

Thank you for that overview.

And again, thank you for sharing with us some specifics.

We would like to, if you could leave the map so we can get some copies so that they sure would be able to have a copy.

But I'll turn it over now to see if council members have any questions for you.

And I also have a copy, if anyone's interested, when we talked to the residents of Emerson and Central Plaza Towers, we gave each person a copy of what their rights are under the RAD or under the conversion of public housing.

So they would know what they're titled to, including temporary relocation, storage of their properties, et cetera, et cetera.

So I have that as well, if any of the members are interested in it.

Okay.

Any questions, comments, observations, concerns?

President.

I don't know, Miss Moore, but I know Ms.

Please call me Pat.

Yeah, I know Ms.

Pat.

Yes, that's the way we know each other.

Yeah, I appreciate you so much for coming out this afternoon.

And also the board.

Um, you all have been very transparent with me since I you all have been in your seats.

My question is um the waiting list.

Yes.

You said that there's a waiting list, and you all had to cut up cut them off.

What happened to the ones that's waiting?

Well, as a um a voucher becomes vacant or as an apartment or unit is vacant, then whoever's on the the next on the waiting list gets the call and is offered that unit and then the or if or offered the next voucher, and then they have certain days to go ahead and shop if it's a voucher holder, come back to the the voucher staff and say this is the apartment or housing that I'm interested in that gets inspected for if it's a voucher holder, it gets inspected for compliance, and then the person moves in, and they pay 30% of their income toward the rent, and the rest is paid through the housing authority, which is why we have that substantial amount of money we get every month.

How many people is on that waiting list or how many families?

Oh gosh, we have several thousand at this point because some people would want to stay in.

Some people have said I'll live in any of the housing communities.

Some people say I want to specifically there, and the voucher holders, of course, there is no designated area.

When they apply for the voucher, they they get um they get called up for and they get their voucher and they pick their location.

So it is true that the residents that was in Burrsville, Thomas James, all of those have been placed, and they all received it to the best of my knowledge.

Unfortunately, I wasn't here when that happened, but yes, that is correct, to the best of my knowledge, in order to comply with the HUD requirements, yes, sir.

Central Towers, you said that y'all in the process of looking for some investors or well, we we have a um a contract was executed just before I came, but the project involves uh applying to the state of Alabama to the Alabama Housing Finance Agency for sufficient funding because as you know, Central Plaza Towers has 462 um apartments in that housing community, and so uh for we have to um with the development partner that was selected, we have uh the application to the housing finance agency, and we're supposed to hear within the next um 30 to 60 days from the state whether those tax credits have been um are being allowed so that we could finance that.

Emerson, we're not doing it with tax credits, we're doing it.

The commissioners took a brave step in there, they asked us to look through our own financing, and we're able to do Emerson through our capital funds.

So at central we're looking to revamp the whole property or what and that's a good question.

And and we we're putting in all new appliances, new bathrooms, um, ADA compliance, um, and in Emerson, we're doing some exterior work as well.

And with CPT, of course, because of the elevators and the three different buildings, it's a substantial amount of work.

Some of the efficiency apartments are being converted into one bedroom uh because there's very little demand for an efficiency anymore.

And so we want to make sure that we have all those um done.

And that's that's the big one for CPT.

And for Emerson, we're gonna be doing it.

That we had the process of selecting uh soliciting applications from developers, builders.

And at their board meeting this month, they will uh approve that or not approve that selection of that contractor.

And then we will be doing in order to minimize disruption at Emerson, we're doing 30 units at a time, so that we're going to relocate residents one third, one third, one third.

Where they're gonna be relocated at.

Well, they they're there.

We give them options.

There are at least three options.

One is they can um for this time they could go to C Central Plaza Towers because that's a little delayed.

Second one is they could we have a contract with uh uh a long term hotel, and the third one is if they want to, if they have a family member, we can make arrangements for that.

But we put their things in storage, they make that choice, they make that determination, and we we pay for that.

One final question.

Do you know, or can you tell me like the time frame on the Crikton Towers and the problem that could happen?

Yes, sir.

Um, I I think we will know something in the next 60 days on where we are on seat central plaza towers.

Yes, sir.

It is this is a because this is a huge undertaking, it's gonna require uh tax financing, bond financing.

Thank you for your question, sir.

Thank you.

Other council, Matthew Chairman.

Um my question um Central Plaza Towers.

Um, I know you say it's 40, 40, 462 units.

Um are they all one bedroom?

I know I know you said some efficient units.

Right.

And there are a few two bedrooms, but we're the objective is to make them all one bedroom.

Okay, perfect.

And then based on those numbers, how many units would it go doing the efficient, taking it the two bedrooms to one?

Um, how many units it would provide then?

We'll be uh we won't be dramatically different in the numbers.

Um we'll just make some um spatial accommodations, and we've got some requirements that we need for ADA accessibility, so a current two-bedroom could be converted to one, but because of ADA requirements, it might need some special um accommodation.

Okay.

But that's 462 is the number we have there right now of units.

And then um you stated per month.

How much you say per month you are paying landlords?

I'm sorry, I didn't hear that.

Oh, you said per month um landlords.

How much?

Yes, how much is that?

You said I want to, I don't want to misquote, but um our indications are that they're getting we're getting from these landlords um in excess of uh 3.5 million dollars a month.

Okay, perfect.

In the payment because that we pay the 70% of the rent.

They pay 30% of their income.

Yes, ma'am, yes, ma'am.

That's correct.

Okay.

Well, thank you, Ms.

Moore.

Thank you to the board for coming.

Um, since, like I said, the ones who with Councilman um Smile stated, since y'all have been in the CI have definitely um been transparent.

Okay, council members, madam vice president.

You were talking about all of the the folks who are on on the waiting list.

Is it are you covering only the city of Mobile or is this surrounding areas anybody can come in and get on the waiting list that we're not bound only to the city of Mobile?

By law, we we can't restrict who can apply, but the vast majority of our um applicants are from the city of Mobile, and there are some voucher holders who could choose to um rent from the metropolitan area, but the highest concentration by far is with the city of within the city corporate limits of the city of Mobile.

Okay.

The other question I can get you an exact number if you want, but yeah.

Um I know there's been a lot of work recently with senior housing, because there's one in my district, and I'm looking for some more, preferably.

So does that work any differently when it comes to finding housing?

Because you're supposed to be um focusing on seniors for specific housing, but yes, does that work any differently when they apply?

Um there they they're on a list that um, for instance, we had a a case recently where we were not the developers, it was a nonprofit developer that came in, but we notified all our um elderly people on the waiting list, uh, the next hundred people of the this other property that was being done, uh, and they had their groundbreaking about a month ago.

So we're trying to make this not just well, this is our list and that's your list, but but how do we respond to the needs of our communities?

Especially that's true with some of our disabled veterans as well as our elderly people, and that's true for people who are in a one-bedroom, or if their uh disabilities are such that they're afforded a um a caregiver or a companion that they have to have under um medical instruction to accommodate those issues.

So, yes, ma'am.

Okay, thanks.

Okay.

Um what is the average time a family is on a voucher or a person is on a voucher?

That's a very good question.

And I don't know what the answer is for Mobile, but I can find that out for you.

But we have um we have people who have been on the voucher program pretty much as long as it's existed.

But one of the reasons we're doing this family self-sufficiency is to try to um for those families that have an interest in increasing their their families' um options um that they can participate in that program.

And and the way the family self-sufficiency works is as someone gets a job and their rent goes up, we put it in escrow, the additional amount in an escrow account.

And that's why when they graduate from the family self-sufficiency program, they get this check, and they've been using it recently to purchase homes or um to to get underway on that.

And so the idea is to not just have people go through the family self-sufficiency, but help them achieve what their goals and aspirations that may include home ownership.

And then that also then lets us to take that voucher and go get somebody off the list.

Yeah, so you got 104 or so in that program.

That's correct.

And now with the the new grant we just applied for successfully, we'll be able to have one more council that will allow us to do some more work because we used to have 11 people in that program, and then it went down to one and two, and then we have the third person starting on Monday, next Monday.

All right, and then uh of the applicants, is it just a first come first serve, or is there some party?

There and we have some preferences.

For instance, if there's some priority consideration if you're a visit victim of domestic violence, and there's some other criteria that we can use for some of those reasons to give somebody a priority.

Um, but ordinarily, yes, it's it's when the list is open and when your name comes up on the list, you're the next person that's made the offer is made to.

So predominantly it's first time first come first serve.

Yes, sir.

Okay.

And is there priority given?

So if you had a voucher last year that you're going to be given priority for this year, no, because if you get your voucher and you don't execute it, then you go back to the bottom of the list.

Let's just say that they they got approved last year.

Uh-huh.

Okay.

So they're living in a home, yeah, and have a voucher.

Yeah.

When it comes, do they have to reapply every year?

No.

Okay.

No.

So once you're on it, is there a stop?

As long as you want to be there.

Yes, sir.

That's the current HUD requirement.

So in an annual on an annual basis, how many vouchers do you have that open up?

Well, because we've been increasing um the numbers, uh, it's been not insignificant, especially with this conversion from public housing to vouchers.

So the number of vouchers has increased.

Um, and we we apply for every possible um optional voucher enhancement that we can as MHA to maximize the number of vouchers that are available.

So the numbers increased as a result of expanded the expanded number of vouchers.

Yes, sir.

Okay, not of people transitioning off of the vouchers.

Yeah, that that's that's but that's a very small number.

We're we're trying to be literally I I have the staff kind of hunting and packing for this stuff all the time.

Every time I read something at nine o'clock at night and I send it to them and say, we need to apply for this to try to increase the opportunities for that.

Um the average amount paid.

I've heard people make this comment to me for I don't know if it's true that with the substantial number of vouchers that are given.

Yes, sir.

That it has an impact on just private rentals that it drives up rental rates.

Have you heard that?

Oh, I've heard that, but what we we are required by law by the HUD regulations as well, that we have what we call uh the fair market rents for this area, and that's based on private sector plus public sector, and we get that number of a not to exceed from HUD, and it's published every year and updated.

So we don't we in other words, if someone says, Oh, I want to rent a place and it's six thousand dollars, we we can't do that.

We have to do it within the uh fair market rents that are determined by HUD.

And that's that's an area study that's done by them every single year and updated.

Okay, and then the do not exceed amount.

Do you know about how often you are maxing that amount out?

I do not know, but I can find out for you.

Okay.

Um because we do comparability assessment.

Say it again.

We we try to do comparability assessment.

Okay.

So in other words, if if there are private uh your voucher rate, no, to if if you have a complex or um properties in the area to make sure that the rent is comparable from one location to the other.

So we we stay within those spans, yes, sir.

So if somebody's got a high amount of rent in one area, then the likelihood that another one would come up to that rate.

No, that again, the maximum rents are determined by that HUD allows us to pay.

But we do look at so if you have a uh a complex of 16 units, whenever the published rent that for any anybody that comes in and wants to rent that place, that's the rent that we we pay them.

Okay, we don't do a differential.

Where is cottage hills?

Jamie, do you know?

Okay, uh because the existing apartment complex is just north of that.

Um that's all I have, thank you.

Okay, if you have it, madam chairman.

If we have uh subsequent questions, we'd be happy to entertain them to give you the most accurate and comprehensive answer that um the city council members request or require.

Yes, ma'am.

On the vouchers, if someone has a voucher, are they then required to go out and find the homes themselves, or do you have um like a listing of homes that are available that you've already been working with the owners and they're interested in the voucher system?

Well, we have to be very careful about that because we don't want to be accused of steering.

So what we usually do is make available what's in the newspaper, what's posted on websites, and if they say, you know, we're looking at this do this particular complex or this community, don't do we have voucher, do they have vouchers in in that area?

And if so, what is the rent?

We could do that, but we can't we have to be very careful not to steer.

So homeowners don't necessarily come to you and say, hey, I've got this house, I'd like to rent it.

If you've got anybody who would qualify for it, they'll do that too.

Absolutely.

But but again, we we we don't give any preference to any particular landlord.

Okay.

Yeah, we have to be very astute about that.

But it's it's really kind of up to the person with the voucher to correct do the the legwork.

Correct.

Um on the list too.

I just want to make sure I understand if um first come first serve.

I know on some of our grant programs, and it may be just totally different, they have to reapply pretty much every year, and it's not first come first serve.

It's if you're in line and you qualify more so than the person who maybe was ahead of you.

But if if if you qualify, your income is lower as for instance, you have a greater need, then you can bump up to you know, I guess just jump over the next person that wasn't.

It's not based on income.

It would be on categories, for instance, like a victim of domestic violence or one of the other categories, but it it's literally the next person on the list.

As long as they're qualified.

As long as you're qualified.

It doesn't matter the income level or the or the need as long as they have to.

We verify that they're still within the income limits.

Yeah, yeah, because their their situation um may have changed.

They may have gotten a job or whatever, whatever.

But the but the need doesn't supersede the one in front of your you, their need.

No, unless there's a particular preference again for like a and the it's not the only example, but an example, the domestic violence.

Yeah.

Okay.

Yes, just uh two more questions.

Uh you had spoke earlier about you all might be searching for other avenues because of federal cuts.

My question is, do we have anything to worry about here in Mobile with the decrease of vouchers or the vouchers getting cut?

No, as a matter of fact, um, we've been pretty um competitive, positively competitive on our vouchers where we're where we're not getting the same traction is in public housing for that reason that I alluded to before.

And that is the the funding for public housing subsidy is is not going up, but the voucher payments are keeping up with local rents under the fair market plan.

Um so right now, if if we were just doing it just in dollars and cents, um vouchers are uh better financially, but we we make sure that all of our existing public housing units that we can keep them occupied and keep the people that are on the waiting list up and ready to go when a unit becomes vacant.

Okay.

And how often do y'all have board meetings and is the public is actually invited and invited to the public is always invited to our board meetings.

We have them once a month, and we have them on the second Thursday of the month.

So our next one will be May the 14th at 9 a.m.

And they are open to the public.

And we also encourage um any residents that um uh especially if they're you know have an interest in the in how the programs are working or if there are additional programs that are interweed to have been I've been reaching out a good bit to nonprofits in the area to see if there's some other partnerships that we can um participate in.

Uh we're looking at some um a project with the University of South Alabama, and then um we have a um our a board member who is has been very active in talking to Bishop State, and the other area we're just getting started on, but very excited about is the remote or the re-engaging in our home ownership program, and that's where the coordination with the City of Mobile is so advantageous because while they have their own programs and funding, it can sometimes make the difference for a resident who's graduating from self-sufficiency or just income coming out of eligibility for public housing with down payment assistance or interest write down, and we work with the banks, especially the banks that we have money in the bank with because we want them to meet their CRA requirements too.

All right, thank you.

Yes, sir.

Yes, ma'am.

I have a follow-up question for you.

Earlier, you spoke of uh cottage hill, and you also uh address um the 70 acres, two-thirds of it um potentially might not be um prepared for development.

My question is where are you or where's the board in terms of coordinating that with a comprehensive plan for actual redevelopment, either working with nonprofit um developers, regional partners, and so forth.

That's an excellent question, Madam Chairman.

What we're trying to do is is to get a good grasp on what is the most um likely redevelopment and whether it's with us or through us, or could it be through a uh private developer who applies for tax credits or for some other program and we can make the land available?

Um we're we're looking for as many partners as many ways we can for all the land that can be reused appropriately for housing, whether it's single family home ownership or multifamily from um any appropriate source to make sure that we continue to try to address the problem because if we know how many people we have on waiting lists, heaven knows how many more people in the community.

I've not I've not heard any place in the mobile so far since I've been here that says, Oh, yeah, we have way too many rental units available or affordable housing units available.

It's just there's that's that demand continues to increase.

And as industry and commerce continues to grow, we try to stay in touch with um the private sector there to track that as well when they we find out about incoming positions.

Um so yes, ma'am.

So am I hearing that there's not a concrete plan right now?

No, we're we're okay.

Actually, I'm uh I'm researching a funding source to help us do a comprehensive plan that would address those issues with specificity because we have not had that in recent years.

Okay, and if that could be one of those follow-ups also that you I know we we're going to go over some numbers that you said you would share with us, but if that could be one of the follow-ups, just letting us know, you know, where you all are with those two.

Um another follow-up.

Earlier, President Small asked regarding the voucher utilization, the voucher, the waiting list, and you you share that there are thousands of um you know, public uh residents that are on that waiting list.

My question is, you know, some of them are on the waiting list just because they want to go into a different uh location, but some of them are actually on the waiting list because they have nowhere to go.

Correct.

When you provide those numbers from that first request, would you would you please provide for us which ones are based off of having nowhere to go and the ones that are just wishing to move on to the city?

Ones that have to have it and those that have a particular preference, like a homeless person or a disabled or a veteran, someone like that.

Yes, ma'am.

Correct.

They give the preference to right.

And that's a great point.

And the reason I'm asking, thank you, madam president, uh, vice president, you're right, is because again, when you look at some of our local issues, you know, that data would be very important for us to see in terms of policy and what impact that's having um in terms of our workforce housing, um, you know, in terms of homelessness and so forth.

So if we could get that information and then back to her point, you know, that might be a policy, you know, might be something we need to consider in terms of how we're making those decisions.

Right.

Um, and lastly, um, I want to go back to the home ownership coordination.

You talked about how that's critical, you know, your collect coordination with the city.

I I really want to close with if you can share with us what efforts are you all do you have in store right now or are plans to improve that coordination so that we can increase home ownership.

Yeah.

Um we're working I'm working with the city people right now, and we're still in process, but we have an uh cooperative agreement with the city of Mobile, and it has been pretty silent on the homeownership component.

And so one of the areas that we're trying to update is um given the fact that the city has these several programs um to make sure that that whenever we can make those two connect, we have that as a possibility.

And the city's been very responsive to us on that.

But yes, we will give you a status and update on that.

Yes, ma'am.

I have one additional question that just came to mind.

Is there a metric that HUD uses or the city or Mobile Housing Authority or other agency uses that measures the growth of industry and income versus the the number or amount of vouchers that you have?

Because it would it would seem that as industry and income increases the the demand on vouchers should decrease.

Is there something that's a tool that's that's that's an excellent question?

And I honestly do not know the answer to that, but I will research that and try to get that's one of several questions that you've issued.

But they HUD works with the um Department of Labor and Um Commerce to check on the the issue of the cost and where income limits are and that sort of thing.

So I'll try to get you some specificity on that, sir.

You bet.

Again, um, Ms.

Pat, we want to thank you for coming out.

We want to thank the board, um, president, vice president for being here.

Um, just you know, in terms of the recap, you know, the information that the uh council members requested in terms of the vouchers and separating the type of voucher, you know, why they're on that particular list, because that might influence some of our policies, but also um the the total uh the total number for the waiting list that was also requested, and then the average time of the voucher and then the DNE amount.

So um I was just making sure I um they stated that again.

And again, uh I just want to thank you for coming out and sharing with us today.

I also thank you.

Thank you.

I also want to thank um the staff, um, the city staff that's here with us today and uh for your time and being a part of this.

If there aren't any other questions, we are adjourned.