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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuman Rights and Diversity - 10/16/2016UNAPPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY COMMISSION THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2016 7:00 P.M., 125 EDEN PRAIRIE CENTER Office of Housing and Human Services COMMISSION MEMBERS: PG Narayanan (Chair), Sana Elassar (Vice Chair), Greg Leeper, Leslie Philmon, Shahram Missaghi, Ann Martinka, Joan Howe-Pullis STUDENT MEMBERS: Nia Colebrooke, Asiya Gelle, Ashwin Senthilkumar, Adrienne Retzlaff, Angela Lin, Carter Rislove STAFF: Patricia Fenrick, Staff Heidi Wojahn, Recording Secretary I. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Following introductions, Chair Narayanan called the meeting to order at 7:09 p.m. Philmon and Missaghi were absent. II. INTRODUCTIONS III. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION: Martinka moved, seconded by Elassar, to approve the agenda. Motion carried 5-0. IV. APPROVAL OF MINUTES This item occurred out of order following Item V. MOTION: Elassar moved, seconded by Leeper, to approve the September 8, 2016 Minutes. Motion carried 4-0. V. PRESENTATION: MOLLY KOIVUMAKI, CITY OF EP HOUSING MANAGER Koivumaki gave a presentation on affordable housing. She identified the different types of affordable housing in Eden Prairie. Of 6,686 multi-family apartment rental units, 775 receive a subsidy. The MET Council places families in 20 units it owns throughout the city, and it also issues 300 Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers. Naturally-Occurring Affordable Housing (NOAH), on the other hand, is not subsidized. Rather the City works with owners of rental units to keep rates affordable. Per City policy, developers who want financial assistance from the City must set aside 20 percent of their units as affordable. High-end housing goes where they can attract high end buyers so they don’t need the HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY COMMISSION MINUTES October 13, 2016 Page 2 assistance. The desire for height waivers or less parking can be used as bargaining tools for affordable housing. Some developers work the system by meeting affordable housing percentages in buildings owned by others. The City does not own any public housing nor does it get involved in Section 8 vouchers or certifications. All of that is coordinated through outside entities. They do not work directly with voucher holders; although, there are other cities that do. Rather, the City hears from residents after the fact when there are problems. Eden Prairie requires units to be scattered throughout a building and not be grouped in a particular wing. It’s a matter of dignity, and it avoids concentrated areas of poverty. Housing is not just bricks and mortar, but also quality of life and access to parks, bus routes, and services. Tax increment financing (TIF) is a public financing method used to subsidize redevelopment and community improvement projects. After 15 years in length, units can go to market, but in the interim, it gives money back to the developer to help make units affordable. Community Development Block Grant Funds are federal funds based on population. Some are earmarked for HUD, and the remainder go for public service. There have been no changes since implementation in 1976, but they are another mechanism to get affordables into the community. The money gets paid back into the housing fund and can be used to fund acquisitions, first-time home buyers, and housing rehabilitation, Fenrick said the drawback is it doesn’t go with the family and without a voucher, they can’t afford to live anywhere else. Koivumaki explained which properties were Section 8 project-based, Senior Affordable, General Affordable, and General Affordable within Market Rate Development. Affordable Home Ownership is another option in which the buyer owns the house but not the property it sits upon making it more affordable. When sold, the house must go to another income-eligible buyer. There is also the First-Time Home Buyer Model through which income-eligible individuals via HUD can borrow a set amount of money interest- free for a down payment, and it is not payable until the sale of the home. The home must be owner-occupied. Additional interest-deferred funds of up to $25,000 are available for structural repairs via the Housing Rehabilitation program. Again, the home must be owner-occupied. Cities must agree to the Livable Communities Act (LCA), governed by the MET Council, in order to access funds. MET Council uses a formula to determine goals for affordable housing units. For Eden Prairie, the target is to add 1200 new affordable units between the years 2020 and 2030. There is no space to build new. New does not mean new bricks and mortar. It can be new from an affordability aspect but if progress isn’t made on the goals, then the City cannot access the funds. Koivumaki explained Area Media Income and how it is calculated. It varies from city to city with Eden Prairie being a higher income community. She went over formulas for how to calculate what is deemed “affordable” in Eden Prairie based on those figures. There is a housing burden across the board at all income levels which means people are spending more than 30 percent of their income on housing. Fenrick gets updated information on rents annually from each rental and will forward demographics to Commissioners. HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY COMMISSION MINUTES October 13, 2016 Page 3 The City has invested $245,350 in the quality of life within affordable housing for upgrades. A housing policy presentation to include consideration of future investments in upgrades will take place at the City Council workshop on November 15 at 5:30 p.m. Commissioners are invited and encouraged to attend. Leeper inquired about the Council’s take on housing and how the HRDC could help make progress. Koivumaki said Council has been receptive. She left printed material for those Commissioners who wanted more information on affordable housing. Howe-Pullis departed at 8:15 p.m. Fenrick explained housing is foundational. It affects all other aspects of life. She asked for feedback on spending meeting time learning about issues. The Commissioners agreed they saw it as worthwhile. Fenrick said it is a human rights and dignity issue. There is nothing currently vacant in Eden Prairie but her office receives daily phone inquiries. Apartments have individual waiting lists which the City doesn’t manage because they don’t own any affordable housing. The wait can be years-long to get on the voucher list. Housing is a crisis in Minnesota as well as other parts of country. Elassar said she has listened to stories or narratives of those affected. Landlords sometimes make lives miserable and can because they have other people waiting to take those units. VI. REPORTS OF STAFF - Fenrick A. TAPESTRY PROJECT Fenrick reported on the Tapestry project, a six-week pilot program at Briar Hills connecting long-term residents with newer immigrant residents with the purpose of building relationships. Topics have included fire and police safety and what hospitality looks like in our culture. A healthy cooking class spurred a request for another cooking class on American fare. There has also been a request for English conversation classes. Commissioners were encouraged to bring forth additional ideas. B. NAVIGATING THE WATERS TRAINING Fenrick is working on Navigating the Waters training which covers issues of poverty and structural injustice challenges. Two speakers will present on oral versus print culture. People from generational poverty tend to share information orally rather than in print. C. BEST BUY GRANT $5.10 remaining. HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY COMMISSION MINUTES October 13, 2016 Page 4 VII. OLD AND NEW BUSINESS A. EDEN PRAIRIE READS Elassar suggested HRDC collaborate with Eden Prairie Reads, a community-wide book club on its next selected book. Commissioners would need to commit to reading the book. Meetings are open, and additional information is available online. B. LGBT DOT EXHIBIT The Minnesota Department of Transportation’s exhibit of leaders in the LGBT community is on display at Hennepin Technical College October 24 through November 3. C. LGBT ALLY TRAINING The Pride Institute will conduct LGBT ally training over the lunch hour on October 24 at Hennepin Technical College. Lunch is included. D. PEOPLE OF EDEN PRAIRIE PROJECT UPDATE Retzlaff said she will email the teacher of the digital imaging class at the high school again about the People of Eden Prairie Project. Fenrick said she will follow up with Retzlaff next week. They should focus on the project next spring. E. TRANSPORTATION FOLLOW-UP This item was tabled until next month. Retzlaff said there are still issues of prejudice at her high school. She would like to see follow-up on the Commission’s previous discussion of getting police involved in a presentation on prejudice and hate crimes. It is still relevant. Fenrick said they can take what they learn about bias crimes from next month’s guest speaker presentation and determine how to proceed. Senthilkumar said the two presidential debates have sparked discussion at school of different human rights issues such as Black Lives Matter and homophobia. Colebrooke said when she brought forth interest in forming a black student union at school, she was told by administration they could meet but not be officially recognized because there is already an overabundance of clubs. Despite having an advisor, the groups number too many to manage from a student activities standpoint. Leeper asked if there are other similar groups already in existence and if there any governing rules for clubs. Colebrooke said there are Muslim and Somali groups; Dare to be Real, an interracial group trained in leadership and civil rights as far as race is concerned; and a talent-based group called Brotherhood. She is not aware of any governing rules. Leeper recommended HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY COMMISSION MINUTES October 13, 2016 Page 5 creation of guidelines and an application. Colebrooke said an application process is already in place and it requires a minimum of four students and an advisor. New clubs can only start in fall and this is the first she’s heard of a club limit. Fenrick asked if there was a way HRDC could assist. Colebrooke said they can meet but it loses meaning if they aren’t officially recognized by the school. She is considering other options such as a publication, but that is less preferable because it is only one-sided and doesn’t facilitate discussion. Narayanan suggested they have discussion and then do a write-up about it. Leeper encouraged Colebrooke not to give up and offered to help if she wants to gather additional information or write a letter. Colebrooke said she doesn’t want to start anything without having all the information. Fenrick again offered the Commission as a resource. Lin said she is cognizant of achievement gap statistics among diverse groups of students in metro area suburbs. It doesn’t seem to be a big issue for incumbent school board members which isn’t right. She fears public perception may be skewed and she would like to see the word get out that trying to solve the gap does not have to mean lowering high-achieving students. Fenrick said there needs to be a conversation about why some students are being favored over others and why some groups have more resources than others. They need to understand it better and find creative ways to help all students rather than taking away from some. Educational issues, among others, stem from housing problems. Rislove stated he has been encouraged by messages at Eden Prairie High School to get out and vote. Gelle reported problems at Eagle Ridge Academy last year relating to Somali students were communicated to administration and are much improved this year. Some Somali students have been recognized at school assemblies for winning Pillar Awards. Colebrooke noted the diversity among this year’s homecoming court but didn’t understand the need to praise it as an accomplishment, as that is how it ought to be. Martinka said she considered it an educational opportunity. Fenrick said she understood the need for it to be viewed as the norm. Fenrick encouraged the students to be on the lookout for youth to nominate for the Human Rights Award. VIII. FUTURE MEETINGS/EVENTS The next HRDC meeting is scheduled for Thursday, November 10, 2016, 7 p.m. at Eden Prairie Center, Room 125. Captain Greg Weber from the Eden Prairie Police Department will be presenting. IX. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Leeper moved, seconded by Martinka, to adjourn. Motion carried 4-0. Chair Narayanan adjourned the meeting at 9:05 p.m.