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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCRA-R-21-0038 OMNI CRA Grant Request Submission (OBSOLETE)Omni CRA Grant Request Submission Executive Summary: In 2018, Forbes ranked Miami the least affordable city for renters, and NPR reported that "Teachers Can't Afford 91 % of the Homes in Miami." As a result, M-DCPS struggles to attract and retain its workforce, hurting educational outcomes. JPMC funded MHFA to address solutions to this in partnership with M-DCPS. The grant's deliverables (nearly complete) include: 1) a case study of M-DCPS's demonstration projects to improve school facilities and incorporate affordable housing into them; 2) an assessment of additional opportunities to enhance school facilities and build housing across the district's footprint; and 3) the design of a pilot program addressing the immediate and medium -term financial needs of the district's workforce, to include housing assistance and financial coaching. MHFA respectfully requests funding for Phase II to ensure that the opportunities identified in Phase I are realized. In Phase II, MHFA will 1) implement the pilot programwith our partners: M-DCPS, an experienced financial coaching provider, and the Omni Community Redevelopment Agency (Omni CRA) and the Southeast Overtown/Parkwest CRA which will fund the housing assistance; and 2) provide education and technical support to the M-DCPS administration as it considers potential opportunities to enhance school facilities and develop affordable housing for employees. Implementing the pilot will not only address the short-term financial needs of 60 M-DCPS employees. It will also act as a focus group to inform the development of permanent housing units especially targeted to the needs of this workforce. MHFA and its key partners will create a plan for the pilot's sustainability and scalability. We anticipate launch of the pilot by the fall of 2021, and we project ongoing technical support throughout the year to inform a prospective pipeline of school rehab/housing projects. The focus group cohort will include 60 M-DCPS employee households, including educators. Of those, at least 51 % will earn no more than 80% AM I. Organizational Description: Miami Homes For All, Inc. (MHFA) was incorporated in 1985 to prevent and end homelessness in South Florida, with the vision that all residents have a safe, stable home. Its Executive Director, Annie Lord, is a Miami native with 15 years' experience in the community development field. MHFA pursues its mission through policy research, policy education, and community engagement. One of MHFA's primary objectives is to promote the creation and preservation of more affordable housing in Miami -Dade County. In 2018, MHFA partnered with the City of Miami to draft a prioritized strategy for housing affordability. In this process, MHFA conducted policy research and convened over ten cross -sector stakeholder meetings, during which participants determined a quantified goal to meet the housing needs of Miami residents and a roadmap for achieving them. Now, we are in the implementation phase of this work. In the previous three years, MHFA led the establishment of the Housing Solutions Task Force, now a full committee within the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce; reactivated Miami Dade County's Affordable Housing Trust Fund; and published two academic reports - one on the effect of homelessness on educational outcomes and another on how to preserve affordable housing. MHFA also provides backbone support to The HOMY Collective - a collaboration of about 100 agencies, including Miami Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS), The Children's Trust, and the Homeless Trust, seeking to address youth homelessness in Miami -Dade. Miami Homes ForAll's mission is to prevent and end homelessness in Sou h Florida. Our vision is that everyone in Miami -Dade County has a safe and stable home. Incorporated in 1985, we do this through policy research, policy education, and community engagement. In particular, we work to prevent homelessness by increasing the supply of affordable housing in Miami -Dade County Project Description Miami is the third least affordable city in the US. According to Florida International University, we need 125,644 new affordable homes to meet the needs of Miami -Dade residents earning up to 80% of area median income. Because of this dire reality, two- thirds of all teachers were cost -burdened in 2016. As a result, Miami -Dade County Public Schools struggles to recruit and retain teachers and other employees that our community badly needs. Miami Homes For All (MHFA) is currently in year 2 of its work on this project. The first included the development of a Case Study. The Case Study has been provided as supporting documentation. MHFA will continue its partnership with Miami -Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) to implement the pilot program and provide technical support that informs the identification and prioritization of a potential pipeline of facilities improvements and employee housing developments on school property. To implement this project, Miami Homes For All will: 1) Convene project partners monthly, including the Omni CRA and Southeast Overtown/Parkwest CRA, our financial coaching provider, and M-DCPS to launch the pilot program by fall 2021 and manage its performance. This launch and pilot management includes a host of activities, including signing MOUs with the new partners, creating marketing materials, conducting outreach to employees, researching future funding partners, and reporting back regularly to partners on the pilot's performance. 2) Provide technical support to MDCPS and Miami -Dade County's Department of Public Housing and Community Development (PHCD) in identifying and prioritizing a pipeline of potential school enhancement/housing projects, as well as identifying sources of financing for those projects. This assistance will incorporate and complement the affordable housing plans being created and implemented for Miami -Dade County and the City of Miami, respectively. MHFA will also research and incorporate best practices and lessons learned from anchor institutions that have contributed affordable housing solutions in other communities. 3) Complete a report on the outcomes of the pilot and the prospective school/housing developments. This will include lessons learned from the participants about their housing needs and a financial sustainability plan, as well as our best practice research. The financial coaching provider will disburse the housing assistance funds sought from both CRAs to the M-DCPS employees while providing financial coaching to them. The provider will also track the outputs and outcomes of the service delivery. Grant Amount Request: $300,000 ($150,000 from each partnering CRA) The proposed housing incentive model considers an average $5,000 incentive for housing down -payment or initial rental costs. Eligible participants would earn the incentive upon completion of all financial coaching activities. This pilot program would make outreach efforts to approximately 120 participants with an anticipated 60 participants meeting eligibility and completing all coaching activities.