Bill No. 22-17 Affordable Housing Resolution

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Filed in Clerk's Office BILL NO. 22-17 MAR 2 3 '102z RESOLUTION NO. 0 A W M:DNS C12 CLERK SOUTH BEND. A RESOLUTION OF THE COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA,CALLING FOR THE COOPERATION OF THE CITY OF SOUTH BEND,THE SOUTH BEND HOUSING AUTHORITY AND DEVELOPERS TO CREATE,FUND AND IMPLEMENT AN INITIATIVE TO REMOVE BARRIERS TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN SOUTH BEND G," on April 26, 2021, the South Bend Common Council passed a resolution calling for a recommitment to the partnership between the City of South Bend and the Housing Authority of South Bend to work together to create and implement an affordable housing plan for low-income residents of South Bend; and 6 , on September 28, 2021, the South Bend Housing Authority gave an update to the South Bend community, indicating that the Housing Authority was, at that time, seeking proposals from developers to demolish and replace the Rabbi Shulman apartments together with the Monroe Circle Apartments; and the Housing Authority, at that time, said that replacement buildings would be a"reposition", i.e., change from public housing to a different type of affordable housing; and the Housing Authority has phased out many of the residents of these two complexes,but fully intends to "bring them back into the new buildings" after they are finished; and C it was reported in February 2022 that the Housing Authority was partnering with developers McCormick, Baron, and Salazar to host meetings with the residents to determine the future layout of the complexes; and 6)6" some members of the Common Council learned about these transactions only through media accounts, and not through any updates or other reports from the Housing Authority; and W" in order to work both effectively and efficiently, the partnership referred to in the September 28, 2021,resolution must be open, honest and transparent; and under federal and state legislation resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, additional funding for affordable housing has been made available to local government entities, with more funding still to come; and 6 ate,the need for affordable housing is now greater than ever before generally due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but also, more specifically, due to the need to relocate the residents of the Rabbi Shulman Plaza and Monroe Circle Apartments; and the solution to the affordable housing crisis does not rest alone with the Housing Authority, but requires the cooperation of developers and the City of South Bend to remove the barriers to building affordable housing in our neighborhoods; and CA",the current unique circumstances of increased need and additional availability of resources mandates the recommitment of the City of South Bend, the HASB, and developers to work together to not only create, but to implement, a housing plan for the City that is "safe, desirable, and affordable with superior services" for residents; and