December 9th Regular Board Meeting Minutes

Board of Commissioners of The Minutes of The Regular Meeting of The Housing Authority of Champaign County
Thursday, December 9, 2021, 3:00 P.M.

1. Call to Order and Roll Call
   
   Noting that a quorum of commissioners was present, Chairman Henry called the meeting to order at 3:19 P.M.
   
   Commissioners Present: Chairman Henry, Vice-Chair Parks, Commissioner Turnbull, Commissioner VanAntwerp, and Commissioner McFarland.
   
   Commissioners Absent: Commissioner Obuchowski.
   
   Staff Present: Lily L. Walton, Executive Director/Secretary-Treasurer; Miguel Manero, Finance Director; Temeka Couch, Interim Deputy Director; Ashley Short, Special Projects Coordinator; Samyra Leonard, Executive Assistant; Robyn Dodd, Acting Director of Housing; Shevone Myrick, Interim Program Manager; Treanesa Johnson, full-time Administrative Assistant; Jean Wingler, Procurement and IT Manager; Vincent Andujo, Construction Specialist; Stephanie Burnett, MTW & Client Outreach Manager; and Dasanie Northern, Administrative Assistant.
   
   Others Present: Antwaun Neely, IFR Holdings; and Jennifer Carlson, City of Champaign.
   
   
2. Approval of Agenda
   Commissioner VanAntwerp made a motion to approve the Board of Commissioner Agenda. Commissioner McFarland seconded. All present voted affirmatively, and the motion passed.
   
   
3. Public Comment on Agenda Items Only
   There were no public comments made on Agenda Items Only.
4. Approval of Minutes
   Chairman Henry announced that the Board of Commissioners would move forward with the approval of the Regular Minutes. Commissioner VanAntwerp made a motion to approve the minutes seconded by Commissioner Turnbull. All present voted affirmatively, and the motion passed.
   
   
5. New Business
   Resolution 2021-18: Approval of Moving To Work 2022 Annual Plan
   The Housing Authority of Champaign County (HACC) has prepared the 2022 Moving To Work (MTW) Plan. HACC is requesting approval from the Board for the updated Annual Plan.
   
   Commissioner Turnbull made a motion to approve the Resolution. Commissioner VanAntwerp seconded the motion. All present voted affirmatively, and the Resolution passed.
   
   Resolution 2021-19: Approval of Moving To Work 2022 Supplement to the Annual PHA Plan
   The Housing Authority of Champaign County has completed its certifications of compliance with regulations for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's MTW Demonstration Program.
   
   Commissioner Turnbull made a motion to approve the Resolution. Commissioner McFarland seconded the motion. All present voted affirmatively, and the Resolution passed.
   
   Resolution 2021-20: Approval of the Revised MTW Local Payment Standards
   The Housing Authority of Champaign County has contracted with American Marketing Services, Inc. to complete its annual market analysis and they have determined certain adjustments to the MTW Local Payment Standard schedule are necessary as the result of changes in market conditions. HACC is requesting approval from the Board of the MTW Revised Payment Standards for 2022.
   
   Commissioner Turnbull made a motion to approve the Resolution. Commissioner VanAntwerp seconded the motion. All present voted affirmatively, and the Resolution passed.
   
   
6. CEO Report
   1. Ms. Walton recognized December's Employee of the Month as Tashanee Turner, and December's YouthBuild Student of the Month as Zaria Sanchez.
   2. Ms. Walton notified the Board that we received our MTW Statutory Compliance Determination. This ensures that at least 75% of the families we serve are either low-income or very low-income.
   3. Ms. Walton shared that she and Temeka Couch will be doing a tour of the Robinson and Newton properties. Additionally, we have to request an ordinance variation to waive the parking requirement for the Envision Center.
   4. Ms. Walton announced that HACC is partnering with the two major school districts in our area to collect and compile aggregate data on shared youth in grades K-12. We will collect data on academics, attendance, and reading scores of students living in federally assisted housing to examine the impact of stable housing and to design and implement intervention programs around housing support and family engagement.
   5. Ms. Walton announced that we are also currently working on Memorandums of Understanding with the local school districts and family service providers to accept referrals for families experiencing homelessness. We have allocated 20 vouchers for 2022.
   6. Ms. Walton notified the Board that the MTW & Client Outreach department has been collaborating with the Housing Choice Voucher department to provide supportive services to recipients of the Emergency Housing Vouchers (EHV). As of today, $16,429.23 has been expended to assist a total of 15 EHV individuals and families. Supportive services have included case management, housing search assistance, payments for past due utility bills, security deposits and rental application fees, and assistance obtaining critical documents, furniture, and other household goods.
   7. Ms. Walton shared with the Board that in the month of November and December we hosted holiday dinners for our senior resident apartments.
   8. Ms. Walton notified the Board that we have the Adopt-A-Family Program for individuals and families in our Emergency Shelter to receive gifts for the upcoming holiday. Our Local Self-Sufficiency department organized the Program and will be hosting a social gathering for the families to pick up their gifts. We received donations from United Way, Regional Planning Commission, and Emmanuel Memorial Episcopal Church.
   9. Ms. Walton notified the Board of our Wisdom Tree Program organized by Ashley Short and Silver Hearts Community, Inc. for senior residents at Steer Place. HACC and Silver Hearts have also been hosting different activities for the residents to keep them engaged and help improve their social connections.
   10. Ms. Walton shared with the Board that YouthBuild learned entrepreneurial skills from Carlos Harvey. They have also been working on the house on Beardsley for WIN Recovery.
   11. Ms. Walton announced that we have 13 of 18 YouthBuild students have received their high school diplomas, 10 of 18 students have gained their NCCER credentials, 5 of 10 have enrolled in Penn Foster certificate program, 1 of 5 have been placed in an internship through the Bright Futures Program, all 4 placements for the Transition to Independence house have been filled, 1 family is living in the  HACCYB Family Support Program home, and 4 of 5 students have received MTW Vouchers.
   12. Ms. Walton shared with the Board that HACC has offered a $50 COVID vaccine incentive for YouthBuild students.
   13. Ms. Walton also shared that Mental Toughness begins for potential students in January, we will only be accepting 10 students in this fourth cohort. We will be applying for our second grant with the Department of Labor in January.
   14. Ms. Walton notified the Board that we received a $15,000 donation from the Champaign Rotary Club to buy construction supplies and materials. Ms. Walton gave a special thanks to James Barham and his group for identifying this sponsor.
   15. Ms. Walton announced that YouthBuild is working on MOUs with both school districts to accept referrals.
   16. Ms. Walton announced that we have been working on fundraising and gaining more sponsors for the YouthBuild Program to serve more students.
   17. Ms. Walton shared with the Board that the YouthBuild graduation for the third cohort will be held on Saturday, January 15th at the Holiday Inn.
   18. Ms. Walton also shared that we will be having an all-staff meeting and winter luncheon from 10 am-3 pm, where will have training on growth mindset and accountability along with team-building activities.
   19. Ms. Walton notified the Board of several important dates in January for the PHADA Commissioners' Conference, our regular Board meeting, and the Strategic Planning sessions.
       
       
7. Departmental Reports
   There were no items needed to discuss for the Departmental Reports.
   
   
8. Approval of Financial Reports
   
   Miguel Manero, Director of Finance, reviewed the Cash Disbursements & Detail Check List for October and November, highlighting a few of the larger items.
   
   Vice-Chair Parks moved to approve the October Cash Disbursements & Detail Check List. The motion was seconded by Commissioner VanAntwerp present voted affirmatively, and the motion passed.
   
   Vice-Chair Parks moved to approve the November Cash Disbursements & Detail Check List. The motion was seconded by Commissioner VanAntwerp present voted affirmatively, and the motion passed.
9. Public Comment on Non-Agenda Items:
   1. There were no items needed to discuss on Non-Agenda Items.
      
      
10. Closed Session
    1. There were no items to discuss for Closed Session.
       
       
11. Adjournment
    At 3:54 P.M., Vice-Chair Parks made a motion to adjourn. The motion was seconded by Commissioner VanAntwerp. All present voted affirmatively, and the motion passed.