HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022-0781
CityClerk
From:CityClerk
Sent:Monday, August 29, 2022 3:15 PM
To:Natasha Coleman
Cc:CityClerk
Subject:RE: UPDATE: Reallocation $564k up for City Council Meeting: 2022-0781
Hello,
This comment will be archived on the City of Fayetteville's website under the Agenda Public
Comments for the City Council meeting date that your comment corresponds with. This comment will
not be displayed in the agenda item packet. Please see the link below for your convenience.
http://documents.fayetteville-ar.gov/WebLink/Browse.aspx?id=9096659&dbid=0&repo=COF
Thank you.
Office of the City Clerk Treasurer
113 W. Mountain Street, Suite 308
Fayetteville, AR 72701
479.575.8323
cityclerk@fayetteville-ar.gov
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From: Natasha Coleman <natashacoleman121@yahoo.com>
Sent: Monday, August 29, 2022 3:06 PM
To: Fields, Yolanda <yfields@fayetteville-ar.gov>; Mayor <Mayor@fayetteville-ar.gov>; CityClerk <cityclerk@fayetteville-
ar.gov>; Norton, Susan <snorton@fayetteville-ar.gov>; Jones, D'Andre <dandre.jones@fayetteville-ar.gov>; Harvey,
Sonia <sonia.harvey@fayetteville-ar.gov>; Wiederkehr, Mike <mike.wiederkehr@fayetteville-ar.gov>; Kinion, Mark
<mark.kinion@fayetteville-ar.gov>; Bunch, Sarah <sarah.bunch@fayetteville-ar.gov>; Turk, Teresa
<teresa.turk@fayetteville-ar.gov>; Hertzberg, Holly <holly.hertzberg@fayetteville-ar.gov>; Scroggin, Sloan
<sloan.scroggin@fayetteville-ar.gov>
Subject: UPDATE: Reallocation $564k up for City Council Meeting
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the City of Fayetteville. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize
the sender and know the content is safe.
Good afternoon all,
I just wanted to reach out & follow up on the request submitted last week in reference to the reallocation on the agenda
for next week.
1
Yolanda & I had an opportunity to sit down today & discuss remaining questions I had regarding how these funds would
be used. She is going to be sending over the information submitted to HUD so the CDAP Advisory Board can review the
public comments received during the public comment period.
I feel confident after our conversation with withdrawaling my request to have this item pulled & sent to CDAP for review
before approving the reallocation budget adjustment. We have a plan in place to monitor the program as it's developed
& be able to get regular updates on how the program is doing & be able to know when & where the services will be so
we can pass along that information in the community.
Going forward we will be meeting together on a regular basis to keep communication open & avoid any future
misunderstanding or misinterpretations. This along with the new training documents & notification system Community
Resources has developed will help us board members to be more informed & aware of the work Community Resources
is doing & be able to better communicate this information to the community.
Thank you all for your time & I appreciate the work you all do! And thank you again to Yolanda for taking the time to
meet & the help to get things moving in the right direct
Thank you,
Natasha Coleman
Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android
On Sat, Aug 27, 2022 at 9:07 AM, Fields, Yolanda
<yfields@fayetteville-ar.gov> wrote:
Good Morning Natasha, Thank you so much for wanting to work together moving forward. Would you have any
openings for a phone call this weekend or Monday afternoon?
From: Natasha Coleman <natashacoleman121@yahoo.com>
Sent: Friday, August 26, 2022 4:51 PM
To: Fields, Yolanda <yfields@fayetteville-ar.gov>
Cc: Mayor <Mayor@fayetteville-ar.gov>; Norton, Susan <snorton@fayetteville-ar.gov>; kit.williams@fayetteville-ar.gov;
Kinion, Mark <mark.kinion@fayetteville-ar.gov>; Bunch, Sarah <sarah.bunch@fayetteville-ar.gov>; Jones, D'Andre
<dandre.jones@fayetteville-ar.gov>; Harvey, Sonia <sonia.harvey@fayetteville-ar.gov>; Wiederkehr, Mike
<mike.wiederkehr@fayetteville-ar.gov>; Turk, Teresa <teresa.turk@fayetteville-ar.gov>; Hertzberg, Holly
<holly.hertzberg@fayetteville-ar.gov>; Scroggin, Sloan <sloan.scroggin@fayetteville-ar.gov>; City_Attorney
<city_attorney@fayetteville-ar.gov>; CityClerk <cityclerk@fayetteville-ar.gov>
Subject: RE: Reallocation $564k up for City Council Meeting
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the City of Fayetteville. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize
the sender and know the content is safe.
Good evening Yolanda,
2
Thank you for responding as I hadn't received any responses to direct questions I have sent to you in the last month.
There was no June meeting which would have occurred within the public comment period. So the chance that would
have given to the board & community to discuss before sending to HUD was lost. The July 20th meeting Kelly did go over
some of the information you had shared by email, but there are many outstanding questions that are being ignored &
several requests for documents that have gone unheard that were sent prior to the cutoff.
We have yet to see full copy of the original documents related to this funding, copies of the documents for the
reallocation or any information from the public comments that were requested several times now.
Beyond just the questions & concerns of the funding & lack of transparency, there are concerns that the press release
for this reallocation didn't even include any information about an in-person public comment meeting being available so
its not surprising there was no one in attendance. The one held on Zoom was held at a time many are at work, so only 4
attendees were recorded there. I have yet to hear any feedback on the total number of comments received, but based
on the participation I'm concerned why this wasn't more widely shared & broadcast to the community.
We are aware HUD has now approved it as I indicated in my email. My understanding from your office was that the
document was immediately sent to HUD the day the public comment period ended.
There are still many answers outstanding that I feel the community deserves to have, in addition to us board members. I
hope to see you at further board meetings so we can work together on getting the processes more clear & understood.
As being told by email or on city council meetings that it's not for us or an internal process only when we are trying to
fulfill out duties set by the city is very frustrating. There are several of us that are eager to learn & to help anyway we
can & would just like the opportunity.
Thank you,
Natasha Coleman
3
4
Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android
On Fri, Aug 26, 2022 at 3:11 PM, Fields, Yolanda
<yfields@fayetteville-ar.gov> wrote:
The reallocation process and submission to HUD was reviewed at the July 20th CDAP meeting. HUD has reviewed the
reallocation process and has approved the reallocation funding. The budget adjustment is an internal budgeting
process.
From: Natasha Coleman <natashacoleman121@yahoo.com>
Sent: Friday, August 26, 2022 2:05 PM
To: Mayor <Mayor@fayetteville-ar.gov>; Norton, Susan <snorton@fayetteville-ar.gov>; kit.williams@fayetteville-ar.gov;
Kinion, Mark <mark.kinion@fayetteville-ar.gov>; Bunch, Sarah <sarah.bunch@fayetteville-ar.gov>; Jones, D'Andre
<dandre.jones@fayetteville-ar.gov>; Harvey, Sonia <sonia.harvey@fayetteville-ar.gov>; Wiederkehr, Mike
<mike.wiederkehr@fayetteville-ar.gov>; Turk, Teresa <teresa.turk@fayetteville-ar.gov>; Hertzberg, Holly
<holly.hertzberg@fayetteville-ar.gov>; Scroggin, Sloan <sloan.scroggin@fayetteville-ar.gov>
Subject: Reallocation $564k up for City Council Meeting
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the City of Fayetteville. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize
the sender and know the content is safe.
Good afternoon all,
I'm reaching out in reference the reallocation of the $564k request from Community Resources on the agenda for next
week.
I've tried several times to get answers on why the decision was made to reallocate the CDBG-CV funds from public
services to fund a mobile covid unit with UAMS. I've heard from several concerned citizens as the chair of the CDAP
Board & have voiced several of the initial concerns during public comment in the email thread below that you all
received a copy of in July.
There was no response to the last email I sent 7/13. I have concerns with the lack of participation in the original funds
pointed to mortgage relief, to only have 4 applications during the height of covid raised concern. Also, the fact no
information has been shared as to how the 'needs assessment' was completed & how many residents of the low to
moderate-income or local non profits had a chance to give any input on the reallocation.
We on the CDAP Board requested that they not send the request to HUD for approval without giving the board the
opportunity to review documentation & to hear from the community on the reallocation request, instead we have once
again been left out of the conversations. Only today we did receive the notification that this request was approved by
HUD, but still no mention of documentation requests submitted multiple times now or answers to the outstanding
questions from the board & community members. We had also requested public comment information that they
gathered during the public comment period of this reallocation request & we have yet to receive anything.
I'm asking that the City Council please consider putting forth a vote to have this funding go through the proper channel
of the CDAP board before any approval is given on this funding.
5
I have included an article below from HUD outlining this was not the only option of how these funds could be
reallocated. Due to the large amount of money & the state of many community members, I feel it's our job to ensure we
have explored every option & given ample opportunity for community & non profits to provide feedback.
https://www.hudexchange.info/programs/cdbg-cv/cdbg-cv-toolkit/eligible-uses/public-services/
I'd also like to mention, in the discussion of the mobile covid unit, there still have been no details provided on how this
would even work & who could benefit & for how long. Plus, from additional research it appears UAMS already has a
mobile unit so I'm not sure why they would need this funding that could definitely make a difference in the lives of many
& could help address the housing crisis we are continuing to see grow.
Thank you for your time,
Natasha Coleman
Chair- Community Development and Assistance Programs Advisory Board
Ward 4 Resident
3453 W. Yale St.
Fayetteville, Arkansas 72704
(479) 856-3440
6
7
Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android
----- Forwarded Message -----
From: "Natasha Coleman" <natashacoleman121@yahoo.com>
To: "Yolanda Fields" <yfields@fayetteville-ar.gov>
Cc: "Kelly Colebar" <kcolebar@fayetteville-ar.gov>, "Emily English" <emily.southwelle.english@gmail.com>,
"Gladys Tiffany" <gladystiffany@yahoo.com>, "Susan Gardner" <gardner.susuz@gmail.com>, "Jacob Davies"
<jacobtdavies@gmail.com>, "Vincent Waide" <vmwaide@gmail.com>, "Tim Shepard" <tshepard@fayetteville-
ar.gov>, "D'Andre Jones" <dandre.jones@fayetteville-ar.gov>, "Teresa Turk" <teresa.turk@fayetteville-
ar.gov>, "Susan Norton" <snorton@fayetteville-ar.gov>, "sonia.harvey@fayetteville-ar.gov"
<sonia.harvey@fayetteville-ar.gov>, "mark.kinion@fayetteville-ar.gov" <mark.kinion@fayetteville-ar.gov>,
"sloan.scroggin@fayetteville-ar.gov" <sloan.scroggin@fayetteville-ar.gov>, "mark.wiederkehr@fayetteville-
ar.gov" <mark.wiederkehr@fayetteville-ar.gov>, "sarah.bunch@fayetteville-ar.gov" <sarah.bunch@fayetteville-
ar.gov>, "holly.hertzberg@fayetteville-ar.gov" <holly.hertzberg@fayetteville-ar.gov>
Sent: Wed, Jul 13, 2022 at 1:46 PM
Subject: Re: Reallocation of Housing Funding
Good afternoon,
I do understand & appreciate the years of experience & involvement you have & we do appreciate the work
you do. But there are many questions remaining as to why this is not considered committee business & what
truly qualifies. And still many unanswered questions on how this current reallocation came to be & how
decisions were made.
Many I have spoke with were under the impression from the official ordinance that this is one of the many we
would be reviewing & advising the City Council on. For this reason I have submitted a request to call a special
meeting of the committee so us as members can go over the information received.
I think it is in everyone's best interest, especially those low-moderate income in our community, that we get to
the bottom of this & have a better process going forward.
https://library.municode.com/ar/fayetteville/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=CD_ORD_TITIIIAD_CH33DEB
OCOAU_ARTXXXICODEASPRADBO
8
9
Thank you!
Natasha Coleman
----- Forwarded Message -----
From: "Fields, Yolanda" <yfields@fayetteville-ar.gov>
To: "Natasha Coleman" <natashacoleman121@yahoo.com>
Cc: "Colebar, Kelly" <kcolebar@fayetteville-ar.gov>, "Emily English"
<emily.southwelle.english@gmail.com>, "Gladys Tiffany" <gladystiffany@yahoo.com>,
"Vincent Waide" <vmwaide@gmail.com>, "Jacob Davies" <jacobtdavies@gmail.com>,
"Shepard, Tim" <tshepard@fayetteville-ar.gov>, "Susan Gardner"
<gardner.susuz@gmail.com>, "Jones, D'Andre" <dandre.jones@fayetteville-ar.gov>, "Turk,
Teresa" <teresa.turk@fayetteville-ar.gov>, "Norton, Susan" <snorton@fayetteville-ar.gov>
Sent: Tue, Jul 12, 2022 at 6:41 PM
Subject: RE: Reallocation of Housing Funds
Process clarification:
rd
This reallocation process involves the 3 wave of CDBG-Covid-19 funding. Per HUD regulation this
funding is for Covid-19 issues (prepare, prevent and/or respond to Covid-19). This is an administrative
process that will maintain the city’s compliance with HUD regulations. A HUD waiver allowed us to use
this funding for the mortgage assistance program that ran from 11/21 – 5/22. The housing designation
noted in the reallocation notice refers only to the city’s G/L housing category used for budget purposes
only.
Answers to your questions are listed below. I totally understand that HUD regulations can be
challenging. I have over thirty years of experience auditing and/or administering HUD funding - if I may
provide additional information please let me know.
1. Is there a reason this was not brought to the committee?
a. Several community members have reached out inquiring why the committee was not
aware of this ahead of time, and why it was not brought to committee for review &
discussion. This is an administrative process for program management. Process
established by HUD regulation.
2. Will public comments be available to committee once the process is closed? Yes
a. Will the list of questions & answers in this email string be included in those comments?
If not, how can we are committee members, have our comments/concerns included in
the comments presented to council & to HUD? Comments on the reallocation will be
included.
3. When do we expect this to go before city council?
a. What is the process once presented, if approved vs. not approved? If HUD approval is
given - BA-Agenda item will go to council.
4. Hearth program information shared in response to housing first community. Based on the last
information I could find the Hearth program had benefited 206 participants from Feb 2016-
June 2021 newsletter. . See attached newsletter.
a. Is there any more recent figures on this & other programs? See attached newsletter.
10
b. Given the population in 2020 listed at over 86,000, was there any consideration made
in expanding these programs prior to the choice of reallocating the funds? CDBG-
CV funds cannot be used for regular CDBG programs.
5. How was the community outreach completed prior to this request? Community outreach is
constant process for the department. Conversations with community members and
community partners/organizations is ongoing.
a. When was this completed?
b. How was the information obtained?
c. Is there a copy available? And are these assessments shared with the public?
6. If reallocation request is approved by City Council & HUD: Health providers will follow their
program plan. CR staff will monitor programs.
a. How would the services be prioritized?
b. Any plan in place to handle the requests once the application process opens?
c. Any description of services potentially covered by this service? Limits on funding?
From: Natasha Coleman <natashacoleman121@yahoo.com>
Sent: Tuesday, July 12, 2022 9:17 AM
To: Fields, Yolanda <yfields@fayetteville-ar.gov>
Cc: Colebar, Kelly <kcolebar@fayetteville-ar.gov>; Emily English
<emily.southwelle.english@gmail.com>; Gladys Tiffany <gladystiffany@yahoo.com>; Vincent Waide
<vmwaide@gmail.com>; Jacob Davies <jacobtdavies@gmail.com>; Shepard, Tim
<tshepard@fayetteville-ar.gov>; Susan Gardner <gardner.susuz@gmail.com>; Jones, D'Andre
<dandre.jones@fayetteville-ar.gov>; Turk, Teresa <teresa.turk@fayetteville-ar.gov>; Norton, Susan
<snorton@fayetteville-ar.gov>
Subject: Fw: Reallocation of Housing Funds
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the City of Fayetteville. Do not click links or open attachments
unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe.
Good morning,
I know the cutoff for public comments ends today at 5pm, so I wanted to make sure this information &
questions are included in the public comments.
There are several community members awaiting responses to several of these questions as well that I
need to followup with.
Thank you,
11
Natasha Coleman
Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android
----- Forwarded Message -----
From: "Natasha Coleman" <natashacoleman121@yahoo.com>
To: "Yolanda Fields" <yfields@fayetteville-ar.gov>
Cc: "Jacob Davies" <jacobtdavies@gmail.com>, "Susan Gardner"
<gardner.susuz@gmail.com>, "Emily English" <emily.southwelle.english@gmail.com>,
"Gladys Tiffany" <gladystiffany@yahoo.com>, "Vincent Waide" <vmwaide@gmail.com>,
"Shepard, Tim" <tshepard@fayetteville-ar.gov>, "Turk, Teresa" <teresa.turk@fayetteville-
ar.gov>, "Jones, D'Andre" <dandre.jones@fayetteville-ar.gov>, "Kelly Colebar"
<kcolebar@fayetteville-ar.gov>
Sent: Mon, Jul 11, 2022 at 8:25 AM
Subject: Re: Reallocation of Housing Funds
I'm not sure if this email came through Friday, as my mailbox has been having issues so I'm sending
again in case
????
Good morning Yolanda,
I had a chance to look over the responses in detail & follow-up with community members that had
reached out. There are some additional questions I have that I’m not clear on based on the responses
you sent. Can you please take a look at these & provide feedback?
1. Is there a reason this was not brought to the committee?
a. Several community members have reached out inquiring why the committee was not aware of
this ahead of time, and why it was not brought to committee for review & discussion.
2. Will public comments be available to committee once the process is closed?
a. Will the list of questions & answers in this email string be included in those comments?
12
b. If not, how can we are committee members, have our comments/concerns included in the
comments presented to council & to HUD?
3. When do we expect this to go before city council?
a. What is the process once presented, if approved vs. not approved?
4. Hearth program information shared in response to housing first community. Based on the last
information I could find the Hearth program had benefited 206 participants from Feb 2016-June 2021
newsletter.
a. Is there any more recent figures on this & other programs?
b. Given the population in 2020 listed at over 86,000, was there any consideration made in
expanding these programs prior to the choice of reallocating the funds?
5. How was the community outreach completed prior to this request?
a. When was this completed?
b. How was the information obtained?
c. Is there a copy available? And are these assessments shared with the public?
6. If reallocation request is approved by City Council & HUD:
a. How would the services be prioritized?
b. Any plan in place to handle the requests once the application process opens?
c. Any description of services potentially covered by this service? Limits on funding?
13
Notes of further discussions to include in future committee meetings:
Communications:
i. Continuing to see reports of ones not receiving any notifications
until time is almost lapsed or after the fact.
Recommend bringing to committee meeting to discuss how we can improve on this going forward. Go
over alert steps again due to the majority of the committee not being aware of this current request
until week’s after announcement.
Important for committee members to be up to speed on what is happening so we can better assist the
community & be prepared for questions that might arise.
ii. Is there data available to review the average response/community
engagement on changes or updates?
Concerning to see the lack of response received both from the public meetings & the mortgage
assistance program.
CDBG Budget:
i. Discuss the administrative procedures so the committee has a
better understanding of the process & how the funds determination’s are made.
Role of the committee:
i. Unclear on our role beyond the CDBG grant review process &
sharing communications when received.
ii. Below information pulled directly from the city board information
page. Recommending to bring to committee meeting to discuss each of these in detail since we have
only been involved in voting for one funding recommendation since the board was assembled:
Making recommendations to the City Council & Mayor regarding the priorities of the city’s efforts to
serve low-and moderate- income residents.
Participate in development if the CDBG 5 year plans, or intermediate amendments, for adoption by the
City Council.
Provide a venue for Housing and Urban Development-mandated public hearings and to review
comments received during HUD-mandated public comment periods.
14
Receive Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Reports.
Analyze requests for funds in relation to the needs of the community and the amount of funds
available and make recommendations to the Mayor & City Council as to which programs should be
funded and at which levels in any given year.
Promote public awareness of funding opportunities and processes through proactive community
outreach efforts.
Identify additional revenue sources including, but not limited to state and federal grants, non-profit
grants, or community partnerships.
The Board may adopt such rules of order and procedure as are necessary to carry out its duties.
Thank you for your time & efforts!
Natasha N. Coleman
(479) 856-3440
Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android
On Tue, Jul 5, 2022 at 12:19 PM, D'Andre Jones
<dre91732000@gmail.com> wrote:
Natasha thanks for following up and being a voice!!
Sent from my iPhone
15
On Jul 5, 2022, at 10:04 AM, Natasha Coleman <Natashacoleman121@yahoo.com>
wrote:
Thank you Yolanda for the feedback! I will look over this after work today & follow up
with committee members & members of the public that had reached out to see what
additional questions there might be or if everything was covered sufficiently.
Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android
On Tue, Jul 5, 2022 at 9:47 AM, D'Andre Jones
<dre91732000@gmail.com> wrote:
Thanks Yolanda for responding and all you do!!
Sent from my iPhone
On Jul 5, 2022, at 7:59 AM, Fields, Yolanda <yfields@fayetteville-
ar.gov> wrote:
1. Are there details available on what the next steps are for this action plan?
Where do we go from here? What is the current process after the comment
period ends? 2022 Action Plan will be submitted to HUD and
presented to city council.
2. How we can get the word about public input opportunity before the
time ends? Several members of the community are just learning of
this, including city council members. Notice of the Reallocation
th
process was published in the NWA Times print copy July 11 and July
18, distibutied on all city media information platforms, posted on the
th
CR department website (on July 12). Public Comment Period – June
13 – July 12 comments will be forwarded to HUD. Comments may be
submitted via email and or phone call. Please encourage folks to sign
up for the alerts and notifications on the city website.
3. Is there anyway to stop this process before it goes through to have a
chance to put it before the committee & provide space for public
comments to be heard by committee members before any final
decision is reached? The process provides thirty day comment period
and public meetings. Public Comment Period – June 13 – July
th
12 Public Meeting June 27 (in person with no attendees) June
th
28 (Zoom Meeting with four attendees). The reallocation process is
established by HUD and HUD makes final approval.
4. Is there a reason this was not presented to the committee for review prior
to release? How can we ensure better communication & transparency going
16
forward so we are well equipped to answer public questions & concerns? This
is an administrative process which requires thirty-day public comment period
and a public meeting. Staff will review the city alert and notifications
process with the advisory board.
5. Will this go before city council, including all public comments? What about
HUD? Is their approval required before this is reallocated? The
reallocation is an administrative process and will be submitted to
HUD for approval. All comments will be submitted to HUD.
6. How was the 'community need' documented? Was there a needs
assessment completed? Is a copy available? Needs based on community
outreach.
- How often are those routinely performed & available to the
public? Reallocations are processed as needed.
7. How are all of the CDBG funds allocated? How is the determination on each
funding amount made? We are unclear on our role in the process of CDBG
allocation beyond the public services grants. CDBG budget is part of the
city budget process and approved by city council. Staff will
conduct a refresh review of administrative procedures with the
advisory board.
8. There are concerns throughout the community given the current
rent/mortgage related crisis being faced in the community that we would
even be considering taking funds away from housing. How does this fall in
lines with being known as a 'housing first' community? Housing first
relates to housing formerly unsheltered individuals without
barriers. The City of Fayetteville Hearth Program utilizes the
“housing first” process when housing our Hearth Program
clients.
9. How was the mortgage assistance communicated? Concerning given
current climate that there were only two applications received out of
all city residents. We have witnessed several community members still
on the brink of homelessness & still so many without housing in our
city limits. Distributed on all city media information platforms, posted
on the CR department website. Shared with non-profit community
partners. State is now providing assistance for past due mortagage
and utility payments.
The Arkansas Development Finance Authority (ADFA) will receive
approximately $54 million of direct assistance from the Homeowner
Assistance Fund (HAF) allocated from the U.S. Treasury. The Arkansas
HAF Program is intended to provide funds to help low to moderate-
income homeowners avoid financial hardships such as delinquent
mortgages, defaults, foreclosures and loss of utilities after January 21,
2020.
9. On the reallocation proposal to UAMS: If approved, would the service be
free to the community? All residents or would there be certain target
demographics? How would the determination be made as to who
qualifies? Services would be free for those that are at 80%
of AMI or less. NWA Times (July 2, 2022) Arkansas recorded
more than 1,000 new covid-19 cases for the fourth consecutive
day Friday, according to data from the state Department of
Health. Friday's 1,224 new cases were 213 fewer than
Thursday's increase of 1,437, the largest one-day increase since
17
February, but Friday's new case total was 162 more than the
Friday before. Also Friday, the number of coronavirus-related
hospitalizations in the state reached its highest point since early
March.
- What is the proposed route for the UAMS medical van? Would they go
wherever they are needed? Is there any prioritizing plan in place based on
those in most dire need? Services would be provided where
needed.
- Is this duplicative of another service? Have we verified this service is not
already offered or being funded elsewhere? Are there already funds available
to bring this service to the community without taking any funding from
housing? At this time there are no funds for this service.
- Was there an open application process for these funds? This is an
administrative process open application is not required. Funding must be
used to deal with Covid issues.
- What does it mean to say that giving it out as rental assistance would
be risky? Has the utilization of an ESG provider been considered to
avoid any duplication but provide a way to get these funds into the
hands of our community that is still suffering? Rental Assistance
provided by the county/state do not have a system that would allow
connection for verification of duplication of services. This would create
a liability for the city any issue of non-compliance due to duplication of
services would require reimbursement of funds to HUD.
Governor Hutchinson Office Press Release (5/6/22) We are not going
to ignore the needs of Arkansans. Community action agencies
throughout the state can distribute aid from the remaining funds. We
still have approximately $16.5 million available in housing stability
funds through other programs, and that includes more than $6 million
for rental assistance.
Programs that assist renters, including the Emergency Solutions
Grants, the Community Services Block Grants, and the Low-Income
Home Energy Assistance Program.
There are several city residents in need of help right now & some are
willing to come speak on the conditions being faced right now. Public
Comment Periond – June 13 – July 12
We have a chance to make a difference for so many, I hope we take this
opportunity to provide immediate life saving basic necessities to the many in
need right now & listen to what the community voices it needs at this
moment. With Covid numbers going up and our underserved
community dealing with Covid, health issues resulting from
Covid, and existing health issues this funding will provide long-
term life-saving services moving forward.
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Please let know if you have any questions. Hope you have a
good day.
From: Natasha Coleman <natashacoleman121@yahoo.com>
Sent: Monday, July 4, 2022 8:22 PM
To: Fields, Yolanda <yfields@fayetteville-ar.gov>; Colebar, Kelly
<kcolebar@fayetteville-ar.gov>
Cc: Jacob Davies <jacobtdavies@gmail.com>; Susan Gardner
<gardner.susuz@gmail.com>; Emily English
<emily.southwelle.english@gmail.com>; Gladys Tiffany
<gladystiffany@yahoo.com>; Vincent Waide <vmwaide@gmail.com>;
Shepard, Tim <tshepard@fayetteville-ar.gov>; Turk, Teresa
<teresa.turk@fayetteville-ar.gov>; Jones, D'Andre
<dandre.jones@fayetteville-ar.gov>
Subject: Reallocation of Housing Funds
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the City of Fayetteville. Do not
click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the
content is safe.
Good evening Yolanda & Kelly! I hope all of you have had a nice long weekend
????
After reviewing & discussing the documents that were found on the city page
regarding the reallocation of the $564k from the housing to public services
there are several additional questions on this that have been put forward by
myself or other committee members &/or input received from several
concerned community members:
1. Are there details available on what the next steps are for this action plan?
Where do we go from here? What is the current process after the comment
period ends?
2. How we can get the word about public input opportunity before the time
ends? Several members of the community are just learning of this, including
city council members.
3. Is there anyway to stop this process before it goes through to have a chance
to put it before the committee & provide space for public comments to be
heard by committee members before any final decision is reached?
4. Is there a reason this was not presented to the committee for review prior
to release? How can we ensure better communication & transparency going
forward so we are well equipped to answer public questions & concerns?
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5. Will this go before city council, including all public comments? What about
HUD? Is their approval required before this is reallocated?
6. How was the 'community need' documented? Was there a needs
assessment completed? Is a copy available?
- How often are those routinely performed & available to the public?
7. How are all of the CDBG funds allocated? How is the determination on each
funding amount made? We are unclear on our role in the process of CDBG
allocation beyond the public services grants.
8. There are concerns throughout the community given the current
rent/mortgage related crisis being faced in the community that we would
even be considering taking funds away from housing. How does this fall in
lines with being known as a 'housing first' community?
9. How was the mortgage assistance communicated? Concerning given
current climate that there were only two applications received out of all city
residents. We have witnessed several community members still on the brink
of homelessness & still so many without housing in our city limits.
9. On the reallocation proposal to UAMS:
- If approved, would the service be free to the community? All residents or
would there be certain target demographics? How would the determination
be made as to who qualifies?
- What is the proposed route for the UAMS medical van? Would they go
wherever they are needed? Is there any prioritizing plan in place based on
those in most dire need?
- Is this duplicative of another service? Have we verified this service is not
already offered or being funded elsewhere? Are there already funds available
to bring this service to the community without taking any funding from
housing?
- Was there an open application process for these funds?
- What does it mean to say that giving it out as rental assistance would be
risky? Has the utilization of an ESG provider been considered to avoid any
duplication but provide a way to get these funds into the hands of our
community that is still suffering?
There are several city residents in need of help right now & some are willing
to come speak on the conditions being faced right now.
We have a chance to make a difference for so many, I hope we take this
opportunity to provide immediate life saving basic necessities to the many in
need right now & listen to what the community voices it needs at this
moment.
The following article was sent by a member of the community & highlights
how real the problems are facing our community right now.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/07/03/inflation-homeless-
rent-housing/
Thank you!
Natasha Coleman
#479-856-3440
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