HomeMy WebLinkAbout8/3/2021 - City Council - City Council Meeting Agenda Packet - Jerrilea CrawfordRegional Assessment of Fair Housing
Assessment of Past Goals & Actions
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City of East Wenatchee
Assessment of Past Goals and Actions
• Protected populations seeking rental or homeownership opportunities often lack the skill and knowledge to obtain and remain in affordable housing; immigrant and migrant populations are particularly impacted by a lack of financial literacy, fair housing knowledge, and by the lack of bilingual housing resources.
o Recommendation #1: Support the provision of workshops and education on unfair lending
practices, including predatory lending. Take full advantage of agencies or institutions, such as the Housing Authority and People’s Bank, both which provide no-cost education and/or financial counseling, fair housing training and encourage consumers to take advantage of those resources in advance of purchasing housing, vehicles and/or other goods. These workshops are offered in Spanish and English
Progress: None
o Recommendation #2: Support programs and activities which provide consumers with the knowledge and skills to identify and respond to their rights under fair housing laws and to understand both rental agreements and purchase agreements. The Greater East Wenatchee regions is served by the Yakima Consumer Credit office, which offers Spanish-language
classes at no-cost for fair housing laws, financial counseling and first-time homebuyer classes.
Progress: None
o Recommendation #3: Post information about fair housing and resources on public websites and at City Hall. Post information in English and Spanish
Progress: East Wenatchee maintains and periodically updates a Fair Housing page in the Community Development Department section of the city web site that provides, brochures, forms and contact information for people to pursue Fair Housing claims. The information is provided in English and Spanish.
o Recommendation #4: Support the efforts of Northwest Justice and Columbia Legal to
provide legal aide, fair housing training and housing counseling and advocacy to immigrants and protected classes
Progress: None
o Recommendation #5: Support the provision of English language classes for persons with limited English language skills
Progress: None
o Recommendation #6: Encourage the availability and use of reliable translation services to benefit persons with limited English language skills
Progress: All advertisements and notices of public meetings offers translation services if someone requests such services in advance of the meeting.
Regional Assessment of Fair Housing
Assessment of Past Goals & Actions
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Ordinances and resolutions provide an option for interested parties to obtain translated versions.
• There is a lack of awareness of the issues related to fair housing and the impediments to fair housing, especially on the part of real estate professional and housing providers.
o Recommendation #1: Explore possible partnerships in the community (e.g., agencies, realtors, lenders, advocates) to provide a venue and materials for fair housing training and public forums and/or discussion sessions with public officials on fair housing issues facing the
Greater East Wenatchee area.
Progress: City staff offered to fund fair housing training at several of the Homeless Advisory Committee meetings. No one requested assistance in providing the training.
o Recommendations #2: Support activities to educate the community, including real estate
professionals, housing providers, landlords and tenants on all protected class fair housing
rights.
Progress: None
o Recommendation #3: Support efforts to educate the community on the need for reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities, including keeping service/companion animals
Progress: None
• This region has a shortage of supportive housing options for vulnerable special needs populations including those with disabilities and the elderly.
o Recommendation #1: Encourage the development of new housing to meet the projected
need for elderly housing and the inclusion of an adequate supply of units accessible for the disabled
Progress: None
o Recommendation #2: Advocate for the retention of critical State social services programs operated by public and private sources that provide services and support for person with
severe disabilities.
Progress: City staff regularly attend meetings of the Chelan Douglas Homeless Advisory Committee. The Committee includes housing and service providers including the rental association, faith-based organizations, non-profits, state and local agencies. This group provides recommendations to the cities, counties, and housing and service providers relative to actions that will reduce homelessness, encourage rapid re-housing, support and educate landlords, and provide information to the general public regarding the need for housing and support services.
o Recommendation #3: Support Housing Authority testing and enforcement action against
housing that is not compliant with Fair Housing Act accessibility standards.
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Assessment of Past Goals & Actions
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Progress: None
• This region has a shortage of affordable housing options that is sized for families with
children.
o Recommendation #1: Encourage the development of new housing with more bedrooms and amenities for families with children.
Progress: None
o Recommendation #2: Continue City Planning Commission’s work to support land use,
zoning and other policies that provide adequate housing choice to fit the needs of the
population, including those in protected classes such as large family households with children.
Progress: Over the past 5 years, East Wenatchee has adopted several amendments to the zoning code to reduce lot size minimums and parking
requirements and increase options for housing types in an effort to provide greater flexibility for developers to provide more choices in housing size and style including multifamily housing in single-family neighborhoods.
• Lack of housing and supportive resources contributes to homelessness for survivors of domestic violence.
o Recommendation #1: Support SAGE programs and funding for domestic violence shelters and/or supportive services for domestic violence survivors, as well as promote education and outreach on domestic violence.
Progress: Brochures are available at East Wenatchee City Hall to inform individuals of services available for victims of domestic violence. City staff and elected officials participate in the process for distributing state and local funds to agencies including SAGE.
• This region’s immigrant populations face many housing challenges, which has an impact to
fair housing choice on the basis of national origin.
o Recommendation #1: Support the provision of workshops and educational programs of agencies or institutions, such as the Housing Authority, which provides no-cost education and/or counseling on fair housing training. Ensure that these workshops are offered in Spanish and English.
Progress: None
o Recommendation #2: Support programs and activities which provide consumers with the knowledge and skills to identify and respond to their rights under fair housing laws and to understand rental agreements and tenant rights.
Progress: None
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Assessment of Past Goals & Actions
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o Recommendation #3: Post information about fair housing and resources on public websites and at City Hall. Post information in English and Spanish.
Progress: Information, brochures and links to state and federal sites are posted
on the city website in Spanish and English. Posters and materials are also provided in the City Hall facility.
o Recommendation #4: Support the efforts of non-profit and volunteer attorney services to provide legal aide, fair housing training, housing counseling and advocacy to immigrants, migrant seasonal and permanent seasonal farmworkers, and other protected classes.
Progress: City staff and elected officials regularly attend meetings of the Chelan Douglas Homeless Task Force and participate in the biannual award of funds from the state and the local homeless housing surcharge. Volunteer attorney services is one of the agencies benefitting from program fund awards.
o Recommendation #5: Ensure fair housing strategies, such as addressing language barriers
and ensuring access to services, are inclusive of the broader immigrant population whether
documented or undocumented.
Progress: None
o Recommendation #6: Support fair housing advocates efforts to education immigrants on their right to report unsafe conditions without fear of eviction. Outreach to immigrant families,
with culturally sensitive approach, is recommended to help further fair housing for this
protected class of the population.
Progress: None
• Lack of affordable rental and homeownership opportunities and community resistance to
affordable housing options has disparate impact on Latinos, people with disabilities an families with children, protected class groups that are disproportionately represented in the low-income population.
o Recommendation #1: Continue to support land use, zoning and other policies that provide adequate housing choice to fit the needs of the population, including those in protected
classes with special needs and limited incomes.
Progress: East Wenatchee adopted several amendments to the zoning code to encourage more variety in housing types, styles, and sizes. The minimum lot sizes were increased, building lot coverage was increased, parking
requirements were decreased, and duplexes and triplexes were added as permitted use in the single-family zoning districts.
o Recommendation #2: Advocate for additional housing funding resources at the state level such as the State Housing Trust Fund. Prepare letters of support to organizations that are aggressively pursuing funding to create new housing in East Wenatchee.
Progress: Letters of support were provided to a local agency for funding of a permanent supportive housing program.
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Assessment of Past Goals & Actions
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o Recommendation #3: Encourage the Planning Commission to make code changes to make it easier and more affordable to develop on underutilized parcels of land; increase the density in the residential low density zoning district; increase the choice of housing by allowing
duplexes in the residential low-density zoning district and providing standards for zero-lot line
developments, small lot subdivisions, townhomes, cottage housing, and other housing styles; and allow more residential uses in commercial areas to provide more mixed-use options.
Progress: East Wenatchee adopted several amendments to the zoning code and the comprehensive plan to encourage more variety in housing. The maximum
density for all residential districts were increased. The minimum lot sizes were decreased, building lot coverage was increased, parking requirements were decreased. Additionally, standards were developed for flag lots to encourage infill development and duplexes and triplexes were added as permitted use in the single-family zoning districts. Multifamily residential uses are allowed in
most commercial districts as accessory to commercial use of the property provided for mixed-use options.
o Recommendation #4: Supporting housing construction and seek to encourage the provision of affordable housing by removing regulatory barriers that impact the cost to provide housing, promoting integrated neighborhoods, and providing an adequate mix of housing types.
Ensure that the Zoning Code permits bonus densities for incorporating affordable housing in
planned development projects, and includes other development incentives to increase the supply of available housing.
Progress: East Wenatchee adopted several amendments to the zoning code in an effort to reduce the cost of housing. The maximum density for all residential
districts were increased. The minimum lot sizes were decreased, building lot coverage was increased, parking requirements were decreased. Standards were developed for flag lots to encourage infill development. Duplexes and triplexes were added as permitted uses in the single-family zoning districts. Those amendments provide for more units per acre reducing the overall cost of the
development.
• Community resistance to housing for persons with disabilities, including landlord resistance to housing veterans with disabilities through the VASH program.
o Recommendation #1: Adopt a local zoning code to include group homes within the definition
of single family homes.
Progress: None
o Recommendation #2: Adopt a local ordinance prohibiting “source of income” discrimination to address the VASH voucher discrimination.
Progress: None
o Recommendation #3: Supporting Housing Authority testing and enforcement action for housing discrimination on the basis of disability or source of income.
Progress: None