[Durham INC] City Response to Grant Funding Inquiry:

Tue Oct 11 11:13:01 EDT 2011

Fellow INC'ers:

I decided to take my concerns about the boarded-up housing to the Mayor, Council and City Manager; since DHA was seeking more grant funding (which I felt would be a perfect opportunity to mandate that they utilize efforts to rehabilitate dilapidated property, rather than build new facilities.

Mr. Reginald Johnson sent me a reply, explaining that while the NOFA indeed does cover my expressed preference of having renovation projects executed, no applications were received for such matters.

I still feel that the Mayor and City Council could make this point to DHA, since it is a recipient, not the grantor.

I would like to appeal my concern to Councilman Woodard......this should at-least be a part of the conversation.  The language of NOFA states:

(1) "Rehabilitation of existing properties is an eligible activity in the NOFA." and (2) "The purpose of the CoC Homeless Assistance Programs is to reduce the incidence of homelessness in CoC communities, by assisting homeless individuals and families in quickly transitioning to self-sufficiency and permanent housing, as authorized under Title IV of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act."

It would seem that rehabbing already-existing properties (which is quicker than the process of building anew, and also, benefits the appearance of the downtown corridor entrance from one side) would at-least be a priority of the Council; given the heavy investments downtown, the gateways to such should be aesthetically pleasing.

I hope Councilman Woodard will consider taking-up this cause.

I'd like this placed on the INC Agenda as well; we could get Bonfield, or someone to explain the intricacies of the vision of Downtown Durham with the surrounding corridor.  

- Darius

-------------------------------

Darius M. Little
Executive Business Consultant  and
Strategic Marketing Analyst

(web) www.linkedin.com/in/dariuslittle

Manta Business Profile/Report: 
http://www.manta.com/c/mtlwj1m/little-s-business-consulting

-----Original Message-----
From: "Darius Mercedes Little" <Darius.M.Little at alumni.unc.edu>
Date: Tue, 11 Oct 2011 14:55:37 
To: Johnson, Reginald<Reginald.Johnson at durhamnc.gov>; Bonfield, Thomas<Tom.Bonfield at durhamnc.gov>
Reply-To: Darius.M.Little at alumni.unc.edu
Cc: Bell, William<Bill.Bell at durhamnc.gov>; Cole-McFadden, Cora<Cora.Cole-McFadden at durhamnc.gov>; Catotti, Diane<Diane.Catotti at durhamnc.gov>; Woodard, Mike<Mike.Woodard at durhamnc.gov>; Brown, Eugene<Eugene.Brown at durhamnc.gov>; Ali, Farad<Farad.Ali at durhamnc.gov>; Clement, Howard<Howard.Clement at durhamnc.gov>; Chadwell, Keith<Keith.Chadwell at durhamnc.gov>; Wallace, Karmisha<Karmisha.Wallace at durhamnc.gov>; Darius Little<darius.m.little at alumni.unc.edu>
Subject: Re: Continuum of Care funding: DHA application

Mr. Johnson:

Thanks for your prompt and professional response to my initial email to the Mayor, City Council and City Manager, as it relates to the Continuum of Care funding.

With Regards,

Darius Little

-------------------------------

Darius M. Little
Executive Business Consultant  and
Strategic Marketing Analyst

(web) www.linkedin.com/in/dariuslittle

Manta Business Profile/Report: 
http://www.manta.com/c/mtlwj1m/little-s-business-consulting

-----Original Message-----
From: "Johnson, Reginald" <Reginald.Johnson at durhamnc.gov>
Date: Tue, 11 Oct 2011 10:47:27 
To: Bonfield, Thomas<Tom.Bonfield at durhamnc.gov>
Cc: Bell, William<Bill.Bell at durhamnc.gov>; Cole-McFadden, Cora<Cora.Cole-McFadden at durhamnc.gov>; Catotti, Diane<Diane.Catotti at durhamnc.gov>; Woodard, Mike<Mike.Woodard at durhamnc.gov>; Brown, Eugene<Eugene.Brown at durhamnc.gov>; Ali, Farad<Farad.Ali at durhamnc.gov>; Clement, Howard<Howard.Clement at durhamnc.gov>; Chadwell, Keith<Keith.Chadwell at durhamnc.gov>; Wallace, Karmisha<Karmisha.Wallace at durhamnc.gov>; <Darius.M.Little at alumni.unc.edu>
Subject: Continuum of Care funding: DHA application

Date:               October 11, 2011

To:                  Thomas J. Bonfield, City Manager 

Through:        Keith Chadwell, Deputy City Manager 

From:              Reginald J. Johnson, Interim Director

Department of Community Development

Subject:          Continuum of Care funding: DHA application

With respect to the Continuum of Care (CoC) application submitted by the
Durham Housing Authority to build the 20-unit Goley Pointe project, the
Mayor and City Council received an email message stating, in part:

DHA and such organizations should invest their human and fiscal
resources more so towards renovating/upgrading existing properties which
are already an embarrassment to the city's appearance, rather than
"building new rentals." . . . I don't support anything that doesn't
fix-up some of the dilapidated properties already in existence in
Northeast Central Durham. 

In response, I would share that the Notice of Funding Availability
(NOFA) of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for
the CoC Homeless Assistance Competition states:

The purpose of the CoC Homeless Assistance Programs is to reduce the
incidence of homelessness in CoC communities, by assisting homeless
individuals and families in quickly transitioning to self-sufficiency
and permanent housing, as authorized under Title IV of the
McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.

Rehabilitation of existing properties is an eligible activity in the
NOFA. However, this year's application process did not indicate a
preference for rehabbing existing properties over new construction. No
applications that included rehabilitation of existing properties were
received in this year's grant competition. 

The Homeless Services Advisory Committee, consistent with the HUD-issued
NOFA, may decide to include a preference for rehabilitation of existing
properties in future CoC funding competitions. 

If you have further questions please do not hesitate to contact me.

From: Bonfield, Thomas 
Sent: Friday, October 07, 2011 4:05 PM
To: Johnson, Reginald
Subject: Fwd: DHA Grant Feedback:

Begin forwarded message:

From: "Darius Mercedes Little" <Darius.M.Little at alumni.unc.edu>
Date: October 7, 2011 12:40:37 PM EDT
To: "Clement, Howard" <howard.clement at durhamnc.gov>, "Cole-McFadden,
Cora" <cora.cole-mcfadden at durhamnc.gov>, "Woodard, Mike" <
mike.woodard at durhamnc.gov>, "Catotti, Diane" <
diane.catotti at durhamnc.gov>, "Ali, Farad" <farad.ali at durhamnc.gov>,
"Brown, Eugene" <eugene.brown at durhamnc.gov>, "Bell, William" <
bill.bell at durhamnc.gov>
Cc: "Bonfield, Thomas" <tom.bonfield at durhamnc.gov>
Subject: DHA Grant Feedback:
Reply-To: <Darius.M.Little at alumni.unc.edu>

Dear Mayor and City Council Members:

I don't email you often about proposals, but strongly felt led to add
early input on the matters relating to DHA seeking grant funding
support.

I feel DHA and such organizations should invest their human and fiscal
resources more so towards renovating/upgrading existing properties which
are already an embarrassment to the city's appearance, rather than
"building new rentals."

We've constantly heard of the value of neighborhood  preservation, yet
it seems we're building anew at every opportunity possible.

"Affordable Housing" has become the new fad in Durham - and everyone is
benefiting from it except individuals who are actually, almost homeless,
or will never be a candidate for home ownership in their current
circumstance.

These organizations should strongly consider engaging in acts which
directly address our growing disparities of homelessness and home
ownership.  This would entail: increasing the restoration of
already-existing properties which could be used for rentals, in
coalition with other City/County supported entities which will help the
residents develop saving habits that will lead to home ownership; not
having this continuous cycle of lifetime renters.

I don't support anything that doesn't fix-up some of the dilapidated
properties already in existence in Northeast Central Durham. 

It is my request that during the vetting of such propositions, that the
Council and City Staff would take the aforementioned thoughts into
consideration.

Yours,

Darius M. Little

-------------------------------

Darius M. Little
Executive Business Consultant  and
Strategic Marketing Analyst

(web) www.linkedin.com/in/dariuslittle

Manta Business Profile/Report: 
http://www.manta.com/c/mtlwj1m/little-s-business-consulting

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