Housing Stability Council

Multi-Family Development Project Summary
OHCS 2016 Local Innovation and Fast Tract (LIFT) NOFA
to White City’s elementary, middle and high schools. Public transportation is accessible
within ½ mile. White City is home to many of the region’s largest employment centers.
Each site will consist of fifty units and share the same unit mix and residential building
square footage as one another. Creekside will include a 1,296 sq. ft. community building
for tenant use, leasing and resident service space. It will also include one manager unit in
the unit mix. Freedom Square Part II does not include a new community building, or a
manager unit. Rather it will share a pre-existing community building and site manager
unit at the adjacent, 34-unit Freedom Square project. A cross access/joint use agreement
will be incorporated to accommodate the shared use.
All 100 units, with the exception of one manager unit, will be income and rent restricted
at 60% AMI. Both project sites will set-aside eight units each (for a total of 16 units), as
Family Strengthening units, subsidized with Section 8 project-based vouchers. The
Housing Authority of Jackson County and the Oregon Department of Human Services
Child Welfare will collaborate to provide supportive services to families residing in the
Family Strengthening units.
Sponsor/Developer
Profile & History:
DHS Partnerships &
Supports:
Both sites will also integrate eight units (for a total of 16 units) of permanent supportive
housing dedicated to homeless veterans using project-based Veterans Affairs Supportive
Housing (VASH) vouchers. HAJC and the Veterans Affairs Southern Oregon Rehabilitation
Center and Clinics will collaborate to provide supportive services to the veterans residing
at both project sites.
The Housing Authority is a highly active and productive developer of new construction,
multifamily residential projects. The development staff at the Authority is highly
experienced in managing design and construction teams for projects of similar size and
scope as Creekside Apartments and Freedom Square Part II. Over the last ten years, the
Authority has managed the development and construction of nine, new construction,
multi-family projects totaling 500 units and more than $70 million in development activity
utilizing LIHTC and other state, federal and local resources.
The Housing Authority of Jackson County (HAJC) and the Oregon Dept. of Human Services
(DHS) local Child Welfare and Self Sufficiency program staff first met in December 2015 to
discuss a partnership to strengthen families involved with Child Welfare through housing
stability. The agencies met again in August 2016 to discuss details. HAJC and DHS have
since executed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for a referral and services
partnership, outlining the envisioned program design and service delivery. The MOU will
be followed by a service contract. The program will be based upon a “Housing First”
approach with cross-agency coordination of services for sixteen units (eight at Creekside
and eight at Freedom Square Part II). These units will be subsidized by HAJC with projectbased
Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers to reduce rent to no more than 30% of
household income. These units will be designated for family strengthening households,
which are very low-income (under 185% poverty level). The local DHS will make referrals
from their clients to the Housing Authority who will maintain a wait list. Referral criteria
will include households with an open Child Welfare case that also receive Temporary
Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits.
The Housing Authority will exempt certain typical leasing requirements for these
households, including rental history, credit history, and landlord references. DHS will pay
the deposits for their clients, which the Housing Authority reserves the right to increase
Oregon Housing Stability Council
Meeting Materials Packet - Page 61
Multi-Family Development Project Summary – 2016 Mental Health NOFA