DATE: August 20, 2024
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Director of Development Services
SUBJECT: Adopt a Resolution converting the Homelessness Housing Task Force to the Housing Policy and Resource Committee
RECOMMENDATION
That the Council adopts a resolution (Attachment II) converting the Homelessness Housing Task Force to the Housing Policy & Resource Committee
SUMMARY
On July 8, 2024, the Homelessness-Housing Task Force (HHTF) unanimously recommended that the task force be converted into a permanent, standing committee. The HHTF recommended this action following a work session from the full City Council, which largely supported the idea of converting the task force into a committee but requested that the HHTF reconvene with a recommendation for the task force’s future. Additionally, the HHTF discussed a defined role for the new committee within the context of its stated purpose. The HHTF concurred that the new committee would focus on reviewing impactful projects and policies for community engagement; evaluating new initiatives to propose to be added to the Strategic Roadmap; and be the sole body for receiving annual reports on housing policy implementation to reduce redundancies.
Staff recommend that the City Council authorizes the creation of the standing committee and for it to be named Housing Policy & Resource Committee (HPRC) to reflect its purpose. The HPRC would maintain its current meeting frequency.
BACKGROUND
On January 29, 2019, the City Council established the HHTF to evaluate policies to address the homeless-housing crisis. The HHTF met on a quarterly basis for a two-year period. Council extended the timeframe of the HHTF twice through consent. The first extension occurred on December 8, 2020, in which Council approved a two-year extension through March 2023. On February 7, 2023, Council approved a one-year extension of HHTF through March 2024.
During a work session on April 23, 2024, Council provided feedback to staff regarding converting the task force into a committee, reestablishing the task force on its limited-term basis, or disbanding the task force (allowing staff to refer relevant agenda items to the full Council directly). Council directed staff to request authorization for an additional HHTF meeting to allow the HHTF to discuss its continuance.
On May 21, 2024, the full Council authorized staff to extend the HHTF through an additional meeting for the HHTF members to determine next steps. On July 8, 2024, the HHTF convened and recommended the formation of a standing City Council Committee dedicated to housing-related issues.
DISCUSSION
During the July 8, 2024, HHTF meeting, HHTF members determined that that task force should be converted into a permanent, standing City Council Committee. Additionally, the HHTF discussed some of the concerns associated with maintaining the committee such as not having a clearly defined role, needing to take urgent items directly to City Council, creating redundancies of hearing the same items at the HHTF and the City Council, and decreased participation of community members. To address the concerns, the HHTF discussed the role of the HHTF and agreed that the new committee would focus on the following:
Review non-time sensitive impactful projects or policies to allow opportunity for community engagement and preliminary feedback from the committee; Identify and evaluate new projects/policies to determine if they should be proposed for inclusion in the Strategic Roadmap; and Receive an annual report related to implementation of the City’s housing policies and committee members report the highlights to City Council.
The implication of the refined role is that the new committee would be the terminal body for receiving annual reports (e.g., annual Residential Rent Stabilization and Tenant Protection ordinance (RRSO) and Mobile Home Space Residential Ordinance (MRSO) implementation updates) for housing-related items to avoid a redundancy in hearing agenda items twice (during the committee and with the full City Council). Committee members would be responsible for relaying pertinent information from such reports to the full City Council as needed. Additionally, urgent items with critical deadlines would proceed directly to the City Council for approval. This includes all items related to homelessness consistent with the State of Emergency on Homelessness adopted by the City Council in January 2024.
Feedback from HHTF
There were additional recommendations by an HHTF member to include zoning-related items and review the Let’s House Hayward Plan. However, zoning-related items are currently under the purview of the Planning Commission. While the new committee may be used to increase community engagement on zoning text amendment related items, requiring staff to receive feedback from both Planning Commission and the new committee will unnecessarily increase staff workload and dilute the role of the Planning Commission.
Furthermore, staff recommends if there are any new items related to addressing homelessness, it could be evaluated by the new committee as a topic to propose for the strategic road map instead of reviewing the Let’s House Hayward Strategic Plan. However, the direction to review the Council-adopted Let’s House Hayward Strategic Plan would need to come from the City Council. The Let’s House Hayward Strategic Plan resulted from extensive community engagement and would require the same level of commitment to revisit the plan. If it is the direction of the Council to review the Let’s House Hayward Strategic Plan, it would need to be added to the Strategic Road Map.
Name Change
Staff recommends renaming the task force into the Housing Policy & Resources Committee (HPRC). The agenda items that staff have presented before the task force pertain primarily to housing-related policies and resources that accompany such policies (e.g., RRSO and MRSO implementation updates, Rental Registration System overview, ProHousing Designation, and state legislation updates). Items related to homelessness are typically heard by the full council to expedite the City’s response.
Future Agenda Items
Staff has identified the following agenda items to prepare for subsequent meetings. HHTF members have agreed to this tentative schedule, reorganizing and rescheduling items as needed.
September 19, 2024
Simplification of the Tenant Relocation Assistance Ordinance and increase funding for Emergency Relocation Assistance* Adoption of Universal Design Guidelines for Accessible Housing* December 19, 2024
Update on the City’s State of Emergency for homelessness Analysis of factors to improve competitiveness for state housing funding Annual implementation update of the RRSO and MRSO
March 20, 2025
Development of a Rental Registration System to obtain better data on rent increases, evictions, and occupancy* *Agenda items proposed in FY 2025+ Strategic Roadmap
Additionally, HHTF members have recommended adding discussion of the topic of Bay Area Regional Housing Bond.
ECONOMIC IMPACT
There is no immediate economic impact with the consideration of this report.
STRATEGIC ROADMAP
This agenda item pertains to the Strategic Priority of Preserve, Protect & Produce Housing.
FISCAL IMPACT
This report does not propose any changes or additions that would create a fiscal impact to the City’s General Fund.
PUBLIC CONTACT
No public outreach was conducted related to this agenda item, however, members of the public have expressed a strong interest in converting the HHTF into a permanent, standing City Council committee.
NEXT STEPS
Prepared by: Ayush Patel, Management Analyst I
Recommended by: Sara Buizer, AICP, Director of Development Services Christina Morales, Deputy Director of Development Services Approved by:
_________________________________
Dustin Claussen, Interim City Manager
January 29, 2019 City Council Meeting Agenda and Materials:
https://hayward.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=3846296&GUID=CA787A4B-E77D-4818-BC82-B022B6B4649D December 8, 2020 City Council Meeting Agenda and Materials:
https://hayward.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=4711809&GUID=0131C7CC-7CF2-4D08-B76D-6979B7979BEA&Options=&Search= February 7, 2023 City Council Meeting Agenda and Materials:
https://hayward.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=6016042&GUID=C496D77A-40FE-428C-A02A-8857121D52B9&Options=&Search= April 23, 2024 City Council Agenda and Materials:
https://hayward.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=6642371&GUID=A5C506D8-AE00-47BF-B889-9F3856C0DE90&Options=ID|Text|&Search= May 21, 2024 City Council Agenda and Materials:
https://hayward.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=6697432&GUID=A13EBE7A-BAAF-49D0-AB12-D095234AA575&Options=&Search= July 8, 2024 Homelessness-Housing Task Force Agenda and Materials:
https://hayward.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=6728654&GUID=A4DB75BE-8A6F-4FB8-886F-ADB1EED86EC5&Options=&Search=