CITY OF MILPITAS
CITY COUNCIL HOUSING SUBCOMMITTEE
August 22, 2023 City Council Housing Subcommittee Minutes Page 1
MINUTES
4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Tuesday, August 22, 2023
Zoom
I. Call to Order and Roll Call
Mayor Carmen Montano called the meeting to order at 4:19 PM.
Subcommittee Members Present: Mayor Carmen Montano, Vice Mayor Evelyn Chua Staff Present: Acting City Manager Ned Thomas, Assistant City Manager Ashwini Kantak, City Attorney Michael Mutalipassi, Director of Economic Development Alex Andrade, Housing Division Manager Robert Musallam, Senior Administrative Analyst Sarah Balcha, Administrative Analyst Michelle Silva
II. Pledge of Allegiance
Mayor Carmen Montano led the Pledge of Allegiance.
III. Approval of Agenda
Motion to approve August 22, 2023 agenda
Motion/Second: Vice Mayor Evelyn Chua / Mayor Carmen Montano Motion carried by a vote of Ayes: 2 Noes: 0 Abstain: 0 IV. Acceptance of Minutes
Vice Mayor Evelyn Chua accepted the January 6, 2023 meeting minutes.
V. Public Forum
Community member that was a part of Homelessness Task Force advocated for a resource center and safe parking program.
VI. Business Item
Workforce Housing Rental Assistance Program (WHRAP) and State Budget Allocation from the Office of Assemblymember Alex Lee
WHRAP
Mayor Montano asked questions of staff to better understand the intention and target audience of the program. Staff shared the draft eligibility criteria and that the target residents would be households earning 30% or less than the area median income.
Vice Mayor Chua asked questions of staff related to the administration of the program and whether these funding sources had an allocation for funding a program administrator. Staff informed the Subcommittee that the PLHA program contains an administrative fee carve out of 5% of the total August 22, 2023 City Council Housing Subcommittee Minutes Page 2
allocation. This funding would be used to fund the proposed program administrator. Staff recommended FORWARD for program administration. The Subcommittee agreed with the recommendation.
Vice Mayor Chua also recommended that City staff create and implement a more robust marketing plan to ensure more residents become aware of the program.
The Subcommittee agreed with the staff recommendation of assisting 50 households with 24 months of assistance.
State Budget Allocation
Mayor Montano recommends continuing with the existing proposal for $700,000 to be added to the rent relief portion of the existing Rent and Mortgage Relief Program funding. Mayor Montano also advocated for adding more rent relief funding, beyond the $700,000, from the State budget allocation.
Mayor Montano initially advocated for a reduction of the annual maximum rental assistance allowed by the Rent and Mortgage Relief Program from $5,000 per household per year down to $3,500. After further discussion, she maintained a commitment to keeping the funding at $5,000 per household per year.
Vice Mayor Chua suggested staff explore alternatives to the existing homeless outreach and assessment plan. And that staff should consider additional staffing resources as a potential alternative.
The Subcommittee discussed allocating $650,000 towards a safe parking program. The Subcommittee had consensus on providing property owners financial incentives as a part of establishing a Safe Parking Program. Staff noted that more research would be required before the allocation could be made.
Public Comment:
Resident made a comment on the eligibility requirements of the WHRAP, agreed with the Subcommittee’s desire to further fund rent relief, and would like the Subcommittee to consider safe camping along with any discussion on safe parking.
Resident commented in support of the previous comment and advocated for an 18-month WHRAP program.
Vice Mayor Chua made a motion to adopt the staff recommendations listed below. Mayor Montano seconded, and both voted in favor.
1. Provide input on staff recommendation to use the Public Local Housing Allocation funding to provide rental assistance to 50 households over 24 months through a Workforce Housing Rental Assistance Program.
2. Provide feedback and guidance on the desired use of the Permanent Local Housing Allocation and State Budget for Homelessness Prevention and Unhoused Services.
VII. Adjournment
Meeting was adjourned at 5:28 PM.