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<br />e <br /> <br />This is why communities need to start emphasizing the critical importance of <br />preserving affordable housing-and it starts at the city council-level. <br /> <br /> <br />A letter was sent to Mr. Bailey requesting that he attend a meeting with the <br />Section 8 residents to discuss his intentions; Bailey refused to meet with <br />residents. (The letter to Mr. Bailey from HPTC has been enclosed in the <br />packet of correspondence,) He said that he would not come to a meeting <br />with Hunter's Park tenants because he is afraid of the group mentality-a <br />fear of the collective power of a group. He said this is because he does not <br />have to come to a meeting with residents; he has done what is legally <br />required of him. And he does not have to recognize the council as a viable <br />group. However, he said that residents can call him anytime with questions, <br />and he will deal with them on an individual basis. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />To Mr. Bailey's credit, he has sent out a letter to residents confirming that he <br />will take the enhanced vouchers at Hunter's Park for the first year after <br />expiration/termination. This was certainly an honorable and responsible <br />gesture on his part; he did not have to do this. There is no function within <br />HUD policy or MHF A guidelines to require an owner to notify tenants that <br />he will accept enhanced vouchers at the property. Normally, tenants will not <br />know until months before the termination oftheir subsided housing ifthe <br />owner will take the enhanced vouchers, and this is far to late for tenants to <br />look for alternative housing-especially during the Metro areas housing <br />crisis. The letter to tenants from Mr. Bailey confirming in writing that <br />enhanced vouchers will be taken at Hunter's Park is a result of the tenant <br />council's pressure on Mr. Bailey and their pressure on the MHFA to <br />accommodate the concerns of residents. Only within the last month has <br />congress amended the language of BUD policy to require owners to take the <br />enhanced vouchers for the first year after the termination of project based <br />Section 8; before the language did not require owners to take the enhanced <br />vouchers at the termination of the Section 8 contract. <br /> <br />e <br /> <br />A letter from MHF A to BUD has been included in the packet of information <br />and correspondence. The letter was sent to BUD wanting an explanation for <br />why the HAP contracts of six properties throughout MN, including Hunter's <br />Park, was shorted from 40 year to 20 years-with no two, five-year <br />renewals. During Nov. 151 1984 and July 29th 1986, these properties prepaid <br />their MHF A mortgages, and BUD subsequently shortened their HAP <br />contracts to 20 years-essentially shortening the life of the buildings <br />affordability, MHF A recommended that BUD consider restoring the <br />