Sponsor: County Manager's Office
Title
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Proposed Housing Stability Department Ordinance - Waive the First Reading
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Recommendation
recommendation
Waive the First Reading of the proposed Housing Stability Department Ordinance.
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Background
background
Housing stability for residents has been a focus of Ramsey County for the last decade, but progress and coordination across stakeholders has been difficult to achieve. Building on the work of the Interdepartmental Housing Council, in 2019 an interim manager of Housing Stability was appointed to increase responsiveness and improve service coordination. The 2020-2021 budget included an initiative to effectively address homelessness by reducing the fragmentation in our current system through reorganization.
The new Housing Stability Department will align all County housing services and programs in one organization. Further, the financing and development of housing infrastructure will be consolidated within the Community & Economic Development department, which is also within the Economic Growth and Community investment (EGCI) Service Team.
Placement of the new Housing Stability Department within the EGCI Service Team strategically and
operationally aligns all resources, funding, staffing and programs along the housing continuum: Emergency Housing > Supportive Housing > Subsidized Housing > Long-Term Stability within one Service Team to improve the delivery of services to our residents.
After creation of the department, budget and FTEs supporting housing stability functions will be transferred to the Housing Stability Department from the Health & Wellness Service Team (HWST) and the Incident Management Team (IMT).
The Ramsey County Home Rule Charter section 5.01A.1 states that acts of the County Board which shall be by ordinance include the following: Establish, structure, merge, or abolish any county department, office, agency, board or commission, except as provided for in this charter.
The Ramsey County Home Rule Charter section 5.02 states each proposed ordinance shall receive two readings: first, at the time it is presented, and second, at the time of the public hearing as required by law. Both readings may be waived if a copy of the ordinance is supplied to each member of the County Board prior to its introduction.
In accordance with these requirements, the proposed Housing Stability Department Ordinance was provided to each Commissioner prior to its introduction on December 1, 2020. Therefore, the first reading may be waived by duly made motion and majority vote.
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County Goals (Check those advanced by Action)
☒ Well-being ☒ Prosperity ☒ Opportunity ☒ Accountability
Racial Equity Impact
Discrimination and racism in the private sector housing market and public policies contribute greatly to the current inequity in housing status in the county and nationwide. The issue of unsheltered homelessness was significant before the outbreak of COVID-19 and exponentially increased since the pandemic began. Recent data for Ramsey County indicates African Americans and American Indians are over ten times more likely per capita to be homeless than whites.
Community Participation Level and Impact
Ramsey County supports other local governments, service providers and community partners who serve residents experiencing, or on the verge of, homelessness. Significant community engagement informed the decision to consolidate housing stability functions in a single organization. The County will continue to partner with the community, including those experiencing homelessness, and support other agencies to ensure that the needs of the unsheltered population are met.
☒ Inform ☒ Consult ☐ Involve ☐ Collaborate ☐ Empower
Fiscal Impact
Funding for housing stability functions to be subsequently transferred to EGCI from the HWST are included in the approved 2021 budget. Subsequent Requests for Board Action will address funding for homelessness response functions to be transferred to EGCI from the IMT and any additional Housing Stability Department needs.
County Manager Comments
The Ordinance procedures outlined in the Ramsey County Home Rule Charter have been adhered to. Proposed actions to establish a Housing Stability Department will better position Ramsey County to make progress toward its vision, mission and goals and its strategic priorities. The proposed actions will reduce fragmentation in the current system by reorganizing staff and functions to better coordinate housing services.
Last Previous Action
None
Attachments
1. Proposed Housing Stability Department Ordinance
2. Proposed Schedule of Events