Okaloosa County BOCC — April 19, 2016 — Okaloosa, LHAP2016-2019 rev 1 — reading text

SHIP LHAP Template 2009-001 Revised: 7/2015 Okaloosa County & City of Fort Walton Beach SHIP LOCAL HOUSING ASSISTANCE PLAN (LHAP) 2016-2017, 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 -1-  SHIP LHAP Template 2009-001 Revised: 7/2015 Table of Contents Description Page # Section I, Program Details 3 Section II, Housing Strategies 7 A. Owner Occupied Rehabilitation 7 B. Purchase Assistance with/without Rehabilitation 8 C. Foreclosure Prevention 9 D. Disaster Repair 9 E. New Construction or Rehabilitation Rental 10 F. Demolition/Reconstruction 11 Section III, Incentive Strategies 12 A. Expedited Permitting 12 B. Ongoing Review Process 13 C. Adaption 13 Exhibits 14 A. Administrative Budget for each fiscal year covered in the Plan B. Timeline for Estimated Encumbrance and Expenditure C. Housing Delivery Goals Chart (HDGC) For Each Fiscal Year Covered in the plan D. Signed LHAP Certification E. Signed, dated, witnessed or attested adopting resolution F. Ordinance: (If changed from the original creating ordinance) G. Interlocal Agreement -2-  SHIP LHAP Template 2009-001 Revised: 7/2015 I. Program Details: A. Name of the participating local government: Okaloosa County & City of Fort Walton Beach Is there an Interlocal Agreement: Yes ___x____ No _______ If “Yes”, name local government(s) in the Interlocal Agreement: Okaloosa County & City of Fort Walton Beach B. Purpose of the program: 1. To meet the housing needs of the very low, low and moderate income households; 2. To expand production of and preserve affordable housing; and 3. To further the housing element of the local government comprehensive plan specific to affordable housing. C. Fiscal years covered by the Plan: 2016-2017, 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 D. Governance: The SHIP Program is established in accordance with Section 420.907-9079, Florida Statutes and Chapter 67-37, Florida Administrative Code. Cities and Counties must be in compliance with these applicable statutes, rules and any additional requirements as established through the Legislative process. E. Local Housing Partnership: The SHIP Program encourages building active partnerships between government, lending institutions, builders and developers, not-for-profit and community based housing providers and service organizations, providers of professional services related to affordable housing, advocates for low-income persons, real estate professionals, persons or entities that can provide housing or support services and lead agencies of the local continuums of care. F. Leveraging: The Plan is intended to increase the availability of affordable residential units by combining local resources and cost saving measures into a local housing partnership and using public and private funds to reduce the cost of housing. SHIP funds may be leveraged with or used to supplement other Florida Housing Finance Corporation programs and to provide local match to obtain federal housing grants or programs. G. Public Input: Public input was solicited through face to face meetings with housing providers, social service providers and local lenders and neighborhood associations. Public input was solicited through the local newspaper in the advertising of the Local Housing Assistance Plan and the Notice of Funding Availability. H. Advertising and Outreach: SHIP funding availability shall be advertised in a newspaper of general circulation and periodicals serving ethnic and diverse neighborhoods, at least 30 days before the beginning of the application period. If no funding is available due to a waiting list, no notice of funding -3-  SHIP LHAP Template 2009-001 Revised: 7/2015 availability is required. I. Waiting List/Priorities: A waiting list will be established upon first contact with SHIP Intake Specialist. Those households on the waiting list will be mailed an application when funding is made available within the applicable strategy. Applicants will be maintained in an order that is consistent with the time applications were submitted as well as any established funding priorities as described in this plan. Priorities for funding described/listed here apply to all strategies unless otherwise stated in the strategy. J. Discrimination: In accordance with the provisions of ss.760.20-760.37, it is unlawful to discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, handicap, or marital status in the award application process for eligible housing. K. Support Services and Counseling: Support services are available from various sources. Available support services may include but are not limited to: Homeownership Counseling (Pre and Post), Credit Counseling, Tenant Counseling, Foreclosure Counseling and Transportation. L. Purchase Price Limits: The sales price or value of new or existing eligible housing may not exceed 90% of the average area purchase price in the statistical area in which the eligible housing is located. Such average area purchase price may be that calculated for any 12-month period beginning not earlier than the fourth calendar year prior to the year in which the award occurs. The sales price of new and existing units, which can be lower but may not exceed 90% of the median area purchase price established by the U.S. Treasury Department or as described above. The methodology used is: ___x__ U.S. Treasury Department _____ Local HFA Numbers M. Income Limits, Rent Limits and Affordability: The Income and Rent Limits used in the SHIP Program are updated annually by the Department of Housing and Urban Development and posted at www.floridahousing.org. “Affordable” means that monthly rents or mortgage payments including taxes and insurance do not exceed 30 percent of that amount which represents the percentage of the median annual gross income for the households as indicated in Sections 420.9071, F.S. However, it is not the intent to limit an individual household’s ability to devote more than 30% of its income for housing, and housing for which a household devotes more than 30% of its income shall be deemed Affordable if the first institutional mortgage lender is satisfied that the household can afford mortgage payments in excess of the 30% benchmark and in the case of rental housing does not exceed those rental limits adjusted for bedroom size. N. Welfare Transition Program: Should an eligible sponsor be used, a qualification system and selection criteria for -4-  SHIP LHAP Template 2009-001 Revised: 7/2015 applications for Awards to eligible sponsors shall be developed, which includes a description that demonstrates how eligible sponsors that employ personnel from the Welfare Transition Program will be given preference in the selection process. O. Monitoring and First Right of Refusal: In the case of rental housing, the staff and any entity that has administrative authority for implementing the local housing assistance plan assisting rental developments shall annually monitor and determine tenant eligibility or, to the extent another governmental entity provides periodic monitoring and determination, a municipality, county or local housing financing authority may rely on such monitoring and determination of tenant eligibility. However, any loan or grant in the original amount of $10,000 or less shall not be subject to these annual monitoring and determination of tenant eligibility requirements. Tenant eligibility will be monitored annually for no less than 15 years or the term of assistance whichever is longer unless as specified above. Eligible sponsors that offer rental housing for sale before 15 years or that have remaining mortgages funded under this program must give a first right of refusal to eligible nonprofit organizations for purchase at the current market value for continued occupancy by eligible persons. P. Administrative Budget: A line-item budget of proposed Administrative Expenditures is attached as Exhibit A. City of Fort Walton Beach / Okaloosa County finds that the moneys deposited in the local housing assistance trust fund shall be used to administer and implement the local housing assistance plan. Section 420.9075 Florida Statute and Chapter 67-37, Florida Administrative Code, states: “A county or an eligible municipality may not exceed the 5 percent limitation on administrative costs, unless its governing body finds, by resolution, that 5 percent of the local housing distribution plus 5 percent of program income is insufficient to adequately pay the necessary costs of administering the local housing assistance plan.” Section 420.9075 Florida Statute and Chapter 67-37, Florida Administrative Code, further states: “The cost of administering the program may not exceed 10 percent of the local housing distribution plus 5 percent of program income deposited into the trust fund, except that small counties, as defined in s. 120.52(19), and eligible municipalities receiving a local housing distribution of up to $350,000 may use up to 10 percent of program income for administrative costs.” The applicable local jurisdiction has adopted the above findings in the resolution attached as Exhibit E. Q. Program Administration: Administration of the local housing assistance plan will be wholly performed and maintained by the City of Fort Walton Beach / Okaloosa County . Or A third party entity or consultant will be contracted for all of part of the administrative of the program. The name of the entity is: Okaloosa Community Development Corporation -5-  SHIP LHAP Template 2009-001 Revised: 7/2015 (OCDC), which is a 501C3 Organization. They are