Commission for Citizens with Disabilities

AGENDA HOUSING COMMISSION Commissions Room, 2nd Floor Arlington Heights Village Hall, 33 S. Arlington Heights Rd. Arlington Heights IL 60005 February 19, 2025 7:00 PM I. CALL TO ORDER II. ROLL CALL OF MEMBERS III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. January 15, 2025 IV. REPORTS A. Status Update on Inclusionary Affordable Housing Projects V. OLD BUSINESS A. Single Family Rehab Program B. Affordable Housing Trust Fund - Continuation of Aging-in-Place Discussion VI. NEW BUSINESS A. Village Board of Trustees 2026-2027 Strategic Priorities Discussion B. Fair Housing Month - April, 2025 VII. OTHER BUSINESS A. Next Meeting Date and Agenda Items VIII. PUBLIC COMMENT Anyone wishing to speak on a subject not on the Agenda may speak at this time. Please limit your comments to three minutes. IX. ADJOURNMENT Persons with disabilities requiring auxiliary aids or services, such as an American Sign Language interpreter or written materials in accessible formats, should contact the Health & Human Services Department, at 33 S. Arlington Heights Road, Arlington Heights, IL 60005, healthmail@vah.com or 847/368-5760. Page 1 of 23  DRAFT MINUTES OF A MEETING OF THE ARLINGTON HEIGHTS HOUSING COMMISSION VILLAGE OF ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, ILLINOIS JANUARY 19, 2024 IN ATTENDANCE: Commissioners Present: Ken Kiefer Dave LoSavio Gabriel Nagy William Delea Janice Krinsky Commissioners Absent: David Miller Staff Present: Nora Boyer, Housing Planner/Staff Liaison Others Present: Keith Moens Arlington Heights resident Linda Waycie Member of Northwest Alliance for Housing Affordability Steve Kauffold Member of Northwest Alliance for Housing Affordability Paula Bush Executive Director of North West Housing Partnership I. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 7:00 pm by Chairman Kiefer. II. ROLL CALL Present: K. Kiefer, W. Delea, D. LoSavio, J. Krinsky, & G. Nagy Absent: D. Miller III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A motion was made by Commissioner Krinsky, seconded by Commissioner Delea to approve the minutes of the November 20, 2024 meeting with typographical corrections. The motion was approved unanimously by voice vote. IV. REPORTS Ms. Boyer stated that the Grace Terrace proposal is scheduled to go to the Village Board for consideration of final approval at the Village Board meeting on Tuesday, January 21, 2024. V. OLD BUSINESS A. Single-Family Rehab Program Ms. Boyer reported that project 24-02 has been completed. There are no pending applications. Commissioner Kiefer suggested advertising the program in April during Fair Housing Month. 1 Page 2 of 23 B. Affordable Housing Trust Fund – Report on Conversation with The Preservation Compact Ms. Boyer said that the planned virtual meeting with The Preservation Compact and the Community Investment Corporation (CIC) was held on December 4, 2024. They were asked about multi-family affordable housing preservation. The Preservation Compact talked about their Mezzanine Debt Fund through which they provide partial financing for new owners to purchase and rehab smaller multi-family buildings. In exchange for the low-interest financing, the owner of the building agrees to provide 20% of units as affordable rents. Commissioner Kiefer, who was on the call, said that programs such as aging-in-place, handyman programs, and forgivable loans were also discussed. VI. NEW BUSINESS A. GUEST: EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE NORTH WEST HOUSING PARTNERSHIP Chairman Kiefer introduced Paula Bush who is the executive director of the North West Housing Partnership. Ms. Bush talked about the NWHP’s programs that are targeted to senior citizens including their Handyman Program, CAPABLE program, and Older Adult Home Modification Program. Through the CAPABLE program, a safety assessment is done of the applicant’s home, high impact accessibility improvements (ex. grab bar installation) are made by a contractor or handyman, and the applicant works with a nurse and occupational therapist. The contractors and handymen involved in the program are carefully vetted and background checks are run. Ms. Bush said that Arlington Heights is the second strongest rate of participation in the Handyman program with 566 Arlington Heights residents having received handyman services. The Handyman if paid $40/hour. Participants pay a portion of that amount, on a sliding scale basis, based on their household income. The Handyman Program may be used by a homeowner multiple times. The North West Housing Partnership has another home rehab program that is funded by IHDA. The agency will be applying for additional funds for this program. Funds during the next funding round may be able to be used to assist renters. Ms. Bush said that programs that are federally funded require income verification, but other programs can be operated on an honor system with regard to reported income. This makes it possible for assistance to be provided to applicants who are reluctant to provide documentation for their incomes, but who have safety needs that need to be met. The North West Housing Partnership’s office is located in Schaumburg, but Arlington Heights is in its service area. Ms. Bush commented that she is a HUD-certified housing counselor and North West Housing Partnership is a HUD-approved agency. The North West Housing Partnership is in good standing with HUD having had no findings or issues with the operation of their programs. North West Housing Partnership administers the home owner rehab programs for several northwest CDBG-entitlement suburbs (i.e., Hoffman Estates, Schaumburg, Mt. Prospect, and Des Plaines). 2 Page 3 of 23 Ms. Bush provided and explained the brochure for the Older Adult Home Modification Program & the CAPABLE program. She also provided a list of typical accessibility modifications that are made. Ms. Bush said that older homes frequently need electrical work. Commissioner Nagy suggested looking at energy efficiency improvements and programs like Com Ed’s Community Solar program. When asked what the Village of Arlington Heights can do to support the North West Housing Partnership, Ms. Bush said that the Village could help with publicizing their programs and having a representative of the Village attend community meetings where the North West Housing Partnership is providing information. Ms. Bush stated that the North West Housing Partnership would be available to partner with the Village is the future. B. AGING IN PLACE DISCUSSION There were comments about the benefits of mixed-age/multi-generational housing, the loss of smaller single-family ranch homes, the lack of housing options for seniors who want to downsize, and the challenge some senior have in paying their property taxes. Commissioner Kiefer stated that the number of Arlington Heights seniors served by North West Housing Partnership is a substantial number. It was suggested that the Trust Fund might be used to bring information and programs together in a more formal structure. Ms. Bush said that there are gaps in senior services for people whose incomes are above the federally-funded program maximums for eligibility and for seniors with accessibility needs that are above the $5,500 that North West Housing Partnership can offer through their Older Adult Home Modification Program. Commissioner LoSavio pointed out that agency/third party assistance can be helpful when a senior citizen is no longer able to maintain their home because of the big emotional aspect around this type of decision and change. Needing to go through and reduce belongings collected over a lifetime is also a barrier. The commissioners concurred that aging-in-place is an area to follow up on with regard to uses for the Trust Fund money. C. RECAP OF OCTOBER BOARD/COMMISSIONS MEETING AND VILLAGE BOARD BUSINESS PLAN Commissioner Kiefer reported on a meeting he attended for chairpersons of the Village’s boards and commissions. He described the types of boards and commission for the Village. He commented that Village Code explains the mission of each commission, and if a commission wants to do or pursue something not in the Code, that the commission needs to get approval from the Village Board. He said that the Village administration is working on having a more formal orientation of commission and board members and annual meeting for chairpersons. He further went into some restrictions and requirements under the Open Meetings Act. Commissioner Kiefer also talked about the Village Board’s nine (9) strategic priorities. In the Village Business Plan, one of the actions in response to the priorities is the development of uses and a process for the Affordable Housing Trust Fund. Another topic being explored by 3 Page 4 of 23 the Department of Building and Life Safety) is a proposal for a systemic rental unit inspection program. VII. OTHER BUSINESS A. NEXT MEETING DATE AND AGENDA The next meeting of the Housing Commission is scheduled for Wednesday, February 19, 205 at 7 pm. Topics will include: 1) continued discussion of aging-in-place with Ms. Boyer to provide information on other programs, and 2) activities for April – Fair Housing Month. B. PUBLIC COMMENT Don Kauffold and Linda Waycie introduced themselves as members of the Northwest Alliance for Housing Affordability (NAHA). They invited those present to attend the group’s Workshop on Housing Affordability that will take place on February 20, 2025 from 3 – 4:30 pm at the Arlington Heights Memorial Library. Ms. Waycie said that NAHA is trying to bring the business community in on the discussions about affordable housing. Ms. Waycie said that the group has a goal to construct a building(s) that would provide 100 units of affordable housing including for people with disabilities. Commissioner Nagy said that many cities are looking at the redevelopment of old shopping centers and vacant office buildings for conversion to affordable housing. Mr. Moens said that he likes the idea of the commission and board orientations. He said that it would be beneficial if there were more consistency among the boards and commissions with regard to meeting procedures. VIII. ADJOURNMENT A motion was made by Commissioner Krinsky, seconded by Commissioner Delea to adjourn the meeting at 8:30 pm. The motion was approved by voice vote. 4 Page 5 of 23 Page 6 of 23 Page 7 of 23 Page 8 of 23 Page 9 of 23 Page 10 of 23 Housing Commission Meeting Date: February 19, 2025 SINGLE-FAMILY REHAB PROGRAM STATUS REPORT – October 1, 2024 to September 30, 2025 FILE # APPLICATION OUT TO SCOPE OF WORK STAFF PROJ CHANGE TOTAL PAID TO STATUS SUMMARY COST SUFFIX SUBMITTED BID ESIMATE COST ORDERS PROJECT DATE COST Completed and closed out. 24-02 By Replace pipes in $10,000 $9,600 $9,600 $9,600 HE408 3/26/2024 Owner basement SFR LOAN PROGRAM - FINANCIAL SUMMARY 2024/2025 CDBG allocation: $62,688.00 SFR Case 24-02 - $9,600.00 Estimated balance $53,088.00 Loans Repaid CDBG Fiscal Year To Date: 10/1/24 – 9/30/25 Case # Date Paid Yrs to Repayment Amount Reason sold (if known) Page 11 of 23 Date: February 13, 2025 To: Chairman and Members of the Housing Commission From: Nora Boyer, Housing Planner Subject: Affordable Housing Trust Fund – Aging-in-Place Discussion Background The Arlington Heights Housing Commission has been charged with making recommendations to the Village Board concerning uses for the Affordable Housing Trust Fund which currently has a balance of approximately $1M. With the encouragement of the Senior Citizens Commission, the Housing Commission has been researching aging-in-place as a potential program focus. The Housing Commission requested that staff provide information on affordable housing/aging-in- place strategies. In response to this request, staff wishes to draw the Housing Commission’s attention to The Senior Housing Needs Assessment for the Northwest Suburban Housing Collaborative that was completed in 2013: https://cms2.revize.com/revize/arlington/Departments/Planning%20&%20Community%20Develop ment/Housing/Housing%20Reports/NWSHC%20Final%20Senior%20Housing%20Needs%20Assess ment%20Report%2011-2013.pdf This report was conducted for the Northwest Suburban Housing Collaborative which was composed of representatives from Arlington Heights, Rolling Meadows, Palatine, Buffalo Grove, and Mount Prospect. Data is presented and analyzed for each community individually and for the communities collectively. Although this report was completed nine years ago, it contains information that may be helpful to the Housing Commission’s discussion including the “Potential Implementation Options” on page 33 (attached). The current status on the housing-related Potential Implementation Options are provided below: - Promote more affordable senior housing using Low-Income Housing Tax Credits and other sources of funding through federal, state and county programs. • Federal, state and county programs have been utilized in Arlington Heights to provide affordable housing units. Approved Projects since 2013 (all units are non-age-restricted but may be leased by older residents)  Parkview Apartments – 41 affordable units  Heart’s Place – 18 units of permanent supportive housing  Residences at Payton Place – 9 affordable units  Arlington 425 – 16 affordable units (not yet constructed)  Crescent Place – 40 affordable units  116-120 W Eastman – 7 affordable units (not yet constructed) Page 12 of 23   Arlington Gateway – 30 affordable units (under construction)  Grace Terrace – 25 units of permanently affordable housing (not yet constructed) Preliminary Discussions have been held with regard to the two potential concepts for senior housing buildings (i.e., Urban Street Group/International Plaza concept for a 37-unit senior-only building) and the Berkshire Arlington Heights concept for a 44-unit senior building. Formal applications (i.e., Plan Commission applications) have not been submitted for these projects. - Expand Rolling Meadows’ successful home repair program to other communities with additional contractors in each community. Snow removal is another issue that lends itself to a similar type of program whereby the communities contract with individuals or firms to assist seniors with shoveling their walks, sidewalks and driveways.  Arlington Heights continues to administer its Single-Family Rehab Loan Program. Similar programs were not available in some of the other participating communities.  The Northwest Suburban Housing Collaborative initiated the Senior Handyman Program (modeled on the Rolling Meadows program) which is operated by the North West Housing Partnership and is available to eligible Arlington Heights residents.  The Senior Center operates a program through which youth are identified to assist senior citizens with snow shoveling. - Explore a home modification program to show senior what they can do to make their homes safer and easier to live in as they age.  These services are available through Village’s Department of Health and Human Services and the North West Housing Partnership’s CAPABLE program. - Further explore the “Village” concept. This is a grass-roots concept through which programs and services are provided to members. A local “Village” may include aging-in-place housing- related services and programs.  Staff has explored this concept. - Work with CMAP with respect to its upcoming project to develop an Aging in Place Guide.  The Aging in Place guide referred to is located here: https://cmap.illinois.gov/wp-content/uploads/Aging-in-Place-White-Paper.pdf  The “Housing Strategies” contained in the CMAP Aging-in-Place White Paper (pages 21 -22 attached) are listed below. See the CMAP White Paper for details. • Home modifications and maintenance programs. • Educational and information resources directed at senior citizens. • Partnerships with realtors and builder associations to increase the number of Senior Real Estate Specialists and Certified Aging-in-Place Specialists (CAPS) in the community. • Developing new affordable housing units. • Creating a non-profit/land trust affordable housing model. • Preserving and modernizing federally-assisted senior housing. • Offering property tax assistance. • Allowing and promoting the development of diverse housing types. Page 13 of 23 Next Steps 1. The Housing Commission may wish to discuss which, if any, of the strategies above should be further explored as being suitable for support from the Arlington Heights Affordable Housing Trust Fund. 2. Staff will be meeting with area non-profit affordable housing developers to discuss their responses to the Trust Fund Request for Letters of Interest and will include senior housing strategies in the discussions. Page 14 of 23 Senior Housing Needs Assessment for the Northwest Suburban Housing Collaborative (2013) p.33-36 VIII. POTENTIAL IMPLEMENTATION OPTIONS During the course of the analysis, VSKA identified the key senior housing issues based on our interviews, visits to senior housing, analysis of demographic trends and discussions with planners in the Northwest Suburban Housing Collaborative municipalities. Options are described below based on the priorities identified by seniors, service providers and municipal staff, and the ability of the communities to work on them in the near and longer term. 1. Promote more affordable senior housing using Low‐Income Housing Tax Credits and other sources of funding through federal, state and county programs.  Identify potential sites and reach out to developers to build affordable housing.  Educate local plan commissions and village boards on the merits of affordable senior housing in their community.  Lobby U.S. Congressmen and Senators on the importance of funding for affordable housing.  Lobby state legislators, the Governor and the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) on the importance of senior housing in the allocation of tax credits and other affordable housing funds.  Consider local and county funding sources such as tax increment financing (TIF), Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), HOME, project‐based Housing Choice Vouchers through the housing authorities, affordable housing trust fund, other local grants, reduced price for publicly‐owned sites, and a community land trust to keep housing affordable.  If preferences are to be given to local residents, consider residents of the five communities eligible for such preferences. 2. Create a senior services resource guide that identifies all of the available services in the five communities. This would provide further details on the services included in Chapter V. 3. Work with transportation service providers to facilitate trips across township and village boundaries and better publicize the range of transportation services available.  Work to achieve level‐of‐service parity across transportation options. o For example, not all transportation options provide door‐to‐door service with someone to help the senior walk to the door. Not all seniors are aware of the 33 Page 15 of 23  difference despite efforts by township service coordinators to arrange appropriate rides for individuals. 4. Expand Rolling Meadows’ successful home repair program to other communities with additional contractors in each community. Snow removal is another issue that lends itself to a similar type of program whereby the communities contract with individuals or firms to assist seniors with shoveling their walks, sidewalks and driveways. 5. Explore a home modification program to show seniors what they can do to make their homes safer and easier to live in as they age. This could include:  Hiring one or more architects to prepare prototypes for the most common single‐family housing types in the communities. These plans could be used by contractors who could make the modifications. A list of architects and contractors could be made available to interested seniors. o The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) has an Aging‐in‐Place Remodeling Checklist (attached in the Appendix) that could be a model.  Develop and coordinate a standardized senior home assessment in which safety and usability levels would be assessed. This should include a checklist of potential modifications according to cost and ease to implement. These could range from those requiring contracted work to simple changes like replacing door knobs with lever handles and purchasing portable shower seats. o Hire and/or designate officials to perform outreach for the assessment, possibly including a targeted door‐to‐door campaign, set up visits, administer the assessment, and communicate recommendations in a standard written format. A single point of contact or team of people serving all of the communities is preferred to keep services from becoming fragmented. o Link the recommendations from this assessment to the expanded home repair program. 6. Review local zoning, subdivision, and building codes and make modifications as needed to allow for more flexible living arrangements. This could include:  Accessory apartments, converting garages into rooms for seniors, home sharing, and group homes for seniors provided by a not‐for‐profit agency.  Lower parking ratios for senior housing based on the age and health of the targeted residents. 34 Page 16 of 23 7. Continue to encourage ADA compliance in economically feasible ways when updating local codes and undertaking infrastructure improvements. Features such as pedestrian ramps on both sides of crosswalks and tactile curb panels help a wide range of citizens, including seniors, who have a higher disability rate as a group than the population as a whole. 8. Make streets and sidewalks more senior‐friendly by pursuing economical “complete streets” measures. These can include:  Adding or upgrading sidewalks on streets used by seniors.  Wider sidewalks that provide a comfortable environment for pedestrians moving at different speeds.  Sidewalk extensions to shorten crossing distance and reduce car turning radii, leading drivers to exercise caution when making right turns.  Identifying any poor drainage or ponding in crosswalks and building repairs into capital improvement plans.  Crossing signals with walk time countdowns and longer walk times at traffic lights in areas populated with seniors.  Medians with pedestrian safety islands on wide and busy streets traversed by seniors.  Benches at key locations used by seniors.  Shade trees to help those resting on benches. 9. Continue to give all possible support to the Arlington Heights Senior Center, which is used by many in the other Collaborative communities, sometimes in addition to their own senior centers.  This center has a very high activity level and wealth of offerings.  Explore opportunities to brand this as the Regional Senior Center while not detracting from the other area senior centers or from its place as a point of pride in Arlington Heights.  Formalize its importance to the region’s senior citizens. 10. Further explore the “Village” concept. The Village to Village Network is a national movement that provides a social community to keep seniors engaged and active, allowing them to age in place. Key elements are: 35 Page 17 of 23   Annual membership fee (in the range of $500) that covers a range of social activities, transportation with volunteer drivers, and recommendations for service providers  The nearest “Villages” are the North Shore Village (Evanston and Wilmette) and Lincoln Park Village (serving the Near North Side, Lincoln Park and Lakeview neighborhoods of Chicago).  The “Village” typically has a full time director and one to two full or part time staffers. It does not have a physical location; rather, it partners with existing facilities such as senior centers, libraries, park districts, etc. for programs.  Typically, it takes a significant volunteer effort of one to two years to organize a “Village” and raise the necessary funding.  With so many excellent programs already offered in the NWSHC communities, it may or may not be a model to pursue. However, it may be worthwhile for the Collaborative to further research the concept, meet with directors of the North Shore and Lincoln Park Villages to determine whether it makes sense here. 11. Work with CMAP with respect to its upcoming project to develop an Aging in Place Guide. The information included in Chapter V on available senior services in the five communities will be helpful to CMAP. 36 Page 18 of 23 Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) Aging In Place White Paper (June 2016) p. 21-22 Priority Strategies Modifications and maintenance Home modifications and maintenance are Partners for Livable Communities’ A Blueprint for fundamental to keeping seniors safe in their Action outlines the following specific roles that local homes. They can also be an effective way of government can play in developing a modification and reducing housing costs, and increasing affordability. repair program: There are a variety of assistance programs that a community can implement. Some communities • Expediting permitting processes so that residents can support such programs through funding sources easily install modifications such as wheelchair ramps such as the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban • Funding home modification, repair, and Development (HUD) Community Development weatherization services Block Grants (CDBG). Other communities rely on • Providing home safety assessments local funding, volunteer services, and/or collaborations with their local township, county, and neighboring • Maintaining a database of qualified contractors, communities. See for instance, the Proviso Township such as Certified Aging in Place Specialists (CAPS) Handyman Service program. • Providing educational programs for homeowners and referrals to available services and qualified businesses • Supporting volunteer programs, such as local Rebuilding Together Affiliates • Encouraging greater communication between social workers, health workers, and aging services staff and housing officials so that homeowners in need of repairs and modifications can receive services (see “Housing, Action Step: Build partnerships between housing and service providers”) Housing Strategies 21 Page 19 of 23  Educational and information resources 14 Growing Older in Clark County, 2012. AARP. http://www.aarp.org/content/dam/aarp/ livable-communities/plan/planning/Growing- Programs that benefit seniors must be marketed to seniors. Communities Older-in-Clark-County-AARP.pdf. that do not or cannot provide these kinds of services should promote and provide information on resources provided by the local township, county, and other social service agencies. These resources should be featured prominently on the community’s website, and flyers should be available in municipal offices, as well as school, library and park facilities. Partnerships Planners can also support age-friendly housing options by creating partnerships with realtor and builder associations to increase the number of Senior Real Estate Specialists and CAPS working in a community.14 Additional Strategies Affordability Housing affordability is a major challenge facing seniors. Planners can work to promote affordability in a number of ways, including: • Developing new affordable housing, utilizing funding programs such as CDBG, HOME Investment Partnerships Program, and the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Program. Note that such initiatives typically require close collaboration with developers and county government. • Creating a non-profit/land trust affordable housing model, as discussed in the Homes for a Changing Region Toolkit Recommendations Guide, and Growing Older in Clark County Washington plan. • Preserving and modernizing federally-assisted senior housing, as discussed in APA’s Aging in Community Policy Guide. • Offering property tax assistance. See A Blueprint for Action’s discussion of local grants for property tax assistance as an alternative to changing the tax code. Note that Illinois already offers Senior Citizens Homestead Exemptions, Senior Citizens Assessment Freeze Homestead Exemptions, and Senior Citizens Tax Deferrals. • Allowing and promoting the development of diverse housing types, as discussed in Chapter 3. For more information and guidance see CMAP and MPC’s Home Grown: Local Housing Strategies in Action, a compilation of studies covering community housing issues, including affordability and accessibility. 22 Aging in Place White Paper Page 20 of 23  2/19/2025 Item: Village Board of Trustees 2026-2027 Strategic Priorities Discussion Department: Planning & Community Development Item Description: ATTACHMENTS: 1. Strategic Priorities Page 21 of 23 Date: February 13, 2025 To: Chairman and Members of the Housing Commission From: Nora Boyer, Housing Planner Subject: 2025-2026 Village Board Priorities Village commissions are being asked for feedback on what important issues related to their missions that their commission and the Village Board should consider discussing in 2026 and 2027. Detailed projects are not being sought, but rather just a general idea of issues that you and your commission think are current and important for our community in your subject area. Your suggestions will be helpful for the Village Board when they begin to develop strategic priorities for the community this summer. For reference, the Village’s 2024-2025 strategic priorities appear below: Page 22 of 23  2/19/2025 Item: Fair Housing Month - April, 2025 Department: Planning & Community Development Item Description: ATTACHMENTS: None Page 23 of 23