CITY OF DANBURY
 Danbury Housing Partnership
 155 Deer Hill Avenue
 Danbury , Connecticut 06810

Minutes of March 6, 2008

Attendance: Barrows, Elpern, Nolan, Radano, Sangut, Schierloh, Sistrunk, Sullivan, Valeri, Zaborowski

Absent: Coelho, Lemme, Lima, McLachlan, Payton, Pitts, Scalzo, Yamin

The meeting of the Danbury Housing Partnership was held in City Hall, conference room #3c, on March 6, 2008. Vic-Chairman C. Sistrunk called the meeting to order at 3:05pm.

The minutes of February 7, 2008 was reviewed by all present members. A motion to accept the minutes of February 7, 2008 was made by M. Nolan, seconded by W. Shepperd, passed unanimously and placed on file.

There was no public comment.

Chairman M. Nolan reported to the members of his attendance at the Interagency Council of Homelessness in Boston. This was a summit meeting that Mr. Nolan attended on Tuesday, March 4, 2008 with Mr. John O’Brien and the Executive Director of the committee, Mr. Philip Mangano, who was appointed by President Bush. Mr. Managano is supporting nationally what is happening on the homeless connect plans, the community involvement and regional approach to end homelessness. Mr. Nolan was asked to speak at this meeting on the decrease in homelessness seen and provided information supplied by Milena and Karl Myers to share at the meeting. Danbury has seen some success in the plan with our homeless connect and to have other regional cooperation and participation. Discussion of this meeting entailed the savings that a community can receive from housing persons that are homeless as opposed to treating them on emergency and triage situations. An individual could cost a community more than $35,000.00 per year by being treated between hospital, police time, ambulance time, and non repayment, as opposed to $13,000.00 housed at a shelter, transitional facility or a home that will take them in. There are case studies that there is a savings to housing persons that are homeless, there is a savings to providing housing for persons who are possibly eminently homeless.

There is an interesting concept of the homelessness approach or housing persons that are homeless with Barrier Free or Housing First. The Housing Authority are under federal statutes not to allow persons in who have certain issues such as felonies, identified abuses, etc., that may be a problem for them. Some of the programs that are available are housing people who have these problems, but are offering services once they are in a home to try to get them mainstreamed and back into recovery. There are successful models in the United States that can provide additional information on their programs.

At the meeting also, where representatives from Western Massachusetts United Veterans, Inc., now called Soldier On, in Lee’s Massachusetts, who received $800,000 grant from the Veterans Administration to build/rehab an old nursing home into a transitional 60 bed VA home for homeless vets including transitional and permanent housing.

Additional discussion involved the proposal and approval by the federal government to issue Section 8 vouchers for veterans. This would also allowing Housing Authority’s flexibility by removing some barriers that normally would not allow vouchers to be issued to individuals who have significant problems.

Mr. Nolan and the Planning Department worked on a plan for 120 Main Street that would work physically on the site, and that it would be better to share this information with a housing consultant who could do a Needs Assessment and utilize this plan. The Planning Department proposed 38 units( 1 and 2 bedrooms). Mr. Nolan, interviewed by telephone, Mr. David Harrall of HMA and Associates, who is completing a regional housing assessment for HVECO. Mr. Harrall was apprised of the Housing Partnership’s information on Danbury’s existing inventory population and goals. Mr. Harrall felt that this sounded like a case study that he could incorporate with his assessment for HVECO. Mr. Harrall will be contacting Jonathan Chew as a follow-up to Mr. Nolan’s discussion.

Vice- Chairman Sistrunk reported on the Housing Authority’s scattered housing sites hearing held by the State of Connecticut is scheduled for March 19, 2008, at Ives Manor, 198 Main Street at 10:30am. The format is that the State brings in a Hearing Officer from Commissioner’s McDonald’s office and the Housing Authority will make its case first in response to the Statutes governing these dispositions. Public comments are allowed.

Committee reports were provided to Partnership members:

  1. Public Relations, Marketing and Education Committee: report was given by W. Shepperd. The committee completed the Partnership’s request to finalize the logo, which is presented today to all present members. The committee had discussions on the website, the featured story, group photo, information column, and going over the Ten Year Plan in much detail to finalize their report for the Common Council.

  1. Housing and Community Development Committee: report was given by S. Zaborowski. The committee met this afternoon and went over the Ten Year Plan in detail on our goals, recommendations and future work. The committee is completing the plan to be submitted for the annual report to the Common Council.

  1. Social and Supportive Services Committee: Report was given by D. Valeri. Elections were completed with Denise Valeri and Rev. Wanda Payton, co-chairing the committee. The committee has received updated information on Dream Homes from Karl Meyers, who also informed this committee that the Social Worker from Danbury High School has reported 50 students that are homeless. The community needs to be careful in reporting the homeless count since time changes were different from last year of 24 hours to this year of 4 hours. Some organizations may not be reporting due to illegal immigrants. The committee also went over the Ten Year Plan in detail for the annual report.

Two major pieces were found in this committee’s report that should belong to Financial Resources and Fundraising Committee. One of the items entail the funding of a grant writer as well as provide staff support to the Housing Partnership and also a liaison to the Housing Developer.

Vice- Chair Sistrunk reported that there are some redundancies under the 5 Objectives of the Ten Year Plan. After we get through this year’s report to the Mayor’s Office and the Common Council, the committee will look over the plan and see if there are any changes, recommendations, etc., needed.

Discussion was made to the members regarding terminology of preventing and ending homelessness. Co- Chair Ms. Sistrunk stated that the term “preventing” is short term and episodic, where as “ending” is more comprehensive. Additional discussion was given regarding the need to fund a grant writer, the cost factor, the reporting, the expertise, staff support/liaison, etc.

  1. Financial Resources and Fundraising Committee: report given by C. Sistrunk

Discussion involved the need for a grant writer, an existing consultant to help the Partnership. The proposal is for setting aside $5,000 for a consultant.

The Ten Year Plan was reviewed by the committee for the annual report.

The annual report will need to be presented for the April meeting. All committee’s must submit their reports to Paul Schierloh as soon as possible. A review and final writing will be completed and then submitted to the Mayor’s Office.

Under membership update, the Mayor still has a list of potential candidates to be assigned to the Housing Partnership. Need to have representatives from the Danbury Hospital, Western Connecticut State University, the Public Library, United Way, the police and fire department, etc.

Supportive Housing Lobby Day was held in Hartford on Tuesday, March 11th. Representatives from Danbury attended this function. It was stated that approximately 200-300 people from various towns/cities were in attendance.

There was no further business to report. A motion to adjourn was made by M. Nolan, seconded by W. Shepperd, passed unanimously.