Disability Housing Network
South Regional Meeting
January 26, 2010
Hocking County Board of DD
1369 E. Front Street
Logan, Ohio 43138
PRESENT:
Ben Hollinger, Superintendent, Scioto CBDD
Sarah Winters, Superintendent, Hocking CBDD
Matt Nobile, SSA, Hocking CBDD
Steve Weese, Maintenance, Hocking CBDD
Mendy Boley, Housing Coordinator, Perry CBDD
David Couch, Superintendent, Perry CBDD
Karon Fisher, Finance Manager, Hocking CBDD
Steve Champagne, Director, Coshocton Community Housing
Greg Williamson, Frontier Development Corp (Ross County)
Gary Roberts, Executive Director, Pike MHA
Julie Monroe, Community Services Director, Scioto CBDD
Janice Novotni, Fairfield Affordable Housing
Patti Thompson, Administrator, CHOICES (Lawrence County)
Cathy Allen, Disability Housing Network
WELCOME AND INTRODUCTIONS
DHN Technical Assistance Consultant Cathy Allen and DHN Board Member Ben Hollinger (Superintendent at Scioto CBDD) welcomed the participants and previewed the agenda.
DODD UPDATE
· Clues from the New Administration
· FY2012-13 Budget process and update
Information about the direction the new governor will take is still rather scant until the executive budget is unveiled later this winter. We do know, however, that Director John Martin has been reappointed and his willingness to stay in the job is taken as a good sign about the department’s future. Most of his staff will remain in place, but some changes will occur so we should all read the Pipeline newsletters when they come out.
At the DHN conference November 30, 2010 Deputy Director Kevin Aldridge briefed members that we should prepare to have no new CCA dollars in the next capital appropriations bill. They will keep everyone informed whenever there is new information and DHN will pass it along to members as well. For the time being, those with current allocations should continue to submit bills, which are being paid more quickly now. There is no indication that any rollbacks will occur on existing allocations. Further, Kevin anticipated that any unexpended funds remaining in the CCA account would be targeted at renovation and rehabilitation.
Cathy went over the highlights from a presentation (attached) made by OACBDD Executive Director Dan Ohler at the last conference entitled Shaping the Face of Change. In it he reviews the profound changes that have taken place in the DD system since its inception and counsels those of us in the field to have confidence that we can successfully manage whatever changes come next. He provided some information about what he hears in statehouse circles, including what we know of the new legislative leaders. He appealed to everyone to take strategic planning more seriously than ever before, to identify priorities and contingencies, and plan how to implement them.
The group discussed these issues at some length and continued sharing information they had heard. DHN will pass along any news we receive as soon as we have it.
DHN SELF ASSESSMENT TRAINING PROGRAM
· Purpose of Project
· Results of Self Assessments to date
· County Housing Plans
· Technical assistance opportunities
The DHN Self-Assessment Project is relatively new, so it is worth going over again for members who may not be aware of its benefits. A grant from the Ohio Developmental Disabilities Council has given DHN the ability to hire a Technical Assistance Consultant, Cathy Allen of Creative Option C, LLC in Marblehead, Ohio. Cathy has been helping non-profit organizations in Ohio build capacity through board development, strategic planning, policy creation, stakeholder assessments, and the like for several years. She is now being made available through DHN to the directors and staff of non-profit housing corporations and county boards in Ohio.
The gateway to technical assistance is the Self-Assessment Tool, a 92-item checklist of legal requirements and best practices seen by DHN as important considerations for non-profit housing corporations (HCs). It is posted on the website at www.disabilityhousingnetwork.org. The Tool is designed for HCs to perform a self-check on their board governance, financial management, inspections, maintenance, and planning systems and to make informed decisions about what organizational development issues, if any, they choose to address. DHN will not share individual HC data with the department or with anyone else. That said, DHN is interested in collecting as many Self-Assessments as possible in an effort to ensure that the programs we provide are as responsive as possible to the actual needs of our members and prospective members. HC’s are encouraged to email the completed document to .
A related document is the County Housing Plan, which all HC’s are asked to complete, together with their county board, and send to Steve Farrell at as soon as possible. (Original deadline was January 31, but plans are still being collected.) The purpose of the County Housing Plan is to encourage communications between HC’s and county boards concerning existing housing capacity and future anticipated needs. Unlike the Self-Assessment, the County Plan data is shared with the Department, so that they may have a complete picture of housing capacity statewide. While county plans are not currently required for CCA funding, this may one day be the case. Last year’s version of the plan document is somewhat different from this year’s. Those who went through an extensive planning process last year are asked to update the form and send it to Steve.
An FAQ about the Self-Assessment project was distributed and is attached.
DISCUSSION:
Topics of Local Interest. Meeting participants shared ideas about a number of issues, including:
· “DC Downsizing” dollars – those making use of this funding source should continue to work with the department. It will probably expire June 30.
· Funding sources other than through DODD – it was noted that some housing corporations have been taking advantage of other types of programs. The new DHN Executive Director is knowledgeable about these and will soon be available to assist those housing corporations who are interested in knowing more.
· Two of the attendees represented Metropolitan Housing Authorities who contract with their local county boards to provide housing. They are already required to submit an annual plan like the County Plan described above.
· Inspection/accreditation standards. What constitutes health and safety? Not everyone has standard procedures. Fairfield uses a checklist which Janice offered to share with others. (It is posted to the DHN website.)
· Will we be able to build apartments in the future? Is there a trend in this direction? There will always be the issue of provider choice, but some people would prefer this option to a single family house.
· In one county there are SSA assistants who help people receiving supported living to have the help they need in their home. It is less expensive than other options.
· Will we ever be able to share resources, for certain things that are required… such as architectural certifications? How can we work together to achieve economies of scale and not have to reinvent the wheel in each county?
· When providers have a room for their own use, should the agency pay rent to the HC? Different HC’s do this differently. The issue of relationships between provider agencies and HC’s has been around a while. We had a workshop presentation on it once.
· Tax exemption – does it have to be filed for each property or is it a blanket exemption? How is this accomplished? (Apply to Ohio Department of Taxation, for each property.)
SET NEXT MEETING
The next South Regional DHN meeting was set for April 27, 2011 from 10:30a.m. to 12:30p.m.at the Hocking County Board of DD offices.
Meeting participants are encouraged to be in contact with each other. The enclosed snapshot is intended to assist members to identify nearby colleagues who may share similar concerns and to provide contact information.
ADJOURN
Attachments:
· Shaping the Face of Change by Dan Ohler
· South Regional Snapshot
· Self-Assessment FAQ