Board of Commissioners Regular Meeting
Detroit Housing Commission
Housing
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Reporting
Edited and summarized by the Detroit - MI Documenters Team
Note-taking by
Jack Filbrandt
Members of the public prevented from attending meeting in person; department reports not discussed or made public.
Live reporting by
Paul Warner
Members of the public prevented from attending meeting in person; department reports not discussed or made public.
Paul W Warner
@PauldubbWarner
Hi, I’ll be live-tweeting today's Detroit Housing Commissions Board of Commissioners meeting for #DETdocumenters @media_outlier @PlanetDetroit @freep @wdet @BridgeDet313 @DETdocumenters @metrotimes @chalkbeatDET
09:00 AM Aug 25, 2022 CDT
From their website. "On March 13, 2015, the United States Housing and Urban Development Department (“HUD”) released the Detroit Housing Commission from the authority of a HUD Recovery Administrator."
Under the Michigan Housing Facilities Act, the Detroit Housing Commission is governed by a five member Board of Commissioners (“Board”). At least one of the Board members must be a resident of public or subsidized housing."
"The Mayor of the City of Detroit appointed a five member board in accordance with Michigan Law. The Commission now operates as a standard performer governed by the five member board."
Still waiting on the meeting to start. There are 19 participants in the zoom room. A announcement to start is issued. The audio is very poor.
A little better. Meeting called to order at 10:12 AM. All commissioners except Achsah Williams are present. Housekeeping of a quorum and minutes approved from last meeting. Public comment on action items and no one comments. Now someone says that there are people for comment
A board member, president Richard Hosey probably, gives the rules for public comments after he tells the person that you have to sign up for action item comments.
Once again identifying the speakers is tough. It's told that you have to sign up before. A member of the public says it's a violation of the open meetings act. One person says she was turned away and a board member says no one was turned away.
"It's not working like most things on the housing commission", a member of the general public says about no one being allowed to comment on action items.
JoAnna Underwood says she was turned away from the meeting. Taura Brown is the person lodging the complaints. A board member says that you can comment at the end of the meeting, but that the rule for action item comments has been in place. Brown says they know the rules.
The meeting moves to the agenda. First item is the approval of tenant accounts receivable. The audio is horrible. It sounds like they are asking approval to move these accounts to a debt collection agency. A number is given, but once again it's hard to hear.
A question about a "sizable" amount of accounts are due, and it's wondered if this is because of the covid period.
It's brought up that the courts were closed then and there is a backup in the courts now. The CERA program which gives money to renters looking at eviction is brought up as a response to the accounts due.
The audio was so bad you could not hear a vote. The next item is up. It's for a contract to change windows at Sheridan one and two. They want a contract extention.
The original vendor went out of business, so it took time to find a new vendor for the new windows for the end of the hallways in Sheridan II.
Item passes. Next up is a DHC informational item. The audio is bad so it's hard to hear, but it looks like they have gone to the department monthly reports.
Finance was first. Reports are being given to the board, but not read. A list of people waiting for Rental assistance is read for the rental assistance report. It sounded as if they said there were 4744, that they hope to bring down by 1000 and hope they can open a waiting...
list by this time next year. By list it's not known if this is a section 8 list. It's taking 4 to six, or seven months for people to find housing. It does sound like this is about the section 8 waiting list.
At this point this meeting is up for grabs from an audio standpoint. It sounds like they are at procurement, and this is someone with a good mic. This person makes the comments that this reporter has been making, and ask the board to turn up their volume.
There is no chat open so there is no way to notify the board. A apology is made about the audio and it's said it will be better next meeting. The monthly reports are done.
General public comments are up next. Rules are read. Zachary Rowe is first. He has great audio. He is part of a neighborhood group and reads the groups accomplishments including hosting a bingo game and hair cutting event for young boys.
He says his comments from last meeting were not in the minutes so he will send them in so they can be added. He thanks the commissioners for their help.
JoAnna Underwood ask what is the process for sending in comments to the commissioners, how many housing units are available and updates on housing vouchers in the city of Detroit.
Underwood said she represents Mary Waters. And she gets info on how to send in questions for the board meetings. Taura Brown says approve the union contract and like Underwood wants to know how many units are open by the Housing commission.
She wants to know about the delay in getting vouchers. She says 30 days is not enough time to find housing on a voucher. She says there is no place to live in Detroit and blames the commission for that problem.
She also says that no one should have a report with nothing to say after 30 days. She ends with saying they need to look into how they run the meeting. "We don't need to be convenient to you." Brown says about getting questions to the board.
A commissioner ask about the union contract Brown brought up and says she does not know what that was about.
Commissioner and staff comments are up and there are none. The meeting is adjourned at 10:55 AM.
Meeting adjourned at 10:55 AM This concludes the Detroit Housing Commission Board of Commissioners meeting. The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, September 22, 2022. For more meeting coverage, check out documenters.org.
Agency Information
Detroit Housing Commission
In 1933, the City of Detroit established the Detroit Housing Commission (“DHC”) under the Michigan Housing Facilities Act. Throughout the DHC’s 75 year history, our mission has been to provide safe, decent, and affordable housing for the low and moderate-income people that we serve. DHC is the largest owner of rental housing in the City of Detroit (“City”), providing approximately 4,000 housing units for seniors and families.