Council discusses extending landlord engagement grant; $118,000 spent of $300,000 award

Councilmember Reynolds asked about item Z, an agreement with the Lexington Housing Authority to fund landlord engagement and recruitment for homeless assistance programs. Director Herron said the program funds landlord outreach intended to reduce long wait times between enrollment and move-in by recruiting landlords, walking landlords through paperwork, offering incentives, and providing limited funds for security deposits.

"Roughly about 118,000, in funds were expended out of an award of 300,000," Director Herron said, adding that the housing authority lacked a dedicated staff member for roughly half the term and has since hired a new, enthusiastic team member. Herron said the administration wants to extend the period of performance to see whether targets are met before renewing the agreement.

Council members asked about how recruitment is going and barriers. Director Herron said many questions should be directed to Lexington Housing Authority as the program operator but explained common barriers include HUD fair market rent limits that are often below local market rents, paperwork and inspection delays (or perceptions of lengthy processes), and stigma about leasing to people exiting homelessness. Herron said the program had recruited five new landlords and added about 20 units in the first year and that the staffing lapse reduced throughput; about 66 households had been served overall (comment truncated in transcript). The council did not record a formal vote on renewal that evening; staff said renewal is contingent on program outcomes and review by the Grantee Performance and Evaluation Committee of the HPI board.