Affordable Housing Trust Fund committee approves three home-repair bids, gives preliminary OK to three more

The Affordable Housing Trust Fund Advisory Committee on May 13 approved three home-repair bids and gave preliminary approval to three additional projects, while staff described a growing wait list, limits on contractor capacity and ongoing outreach to city leaders and community advocates.

Corey Kemp, housing administrator for the Department of Metropolitan Development, said the fund is “almost everything is on contract right now” and that after current transactions the fund should show “an available balance of just over a million.” Kemp told the committee the round-3 bids include a $46,002.30 entry that remains pending and that most returned bids were below 20% of the threshold that would require borrowers to take on loans.

The action items approved by the committee included three firm home-repair contracts (addresses listed in the meeting packet as Fairlawn, Benninghoff and Wagner) and preliminary approvals for Judson Street, Herndon and Bellemeade projects pending on-site inspections and additional documentation. The committee also confirmed that one previously considered property on West Maryland was ineligible because it was a multifamily unit and thus not covered by the single-family repair program.

Why it matters: committee members said the approvals free up staff to move projects into construction and serve households with urgent repair needs. Members also emphasized the program’s role in retaining residents in their homes and argued that a visible wait list will help make the case for more funding from the mayor and city council.

Details of the approvals and conditions Kemp said most contracts are in place except for items needing signatures to be notarized; he said those signatures were being completed the next day. The committee voted to approve the Fairlawn, Benninghoff and Wagner bids; the chair later moved and the committee approved preliminary authorization for repairs at Judson Street (1411 Judson was discussed specifically), Herndon and Bellemeade, contingent on final inspection estimates and any additional verification of applicant eligibility.

Committee members discussed the Judson property at length. Kemp said the Judson scope “is a little bit more than what we’ve got written on here” and that the department is exploring collaboration with the community partner Cape (as Kemp described it) to cover additional repair scope. Kemp said that because some funding for that project would come through CAEP, “the money that comes from CAEP is coming really from HUD,” and the Judson project will require a more in-depth environmental review, including radon testing, than the typical housing-trust-funded repairs.

Eligibility and inspections Kemp described the program’s verification process: when staff schedule on-site inspections they request updated income documentation (bank statements, paystubs and utility bills) and aim to verify applicants’ housing cost burdens before finalizing work scopes. He said the committee’s updated intake form and the office’s new timeline language should reduce applicant confusion about next steps.

Wait list, capacity and outreach The committee discussed whether to keep accepting applications or to rely on a wait list while it works through existing submissions. Kemp said he has moved older applications into a wait list and that, of about 50 outstanding applications he had contacted, he expected roughly 30 responses after sending update letters. He also said the program currently has a small pool of recurring contractors — named in the meeting as Ace, Rhinelander and Titan — and that only a few contractors have been bidding on projects recently.

Several members urged continued outreach. Jamie Herman and others praised a newly produced brochure the department will use at mayoral traveling city halls and other events; the brochure includes a QR code linking to the program landing page and the wait-list sign-up. Committee members said demonstrating a long wait list can bolster appeals to the mayor and city council for additional funding.

Other program updates Kemp reported that two round-1 projects had started work (18 East Franklin and 1112 South Benninghoff) and that the Gabbitt Street repair project is complete and awaiting final invoice payment. He said some round-2 projects recently moved to contract and should begin construction within weeks. The committee also heard that a separate predevelopment project is pursuing Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) financing for a multiunit project near Deaconess Midtown.

Votes at a glance - Approval of minutes from the April 8 meeting — Motion to approve by Gwendolyn Wagner; second by Jamie Herman; outcome: approved (all present voted in favor). - Approval of bids for Fairlawn, Benninghoff and Wagner addresses — Motion to approve by Melissa Stimpson; second by Wilma Robinson; outcome: approved (all present voted in favor). - Preliminary approval for Judson Street (1411 Judson), Herndon and Bellemeade pending inspections and documentation — Motion to preliminarily approve by Melissa Stimpson; second by Ted O’Connell; outcome: approved (all present voted in favor).

What the committee directed staff to do - Finalize notarized signatures and notices to proceed for contracts ready to execute. - Conduct on-site inspections and return cost estimates for Judson, Herndon and Bellemeade before final award; if repair cost exceeds program limits staff will seek partner collaboration or decline if the household cannot meet required cost-share or eligibility. - Continue onboarding applicants to a wait list and implement an online sign-up form with IT; verify incomes when applicants reach the top of the list. - Distribute the new program brochure at mayoral events and provide updated program statistics to staff for upcoming outreach.

Ending Committee members said they will continue to track contractor capacity, applicant follow-up rates and project starts through the remainder of 2025 and to use updated outreach materials to show the program’s pipeline and community need to the mayor and city council. The meeting adjourned after the committee approved a motion to close.