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Housing department seeks $674,000 for development fund and pilots to prevent evictions and support tenants
Summary
The city’s Housing & Neighborhood Development department asked the council for a $674,000 increase to the housing development fund and proposed pilot programs — tenant‑based rental assistance ($450,000), eviction prevention (ED LIT funds), an interest‑rate buy‑down program and $150,000 to bolster security at permanent supportive housing sites.
Anna Killian Hansen, director of Housing & Neighborhood Development, presented HAND’s 2025 priorities and budget requests to the council, framing them around three goals: improve access to affordable housing, reduce unsheltered homelessness and increase departmental capacity and efficiency.
Hansen requested a $674,000 increase to the city’s Housing Development Fund — a flexible local fund created in 2017 that officials say can make grants and loans where federal funds cannot — and described several proposed pilots for 2025. She proposed a $450,000 tenant‑based rental assistance (TBRA) pilot to help households with unaffordable rents, utilities, application fees and deposits, and said the department will also pursue an eviction‑prevention pilot using ED LIT funds. Hansen added a $150,000 ask to shore up security at permanent supportive housing properties, calling private security “extremely expensive.”
Hansen said HAND will pursue an interest‑rate buy‑down program to encourage turnover in owner‑occupied housing and support ‘step‑up’ purchases, and noted that program mechanics — size, eligibility and administration — are still under development. She also asked for a 25% personnel services increase to add two positions (a compliance/rental inspector and a grant compliance manager) to address monitoring requirements and improve HUD‑program compliance.
Council members pressed for program details and eligibility criteria; Hansen said staff would develop specifications in the coming months and publicize them through housing partners and the department website. Members also raised the size of the housing development fund (Hansen said it was north of $3.6 million) and pressed for alignment between the proposed pilots and the city’s comprehensive and consolidated plans.
Public commenters including housing policy worker Deborah Meyerson and resident Randy Cassidy praised the innovation and urged continued evaluation and public outreach. No formal votes were taken; the requests will be considered during the remaining budget deliberations and in follow‑up materials to be posted online.
