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Board discusses using appropriated funds for quick housing repairs, residents warn of sinking lots
Summary
Kathy told the board appropriations must be expanded by June 30 and proposed using their organization to address high-ticket repairs now; residents warned that homes on sinking ground may need relocation rather than in-place repairs.
At its meeting the CRA board heard a generational-housing update and a proposal from Kathy (Speaker 2) to use the board’s organization to complete high-cost, simple repairs now—such as roofs, HVAC units and windows—so the generational housing program can follow with more complex work. Kathy said the change aims to avoid returning appropriated funds that must be obligated by June 30.
Kathy told the board, “If it’s okay with the board, I’d like for our organization to go ahead and just take care of some of the bigger ticket, simpler items so we can get those knocked out, and then you guys can come back in with your program and do the remaining work for clients.” Several board members agreed this would speed work and free up program dollars for more complicated repairs.
Board members also discussed a separate but related problem: a neighborhood where houses are sinking. A board member noted that appropriated CRA funds typically cannot remedy subsurface or foundation failures and encouraged affected residents to raise the issue with the city for potential relocation or engineering solutions. The board noted cases may require property acquisition or relocation rather than in-place repair.
During public comment, resident Lisa Matthews (Speaker 9) urged the board to act before the wet season, describing a home directly in a sink path: “Every time it rains, the runoff runs, and our house sink a little more and a little more,” she said, and she asked whether the generational housing program could find land for relocation.
The board did not adopt a formal motion to change program rules at the meeting, but members directed staff to continue coordinating with program leads and the city to determine which projects can be completed quickly and which require other interventions. Kathy said she will continue to work with staff and contractors to gather quotes and complete high-ticket repairs before the June funding deadline.
The board asked staff to follow up with further information on eligible activities for appropriation dollars and on any overlapping applications that might address households facing ground failure.
