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OHCS lowers minimum subsidy threshold for equity and contracting support from $500,000 to $100,000
Summary
OHCS staff told the council that the previously adopted $500,000 subsidy threshold to justify equity and contracting consultant support will be lowered to $100,000 to expand access to that technical support for smaller projects.
During the ORCA update, staff explained a change to how the agency subsidizes equity and contracting technical support. Natasha Detwiler Davie said that OHCS previously required projects to receive at least $500,000 in subsidy before adding a dedicated equity-and-contracting consultant slice of support; the council was told that threshold will be reduced to $100,000 to increase access.
"We've lowered that threshold from 500,000 to a 100,000," Detwiler Davie said, adding that the change is intended to provide better access to consultant support for smaller tax-credit projects. She framed the consultants as a tool to expand contracting opportunities and address capacity gaps among minority contracting associations and culturally specific service providers.
Council members requested more detail on accountability and how resident services expectations will be monitored across the project lifecycle. Staff said they are building implementation guidance and data systems to track resident-services outcomes and to help ensure accountability post-occupancy.
