A special meeting was held on Monday night between members of the Two Harbors HRA and the City Council. The focus of the meeting was to address concerns that HRA commissioners have with regard to the working relationship that needs to exist between the city and county HRAs and the City of Two Harbors. Everyone knows that providing much needed housing in the city is a priority, but the working relationships between the entities continue to need work and clarification. The Two Harbors HRA has not been involved in discussions about the joint powers agreement that is currently in the process of being drafted and this has been a point of frustration for members of the city’s housing commission.
Readers will likely remember that the Two Harbors HRA has had the Bayview Terrace Apartments as the major focus of their attention for some time. That being said, the commissioners also want to be able to collaborate fully with the Lake County HRA on planning and implementing projects within the city.
While the various entities that are working on housing issues have started to meet, there are concerns that need to be addressed to clarify the city HRAs role. These include the fact that city HRA Commissioners want to be involved in the development of the joint powers agreement. Additionally, the city HRA has no budget for projects, so the city needs to decide if it is going to provide funds or if an agreement between the city and county needs to be worked out that specifies whether or not the city HRA can allocate some money from the county housing trust fund.
Another concern that often comes up is the fact that it can be difficult to get contractors interested in low to moderate income housing projects. It is clearly important to city HRA commissioners that the need for low to moderate income housing not get lost in the activity of other housing projects. Above And Beyond With U Director Jenna Udenberg brought this concern home, with clarity, when she said that accessible living facilities are needed and that “disability community and culture are on the chopping block.” The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is being raked over the coals in Washington DC and federal funding may be withheld, which will cause a dire crisis within the disability community. Udenberg said, “It’s time to stop playing. It’s time to think outside the box. It’s time to look at communal living and time to not do public housing the way we’ve always done it.” The importance of collaboration and an “all hands on deck” approach is clearly needed in these uncertain times.
