Specifications include, but are not limited to: TASK A – Community Partnership and Engagement To better understand local conditions, perceptions, and opinions, the consultant will solicit information and feedback from key community partners, local professionals, and the broader community at large. Community partners will be engaged through individual interviews or convenings of small groups. Participants should include, but not be limited to: • Elected officials; • Housing developers active in the region, contractors, and related skilled workforce; • Relevant County staff (building inspectors, water/wastewater and transportation infrastructure specialists; planners, assessors, community development, etc.); • Relevant City Staff and Tribal Nation Representative(s); • Representatives from the Lake County Department of Social Services’ low-income housing programs; • Representatives from the Lake County Continuum of Care (LCCoC); • Representatives from Lake County Behavioral Health Services staff; • Representatives from local housing non-profits and community organizations; • Larger employers in the county such as hospitals, schools, etc.; and • Residents of Lake County. The consultant will conduct a minimum of four open public meetings to solicit broad community input in addition to smaller meetings in various communities. The consultant will make a reasonable effort to host these meetings in a convenient location and notify the public in advance via numerous methods such as the local newspaper and prominent local online news outlets, radio, and social media. TASK B - Analysis of Current Conditions The consultant will conduct a thorough analysis of current conditions in the county. Information on current conditions will be collected from a variety of sources including the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), as well as local sources such as County and City (Clearlake and Lakeport) Planning Departments and Building Divisions. Consultant will analyze at least the following topics (as a subject matter expert, we expect the ideal Consultant may add to this list). • Current and forecasted Demographic Metrics – e.g., total population, age, and race/ethnicity; • Household Characteristics – e.g., family size, household income, homelessness, vacancy, and tenure; • Housing Supply – e.g., housing types, housing age, and housing conditions; • Housing costs – e.g., home sale prices, the cost of rent, and the housing cost burden; • Subsidized housing – e.g., types and utilization of housing vouchers, the location of subsidized housing units, the number of subsidized housing units, the level of affordability of subsidized units, availability of ADA (American with Disabilities Act of 1990) compliant housing, populations served, as well as any changes to non-low-income use through mortgage pre-payment, subsidy contract expirations, or similar factors; • Housing for special populations – e.g., age-restricted housing, agricultural worker housing, housing for persons with mental and physical disabilities, homeless and supportive housing; • Local regulations and policies – e.g., zoning districts, local tax policies, and code enforcement; • Inventory of local housing support services and resources – non-profit and community organizations working on housing issues, municipal housing related programs, other local resources; • Employment Opportunities - identify larger employers in the area and trends in employment including commute patterns and remote work; • Infrastructure – analysis pertaining to housing where strengths are identified as well as constraints for future housing developments; • Mitigation - identify policies and/or action taken to increase resilience to disasters and reduce long-term risk as well as any steps to have a resilient infrastructure; • Housing Barriers - identify current barriers to increasing housing stock or rehabilitation activities; • Equity and Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing – Determine what policies are currently in place to ensure equity and policies to affirmatively further fair housing; • Housing Legislation – identify recent state housing specific legislation that can impact housing production; and • Housing during a disaster – identifying where citizens are housed during a natural disaster. TASK C – Gaps Analysis The consultant will provide an analysis of how housing conditions and county policies are meeting current and forecasted housing demands. Analysis will consider qualitative and quantitative information collected from TASK A and TASK B, including but not limited to: • Analysis of how existing County regulations affect local housing supply and identification of constraints resulting from local policies; • Analysis of possible incentives to build more affordable housing. Identifying both state and federal programs available with an emphasis on new legislation passed in California and HCD programs; • Analysis of how trends in housing costs compare to trends in household income for renters and owners; • Projection of housing demand five, ten and 15 years into the future, based on population projections and demographic trends compared to projected estimated housing stock over the same period; and • The need for “precovery” – preparation for future natural disasters with a focus on housing.
