Availability of homes that working class residents can afford is an ongoing issue in La Plata County. Bayfield and Ignacio town trustees are adjusting to the switch to the La Plata Homes Fund as the entity that helps working families buy a house.
The Homes Fund is taking over functions of the Regional Housing Authority, which is going dormant.
Bayfield, Ignacio, Durango, and the county contribute funding, allocated by percent of population, to both entities.
On Dec. 7 Ignacio trustees approved an intergovernmental agreement with RHA that shifts most of the joint funding to the Homes Fund. "In previous years we paid the same amount to go to the RHA and the Homes Fund," Town Development Director Dan Naiman said. (RHA Director) Karen Iverson is looking to stabilize the RHA for the time being. The focus is on providing affordable housing, and that's 90 percent of what the Homes Fund does. A small amount of the (town contribution) will go to RHA to wind down, and most to the Homes Fund."
Ignacio trustees separately approved a professional services agreement with the Homes Fund along with a one year funding commitment of $1,808. It will go directly to the Homes Fund instead of through the RHA, Garcia said.
Trustee Dixie Melton wanted to know what services are going to Ignacio residents. One of the services is education classes for prospective home buyers. Melton observed that the fund report lists one such class in Bayfield.
Trustees approved a one-year agreement with the Homes Fund, including a provision to request a homebuyer class in Ignacio.
Bayfield trustees approved similar agreements on Dec. 20.
The RHA agreement includes six months funding of $2,622 for the transition to dormant status. "As of July 1 the key organization will be the Homes Fund," Town Manager Chris La May said.
In his staff report, he said, "The RHA programs have traditionally been aimed at increasing resources for housing by filling the gap between what a family can afford and what product is on the market. The focus is to assist people living within La Plata County who earn less than 125 percent of the area median income."
For a family of three, 125 percent of AMI is $82,125, according to La May's staff report. For one person, it is $63,875.
For the transition to the Homes Fund, trustees approved a three-year service agreement with the Homes Fund, subject to annual funding appropriations by the town. The Dec. 19 approval was for a maximum $9,040.
In Bayfield, the Homes Fund will administer income qualifications for the deed-restricted housing in Fox Farm Village near the elementary school along with other services like the homebuyer class, pre-purchase counseling, and underwriting loans.
