Coalition for Occupied Homes in Foreclosure Inc. (COHIF)

Transcription

1 Coalition for Occupied Homes in Foreclosure Inc. (COHIF) General Information 84 State Street, Suite 600 Boston, MA (617) Website Organization Contact Maureen Flynn Year of Incorporation

2 Statements & Search Criteria Mission Statement COHIF's mission is to collectively work with our members and partners to stabilize the Greater Four Corners neighborhood and reduce unnecessary displacement by: maximizing the number of residents in foreclosed occupied housing that can stay in their homes through innovative means; developing and implementing best practice models for code enforcement and long-term ownership of foreclosed properites; and, eventually replicating those efforts in other areas hard-hit by foreclosures. COHIF therefore develops methods that allow residents in foreclosed properties to stay in their homes long-term, and uses those methods to increase community control of housing, and promote permanently affordable housing and community stabilization. Background Statement In 2008, representatives from BTC, CL/VU, Harvard Legal Aid Bureau, Boston Community Capital (BCC), Center for Social Policy, MACDC, consultant Charleen Regan, and Planning Office of Urban Affairs (POUA) initiated the Committee on Occupied Housing in Foreclosure (COHIF) to address the issue of occupied foreclosed properties. BTC, GFCAC, and CL/VU continue to be a driving force within COHIF. COHIF spearheaded early advocacy efforts with major foreclosing lenders, and in 2010 COHIF and MAAPL played critical roles in bringing together disparate groups to pass the historic just cause eviction protections for tenants in foreclosed properties. COHIF convened a roundtable in 2011 to brainstorm ways to acquire, hold, and develop occupied properties (where no former owner or tenant can purchase), and to expand and use regulatory tools such as receivership and code enforcement to hold private buyers more accountable to the residents and the community as they quickly scoop up properties. Out of this Roundtable and other organizing efforts, COHIF decided in FY'12 to implement a pilot Community Stabilization Zone that targets the Greater Four Corners neighborhood in Dorchester, which has a foreclosure and distressed property rate over twice that of the City of Boston, and whose population is disproportionately low-income and persons of color. The Erie-Ellington Community Stabilization Initiative, now known as the Greater Four Corners Pilot Project, is an outgrowth of the round table. 2

3 Impact Statement COHIF's top three accomplishments from the past year are as follows: Purchasing 11 foreclosed units in the Greater Four Corners neighborhood, including an occupied foreclosed property from Fannie Mae; initiating a Community Code Enforcement Project in our pilot project area; and, publishing a research paper on best practices related to long-term ownership and community control of affordable housing. Since April of 2012, COHIF has been working on the initiatives outlined below. Over this next year and beyond, COHIF will be undertaking the following activities within these initiatives: 1) The Greater Four Corners Community Stabilization Pilot Project: a) Outreach to residents in COHIF-owned foreclosed properties to recruit them for COHIF organizing/advocacy activities and to form a COHIF residents' group so that they can help decide the future plans for their homes. b) Continue to Acquire and Rehabilitate up to 30 Occupied Foreclosed and Vacant Units. We have acquired 11 units to date; we are pursuing approximately 20 more units. 2) Develop and Advocate for Regulation Reform: a) File and advocate for the passage of an ordinance requiring bank-owners of foreclosed properties to post a bond with the City to ensure needed code violation repairs and requiring both owners of vacant property and bank-owned property to do more upkeep and maintenance. b) Continue a Community Code Enforcement Project whereby COHIF leaders inspect exterior code violations to ISD and then work with ISD to make sure that code violations are cured. Needs Statement COHIF needs additional resources for general operating support that will in turn directly support our two major initiatives; our gap for this fiscal year is approximately $30,000. Our initial funding stream was instrumental in making COHIF operational; now we need additional funding to expand our capacity so that we can achieve our goals. COHIF currently has only one full-time staffer, the coordinator, to oversee, manage, coordinate, and drive COHIF's mission forward. As COHIF is a coalition of existing experienced non-profit and forprofit agencies, we have made a conscious decision to heavily rely on our member organizations' skill sets to help implement our two initiatives through sub-contracts with those agencies and several individual members. For example, COHIF contracts with City Life/Vida Urbana (CLVU) and Greater Four Corners Action Coalition (GFCAC) to canvass the pilot project area, educate residents of foreclosed properties, and recruit residents to participate in our programs and in organizational leadership positions. We also contract with Greater Boston Legal Services, Harvard Legal Aid Bureau, and Roberta Rubin to provide legal services for various aspects of our program. We need continued resources to support the coordinator position and our member agencies' COHIF related activities. COHIF also needs resources to assure that the efforts are documented for replication by others. Our goal is to raise approximately $20,000 for this activity. 3

4 CEO/Executive Director Statement COHIF is unique because it is the only organization in greater Boston, and most likely the state and country, that is addressing the issue of displacement in foreclosed properties by purchasing and rehabbing those properties while residents still occupy their homes. Most organizations addressing the foreclosure crisis either help clients stay in their homes through loan modifications, etc. or purchase and rehab foreclosed properties usually buy vacant property. We are one of the only organizations that takes a dual approach - we help families stay in their homes when no other alternative is available to them by purchasing their home and allowing them to stay in the home long term. We are also unique because we are partnering with private as well as non-profit individuals and organizations. We receive pro-bono assistance from private attorneys for some of our residents and we rely on a private developer to help us purchase properties. Last, we are unique because we are not reinventing the wheel and growing a large organization; we rely on our members to drive our goals forward. Our members are accountable to each other and for the success of the organization as a whole. Board Chair Statement COHIF has only one full time staff so therefore, COHIF relies in large degree on the collective work of all of our member organizations to help drive our mission forward and achieve our goals. Working together, we have had many successes over the last several years. We have worked together with our members Greater Four Corners Action Coalition and City Life/Vida Urbana to organize a community meeting in Four Corners. Jonathan, our private developer partner, has purchased 11 foreclosed units on COHIF's behalf. Heading Home and the Women's Institute will be working with Jonathan to coordinate rehabilitation work on those units. Boston Tenant Coalition took the lead working with the Mayor's Office and City Council to get the Rental Reinspection ordinance passed. These are just a few examples of how we work together to achieve our goals. The challenge in being organized this way is that we need to find ways to support each others' work but to also be clear about roles and be accountable to one another. We know that these kinds of issues will need to be continually addressed but we feel that with strong committees and member participation, we are equal to the challenge. Service Categories Housing Rehabilitation Alliances & Advocacy Homeowners & Tenants Associations Geographic Areas Served Our pilot purchase and rehab project serves the Greater Four Corners neighborhoods, which encompasses parts of the and zip codes. The physical boundaries of our pilot project are generally: Columbia Road to Blue Hill Avenue to Geneva Avenue, Geneva Avenue to Park Street, Park Street to Bernard Street, Bernard Street to Harvard Street, Harvard Street to Blue Hill Avenue, and Blue Hill Avenue to Columbia Road. 4

5 Please review online profile for full list of selected areas served. 5

6 Programs Greater Four Corners Stabiilzation Pilot Project Description The Project consists of several elements, including: Conducting outreach to current homeowners and tenants in foreclosed properties to: inform them of their rights and identify residents with an interest in purchasing. Acquiring properties in the Pilot Project area. We are developing a new agreement, which will govern the relationship between our for-profit purchaser/interim owner, and our non-profit partner, who will hopefully become long-term owners of the properties. The properties may be acquired through several means, including: a bulk purchase from Fannie Mae or other lenders; the National Housing Trust Fund s First Look Program, in conjunction with CHAPA; short sales ; and receivership properties. The Pilot Project is innovative in that it organizes and builds from the grassroots at the neighborhood level, and attempts to breakdown the silos between these points of entry though coordination of organizing, legal assistance, and the purchase/rehab of properties. Budget Category Population Served Program Short Term Success Housing, General/Other Affordable Housing Families, Adults, Children and Youth (0-19 years) 1) Outreach 150 residents of properties that are foreclosed or at risk of foreclosure, communicating rights and supporting organizing strategies to fight displacement, and identifying feasible occupant ownership plans. 2) Train organizers and residents in rights against foreclosing entities, REO code enforcement issues, and opportunities for home ownership (traditional and alternative); organize team of 6-8 organizers and key neighborhood leaders who throughout the year help guide the decision-making processes with other community residents. 3) Via education and organizing, stop the displacement of families, who otherwise would have left foreclosed units. 4) Assist owners in foreclosure to retain their homes through effective workouts, legal support,and/or organizing and repurchase strategies. 5) Purchase and rehab 30 pre-foreclosure and foreclosed occupied units in the pilot area, and place those units in the development pipeline for FY'14. 6

7 Program Long term Success Program Success Monitored By Examples of Program Success Our overriding goal is to create and sustain permanently affordable housing alternatives in occupied foreclosed housing to prevent displacement and to stabilize the greater Four Corners neighborhood of Dorchester and develop strategies that can be replicated in other parts of the city, state, and country. In doing so, we will: - increase community control of housing, neighborhood safety, and strengthen community leadership; - strengthen collaborative relations among neighborhood residents, community organizations, government and other COHIF partners for securing and stabilizing the neighborhood; - and create a model for developing permanently affordable housing through a community driven process that could be replicated in other neighborhoods or cities. A database is kept with all outreach conducted and the outcome of the outreach (education, stabilization through nondisplacement, etc.). In addition, we will be creating a list of all units purchased. Examples of success would be if we: 1) identifed feasible occupant ownership plans. 2) Trained 30 organizers and residents about their legal rights. 3) Stopped the displacement of 30 families, who otherwise would have left foreclosed units. 4) Assist 10 owners in foreclosure to retain their homes through effective workouts, legal support,and/or organizing and repurchase strategies. 5) Purchase and rehab 30 pre-foreclosure and foreclosed occupied units. 6) Were able to make permanently affordable all of the 30 units purchased through the COHIF project. 7

8 Regulatory Reform Project/Program Description This project/program: advocates for regulatory reform measures so that investor owned and bank owned foreclosed properties are maintained in better condition; is a pilot code enforcement project in the pilot area which will train residents to work with the Inspectional Services Department to identify and remedy code enforcement issues with bank-owned and investor owned properties in the Greater Four Corners Pilot Project area. Budget Category Population Served Program Short Term Success Program Long term Success Program Success Monitored By Examples of Program Success Housing, General/Other Housing, General/Other Families, Adults, Elderly and/or Disabled *Draft a strong ordinance. *Organize and lead campaigns for the passage of city ordinances which will improve code enforcement. * Implement a pilot code enforcement project in the pilot project area. * Train 3-5 groups of residents to identify and track code issues in the pilot area. * Track 10 properties for enforcement actions. * Draft and pass legislation which will provide more accountability on investor owners and banks for foreclosed property conditions. * Implement new code enforcement initiatives, which leverage stronger ISD code enforcement policies in foreclosed properties, forcing immediate repairs in dozens of units and leveraging faster affordable housing buy-outs and development plans. The success of the program will be demonstrated by the: passage of proposed city ordinances, the number of groups that are organized in the pilot area, and the number of properties that are repaired due to our project. Examples of success would be the passage of a city ordinance related to our regulatory reform project, the engagement of 3-5 groups of residents in the project, and the repair of 10 properties over the course of two years 8

9 Research and Implementation of Best Practices regarding Creative Long-Term Affordable Ownership Models & Documentation of Project Progress Description COHIF is undertaking research to generate creative ideas for long-term affordable community-based ownership models for implementation in the pilot project area. For example, we are researching what other communities use land trusts for existing properties, and how to best implement a scattered site cooperative initiative, and other community-based ownership models. Budget We are also undertaking a long term documentation project, which will document the lessons we learn along the way as we implement the pilot project. We hope that what we document and learn can be used by other communities across the city, state, and country as they undertake and/or replicate a project for occupied foreclosed properties. Category Population Served Housing, General/Other Affordable Housing Families, Elderly and/or Disabled, Adults Program Short Term Success Research completed by the end of Documentation underway by mid Program Long term Success With research completed, we hope to implement at least two creative initiatives in the pilot area, that will provide long term stabilization and affordability for the families that live there. With documentation completed, we hope that at least one other community will adopt a project like ours and that we would be able to expand into another community or neighborhood in the greater Boston area. Program Success Monitored By We will require that a comprehensive white paper be provided to COHIF per our research needs. We will require a documentation "product"; we haven't determined the type but it would most likely be a guide that other communities can easily use and learn from. Examples of Program Success We will know we are successful with our research if we are able to create at least one land trusted property in the pilot area and we are able to bundle a critical number of units in the pilot area into a cooperative initiative or similar type of shared ownership model. We will know we are successful in documenting our project if another community approaches us about our project. 9

10 Management CEO/Executive Director Executive Director Term Start Apr Ms. Maureen E Flynn Esq. maureen@cohif.org Experience Maureen was previously the General Counsel for the Housing and Economic Development Secretariat of the Patrick-Murray Administration. Prior to being General Counsel, Maureen served as Special Counsel to the secretariat and in that role, drafted many provisions in the Economic Development Act including a new housing tax credit for gateway cities, the Administration s $1 billion life sciences initiative, and changes to the state s investment tax credit. She also helped to coordinate the state s response to the foreclosure crisis. Before joining the executive office, Maureen was the Deputy Director of the MA Association of CDCs and wrote the state s omnibus foreclosure law and pending expiring use law. She had previously created and coordinated a foreclosure prevention project at the Buffalo Urban League and Western New York Law Center. Maureen also worked for the City of Boston in various capacities for 8 years. Maureen received her MPA from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard in 1995 and her law degree from SUNY at Buffalo in 2000; she is licensed to practice in Massachusetts and New York. Senior Staff Dana McQuillin Dalke Title Deputy Director Experience/Biography Staff Information Full Time Staff Part Time Staff Volunteers Contractors Retention Rate % Staff Demographics - Ethnicity African American/Black Asian American/Pacific Islander Caucasian Hispanic/Latino

11 Native American/American Indian Other Staff Demographics - Gender Male Female Unspecified Formal Evaluations CEO Formal Evaluation CEO/Executive Formal Evaluation Frequency Senior Management Formal Evaluation Senior Management Formal Evaluation Frequency nmanagement Formal Evaluation n Management Formal Evaluation Frequency N/A Annually N/A Plans & Policies Organization has a Fundraising Plan? Organization has a Strategic Plan? Years Strategic Plan Considers Does your organization have a Business Continuity of Operations Plan? Management Succession Plan? Organization Policy and Procedures ndiscrimination Policy Whistleblower Policy Document Destruction Policy Directors and Officers Insurance Policy Is your organization licensed by the Government? Registration Permit? Under Development N/A Under Development Under Development Yes Yes Yes Collaborations We collaborate with the MA Department of Housing and Community Development, the City of Boston's Department of Neighborhood Development and Inspectional Services Department, the Citizens Housing and Planning Association, the Lawyers Clearinghouse for Affordable Housing under the Boston Bar Association, and the Volunteer Lawyers Project. 11

12 Comments CEO Comments We only have one and a half staffers at COHIF (a full-time executive director and a part-time deputy director). COHIF contracts out to its members, partners, and some non-members almost all of the project work necessary to reach our goals. COHIF has decided that rather than "re-create the wheel " and build a large organization, we would use the expertise, skills, and experience of our members and partners to carry out our work. We are constantly challenged by the amount of work and the depth of the work necessary for COHIF to be successful. COHIF really needs at least two additional staffers. 12

13 Board & Governance Board Chair Board Chair Ms. Kathy Brown Company Affiliation Boston Tenant Coalition Term Jan 2014 to Board CoChair Board CoChair Alberghini Board Members Name Affiliation Status Lisa Alberghini POUA Voting Kathy Brown Boston Tenant Coalition Nadine Cohen Greater Boston Legal Services Antonio Ennis Community Board Member Maureen Flynn COHIF Voting David Grossman Harvard Legal Aid Bureau Voting Curdina Hill City Life/Vida Urbana Voting Jonathan Kaye CRC Rebecca Regan Housing Partnership Network Voting Charleen Regan Consultant Voting Michael Stone UMass Boston Ctr for Social Policy Voting Mat Thall Consultant Voting Board Demographics - Ethnicity African American/Black 2 Asian American/Pacific Islander 0 Caucasian 10 Hispanic/Latino 0 Native American/American Indian 0 Other 0 Board Demographics - Gender Male Female Unspecified

14 Board Information Board Term Lengths Number of Full Board Meetings Annually Board Meeting Attendance % Written Board Selection Criteria? Written Conflict of Interest Policy? Percentage Making Monetary Contributions Percentage Making In-Kind Contributions Constituency Includes Client Representation % Yes Yes 12% 12% Yes Standing Committees Executive Finance Comments CEO Comments COHIF transformed from a coalition that did advocacy/policy work and information dissemination into a coalition that implements projects and activities in early As part of this transformation, has applied for an won grant funding in FY12, FY13 and FY14. One of the first actions the coalition took in conjunction with the receipt of early grant funding was to hire me as its coordinator to drive its agenda forward. COHIF gained status as a legally incorporated entity earlier this year. One of our lead members, the Boston Tenant Coalition, acts as our fiscal agent and the coordinator of the Boston Tenant Coalition, Kathy Brown, is our board chair. We are in the process of drafting a strong operating agreement that will outline and responsibilities and authority of those organizations participating in the pilot project as it is a complicated project and involves purchasing property. In addition, COHIF drafts a scope of services and contracts for each of the goal related activities carried out by member, non-member, and partner organizations and partners so that everyone is clear regarding their responsibilities to the coalition and there is clear accountability to the coalition as a whole. 14

15 Financials Fiscal Year Fiscal Year Start July 01, 2014 Fiscal Year End June 30, 2015 Projected Revenue $229, Projected Expenses $165, Endowment? Spending Policy N/A Credit Line? Reserve Fund? Months Reserve Fund Covers 0 Detailed Financials Revenue and Expenses Fiscal Year Total Revenue $236,679 $60, Total Expenses $237,819 $54, Revenue Sources Fiscal Year Foundation and Corporation $227,000 $60, Contributions Government Contributions $0 $0 $0 Federal State Local Unspecified Individual Contributions Indirect Public Support Earned Revenue Investment Income, Net of Losses Membership Dues Special Events Revenue In-Kind $9, Other

16 Expense Allocation Fiscal Year Program Expense $202,022 $41, Administration Expense $31,797 $10, Fundraising Expense $4,000 $1, Payments to Affiliates Total Revenue/Total Expenses Program Expense/Total Expenses 85% 77% -- Fundraising Expense/Contributed Revenue 2% 3% -- Assets and Liabilities Fiscal Year Total Assets $137,671 $6, Current Assets $137,671 $6, Long-Term Liabilities $0 $0 -- Current Liabilities $9,184 $0 -- Total Net Assets $128,487 $6, Short Term Solvency Fiscal Year Current Ratio: Current Assets/Current Liabilities Long Term Solvency Fiscal Year Long-Term Liabilities/Total Assets 0% 0% -- Top Funding Sources Fiscal Year Top Funding Source & Dollar Amount Second Highest Funding Source & Dollar Amount Third Highest Funding Source & Dollar Amount Capital Campaign Currently in a Capital Campaign? Comments CEO Comments Attached is financial information for the Boston Tenant Coalition, our fiscal agent. BTC is not required to do yearly audits because their income is less than $500,000 each year. Their financial review is attached for 2009, 2012 and They did not do a financial review for 2010 and 2011 because their income was less than $200,000. We recently received our tax exempt status so COHIF will be reporting it's own financial information as we file 990s, etc. Foundation Staff Comments Financial summary data in the charts and graphs above is per the organization, Coalition for Occupied Homes in Foreclosure (COHIF). Additional financial data will be posted as it becomes available. As indicated in the above IRS Letter of Determination, COHIF received its own nonprofit status in early COHIF was previously fiscally sponsored by the Boston Tenant Coalition (BTC). As such, the BTC IRS Form 990s and audits for FY12 and FY13 are posted above, reflecting the time of fiscal sponsorship. Created Copyright 2018 The Boston Foundation 16