Fair Housing Compliance

USTU Board Discussion 2/22/22

Recap

What we have done/decided so far:

• Discussed and approved a set of consistent criteria for membership
• Created a rubric to test out
• Approved a revised questionnaire
• Approved other process steps

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What we still need to do:

• Comply with the waitlist requirement
• Fair Housing training for liaisons, orientation presenters, tour guides
• Review and revise our documents to include required language related to fair housing, including updating websites and creating an easy-to-understand info sheet about our membership process.
• Probably more things…

Advertise

Locally

Accept Inquiries

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Screen for income eligibility, displacement, current address, etc

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Eligible Inquiries

Respond to eligible inquiries that they have been placed on a notification waitlist.

Ineligible Inquiries

Respond to ineligible inquiries with notification of ineligibility

Vacancies

Notify applicants on the notification waitlist when there is a vacancy

Membership Process

Depending on how well they got to know the community, they could be greenlit at this point.

Proposed Adjustments to Membership Process for Discussion

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Advertising

• Advertise for 0-bedroom (studio) units with no parking for income qualified (50% AMI) households in a LEHC on land owned by Beverly-Vermont CLT in the LA Eco-Village neighborhood of Koreatown.
• Ads could be placed with LATU VyBe and East Hollywood chapters, as well as the Eviction Defense Network.
• This would NOT be advertising vacancies
• We would run ads every month (or other appropriate schedule).
• The goal would be to raise awareness of our organizations, the associated opportunities and build our Conventional Unit Waitlist (LAHD requirement).

Proposed Adjustments to Membership Process for Discussion

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Notification Waitlist

• Anyone who meets our basic qualifications can be on a waitlist that just obligates us to notify them when we do have a vacancy.
• If the person on the waitlist is ready to participate in the candidate phase of our membership process at that time, we can go through the greenlight process then.
• People who are not ready can remain on the waitlist.

Question: Covenanted units only or all units? And would they then go through the regular membership process?

• Don’t need to decide now on covenanted only or not. Yes, to incorporate into membership process.

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Question: Since usually internal moves for covenant, would there not be vacancies then? And would this create a 2-tiered system with the 50% AMI?

• Answer: list of everyone who is eligible for covenanted unit within the community. The expectation is to have at least 18 people on the waitlist, and we don’t have 18 eligible residents for those units.

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Question: How much would the ads cost?

• There are very inexpensive box ads for our local advertising

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Question: In the past, we have folks go through the membership process regardless of vacancies, but this would be for folks who get notice only after a vacancy opens up?

• Answer: want to be in compliance and want to consult with our lawyer on what language will be in compliance.

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Question: Would this result in being a nightmare for the manager, with a large number of people applying / signing up. Could the ad be updated every month stating if there are no vacancies, with reference to LEHCs, so that the manager wouldn’t have to field this?

• Yes, and we could also have a standard response.

USTU Membership Process

Updating to comply with Fair Housing & to make more better :)

Candidate�(time: 2-6 months)

• Candidate & community get to know each other
• potlucks & meetings
• work parties, committee participation & events
• Orientation
• Interview with community
• Read policies & agreements, including rental agreement
• Schedule decision when the community and candidate are ready

All Member Greenlight^a

All Member Approval^a

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Stages of the

USTU Membership Process

Non-Resident Resident

Interested

(time: as long as necessary)

• Fill out questionnaire
• Get liaison
• Take Tour
• Get familiar with the community (websites, personal conversations, meetings and potlucks)
• Read/Watch:
• Membership process
• Read LEHC, CLT, disclosure document
• Watch “basics” orientation video

Provisional Member

(time: 6 months)

• Request housing if available
• Participate in meetings, potlucks, committees, work parties
• No blocking privileges
• Join committees
• Dialogue at 3 months
• Full member interview and decision

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Decision-Making Process for Membership

Questionnaire & Liaison

• Revised questionnaire
• Liaison Handbook
• Liaisee tracking template (Notion?)

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Interviews: Greenlight, Provisional & Full Membership

• Consistent Standard Questions asked by designated interviewers (approved through sociocratic method)
• Only 1-2 additional specific questions, submitted to the designated interviewers to avoid implicit bias
• Members actively listen, can ask clarifying questions through the designated interviewers

Decision

• Use a Rubric (draft rubric link) to rate each candidate based on criteria for each decision point (greenlight, provisional, full membership)
• All members rate at interview meeting
• Discuss results of collective ratings at following decision meeting
• Where was there alignment, where was there a wide spread of ratings. Discuss where not yet aligned

All Member Approval

Owner Member Approval

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Owner Member Elections

Resident Member

Provisional Member

(time: 6 months)

• Request housing if available
• Participate in meetings, potlucks, work parties
• No blocking privileges
• Join committees
• Dialogue at 3 months
• Full member interview and decision

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Full Renter Member

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• Participate & rotate through committees
• Sustain project

Full Owner Member

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• Same as above, plus
• Buy shares of the co-op
• Eligible to serve on the USTU Board of Directors

Board Member

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• Appoints Officers
• Manager oversight
• Financially and legally responsible for the Co-op

Stages of the

USTU Membership Process

Proposal for Un-Pawsing Our Membership Process

3-month pause began on May 10, 2021

1. Outreach

Send out new questionnaire to all who have expressed interested in membership with an explanation of our updated membership process.

“Open Enrollment”

A window of time to complete checklist (By: Oct 10)

• Fill out revised questionnaire
• Get liaison (new liaison guidance)
• Take Tour
• Get familiar with the community (websites, personal conversations, meetings and potlucks)
• Read/Watch:
• Review updated membership process
• Read LEHC, CLT, disclosure document
• Attend/watch new “basics” orientation

Greenlight Interviews� & Decisions

• First, interview all interested who have completed the checklist.
• Then make a decision on who to greenlight for now, up to 4 households.

“OPEN ENROLLMENT”

INTERVIEW ALL

BEFORE DECISION

PROPOSAL OVERVIEW

OUTREACH

2

3

1

Feedback/Questions:

• Q: Would folks need to submit new questionnaires?
• A: Yes, or maybe an addendum with any new questions

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Feedback/Questions:

• Q: How frequent?
• A: Only this time, but if we like it, we can decide how often in the future

Feedback/Questions:

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