Housing and Community
Development Commission
6.2
Minutes Report - Draft
September 23, 2014
14-0953
Public Hearing on Draft Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice (AI)
Attachments:
Lake County 2014 AI 9-5-14 Public Comment Draft.Corrected Maps.pdf
public comment thru 09.17.14
A motion was made by Commissioner Venturi, seconded by Commissioner Cunningham,
to open the public hearing on the AI at 4:16 p.m. The motion was approved by all
members.
Ms. Gingiss read into the record the letter submitted by Ms. Lisa Pugliese, Executive
Director of the Affordable Housing Corporation of Lake County (AHC). AHC’s Board
thanked the County for allowing sufficient time for the review of the AI, which they
applauded as a well-crafted and thoughtful foundation upon which to base a plan of action.
The letter stated that AHC believes two items should be included within the AI: 1) the
impediment caused by landlords’ resistance to accepting housing subsidies toward rent
payments and 2) a lack of defined timeframes for implementation of the recommended
actions to address identified impediments.
Ms. Betsy Lassar, of the Lake County Housing Action Coalition (Coalition), also thanked
the County for the information presented within the AI, as the identification of impediments
would prove useful during the formulation of a comprehensive fair housing action plan.
She expressed appreciation for the fact that the County had already reacted to two issues
addressed within the letter she had submitted (see agenda packet), namely: 1) the
inclusion of the impediment caused by landlords not accepting housing subsidies and 2)
the provision of timelines detailing expected implementation of the AI’s recommended
actions. Ms. Lassar then said that the County should review its Unified Development
Ordinance (UDO), which specifies requirements for unincorporated areas of Lake County,
to address any zoning and building laws and regulations that could limit housing options.
The Coalition felt this would be an important step to encourage the municipalities to follow
the County’s example. Additionally, the Coalition asked that the AI state specifically that
fair housing testing would continue within the County.
Ms. Viki Rivkin, Director of Fair Housing for Open Communities, commended Lake
County and AREA on the AI and stressed the importance of fair housing testing. She
stated that testing is often the only way to find evidence of discrimination, as many people
do not realize that they have been the victims of discrimination. Ms. Rivkin suggested that
the County encourage that new construction and existing multi-family dwellings include
accessibility for persons with disabilities. Additionally, she stated that public sector
impediments should include the need to address multiple language issues. Affirmative
marketing strategies should include municipal promotional materials and websites that
welcome diversity and are written in multiple languages. Open Communities suggested
that the County take an active role to encourage its communities to affirmatively further fair
Lake County Illinois
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