City of Somerville, Massachusetts

Fair Housing Commission

joseph a. curtatone

Mayor

StaffTrustees
Paul Mackey, Acting Director of Housing DivisionAru Manrique
Dana LeWinter, Director of Special ProjectsMary Lu Mendonca
Stacey Pires
Eleanor Rances
John Zhang

Minutes

October 26, 2006 Meeting – 12:00 Noon

First Floor Conference Room, City Hall Annex

Present: Stacey Pires, Mary Lu Mendonca, Aru Manrique, John Zhang, Dana LeWinter, Paul Mackey, Jacqueline Jackson

The meeting began at 12:00 PM.

Attendants introduced themselves first.

  1. Lead Demonstration Project Sub-Grant Award Announcement and Planning: Paul Mackey, Housing Director and Jacqueline Jackson, Lead Program Manager attended to present the formal award. The FHC will receive $10,000 over the course of three years for education around discrimination against families with children. It will be processed in a City fee-for-service format likely. The Money will likely be available for first use January 2007. Paul and Jacqui discussed some of the issues being discussed in lead hazards, including immigrant workers being disproportionately exposed to lead due to the nature of their work.

Jacqui invited the Commissioners to a Lead Task Force Meeting on Tuesday, October 31st at 9:30 AM at the Annex.

Planning for the use of these funds will be the main agenda item for the November meeting.

  1. Reading and Approval of September 28 Meeting Minutes: After a short discussion and a slight change regarding the notes on the Lead Grant, on a motion by Stacey, seconded by Aru, the Commission:

VOTED (3-0, 1 abstained): to approve the September 28 Meeting Minutes.

  1. Unfinished Business:
  2. Ciampa Manor update: Mary Lu reported that she has spoken with Ann Fisher and the back door has been fixed satisfactorily.
  3. Complaint Progress: Dana and Mary Lu reprted that they met with the complainants and Anita Gonzalez from the FHC of GB. Dteremined that this is not a cut and dry discrimination case but that we would have the complainant submit a formal complaint statement and do an internal investigation and hearing process, possibly with some mediation.

By-Laws: The by-laws have been submitted to Anne Thomas for final review.

  1. New Business:

Dana presented the one-page description of the Fair Housing Center’s state funding proposal. The Commissioners expressed the support in the proposal.

Commissioners will look into specific proposals for the Lead Money for next meeting. Dana will have Jacqui pass something along re: specific parameters for use of funds.

Dana: Audits

Mary Lu: Immigrant Workers Issues

John: New Immigrant Assistance Company proposal

Aru, Stacey and Eleanor: Additional ideas

  1. Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 1:00 PM. The next meeting of the FHC will be held November 23, 2006 at Noon at City Hall Annex First Floor Conference Room.