Number
070721
Version
Substitute 1
Reference
Sponsor
ALD. MURPHY
Title
A substitute ordinance establishing a commission on supportive housing.
Sections
320-24 cr
Analysis
This ordinance creates a commission on supportive housing to provide safe, affordable and accessible housing options with supportive services for persons with mental illness or other special needs. The commission shall establish goals and benchmarks for the effort to address housing needs for persons with mental illness and other special needs in the community, and monitor progress and hold the community accountable for meeting those goals. The commission shall be comprised of members representing the city and county of Milwaukee, community leaders, mental health and community advocates, and mental health consumers.
Body
The Mayor and Common Council of the City of Milwaukee do ordain as follows:
Part 1. Section 320-24 of the code is created to read:
320-24. Commission on Supportive Housing.
1. ESTABLISHMENT. There is created a commission on supportive housing consisting of governmental and community leaders, mental health and community advocates, and mental health consumers.
2. PURPOSE: MISSION AND POLICY. a. Purpose. The purpose and function of the commission on supportive housing shall be to serve as a community infrastructure with the institutional commitment and the financial resources necessary for providing safe, affordable and accessible housing options with supportive services for persons with mental illness or other special needs. The commission shall establish goals and benchmarks for the effort to address housing needs for persons with mental illness and other special needs in the community, and monitor progress and hold the community accountable for meeting those goals. The commission shall also provide input regarding special needs housing to the city of Milwaukee in connection with the preparation of the consolidated plan/action plan submitted by the city to the U.S. department of housing and urban development for community development block grant, HOME, emergency shelter grants and housing opportunities for persons with AIDS funds.
b. Guiding Principles. The commission shall accomplish its mission based on the following guiding principles:
b-1. Persons with mental illness or other special needs need to be provided with housing options and supportive service plans that best fit their needs and interest, all offered within the context of recovery and support for their integration into the broader community.
b-2. The input of persons with mental illness and other special needs shall be considered as a critical component in every special needs housing policy, plan and program.
b-3. Affordable housing initiatives, especially for persons with mental illness or other special needs, shall be developed with a full understanding of the profound impact of poverty on individuals' ability to maintain permanent housing.
b-4. Affordable housing initiatives for persons with mental illness or special needs to be developed and operated with a full understanding that, for many individuals, mental illness is a chronic condition, requiring ongoing treatment and support services, and that most individuals with severe and persistent mental illness do not have adequate, sustained access to such services. The lack of adequate, long-term services and treatment contribute to housing instability for people with mental illness or special needs.
b-5. The community's commitment to providing housing for mental illness or special needs requires the development of a sustainable infrastructure for coordination of financial resources, attraction of high-quality developers, and the maintenance of effective permanent housing options.
b-6. Housing developments serving people with mental illness or other special needs shall be subject to the same level of zoning regulation and review as all other housing developments.
b-7. Regulatory barriers to the cost-effective development and operation of permanent housing for people with mental illness or other special needs existing at the federal, state, county or city level need to be eliminated.
b-8. Resources beyond those made available by better coordination of existing local, state and federal resources are necessary for offering the best special needs housing possible; additional resources, especially funding, to address supportive services need to be developed.
3. COMPOSITION. The commission shall be comprised of 16 members:
a. The director of the department of administration or his or her designee.
b. The executive director of the housing authority of the city of Milwaukee or his or her designee.
c. A common council member appointed by the president of the common council.
d. The director of the Milwaukee county department of administrative services or his or her designee.
e. The director of the Milwaukee county department of health and human services or his or her designee.
f. A Milwaukee county supervisor appointed by the county board chair.
g. 2 members representing the philanthropic foundation community, one appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the common council; the other appointed by the Milwaukee county executive and confirmed by the board of supervisors.
h. 2 members representing the Milwaukee continuum of care, one appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the common council; the other appointed by the Milwaukee county executive and confirmed by the board of supervisors.
i. 2 members representing mental health advocacy organizations, one appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the common council; the other appointed by the Milwaukee county executive and confirmed by the board of supervisors.
j. 2 mental health consumers appointed by the administrator of the Milwaukee county division of behavioral health.
k. A citizen representative appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the common council.
L. A business representative appointed jointly by the Milwaukee county executive and the chair of the county board of supervisors.
4. TERM OF OFFICE. a. Term. Commission members shall serve terms of 3 years, with the first terms beginning January 1, 2008, and expiring December 31, 2010.
b. Reappointment. Members of the commission may be reappointed.
c. Vacancy. When a vacancy occurs in the commission, the appointing authority shall make an appointment within 60 days after the vacancy occurs. A vacancy shall be filled for the unexpired term in the same manner as the original appointment.
5. ORGANIZATION. a. Meetings. The commission shall meet at least quarterly and may meet at such additional times as the commission determines or its chair directs. The commission shall elect from the commissioners a chair and vice-chair. A majority of the commissioners shall constitute a quorum for meetings of the commission. Commissioners shall receive no compensation for their services as commission members unless expressly provided for by ordinance or resolution.
b. Rules. The commission may adopt rules, guidelines and criteria to assist the commission in carrying out its responsibilities. In the absence of a commission rule to the contrary, the provisions of Robert's rules of order, latest edition, shall govern the proceedings of the commission.
6. OPEN MEETINGS. All meeting of the commission shall be publicly held and open to all citizens at all times in accordance with subch. V of ch. 19, Wis. Stats.
7. STAFFING. The housing authority of the city of Milwaukee and the Milwaukee county department of health and human services shall provide staff assistance to the commission.
8. REPORTS. The commission shall submit a written annual report of its activities under this section to the common council and the mayor.
LRB
APPROVED AS TO FORM
____________________________
Legislative Reference Bureau
Date: ______________________
Attorney
IT IS OUR OPINION THAT THE ORDINANCE
IS LEGAL AND ENFORCEABLE
____________________________
Office of the City Attorney
Date: ______________________
Requestor
Drafter
LRB07461-2
TWM:mbh
9/11/2007