HOUSE BILL 657

54th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2019

INTRODUCED BY

Melanie A. Stansbury and Christine Trujillo and Abbas Akhil and

Karen C. Bash and Dayan Hochman-Vigil

AN ACT

RELATING TO HOUSING; REQUIRING THE CITY OF ALBUQUERQUE TO CONTRACT FOR A STUDY OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING RESOURCES IN THE CITY OF ALBUQUERQUE; PROVIDING FOR AN EVALUATION OF THE FEASIBILITY OF A SIMILAR STATEWIDE STUDY; REQUIRING REPORTING TO THE CITY OF ALBUQUERQUE AND THE LEGISLATURE; MAKING AN APPROPRIATION.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:

     SECTION 1. TEMPORARY PROVISION--AFFORDABLE HOUSING STUDY.--

          A. By January 1, 2020, the city of Albuquerque shall contract with a person that has no ties to any affordable housing income stream to conduct an independent study to contribute to a framework for ending homelessness. The study shall address all types of affordable rental housing for individuals whose income is thirty percent or below of area median income in the city of Albuquerque, including permanent supportive housing vouchers, rental assistance, vouchers issued pursuant to Section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937, public housing and low-income housing tax credit rentals.

          B. The study findings shall include:

                (1) the number of affordable housing units;

                (2) any funding needed to bridge any gaps found for each type of affordable rental housing;

                (3) a determination of the overall unmet need;

                (4) a determination of the effect of any unmet needs for affordable housing on the demand for emergency shelter;

                (5) a geospatial analysis of affordable housing stock within the city of Albuquerque;

                (6) an evaluation of the feasibility and cost for the New Mexico mortgage finance authority to consider conducting a similar statewide study of affordable housing resources to determine unmet housing needs throughout New Mexico;

                (7) input from relevant stakeholders, including the city of Albuquerque, the children, youth and families department, the human services department, the New Mexico mortgage finance authority, a nonprofit coalition of nonprofit agencies that provide housing and services to individuals and families experiencing homelessness in New Mexico, and Albuquerque homeless services providers;

                (8) a list of current state agency rules and legislation that inhibit the availability of affordable housing for individuals whose income is thirty percent or below of area median income for the city of Albuquerque and proposed legislative solutions to address those issues; and

                (9) recommendations for pre-development activities, including services associated with land acquisition, planning and design, as directed by the city of Albuquerque.

          C. By November 1, 2020, the city of Albuquerque shall provide the study findings and recommendations to the appropriate legislative body.

          D. For the purposes of this section:

                (1) "area median income" means the midpoint of the city of Albuquerque's income distribution adjusted for family size published annually by the United States department of housing and urban development; and

                (2) "geospatial analysis" means using geographic information systems to create maps that visualize data related to affordable housing resources.

     SECTION 2. APPROPRIATION.--One hundred fifty thousand dollars ($150,000) is appropriated from the general fund to the local government division of the department of finance and administration for expenditure in fiscal years 2020 and 2021 for the city of Albuquerque to contract for services to conduct an independent, comprehensive budget study and analysis of existing affordable housing resources and unmet needs in the city of Albuquerque. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of fiscal year 2021 shall revert to the general fund.

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