Public input a critical component of Richland County Fair Housing report

Residents are encouraged to take part in a series of upcoming meetings on fair housing issues.

The Richland County Office of Community Development and Columbia Housing Authority are seeking public input to be used for an Assessment of Fair Housing (AFH), an official report that is required by the federal government and is used determine the amount of funding the agencies receive for their continued services. The AFH will contain housing data that is based off residents’ feedback and will be used to identify fair housing issues as well as set goals and priorities.

Residents are urged to participate in a series of meetings about fair housing, as their input is a critical component of the AFH.

“Every citizen in the County has a voice,” said Richland County Community Development Specialist Jocelyn Jennings. “We need to hear those voices and get the public’s input throughout this entire process as we address the County’s housing needs.”

Fair housing topics that residents will be asked to comment about include regional demographics, segregation, racially and ethnically concentrated areas of poverty, access to opportunity, disproportionate housing need, publicly supported housing, access to persons with disabilities and fair housing enforcement.

The community input meetings are:

• 5:30 p.m. Oct. 24, Cecil Tillis Center, 2111 Simkins Lane, Columbia; for Housing Authority and Section 8 residents only
• 5:45 p.m. Oct. 26, Richland Library North Main, 5306 N. Main St., Columbia; open to the public
• 6 p.m. Oct. 27, Eau Clair Print Building, 3907 Ensor Ave., Columbia, hosted by the Richland County Neighborhood Council and Columbia Council of Neighborhoods; open to the public
• 6 p.m. Nov. 3, St. Andrews Park, 920 Beatty Road, Columbia; open to the public
• 6 p.m. Nov. 7, Garners Ferry Adult Activity Center, 8620 Garners Ferry Road, Hopkins; open to the public

Participants requiring sensory-impaired or disabled accommodations or translation services should contact the Richland County Office of Community Development at least three days prior to the meeting they choose to attend by calling 803-576-2055 or emailing [email protected].

Residents can also provide fair housing input by taking an online survey at https://www.research.net/r/2016RichlandCountyFHSurvey.

Once public feedback is compiled into the AFH, a draft of the document will be available for public comment for 45 days before a final copy is submitted to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in early January 2017.

Richland County’s Assessment of Fair Housing report is a joint effort between the Richland County Office of Community Development and the Columbia Housing Authority, with support from the South Carolina Human Affairs Commission.