Draft of LIHI Good Neighbor Agreement for Friendship Heights Village

 

The Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI) is asking for neighbors to review and provide feedback on the proposed document below. Please provide feedback at the the Oct. 19th Bitterlake/Haller Lake meeting or to LIHI directly.

2021 Good Neighbor Agreement
Low Income Housing Institute
Friendship Heights Village

Overview

The Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI) operates Friendship Heights Village (FHV) located at 12245 Aurora Ave N, Seattle, WA 98133. The LIHI Main Office is located at 1253 S Jackson St, Seattle, WA 98144.

FHV is a 24/7 enhanced shelter for individuals and couples experiencing homelessness consisting of __ micro-shelters that can shelter up to __ residents, community hygiene and kitchen facilities, case management offices, and a management/security office. LIHI staff consists of one Special Projects Manager (SPM) who manages the village, __ Case Managers who provide social services for residents, and __ Organizers who provide 24/7 operations and security support. The Case Managers work with residents of this temporary enhanced shelter to help them obtain housing, employment, health care, food security, and other services. FHV receives City of Seattle funding for operations.

LIHI and the staff and residents of FHV are committed to being good neighbors. Outlined below is the good neighbor agreement for FHV that LIHI commits to. 

Process for communicating with neighboring residents and businesses and addressing concerns, questions, offers 

Neighboring residents, businesses or other community members who have questions, concerns, complaints, ideas, or requests, or wish to volunteer or donate items, services, or meals, may contact the FHV site on a 24/7 basis at 206-___-____, contact LIHI SPM _________ (gender pronouns) at , or contact LIHI Community Engagement Director Josh Castle (he/him) at 206-334-0508 or josh.castle@lihi.org. The LIHI/FHV staff contacted will follow up promptly. 

When concerns or complaints are received by LIHI/FHV staff will record information received. If not received initially by the FHV SPM _________, the matter is quickly referred to her/him (i.e. from an Organizer if the call is received while they are on shift or from Community Engagement Director Josh Castle if he receives the call or email). If it cannot be immediately resolved by the manager, it is elevated to the next LIHI management level to resolve (name). LIHI/FHV staff will inform each other of complaints and compliments received, and address any recommendations made for change or improvement. LIHI/FHV staff will follow up promptly with the person or entity that lodged the concern or complaint to confirm receipt and provide information on how they are working to resolve the matter or how it has been resolved. Information will not be shared that violates legal obligations around client confidentiality.

Community Advisory Committee - FHV is overseen by a Community Advisory Committee (CAC)  of local neighborhood stakeholders often including residential neighbors, local businesses, faith  organizations, schools, providers, and representatives of other local neighborhood committees  or councils. CACs exist for every tiny house village in Seattle and are required by sanctioned  encampments ordinance 124747 passed by Seattle City Council in March 2015 (amended in March 2020).
 

The CAC typically meets monthly (virtually or in-person) with LIHI village staff, receive updates from staff on operations, resident services and outcomes without violating client  confidentiality, and provides advisory input to LIHI staff that includes addressing community concerns such as impacts on the surrounding neighborhood as it relates to the village or village residents, offers of support from neighbors and more. Members may also provide support to residents and the village through a variety of methods, such as organizing in-kind donations, connecting a neighbor or organization to the village who wish to provide a desired service, providing volunteer support, etc.

The site operator representatives (LIHI) attend and report out at CAC meetings to answer questions and provide regular reports to the committee concerning village operations and resident outcomes. Concerns or complaints about the village, village residents, or village staff shared at the CAC meetings will be addressed promptly by appropriate LIHI staff either at the meeting or shortly thereafter if more information is needed to address it.

CAC meetings are public meetings in which all are welcome to attend and participate in a civil and respectful manner. Minutes of these meetings will be taken and posted on the City of Seattle website by City of Seattle staff. The minutes will include who attended, where/how it was held (location or virtual), and an overview of what was reported at the meeting. CAC members are selected in a collaborative process with the City of Seattle and LIHI staff. CAC members and non-CAC member neighbors are welcome to recommend candidates for the CAC should seats be available and these candidates will be seriously considered. Recommendations can be sent to LIHI Community Engagement Director Josh Castle at josh.castle@lihi.org or 206-334-0508. LIHI will establish a method of following up with members who miss so many meetings in a row or over a period of time to check in on continued availability or interest to serve on the CAC and whether the seat should be made available for other CAC candidates who can successfully commit the time.

Written policy concerning the rights and responsibilities of residents, program rules and restrictions

No resident will be discriminated against for belonging to a protected class as defined by City, County, State, or Federal government. All residents have the right to speak freely and pursue established rights to appeal without fear of retaliation.

FHV has a Code of Conduct (a basic set of rules) that residents need to agree to and abide by as a condition of staying at the site. One copy of this form is given to all new residents to read and retain, while a second copy is kept by the FHV staff as a record of the intake and agreements made at that time. 

This Code of Conduct and any other policies and procedures are available upon request from the FHV management by contacting the site directly at ____________ or by contacting LIHI SPM _________ at ___________.

FHV residents must be respectful of the space, respectful of fellow residents and site staff, and respectful of the surrounding neighborhood. Disturbing of neighbors and loitering in the neighborhood around the site is prohibited. Reported or discovered violations of this will be promptly addressed. 

In the event that a resident is in violation or is discovered to be in serious risk of being in violation of a rule outlined in the Code of Conduct, the FHV staff will promptly address this with appropriate action, including a multi-step disciplinary process to avoid the possibility of involuntary exiting from the program. In the event a resident has committed a serious violation that affects the safety of other residents or has advanced to the last stage of the multi-step disciplinary process due to repeated violations, the residents may be exited from the program. Whenever possible, FHV staff will work to find a safe alternative (such as other shelter or housing) for individuals asked to exit the village due to serious or repeated violations of the Code of Conduct, and will assist the resident with transportation.

Residents who disagree with a decision or action or have a concern or complaint they wish to report can fill out a physical or electronic Grievance Form, which are available from the Security Office of FHV or via email by contacting SPM ___________at _____________. LIHI management staff will review the Grievance Form and follow up with the resident who filed the Grievance Form within 5 business days to confirm receipt and with information on how the Grievance will be addressed. 

Opportunities for community members to support success of FHV residents and program

There are many opportunities available for neighbors, businesses, faith communities, providers, and others to participate in supporting the success of FHV residents and the program. These include the donation of items, services, food or volunteer time in supporting resident desires or needs. To find out about opportunities that are available or receive a FHV Donations Wish List, contact FHV directly at ____________ or contact Special Projects Manager ___________ at ______________.