SEATTLE—September 17, 2003—At its September 15th meeting, the SHA Board of Commissioners adopted a resolution calling for the creation of a new Review Committee for the Seattle Senior Housing Program.
The committee's job will be to monitor SSHP's financial performance and make recommendations to the Board of Commissioners if policies or practices need to be changed to ensure SSHP's long-term financial viability.
The committee will be convened each year, meeting several times over a period of months, to participate in developing the annual budget. Committee members will review the prior year's financial performance and make recommendations on the next year's budget to ensure that the program is bringing in enough revenue to meet its expenses, as well as continuing to serve households with the desired mix of incomes.
The need for such a committee was first identified by the SSHP Rent Structure Advisory Committee, and included in that group's recommendations for a new rent policy, adopted by the Board in June, 2003. (For a related story on the new rent policy, click here.)
Because the Rent Structure Advisory Committee process went so well, the new review committee membership will have a similar make up, with about 11 people representing various constituencies with an interest in SSHP, including:
- Two SSHP residents
- Two representatives of the City of Seattle
- Two low-income housing practitioners or industry experts
- Two other knowledgeable and industry stakeholders
- An at-large member
- The SSHP Senior Property Manager
- The SHA Executive Director, or designee
- One SHA Commissioner (ex officio)
- Committee members will serve for three years.
According to SHA Deputy Director Al Levine, "SSHP, at almost 1,000 units, is a large part of the low-income housing available for seniors in Seattle. Its success is important, not only to the people who live there, but to everyone concerned about senior housing in Seattle. Having an on-going review committee like this will help SHA continue to run a strong program that meets community expectations."