Joint Meeting of
Housing Commission, Housing Trust, Lincoln Foundation
Minutes of February 25, 2008
Members Present: Rayna Caplan, Renel Fredriksen, George Georges, Kathy McHugh, Pamela Gallup, BJ Scheff, Mary Sheldon, Ellen Meyer Shorb, Gary Taylor, Bob Wadsworth
Call to Order: 7:30 AM
Discussion:
TILL References
At the previous meeting, we agreed to check references for TILL and report back. Dafna Krouk-Gordon of TILL had provided us with names of references, and Renel Fredriksen had distributed these to various Troika members who had agreed to volunteer to check references.
Rayna Caplan had spoken with LexHAB (Lexington Housing Partnership), from whom TILL rents a home. They had had no problems with TILL, and recommended them to us. The contact at LexHAB also told Rayna that another agency, CMARC (Central Middlesex ARC) rented a home from them, and they were also highly recommended. Asked about neighbor concerns, the contact said that there had never been any significant neighbor complaints about either agency.
BJ Scheff had spoken with Mary Beth Coyne, DMR Area Director (Massachusetts Department of Mental Retardation). She also gave an excellent reference for TILL.
Mary Sheldon had spoken with one of the family references, who gave an excellent reference. The group home her child was in was a private one; several families had joined together to obtain the home, and had contracted with TILL to manage it.
Alternative Management Firms
BJ Scheff had contacted Jewish Family Services. They had no interest in the possibility of a group home in Lincoln. They did not have the resources to proceed with new projects.
Ellen Meyer Shorb had contacted Minuteman Arc. They also had no interest in the possibility of a group home in Lincoln. They had just hired a new Director, and felt they needed to delay any new projects.
Since we had no agencies t make a comparison with, and since LexHAB had so strongly recommended CMARC, we agreed unanimously to ask if they were interested in speaking with us. Renel Fredriksen agreed to contact Dan Harrison at CMARC to see if he would be interested in making a presentation to us.
Next Steps
Several questions about TILL came up during the discussion, including:
? Bob Wadsworth raised a concern about a perceived dependency on Dafna. All the recommendations seemed to use Dafna as an individual and TILL the organization interchangeably. We would like a better understanding of the organization, and the dependency on her.
? Has TILL ever had a house that failed?
? Are there physical and/or legal constraints on the number of people living in a home?
? Does a live-in caretaker count in the affordable number?
Renel Fredriksen agreed to follow up with Dafna to get these additional questions answered.
Since one house had been identified as particularly well suited as a group home, it was agreed to attempt to get an option to purchase. Kathy McHugh, representing the Lincoln Foundation, agreed to front any money, if needed, to obtain an option to purchase. Gary Taylor thought that the Housing Trust would be able to repay the funds to the Lincoln Foundation if the money was actually spent, assuming the Trust funds are reappropriated at Town Meeting. Renel Fredriksen agreed to contact the Realtor to see if an option could be obtained.
Since things seemed to be moving quickly now, especially since we had identified a house to possibly purchase, Gary Taylor agreed to get the item on the agenda in the near future, so the community would be informed about our plans. The Housing Commission would be the natural choice to bring this forward to the Selectmen.
Adjournment: Adjourned at 9:00 AM.
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