The first step in building a good house is laying a good foundation. The same is true, officials say, for creating affordable housing in Lawrence.
That is why the 12 members of the city's new Housing Trust Fund Board have been wrestling with rules, policies and fund-raising questions since they were appointed in September.
"They are inventing the wheel, at least in Lawrence," said Margene Swarts, the city's community development manager.
The Housing Trust Fund was created last year with $500,000 left over from construction of the city's new Indoor Aquatic Center. Board members were appointed with two mandates: Grow that pile of money, and use it to create affordable housing opportunities.
The board has met three times. Vice Chair Barbara Carswell said the group is still figuring out how the trust fund will work. They're looking at similar initiatives in other cities for guidance.
"We're trying to keep options open," she said, "but put down guidelines and policies that help us define what the Housing Trust Fund is."
Carswell and Swarts said the board may begin funding projects within a year perhaps as soon as spring or summer but probably only as supplemental funding for bigger projects.
For now, the most pressing problem for board members is how to raise more money. The $500,000 is intended to serve as the seed of an endowment, officials say. But the interest from that money alone won't go far.
Carswell said the board is looking at state and federal funding, as well as private foundation grants as possible sources. There is also the possibility of development fees, she said, but it's too soon to say if that idea has support.
"We don't want to use the 'T' word yet," she said.
The board is also dealing with the question of just what constitutes affordable housing in Lawrence.
"We're not just talking low-income housing here," Carswell said. "It's getting difficult even for people who have good jobs."
Until the funding question is resolved, officials say they're hesitant to use any of the money already in the bank. Swarts said the board might want another $300,000 to $500,000 in the fund before they start spending.
"If a source or sources were available to replenish the fund, they might use some of it in the first go-round, knowing it would be replenished in the future," Swarts said.
Carswell said the board was responsible for providing a lasting structure for the fund. "To want to run out and disburse (funds) in the immediate future, I feel, would be premature," she said.
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