Características de los contratos de trabajo

This Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is an agreement between the Housing Authority of the City of Lumberton (“HACL”, the backbone agency), the Landlord Association, and Local Policy-Makers to establish an Accountable Care Community (“ACC Lumberton Cares”) to address housing support for low-income residents in Lumberton, NC. All parties to the MOU will be collectively referred to as "partners."

I.

The purpose of this MOU is to detail the roles and responsibilities of the key stakeholders identified in the ACC’s RASCI analysis as accountable and responsible for system

transformation. The goal of this partnership is to improve long term housing support for low- income households (incomes at or below the federal poverty line) by 20% by 2024. By signing into this MOU, the partners seek to promote the accountability that we stand for and commit our ACC to respecting its provisions and priorities for a productive working group. All partners under this MOU jointly recognize the complex underlying conditions and social, political, and economic factors associated with housing insecurity in Lumberton. This includes, but is not limited to, the strong correlation of housing stability, affordability, quality, and safety to health outcomes

(Kushel, M. B., Gupta, R., Gee, L., & Haas, J. S., 2006). The ACC partners recognize that policy can improve health outcomes in Lumberton. Further, all partners recognize that low-income households are affected by housing insecurity at a much greater percentage than those with higher incomes (Kushel, M. B., Gupta, R., Gee, L., & Haas, J. S., 2006).

II.

To address the housing issue in Lumberton, we propose policy to create a city-level housing trust fund to support the development of affordable and inclusionary housing for low-income residents. While there is currently a North Carolina state-level housing trust fund, establishing a separate local-level trust fund for the City of Lumberton would allow easier access to funding, therefore increasing the development of affordable housing (McFarland, C. K., 2019). Local-

level housing trust funds have been successfully implemented in 109 cities across the United States, providing an evidence-based model for policy that ACC partners can adapt and develop for implementation in Lumberton to improve housing support for low-income residents (North Carolina Housing Trust Fund, n.d.).

III.

i. Policy advocacy

ii. Policy development

iii. Policy adaptation

IV.

The Housing Authority of the City of Lumberton (HACL) will serve as the backbone organization of our ACC, driving multi-sector collaboration among members and overseeing the daily

operations and efforts to improve housing support for low income residents. The primary responsibility of the backbone organization is to achieve our common vision effectively and transparently, remaining consistent with our shared values. To do this, we are to be accountable to the residents of Lumberton, our ACC members, community partners, governing bodies, funding organizations, and to the organizations whose policies and practices we wish to influence. The activities to be carried out by the backbone HACL to assure the ACC partners are able to accomplish their goals include:

i. Convening partners and key external stakeholders

ii. Facilitating partners’ continuous collaboration iii. Coordinating an action plan

iv. Communicating and guiding common vision and strategy

v. Supporting aligned activities

vi. Establishing shared measurement practices

As the backbone organization, the HACL will take the lead in maintaining the ACC priorities and action plan as we move into implementation phases.

V.

The Lumberton Landlord Association and Local Policy-Makers will agree to work together as a team to effectively advocate for and push legislation that meets the needs of Lumberton residents. This level of collaboration will require regular meetings to be convened by the backbone organization.

VI.

The ACC partners will collectively identify community stakeholders to form a steering committee to provide strategic direction to the backbone organization and oversee the ACC’s ongoing progress. This committee will include low-income households, representatives from the

Lumberton Production Company, representatives from local State Farm Insurance Agency, and representatives from local community church groups. The purpose of the steering committee is to consult, inform, and support all ACC activities for advocacy, adaptation, and development of the housing trust fund. The steering committee will consist of racially/ethnically diverse

individuals, with at least 2 representatives from each group that are African-American, Hispanic, or Native American and at least 1 representative from each group that is White. The steering committee will meet on a regular basis and establish a specific mechanism for communication, as convened by the backbone agency.

VII.

It is understood that the partners must work together as a team of leaders to effectively meet the needs of Lumberton residents. This mutual collaboration will require effective communication among all parties. However, the parties to this MOU understand their specific responsibilities and the core team leadership skills required to achieve shared goals. In addition, all parties identified in this MOU will meet when convened by the backbone agency to accomplish the

goals of this MOU. Clarifying and reinforcing proper roles and responsibilities of partners will ensure a sustainable infrastructure at all levels.

VIII.

All partners under this MOU will agree on common goals, expectations, values, priorities, and a shared vision for collaborative work. This will require core values including:

i. Trust in all partners in every step of the process ii. Collaboration and respect in efforts among all partners

iii. Performance accountability for all partners in addressing the vision and goals

IX.

Over time, the backbone organization expects these activities and principles to change among partners, which can lead to more effective systems and improved outcomes, but can also cause legal complications. A conflict of interest policy and mechanisms for accountability will be

established to enforce the rules of the ACC and ensure that partners are transparent in their intentions for the Lumberton community.

X.

Our progress will be measured over time by recording the number of affordable housing units created in Lumberton as well as the percentage of households paying more than 30% of their income on housing. Baseline measures of housing insecurity will be reported to track changes in these data points. These outcomes-based measures will inform and support the backbone agency to create a data collection and evaluation system for our ACC’s efforts. This results based accountability will ensure that all stakeholders are consulted and informed to promote policy advocacy, adoption, and development.

XI.

This MOU will begin effective as described in the first paragraph of this Agreement. This MOU may be amended in writing and authorized by the designated representative of each party

entered into the Agreement. This MOU will be annually renewed with the same terms and conditions. It may be terminated if a party provides a (90) day written notice to the anchor agency.

The parties in this Agreement have offered their signatures hereto: _______________________________________

Housing Authority of City of Lumberton, CEO Date _______________________________________

Low-Income Household, Representative Date _______________________________________

Landlord Association, Representative Date _______________________________________

Lumberton Production Company, CEO Date _______________________________________

State Farm Insurance Agency, President Date _______________________________________

Community Church Group, Representative Date _______________________________________

REFERENCES

Kushel, M. B., Gupta, R., Gee, L., & Haas, J. S. (2006). Housing instability and food insecurity as barriers to health care among low-income Americans. Journal of general internal medicine, 21(1), 71–77. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1525-1497.2005.00278.x

McFarland, C. K. (2019). Local Tools to Address Housing Affordability A State-By-State Analysis . The National League of Cities (NLC)

North Carolina Housing Trust Fund. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://nchousing.org/policy- advocacy/north-carolina-housing-trust-fund/