Bellflower : Housing Program Retained

After a month of studying the development of a city-run fair-housing program, the City Council voted unanimously Monday night to continue contracting with the Long Beach Fair Housing Foundation, saying it was cheaper to use the agency.

“It turned out to be more economical to contract for this service than to train our own employees to provide this service,” said Robert J. Berry, housing and block grant coordinator. “The foundation seems to have all the expertise.”

The agency canceled its contract with the city on June 30 after city officials notified the agency that it could not afford the $15,000 annual fee. City officials said they could only afford to pay the agency $10,000 a year after Community Development Block Grant Funds were cut by 30%.

Since then the city and the agency have reached an agreement stating that the city would be charged on a case-by-case basis instead of paying a flat fee.