CITY OF LAKEWOOD
Policy Report No. 2003-2
TO: MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
THRU: Frank Gray, Director of Community
Planning and Development
Tami Fischer, Director of Housing and Family Services
FROM: Roger Wadnal, Manager, Strategic
Planning
Linda Reynolds, CDBG Program Manager
Bill Lunsford, HOME Administrator
DATE: January 20, 2000
City Council Study Session Date:
January 6, 2003
SUBJECT: 2003-2007
Housing and Community Development Plan;
2003
Community Development Block Grant
2003
HOME Investment Partnership Grant One Year Action Plan
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends
that City Council:
A. Endorse
the 2003-2007 Housing and Community Development Plan.
B.
Endorse the 2003 One
Year Action Plan for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program.
C. Endorse the 2003 One Year Action Plan
for the HOME Investment Partnership (HOME) program.
D. Direct
staff to prepare a resolution to be brought forward at City Council's regular
meeting on February 10, 2003, supporting the recommended programs and funding
levels in the 2003 One Year Action Plan.
BACKGROUND
The U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
(HUD) will grant funds to the City of Lakewood for housing and community
development activities once the 2003-2007 Housing and Community Development
Plan and the One Year Action Plan for the 2003 Program Year are reviewed and
approved. An estimated $1,162,820 in
Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds and an estimated $631,000 in
HOME Investment Partnership (HOME) funds will be available in 2003.
Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program: The purpose
of the CDBG Program is to enable communities to carry out a wide range of
community development activities directed toward neighborhood revitalization,
economic development, and improved community facilities and services. Communities with a population greater than
50,000 are considered entitlement communities and automatically receive Block
Grant funds based on the community’s population size and number of low- to
moderate-income residents. Lakewood has
been an entitlement community for CDBG since 1974.
The national goal of the CDBG program is to develop
viable communities. It is important
that there is a strong relationship between all funded programs and the
national goal. All activities
undertaken with CDBG funds must address one of the following three national
objectives:
1. Benefit low- and moderate-income persons.
2. Aid in the prevention or elimination of slums
and blight (as defined by the community).
3. Address other community development needs
that present a serious and immediate threat to the health or welfare of the
community.
CDBG activities must also meet eligibility
requirements set by HUD and address an objective in the community’s Housing and
Community Development Plan. CDBG
administration, planning, and technical expenses are subject to a 20% annual
cap. Public service programs are subject to a 15% cap.
HOME Investment Partnership (HOME) Program: HUD
distributes HOME monies to cities and states according to entitlement formulas
similar to CDBG. Lakewood began
receiving HOME funds in 1994. HOME
funds are used to expand the supply of affordable rental housing units
available to low-income households and to assist with developing single-family
homes affordable to low-income home buyers.
As with CDBG, HOME activities must also meet requirements
set by HUD and address an objective in the Housing and Community Development
Plan. Federal regulations require that
15% of the HOME grant be set aside for narrowly defined Community Housing
Development Organizations (CHDOs). Another 10% of this grant is reserved for
program administration.
Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice (AI): An Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing
Choice has been prepared to meet the requirements of HUD for entitlement
communities. Impediments to fair
housing choice are defined as:
§
Any actions, omissions, or decisions taken because of
race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status, or national origin
that restrict housing choices or the availability of housing choice
§
Any actions, omissions, or decisions that have this
effect.
The 2002 report was conducted by
Albertson Clark Associates and updates the analysis originally prepared in
1996. The consultant examined a wide
array of issues in order to identify impediments to fair housing choice. She conducted data collection and analysis
for this report through a review of published reports and studies, and
information available on websites, as well as interviews with staff and/or
representatives of many of the participating agencies, organizations and
businesses listed in the report. Key
observations in the report are:
1. Lakewood
is becoming more racially and ethnically diverse as its population grows.
2. There
is an increasing gap between income levels and housing costs.
3. As
housing costs have increased, there has been greater emphasis on affordable
housing than on fair housing.
The actions identified in
the analysis are intended to affirmatively further fair housing choice by
reducing and/or eliminating the impediments that have been identified. The actions are intended to:
Ø
analyze and eliminate housing discrimination;
Ø
promote fair housing choice for all persons
Ø
provide opportunities for racially and ethnically
inclusive patterns of housing occupancy;
Ø
promote housing that is physically accessible to, and
usable by all persons, particularly persons with disabilities; and
Ø
foster compliance with the nondiscrimination provisions
of the Fair Housing Act.
Certification that the
City will take action to affirmatively further fair housing is required;
however, the Analysis of Impediments is not generally submitted to HUD for
review. HUD does require an annual
self-evaluation of fair housing performance and fair housing actions taken each
year. This report is provided in the
One Year Action Plans. HUD could
request the AI in the event of a complaint and could review the AI during
routine onsite monitoring.
City Council is not
requested or required to take any action on the Analysis of Impediments to Fair
Housing Choice. As stated
previously, the report has been prepared as a requirement to receive federal
funds. Adoption of certification that
the City will affirmatively further fair housing is included in the 2003 One
Year Action Plan.
2003-2007 HOUSING AND COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT PLAN (HCDP)
The City of
Lakewood’s 2003-2007 Housing and Community Development Plan (HCDP) is the
City’s comprehensive planning document and the 2003 One Year Action Plan is the
City’s application for funding to the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development (HUD) for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME
Investment Partnership (HOME) programs.
Prior to awarding the annual CDBG/HOME grants, HUD requires that a
community look at housing and community development needs and develop
objectives and strategies to meet those needs.
The HCDP is used by the City as the basis for program management and by
HUD as the basis for program evaluation.
The Plan sets forth three basic goals, which in part, are derived from
the broad goals of Title I of the Housing Act of 1974.
·
To provide decent housing, including efforts to reduce
homelessness, expand affordable housing, and eliminate racial and ethnic barriers
to residential mobility;
·
To provide a suitable living environment, including neighborhood
revitalization, reduction of the isolation of income groups, and improvement in
the safety and livability of neighborhoods; and
·
To provide economic opportunity, including empowerment and
self-sufficiency opportunities for low-income persons to rise out of poverty.
The Public
Participation Process and Plan Development:
The
2003-2007 Plan was developed following significant efforts to involve affected
individuals, citizens groups, non-profit organizations, and all Lakewood
residents. Particular emphasis was
placed on involving the low- and moderate-income residents who directly benefit
from programs funded through the CDBG and HOME grants. Comments were solicited throughout a six
month period beginning in May 2002 and ending in October 2002.
During the past several
months, a core staff team representing the departments of Community Planning
and Development and Housing and Family Services met monthly, or more often when
necessary, to draft a plan that was responsive to current conditions in the
City of Lakewood. The Plan documents
the efforts the City of Lakewood will take during the next five years to
sustain a successful community with the help of CDBG and HOME funds.
Priority Needs
and Objectives: The three
priority needs for the City of Lakewood as outlined in the Plan are: Housing
Needs, Supportive Services Needs, and Non-Housing Community Development Needs. Subcategories under Non-Housing Community Development
Needs are Neighborhoods and Corridors, Economic Development and Job Creation,
and Public Facilities and Infrastructure.
Eight objectives,
equal in importance, have been developed to meet those needs. The objectives are designed to meet multiple
community needs using cooperative efforts.
They are:
1.
Retain stock of
affordable owner-occupied housing units.
2.
Preserve or add
affordable rental units.
3.
Provide home ownership
opportunities.
4.
Prevent homelessness.
5.
Assist low- and
extremely low- income households with obtaining self-sufficiency.
6.
Assist the general
population, including seniors and special populations, with housing and
supportive services.
7.
Revitalize
neighborhoods.
8.
Revitalize major
transportation and business corridors.
THE ONE YEAR ACTION
PLAN
The One Year
Action Plan lists and describes the programs that the City proposes to fund
during a specific year to address priority objectives identified in the HCDP. It also serves as Lakewood’s annual funding
application for the CDBG and HOME programs.
The 2003 program year begins on April 1, 2003 and ends on March 31,
2004.
Estimated 2003 Funding Allocation
Summary
|
RESOURCES AVAILABLE
|
AMOUNT
|
|
HOME Investment Partnership (HOME) Grant
|
$631,000
|
|
|
|
|
Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)
|
$1,162,820
|
|
|
2002 CDBG Program Income (Estimated)
|
$120,000
|
|
Subtotal CDBG
|
$1,282,820
|
|
|
Total
CDBG/HOME Resources
|
$1,913,820
|
Program Selection
Process: A funding
recommendation review committee consisting of representatives from the City
Manager’s Office, the departments of Housing and Family Services, Community
Resources, Community Planning and Development, Public Works and Finance met to
review the federal and local goals and recommended projects. Keeping in mind the commitment to ongoing
programs, the team reviewed the proposed annual allocation of funds and
selected the recommended programs included in the 2003 One Year Action Plan.
The following criteria are used to evaluate and select individual programs and
develop the overall recommendations submitted to Council:
1. The program
addresses an identified need in the 2003-2007 Housing and Community Development
Plan.
2. The program
provides a benefit to low- and moderate-income residents of Lakewood.
3. The program
benefits Target Area neighborhoods that are in need of revitalization. (See Target Area Map attached.)
4. The program corrects a condition of documented
building or infrastructure deterioration.
5. The program
conforms to HUD limitations on administration and public services costs.
Programs may contain
many specific activities designed to carry out a program objective. Programs provide a framework that will give
staff flexibility in designing activities within the broader category to best
meet community needs and allow staff to take advantage of new opportunities as
they arise.
2003 PROGRAMS RECOMMENDED FOR
FUNDING
|
HOME Investment Partnership
|
|
Lakewood
Housing Authority Rental Housing Development
|
$398,250
|
Homeownership Assistance
|
$75,000
|
Community Housing Development
Organizations (CHDOs) Set Aside
|
$94,650
|
HOME
Program Administration
|
$63,100
|
Total HOME Funds
|
$631,000
|
|
Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)
|
|
|
HOUSING PROGRAMS
|
|
|
Single Family Housing Rehabilitation Loan Program (Contract with
Jefferson County Housing Authority)
|
$205,000
|
|
Housing Development
|
$120,000
|
NEIGHBORHOOD PROGRAMS
|
|
Neighborhood Cleanup/Code Enforcement
|
$90,000
|
Public Facilities
|
$240,320
|
Neighborhood Plan Implementation
|
$350,000
|
|
SUPPORTIVE SERVICES
|
|
|
Child Care Scholarships
|
$77,500
|
Lakewood Self-Sufficiency Program
|
$105,000
|
|
OTHER
|
|
|
CDBG Administration/Planning/Technical Assistance
|
$95,000
|
|
Total CDBG Funds
|
$1,282,820
|
|
TOTAL
CDBG/HOME GRANT FUNDS
|
$1,913,820
|
SUMMARY
Staff is seeking
Council endorsement of the 2003-2007 Housing and Community Development Plan,
and requests Council direct staff to prepare a resolution to be brought forward
at the City Council’s regular meeting on February 10, 2003, supporting the
programs and recommended funding levels in the 2003 One Year Action Plan for
the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME Investment Partnership
(HOME) programs.
Submitted by:
Linda Reynolds, CDBG Program Manager
Bill Lunsford, Housing Development
Manager
Roger Wadnal, Manager
Strategic Planning
Frank Gray, Director Department of Community
Planning and Development
Tami Fischer, Director
Department of Housing and Family Services
Reviewed Manager
by:
Joni Inman, Director,
City Manager’s Office
Michael J. Rock, City Manager