Fort Walton Beach Resolution — 07-17-CDBG Action Plan — reading text

Low and Moderate Income Homeowners 850- 833- 9651 Wodd Changers help low and moderate income homeowners by replacing roofs and painting the exterior of the home. 5 Program Year 2007- 2008 Section 91. 220) d) Geographic Targeting The City has established a CDBG Target Area within the City which represents the Block Group with greatest concentration oflow income households. All of the proposed Public Services and Public Facility activities are located within this area. Residential Rehabilitation projects may be located anywhere within the City limits provided the household meets the income qualifica.tion of extremely low, low and modera.te income. At the onset of the CDBG program in the mid- 1970' s, federal regulations required that certain activities be geographically targeted. Although this requirement has since been removed, the City has continued its targeting strategy. The primary consideration for target area selection is neighborhood economic need ( low and moderate income levels), followed by the degree of housing deterioration. e) Homeless and Other Special Needs Activities Under this category, the City will not undertake these activities but, will support several operating agencies that are providing valuable services to prevent homelessness and to assist those who are already homeless. Many of these agencies provide shelter and comprehensive transitional permanent housing services to homeless families, many of which have female heads of households. Others are coordinating housing assistance for homeless and at- risk families by emphasizing prevention, shelter referrals, and relocation services. The City of Fort Walton Beach Entitlement allocation is insufficient to meet this type of housing needs. However through 1he Community Redevelopment Agency, funding is potentially available to local agencies to assist them in addressing the needs of the homeless. f) Other Actions ( 91.220F) a. Meeting Underserved Needs The primary target of activities funded by Community Development programs is improvement of living conditions for low to moderate income persons. The activities are focused on assisting persons in the community to obtain and maintain suitable housing and adequate living standards in stable or improving neighborhoods. The activities include in the Consolidated Plan are designed to overcome obstacles and meet the underserved needs oflow and moderate income persons. Housing program activities for improvement of occupied housing, expansion of decent and attractive affordable housing stocks, and assistance to persons to enable them to live in good housing are direct methods to improve living conditions. Activities that improve infrastructure improve the quality of life and raise the living standards for all the people in the neighborhood served by the infrastruc6ture. Public services and facilities that meet community needs particularly for the young and the elderly, provide a means by which persons may receive needed services and benefits that will enable them to live decently; and, in the case of children, develop the future capability to provide for themselves. 6  live decently; persons may receive needed services and benefits that will enable them to and, in the case of children.develop the future capability provide to for themselves. b. Obstacles The primary obstacle to meeting underserved housing and community development needs of the City is funding and these resources are shrinking. Demand for assistance exceeds the supply of available resources. The number of low~ income individuals, families, and neighborhoods in need, coupled with the complexity of issues they face is steadily increasing in both scale and cost. The combination of these factors places substantial new burdens on an already strained housing and community development delivery system. c. Community Development Block Grants Title I of the Housing and Community development Act of 1974 (Public Law 93- 383) created the Community Development Block Grant funding program. It is allocated primarily thought the entitlement communities, and state and small cities program. The primary objective of the CDBG program is to develop viable urban communities, by providing decent housing and suitable living environment and expanding economic opportunities principally for persons of low and moderate income. All CDBO projects and activities must meet one of three national objectives: Principally benefit low-and- modera.te income persons, aid in the prevention or elimination of slums or blight,or meet other urgent community needs. The City of Fort Walton Beach win use CDBO funds for activities that provided decent housing, provide a suitable living environment, and economic opportunities, principally for persons of low and moderate income. f.t) General f.l.a) General. The City plans to undertake activities to address obstacles to meeting underserved needs by funding the non-profit subrecipient organizations previously identified. f.l.b) The City will also encourage and support other entities in their effort to secure additional public and private funds for affordable housing, community and economic development. f.t.c) Foster and Maintain Affordable Housing. The City' s allocation will.provide assistance to homeowners for emergency home repairs, maintain property maintenance efforts through property maintenance code enforcement demolish or restore vacant/deteriorated and provide neighborhood organizational support and properties, education services to community organization. The City will maintain the stock of affordable housing by way of the Residential Rehabilitation program. Applicants for this program are also advised of the rehabilitation services of the Okaloosa Community Development Corporation, which also provides housing and rehabilitation services 7  through the State Housing Initiative Partnership ( SHIP) Program and the Home Investment Partnership Program. f.I.d) Fair Housing and Barriers to Affordable Housing The City will provide fair housing educational and investigative services to limit housing discrimination, a.s well as other activities to remove barriers to affordable housing. The steps to be taken by the City are outlined in the City' s Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing. f.t.e) Lead- based Paint Hazards The City' s rehabilitation program continues to include lead-based paint hazard education within the initial phase of the application process. During the preconstruction conference, homeowners are given a copy of the booklet " Protect Your Family from Lead in Your Home". In addition, as part of the process, homeowners must complete and sign a written acknowledgement of the receipt of this booklet. Each unit to undergo rehabilitation will be evaluated for the presence of lead based- paint. If such hazards are determined to exist, the City will hire a certified consultant to remove the paint to the extent possible and repair the surface. To continue the city' s lead- based paint compliance activities, a. number of actions are planned for the coming year. ACTION GOAL Distribution of Lead Safe Painting Prep Kits to homeowners 25 Coordination of homeowner awareness events 5 Distribution of additional lead hazard literature to homeowners where 50 children aged 6 or younger spend a significant amount of time in the home and encourage rehab applications to have children tested for "elevated blood" condition r.l.h) Anti-poverty Strategy The City does not plan to undertake activities which will reduce the number of poverty level families, develop institutional structure, and enhance coordination between public and private housing and social services agencies. r. I.i) Institutional Structure The City funds services to extremely low, low and moderate income families through non- profit organizations who provide services to these families. Funding sought by these organizations through an application process during the formation of the annual program. Funding for public Service programs is highly competitive due to limited funds and an abundance of need. The City has therefore not solicited projects which target specific needs. i.2) The City chartered the Fort Walton Beach Housing Authority (FWBHA) in 1968. The FWBHA is administered by seven Commissioners, appointed by the Mayor and City Council. The executive director, who manages the daily functions, if hired by the FWBHA Commissioners. Other than the appointment of the Commissioners, the FWBHA is an independent agency from the City. 8  The City is not involved in any hiring,contracting or procurement activities of the FWBHA. Various Public Service activities of the FWBHA have been funded through the CDBG program to benefit the residents of public housing. The will review development sites proposed by FWBHA in the same manner as other applications for development proposed by private developers. 1.3) The City is not aware of any gaps in the institutional structure that will impact the priority needs which will be addressed by the City within the planning period. f.1. j)Coordination. city does not coordinate activities between public and The assisted housing providers and private and governmental health and governmenta1 health and mental health and service agencies. 1.2) Public Housing. The FWBHA does not operate under the Comprehensive Grant Program. The Authority receives assistance through the Comprehensive Improvement Assistance Program ( ClAP). The FWBHA has not been designated as " troubled" by HUD. g) Program Sp~ ifit Requirements g.1) CDBG i) A description of the activities planned with respect to the CPBG funds is provided in the attached Listing of Proposed Activities chart. ii)(A) The City will not receive any program income. ii)( B) The City will not receive any surplus for urban renewal settlement ii)(C) The City does not intend to return any grant funds to the line of credit for which the planned use has not been included in a prior statement of plan. D) ii)( The City will not receive income from any float funded activities. iii)( E) The City has not undertaken any " urgent needs" activities. g.2) HOME Not Applicable. h. Monitoring ds and Procedures Standa.. Program evaluation and m.onitoring is the means by which the City of Fort Walton Beach provides administrative oversight and performance testing of activities undertaken through HUD assistance under this Consolidated Plan. Evaluation and monitoring applies to both activities directly undertaken by the City of Fort Walton Beach as well as subrecipient and other work or services performed on a contractual basis. It is the intent of m.onitoring activities that they be conducted in a positive and