Fort Walton Beach Council agenda — 06-02-09 special — reading text

single family DH l Homes rehabilitated to meet the Florida Building Code for low /moderate income residents Recovery Act —Housing DH1 4 Providing Decent Housing — 38,366 21. 4% Rehabilitation 1 single family Home rehabilitated to met the Florida Building Code f low /moderate income residents World Changers DH 2 2 Providing Decent Housing — 35, 000 19. 5% Estimate approximately 20 single family homes of low /moderate income residents will be reroofed Chester Pruitt Youth Enrichment SL 1 1 Providing a Suitable Living 14, 190 7. 9% Program Environment —Estimate 40 youth Public Service of low /moderate income families PUBLIC SERVICES will participate in the summer pro- gram and over 135 hours of tutoring with over 400 6- 12 year olds of low /moderate income families being assisted. Okaloosa County Comprehensive SL 2 3 Providing Suitable Living 7, 000 4% Head Start Child Development Environment —Estimate of 100 Public Service Program low income 3 - 5 year olds assisted PUBLIC SERVICES Fair Housing & DH 3 5 Providing a Suitable Living 500 0. 2% Homeownership Services Environment —Distribute 250 fair Admin housing educational brochure ADMINISTRATION Administration /Planning 6 27, 753 15. 4% Admin ADMINISTRATION TOTAL 179, 633 100% Program Year 2008 -2009 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 of low 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 qualification of extremely low, low and moderate 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. The geographic boundary of the 2 target areas are Hughes Street ( north), Eglin Parkway ( east), Robinwood Drive ( west), and First Street ( south), Target Area 1, as well as the area between Bay Street and Burnette Avenue in the northwest portion of the City, Target Area 2. See attached map. These two areas are the areas within the City of low income and minority concentration. Both of these areas have continued to be the areas of concentrated low income and minority populations. Target Area 1 is located the within Community Redevelopment Area ( CRA) which is an area identified as blighted and corresponds with the Beal Parkway Neighborhood. The Community Redevelopment Agency prepared a Plan for the Beal Parkway neighborhood. This Plan identifies specific projects needed within this area. The CRA Agency allocates funds each year. For example this year the Chester Pruitt Park will be improved and the Neighborhood Gateway with a Clock Tower and landscaped features will celebrate the entrance to the Neighborhood. CRA funds have been used in the past to purchase property for Habitat for Humanity to build homes. Streetscaping projects which include sidewalks are also funded by the CRA and are planned for this Neighborhood. In summary, both CDBG and CRA funds are directed to this CDBG Target Area 1. Target Area 2, north of Lovejoy Road, is adjacent to the County' s Front Porch area, known as Sylvania Heights. This entire neighborhood is primarily low income and minority. It is a relatively isolated neighborhood north of the Commerce and Technology Park. The City has spent allocated substantial resources to this area for housing rehabilitation and World Changers projects ( CDBG funds) and SHIP funds, stormwater improvements ( one CDBG project but primarily City funds), code enforcement, and police protection. CDBG are directed to this target area for rehabilitation of homes and World Changer projects. . Approximately 79% of the grant funds will be directed to the Housing Rehabilitation and Youth Enrichment programs based upon the applications received and the need. 15% of the funds are allocated specifically in the target area for the Youth Enrichment Program and Okaloosa Head Start. At this time it is impossible to determine the exact amount of housing rehab and World Changer projects that will be located within target areas. Okaloosa Community Development Corporation funds have also made a large difference in this area by rehabilitating older homes. This is further explained below. Specifically, $ 14, 190 funds are allocated to the Chester Pruitt Summer Enrichment Program and after school tutoring which targets youth between the ages of 6 -12 of families of low to moderate income of minority concentration. In addition, $ 7, 000 is allocated to the Okaloosa Head Start program to build a handicapped accessible walk from the building to the play ground equipment which was also purchased with CDBG funds. This program has approximately 100 youth between 3 - 5 years of age and those with physical challenges will be able to access the play ground with the proposed walk. The housing rehabilitation funds ($ 56, 324) and the Recovery Act Funds ($ 38,366) and the World Changer /City Changer funds ($ 35, 000) are targeted to this area, although depending on applications, some of the funds may be used outside the 2 target areas if the property owner qualifies and the house is in need of rehabilitation or needs minor repairs accomplished by City Changer crews for health and safety reasons. These funds also are targeted to homeowners, who are elderly, physically handicapped, and single mothers, often a minority, who qualify by income. 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. The City participates on the Okaloosa/ Walton Continuum of Care Board and assists agencies who help the homeless with expertise to address community concerns. CDBG funds are not sufficient to provide actual funding. Some of these agencies provide limited 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 role of the Okaloosa Walton Homeless Continuum of Care, Opportunity, Inc, is to provide a monthly forum in which community stakeholders, homeless persons and formerly homeless persons can collaborate on needed services and request ideas and help from participating agencies. The Continuum of Care applies for federal and state funding, which it distributes to service providers based on results from a request for proposal process. Once funds are awarded, the Continuum of Care monitors expenditures and program delivery, and reports back to the appropriate government agencies. The Continuum of Care receives some funds for direct services, which are used to support collective programs, such as health clinics, provision of bicycles, and other essential needs beyond the capacity of individual members. In 2007, the Continuum of Care made successful applications for 600, 000 in federal funds and $ 121, 000 in state funds, which were distributed to community service providers. Bridgeway Center, Inc. provides assistance to those who have been homeless for at least a year, or homeless four times in the last three years, and who have chronic mental illness and /or substance abuse disorders. Case managers link clients to housing, employment, benefits, and mental health and /or substance abuse treatment. Two participating agencies provide a limited number of shelter beds. The Shelter House provides a safe haven for women, children and men in imminent danger of domestic violence. FRESH Start has ten units of transitional housing for women and families. The city is working with this agency to develop 20 new units for transitional housing as described below. Both agencies receive funding from the Okaloosa Walton Homeless Continuum of Care/ Opportunity, Inc. The Continuum is developing a web -based system of tracking services provided and the numbers of persons. Homeless persons are issued cards that can be scanned at any point of service delivery. Eventually the system will be used to coordinate care and match individual needs to available services throughout the two -county region. Becoming homeless is not difficult. Transitioning back to self -sufficiency requires, at minimum: Affordable housing Temporary emergency shelter Storage for personal belongings Easier access to health care Financial counseling, bank accounts Job skills training Resource center for receiving mail, phone messages, looking for jobs Expanded funding for subsidized child care The City will continue to work with the Continuum of Care to identify funding sources for an emergency homeless shelter which would provide shelter for at least 50 homeless individuals. In addition, the City' s one year goal is working with Transition Village /Fresh Start to build 20+ units for transition housing by providing support for tax credits for the development of the units. This development of this project should begin in this program year. The City has agreed to provide a cold night shelter in one of its community centers if needed. Unfortunately, the City' s CDBG funds are not sufficient to provide actual funding for these activities. The City of Fort Walton Beach Entitlement allocation is insufficient to provide funding or staff time to address the housing needs of the homeless, elderly, frail elderly, persons with