Fort Walton Beach Resolution — 2025-13 Resolution Adopting the FY 2025-30 CDBG Consolidated Plan & FY 2025-26 Annual Action Plan — reading text

in-reach services. In-reach is the development of discharge planning processes for individuals due for release from institutional settings in the community. HHA is working with law enforcement and the medical community, in addition to service Consolidated Plan FORT WALTON BEACH 102 OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 09/30/2021)  organizations, to capture all the clients possible and provide case management and services tailored to individual's needs prior to and upon discharge. Discharge Planning is recognized as essential in the homelessness continuum of care, both to prevent homelessness and as a mechanism for identification of the chronic homeless who need support services along with affordable housing. Discussion Although the City does not provide direct services to the homeless, it does support the strategies and efforts outlined in the 5-Year Consolidated Plan and through Annual Action Plans. The City is using CDBG to provide public services to the homeless and funding for the expansion of a facility that serves the homeless. 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 for these types of programs. 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. Consolidated Plan FORT WALTON BEACH 103 OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 09/30/2021)  AP-75 Barriers to affordable housing – 91.220(j) Introduction: The City’s Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) encourages the private sector in their effort to secure additional public and private funds for affordable housing, community, and economic development. Actions it planned to remove or ameliorate the negative effects of public policies that serve as barriers to affordable housing such as land use controls, tax policies affecting land, zoning ordinances, building codes, fees and charges, growth limitations, and policies affecting the return on residential investment The City has been in discussions with local housing authority as well as private organizations that are interested in building affordable workforce housing. The City reviewed the Land Development Code to determine what the city could do to encourage the development of workforce housing in the city. Ordinance 2099 was passed on April 26, 2022, which defines and sets new requirements for Workforce Housing. Additionally, City Council approved Resolution 2022-8 creating a Workforce Housing Incentive Fund with an initial funding allocation of $1.5 million. The city is also reviewing excess property owned by the city that could be used to assist in these developments. Discussion: While CDBG funds will not be directly used to provide affordable housing in Fort Walton Beach, the City will continue to make efforts to collaborate and support organizations and the public who aim to provide affordable housing in the City. Consolidated Plan FORT WALTON BEACH 104 OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 09/30/2021)  AP-85 Other Actions – 91.220(k) Introduction: The priority needs, goals, and objectives included in the City's Consolidated Plan, to be met by the Annual Action Plan, include providing decent affordable housing, providing a suitable living environment, and expanding economic opportunity. In addition, the City has identified a standard set of outcomes listed by HUD which includes availability/ accessibility, affordability, and sustainability. The projects and activities included in the Annual Action Plan are designed to overcome obstacles and meet the underserved needs of low- and moderate-income people. 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 decent and sustainable housing are direct methods to improve living conditions. Activities that improve infrastructure, improve the quality of life, and raise the standard of living for al the people in the neighborhood served by the infrastructure. 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. Actions planned to address obstacles to meeting underserved needs The primary obstacle to meeting underserved housing and community development needs of the City is available funding. Demand for assistance exceeds the supply of available resources. The number of lower 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. The City plans to undertake activities to address obstacles to meeting underserved needs by funding the non-profit sub- recipient organizations previously identified. Additionally, an obstacle that Fort Walton Beach faces is the lack of smaller (1-bedroom) housing units and affordable housing. The city is working on several areas to provide incentives to contractors to build affordable workforce housing. The city is examining surplus property to determine if any city owned property could be used to address this issue. Additionally, the City has updated the Land Development Code to include incentives for constructing workforce housing. Actions planned to foster and maintain affordable housing The City will continue to work with establishing public/ private partnerships intended to increase the opportunity for the development of affordable housing. The city values the relationship with the various community partners that are involved in addressing these issues. The city will continue to work with these entities to ensure that relationship continues to grow. Additionally, the city is going to work to hopefully increase the amount of public input into the CDBG process. Historically, the city has received limited input from the public other than the Citizen’s Advisory Committee ( CAC) and individuals requesting grant funding. Through the development of the relationship with the community at large, the hope is other Consolidated Plan FORT WALTON BEACH 105 OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 09/30/2021)  avenues for addressing affordable housing will be discovered. Actions planned to reduce lead-based paint hazards The city hosts the HUD “ Protect Your Family from Lead in Your Home” ( March 2021) guide on the city website. City customers are encouraged to review the information contained. Additionally, the city will post links to this guide on the city social media sites periodically to improve knowledge on the issue. Actions planned to reduce the number of poverty-level families The City, to the extent allowed by the level of funding and economic conditions (housing market, job opportunity rate, health care systems, the willingness of the target populations to utilize the preferred assistance, etc.) acts to reduce the housing costs and fund services that could assist individuals to stabilize their lives and increase their job skills and marketability. By funding the maximum number of programs possible with the available resources, the city assists many agency programs that contribute to the reduction of the number of people living below the poverty level. Actions planned to develop institutional structure The CDBG program is administered by the Fort Walton Beach Growth Management Department. Non- profit agencies receiving CDBG funding will primarily carry out the activities established in the consolidated plan. The City will continue to closely monitor all programs to ensure compliance with CDBG policies. Actions planned to enhance coordination between public and private housing and social service agencies The City works closely with the Fort Walton Beach Housing Authority throughout the year to identify and help address needs identified. The City will continue to engage with the housing authority as well as several other community partners to enhance this coordination. Discussion: The City is committed to improving the city for all its citizens. Through the application of CDBG funding and other programs, the city can address concerns for low- and moderate-income families in the city who face unique challenges. Consolidated Plan FORT WALTON BEACH 106 OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 09/30/2021)  Program Specific Requirements AP-90 Program Specific Requirements – 91.220(l)(1,2,4) Introduction: Fort Walton Beach plans to use twenty percent (20%) of the total available CDBG funds for planning and administrative costs. The City plans to use the remaining funds on activities that will assist low- and moderate-income families or other targeted populations either individually or on an area basis. Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG) Reference 24 CFR 91.220(l)(1) Projects planned with all CDBG funds expected to be available during the year are identified in the Projects Table. The following identifies program income that is available for use that is included in projects to be carried out. 1. The total amount of program income that will have been received before the start of the next program year and that has not yet been reprogrammed 0 2. The amount of proceeds from section 108 loan guarantees that will be used during the year to address the priority needs and specific objectives identified in the grantee's strategic plan. 0 3. The amount of surplus funds from urban renewal settlements 0 4. The amount of any grant funds returned to the line of credit for which the planned use has not been included in a prior statement or plan 0 5. The amount of income from float-funded activities 0 Total Program Income: 0 Other CDBG Requirements 1. The amount of urgent need activities 0 2. The estimated percentage of CDBG funds that will be used for activities that benefit persons of low and moderate income. Overall Benefit - A consecutive period of one, two or three years may be used to determine that a minimum overall benefit of 70% of CDBG funds is used to benefit persons of low and moderate income. Specify the years covered that include this Annual Action Plan. 70.00% Consolidated Plan FORT WALTON BEACH 107 OMB