SUBJECT/RECOMMENDATION:
Title
Approve the City of Clearwater’s FY2020/21 through 2024/25 Five-Year Consolidated Plan (Con Plan) and the 2020-2021 Annual Action Plan to implement the goals and objectives set forth in the Con Plan, as required by HUD, and authorize the City to enter into agreements with organizations approved for funding.
Body
SUMMARY:
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires communities that receive entitlement Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG) and HOME Investment Partnership Program (HOME) funds to prepare a comprehensive planning document that evaluates the needs of the community and sets forth strategies to address those needs.
The FY 2020/21-2024/25 Con Plan consists of the following:
• Executive Summary
• Process Overview
• Needs Assessment
• Housing Market Analysis
• Strategic Plan
• Annual Action Plan
• Citizen Participation Plan
• Appendix
The Needs Assessment section of the Con Plan identifies Clearwater’s communitywide housing and community development needs. Data from the Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy (CHAS) database and the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS) database are referenced in this section. Additionally, this section is supported with feedback from several community meetings, data from the local Public Housing Authority and other documentation from Clearwater and its partners.
The purpose of the Market Analysis is to provide a clear picture of the environment in which Clearwater must administer its programs over the course of the Con Plan. In conjunction with the Needs Assessment, the Market Analysis will provide the basis for the Strategic Plan and the programs and projects to be administered. Most of the data tables in this section are populated with a default data set based on the most recent data available. Additional data has been obtained from various sources, including more current ACS estimates and local data from Clearwater and Pinellas County.
The Strategic Plan is structured around six (6) goals in administering the City’s housing and community development programs. Each goal is accompanied by corresponding objectives toward meeting that goal. These goals and objectives are as follows:
• Housing Goal: Provide availability and accessibility to decent housing to the low to moderate-income families within the city limits.
• Homeless Goal: Help to prevent and reduce homelessness within the city limits.
• Non-Homeless and Special Needs Goal: Expand the accessibility and coordination of social services to the city’s special needs population.
• Community Development and Public Services/Facilities Goal: Enhance the living environment for persons in low to moderate-income areas through public improvements activities, public service programs and elimination of blight.
• Economic Development Goal: Support programs that create economic opportunities throughout the city with special emphasis given to areas and persons of low to moderate-income.
• Disaster Response Goal: Provide assistance prior to, during and after a community emergency and/or disaster event to prepare for and/or mitigate loss, protect during an event, and aid with recovery.
The Strategic Plan also identifies four (4) geographic priorities: 1) City-wide, Low- and Moderate-Income Local Target Area; 2) Lake Bellevue Neighborhood Revitalization Strategy Area (NRSA); 3) Downtown Gateway District NRSA; and 4) North Greenwood NRSA. The designation of a Local Target Area and NRSAs increases the potential for coordinated planning and investment.
In addition, the City is required to create and implement a plan for each year of the Con Plan to identify the sources and uses of federal money for housing, community programs, and economic development. This plan, referred to as an Annual Action Plan, provides HUD with the City’s housing and community development budget and proposed expenditures based on the entitlement funds and estimated program income that the City will receive in the upcoming fiscal year to meet the goals established in the Con Plan.
Funds are used to develop viable communities and sustain existing ones. In addition, the funds will be used to provide safe, decent and affordable housing to assist extremely low- to moderate-income households. This years’ Annual Action Plan allocates federal funds to provide housing opportunities to extremely low- to moderate-income households for new and existing homes, construction and/or renovation of public facilities, and to fund public services and economic development programs.
Clearwater anticipates a total allocation of $837,360 in CDBG funding and $431,436 in HOME funding for
FY 2020-2021. CDBG program income is expected in the amount of $665,000 and CDBG carryover funds from its Revolving Loan Program is expected in the amount of $1,145,000. In addition, the City anticipates $2,292,492 of carryover funds and approximately $96,000 in program income from the HOME program. Funds provided through the CDBG Program may be used for housing, community and economic development, public services and facilities, acquisition, relocation, demolition, and administration. Funds provided through the HOME Program are limited to housing-related activities and administration.
The City partners with several non-profit agencies to implement the goals and objectives the City has established in the Consolidated Plan. To obtain these partners, the City annually publishes a Notice of Funding Availability in the local newspaper and on its website in February. This notice informs the public of the resources the City will make available and the eligible uses of these resources. It also informs them of the application period for requesting funds. The applications were due on April 10 and the City received a total of 28 applications for funding.
A Technical Review Committee (TRC), comprised of professionals in the social service and grants community and a member of the City’s Neighborhood and Affordable Housing Advisory Board (NAHAB), reviewed and ranked the applications. Applicants are typically given an opportunity to present their proposed projects at a meeting of the Neighborhood and Affordable Housing Advisory Board; however, this meeting was cancelled due to COVID 19 restrictions. City staff also reviewed each application to ensure it met HUD’s baseline requirements. One application was rejected due to an ineligible proposal and another was rejected due to lack of organizational and financial capacity. The NAHAB met on June 9, 2020 to approve the recommended allocations contained in the FY 2020-2021 Annual Action Plan.
Each year the City may allocate up to 15% of its CDBG funds for Public Services activities. This year the City received requests for funding for public services in the amount of $293,000, however based on HUD’s formula, $125,604 was available to fund twelve (12) organizations. The NAHAB has endorsed a sliding scale funding system for Public Services applicants that dictates the funding ratios based the ranking. Utilizing a sliding scale ensures all approved and eligible applicants are funded. The Annual Action Plan also budgets $496,291 in Public Facility improvements. Public Service and Public Facility projects support a wide range of community focused non-profit organizations, each having a mission inline with goals identified in the Con Plan.
The Consolidated Plan and Annual Action Plan are due to HUD on August 15, 2020. All organizations that will be receiving an allocation will have agreements prepared and executed by October 1, 2020. Staff will perform compliance monitoring with funded organizations on an annual basis.
APPROPRIATION CODE AND AMOUNT:
N/A
USE OF RESERVE FUNDS:
N/A