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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011 12 06 CDBG-HOME MemorandumMEMORANDUM CITY OF SPRINGFIELD DATE OF HEARING: December 6, 2011 TO: Springfield Planning Commission PLANNING COMMISSION TRANSMITTAL FROM: Kevin Ko, Community Development MEMORANDUM Specialist SUBJECT: Information on Federal CDBG and HOME Programs ISSUE The City of Springfield receives an annual allocation of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds and HOME Investment Partnerships Program funds from HUD. These funds may be used by the City to assist a variety of projects, programs and activities throughout the community. The primary purpose of these funds is to benefit low and moderate income persons. DISCUSSION Staff will provide a brief description of the two federal programs. Topics to be covered include basic regulations, the allocation process, reporting requirements and samples of CDBG and HOME assisted projects. Staff will also discuss the impacts these funding sources have had on Springfield’s downtown. RECOMMENDATION No recommendations requested. This presentation is for informational purposes only. ACTION REQUESTED None ATTACHMENTS Attachment 1: CDBG Program Highlights Attachment 2: HOME Program Highlights City of Springfield Community Development Block Grant Program Highlights The City of Springfield receives approximately $600,000 of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds each year from HUD. Springfield uses its annual allocation for many activities that benefit all of our residents. Some examples of the projects, programs and activities that receive CDBG support are: Children and Youth ♦ SCAR-Jasper Mountain. This agency used CDBG to assist with the rehabilitation of a residential care facility for abused children. ♦ Headstart of Lane County. With help from CDBG, Headstart acquired a classroom and daycare facility on Main Street to provide services for lower income children and their families. ♦ The Child Center. CDBG was used to assist in the construction of new Resource and Learning Library for at risk children and their families. ♦ CDBG helped to fund public improvements and playground enhancements to seven neighborhood parks that serve low-income neighborhoods in Springfield. ♦ The Relief Nursery is building a new childcare facility in Springfield with CDBG assistance. This agency provides critical childcare and supportive services to at-risk children and their families. Disabled and Elderly ♦ Alvord-Taylor, Inc. CDBG helped with the acquisition and rehabilitation of six group homes in Springfield that provide safe housing and services to their developmentally disabled adult clients. ♦ Aquarius Apartments, Mainstream Housing. CDBG was used to assist with the acquisition and rehabilitation of 24 units that serve developmentally disabled and low-income households. ♦ Aster Apartments, St. Vincent DePaul. CDBG helped with the land acquisition for the development of a new 54 unit residential facility for low-income seniors. ♦ CHORE program. This program is administered by the City of Springfield and provides assistance to low-income elderly or disabled homeowners for the upkeep of their properties. ♦ CDBG helped the Pearl Buck Center upgrade the HVAC system in their training facility. Pearl Buck Center provides education, jobs and job training for developmentally disabled adults and their families. ♦ Full Access is using CDBG to install an elevator that will increase accessibility to their facility for disabled clients. Full Access provides a broad range of services to developmentally disabled adults. At-Risk Polulations ♦ CDBG helped with the rehabilitation of emergency housing facility for homeless households at the Brethren Housing facility on Main Street. ♦ Shankle SafeHaven. CDBG was used to rehabilitate this important care facility for homeless, disabled and addicted adults. ♦ Sexual Assault Support Services. The acquisition and rehabilitation of a regional care and advocacy facility for victims of domestic violence was made possible with CDBG assistance. Attachment 1-1 ♦ Security Deposit Assistance Program. This CDBG funded program provides housing assistance to the homeless, disabled or victims of domestic violence. ♦ WomenSpace. This agency provides vital emergency and support services to victims of domestic violence. CDBG help WomenSpace acquire and renovate their regional facility. ♦ Social Service support to public service agencies; Food for Lane County, Whitebird Clinic, Looking Glass Youth Center, Catholic Community Services and St. Vincent de Paul. Health and Medical ♦ CDBG helped with the renovation of an existing medical facility for the RiverStone Clinic. Located in Springfield, RiverStone is a Community Health Center that provides holistic, affordable health care to low-income, under and non-insured persons. ♦ Volunteers in Medicine used a CDBG allocation to renovate a Springfield facility, in order to relocate its clinic from West Eugene to mid-Springfield. The mid-Springfield location provides easier access to services for its clients and is located only minutes from two regional hospitals. Housing ♦ CDBG provides acquisition and rehabilitation funds to assist non-profit housing developers including St. Vincent de Paul, NEDCO, Mainstream Housing and Metropolitan Affordable Housing. These agencies build and rehabilitate housing for low and very-low income renters and homeowners. Together they have built over 200 affordable units in Springfield for low and very low-income households. ♦ Lock-Out-Crime Project. This CDBG funded program is run in conjunction with the Springfield Police Department and provides home security assistance to over 200 low-income households every year. ♦ The Royal Building, St. Vincent de Paul. This five-story, newly constructed downtown Midrise provides 33 affordable units for low and very low-income households. The ground floor is designated for commercial and retail uses. ♦ Springfield Housing Programs. Our CDBG funded housing programs provide emergency repair assistance and renovation loans to low and very low-income homeowners in Springfield. Community Development ♦ CDBG was instrumental in the acquisition and rehabilitation of the Springfield Community Center at 10th and G streets. The center provides centralized services to area low-income households. Services include a food box program, energy assistance, homeless services, counseling and advocacy. ♦ Emerald Empire Art Center. Rehabilitation of this historic building in downtown Springfield was made possible with the help of CDBG funds. A cornerstone of downtown, this project was the beginning of the renaissance of Springfield’s downtown district. ♦ Wildish Theater. CDBG was used to assist in the acquisition and renovation of a blighted downtown movie theater. The new Wildish Theater is a modern, cutting edge performing arts center in the heart of downtown Springfield. ♦ CDBG assisted with several street improvement projects in low-income neighborhoods. These improvements provided safer vehicular and pedestrian use, and acted as a catalyst to neighborhood revitalization. Attachment 1-2 ♦ Lane MicroBusiness. CDBG helped this agency provide business development and implementation assistance to low-income micro entrepreneurs. ♦ NEDCO Building. CDBG funds helped NEDCO purchase the former Bell Theater (Goodwill Building) at 212 Main Street. With the acquisition, NEDCO was able to move its corporate headquarters to downtown Springfield. From this central location, NEDCO provides homebuyer education and financial literacy, and operates the Regional Housing Center for Lane County. The front of the building is used for the HATCH! Business Incubator. NEDCO provides commercial space startup micro- enterprises and provides training and technical assistance. ♦ NEDCO Downtown Food Hub. The City’s most recent CDBG investments include an allocation to NEDCO to help with the acquisition of the Springfield Christian Church property at 4th and A streets. The facility will be converted to a regional food hub, named SPROUT! that will help local food entrepreneurs and vendors develop and grow their businesses. This list is just a sample of the types of projects that benefited from CDBG funds. These projects provide a wide array of benefits to every segment of our diverse population. Furthermore, these projects have created many job opportunities in our community. The benefits of the CDBG program are long lasting and far reaching throughout the Springfield community. Attachment 1-3 HOME Investment Partnerships Funding Highlights The City of Springfield receives approximately $400,000 of HOME Investment Partnerships Program funds from HUD annually. HOME funds can be used for affordable housing projects and activities within the city limits of Springfield, and must serve primarily low-income persons. In the past 18 years the City has allocated HOME funds to many affordable housing projects throughout the Springfield community. HOME investments have added 151 affordable rental units to Springfield’s housing inventory. The units produced through new construction or acquisition/rehabilitation ranged from multi-family developments, duplexes, transitional housing for tenants with mental illness and group homes for developmentally disabled adults. The HOME funding in the project insures that the housing will remain affordable for up to twenty years. In addition, the HOME funding assisted with the construction of 92 affordable home ownership units. The units constructed not only increase the number of home owners in Springfield they also increase the city’s housing stock and tax base. The houses, sold to first time homebuyers, consist of infill development, mixed use developments, a cluster subdivision and smaller, cul-de-sac size, developments. Some examples of noteworthy HOME assisted developments are: + Ash Meadows located at 69th and A streets. This project was completed through cooperation between three non-profit organizations, St. Vincent de Paul, NEDCO and Habitat for Humanity, and consists of eighteen rental units and nine homeownership units. The development was one of the first mixed-use developments in Springfield. It includes an interpretive trail at the North end of the property created to mitigate wetlands. The City’s Community Services Manager refers to the development as, “One of the more attractive subdivision in Springfield.” + NEDCO has developed the Doria Cottages and the Phoenix Subdivison on 35th Street. These projects provide 9 units of affordable homeownership housing. + Springfield Habitat for Humanity used multiple allocations of HOME funds to develop Meyer Subdivision on A Street off of 49th. The Meyer Subdivision incorporated creative planning and site design to be able to construct 10 new homeownership units. The Oregon chapter of HfH choose a unit in the Meyer Subdivision for its 1000 statewide home build. + St. Vincent de Paul used multiple allocations of HOME to build the Royal Building in downtown. This beautiful five story building provides 33 units of affordable rental housing in the heart of downtown, and has added to the growing redevelopment of downtown Springfield. + St. Vincent de Paul created the Aster Apartments off or 5th Street with the help of HOME funds, the Aster Apartments are a HUD 202 project that provides affordable permanent rental housing specifically for low-income seniors. There are 55 units in the Aster Apartments. + Mainstream purchased the Aquarius Apartments located on both sides of the 1400 block of Fifth Street. HOME funding assisted with the acquisition and Attachment 2-1 rehabilitation of 11 of 23 units. Mainstream Housing Inc works to transition developmentally disabled adults from supported living to independent living. The organization helps their clients find housing and is a housing provider themselves. All of the units are being made available to very low-income tenants and many of them will serve Mainstream’s clients. All of the units will maintain established low HOME rents and remain affordable for at least twenty years. + Brethren Community Services in partnership with Sheltercare used an allocation of HOME funds to build the Afiya Apartments on Main Street, just east of 10th Street. The Afiya is a HUD 811 project, which means it is designed as permanent, affordable rental housing for persons with developmental or psychiatric disabilities. There are 16 units in the Afiya Apartments. The Springfield Home Ownership Program (SHOP). In addition to the direct assistance HOME provides to housing developments, City staff has developed a down payment assistance program, the SHOP, to help low-income first time homebuyers purchase their first home. Since the program’s inception in 1994 the SHOP has provided down payment assistance to nearly 600 first time homebuyers. Since its inception the City has invested nearly $ 2.1 million dollars of HOME funding in the SHOP. This investment has leveraged over $ 65 million in Springfield market rate homes. The HOME funds used for the SHOP are a loan; over the life of the program the City has received over $420,000 in loan repayments. These funds are then cycled back into the SHOP and other HOME funded projects. Attachment 2-2