2000 Best Practice AwardsProgram and Geographical Winners: California
Best Practice: Oxford Terrace Apartments "Community
of Helping Hands"
Oxford Terrace Apartments "Community
of Helping Hands" Empowers Residents and Preserves Affordable Housing
for Low-income Individuals
Chula Vista. In
Chula Vista, the Community of Helping Hands resident association at the
132-unit Oxford Terrace Apartments relies on a partnership of the propertys
nonprofit owner, property management, residents and community partners to
empower residents and preserve affordable housing for low-income individuals.
Together, the partners provide services to residents that include a computer
learning center with Internet connection, an English as a Second Language
program for the largely Hispanic-American population, a mobile medical screening
and testing program, CPR and first-aid classes, a monthly food distribution
program, a resident shuttle service and a partnership with local law enforcement
in the Crime Free Multi-Housing Program, a coalition to reduce crime in
multi-family residential properties. The resident association works closely
to identify and resolve property issues with the management and owner, whose
board of directors includes residents. In turn, management staff members
involve the resident association in service activities and send tenant leaders
to statewide and nationwide conferences and training. Residents have actively
helped shape and fill classes. For example, more than 50 residents per month
use the computer learning center.
Contact: Robert McElroy, Phone: (619) 542-1877
Tracking Number: 166
Winning Category: Program (Housing - Multifamily)
Best Practice: Clovis, Magill Heights Housing
Project
Clovis, Magill Heights Housing Project
Provides a Sense of Community for the Neighborhood
Clovis. Clovis,
Magill Heights Housing Project provides homeownership opportunities for
low-income families, and creates a sense of community in an area comprised
mainly of low- to moderate-income households. Partnerships of government
agencies, a nonprofit and residents helped revitalize the deteriorated Magill
Heights neighborhood. The project relied on creative leveraging of resources
through several HUD programs, the California Housing Finance Agency, and
the City of Clovis Redevelopment Agency. The effort improved the neighborhood
infrastructure by adding cul-de-sacs, building a sound wall near a freeway
and installing curbs, gutters and storm drainage. Ten single-family homes
were built using the mutual self-help method of construction, in which low-income
families work together to build their first homes.
Contact: Ron Leinio, Phone: (559) 242-4292
Tracking Number: 2810
Winning Category: Geographical
Best Practice: City of Coachella Housing Development
City of Coachella Housing Development and
its Partners Provide Homeownership Opportunities for Low-income Farm Workers
Coachella. The
City of Coachella, HUD and USDA joined in a collaborative effort to provide
homeownership opportunities for displaced farm workers. Each partner has
invested substantial funding for construction of 44 single-family detached
housing units for very low-income farm worker families facing displacement
due to code violations. The citys commitment of $500,000 to fund redevelopment
allowed the county to add $1.8 million in HOME funds, followed by $3.6 million
in home loan funds from the USDA. A 60/40 percent financing split allows
home loans to be provided at a one-percent rate.
Contact: Sylvia Montenegro, Phone: (760) 398-3502
Ext. 223
Tracking Number: 2460
Winning Category: Program (Community Builder)
Best Practice: Growing Jobs
Growing Jobs Allow Immigrant Farm Workers
to Not Only Work the Land But to Own it as Well
Fresno. Growing
Jobs fosters economic development for immigrant farmers, while protecting
valuable environmental resources. It is a unique collaborative effort involving
HUD, the nonprofit American Farmland Trust and the local Hmong farming community
in Fresno. Lacking access to land and loans, Hmong immigrants struggled
to survive using their farming skills. The Growing Jobs collaboration gives
farmers low-interest, non-traditional loans through the USDA and access
to small plots of land through the American Farmland Trust, which purchased
40 acres in Fresno to be preserved as farmland indefinitely. The Hmong farmers
have obtained financing, purchased land and are reaping profits after decades
of poverty.
Contact: Toulu Thao, Phone: (559) 487-5033
Tracking Number: 2984
Winning Category: Program (Community Builder)
Best Practice: Long Beach Lead-Safe Affordable
Housing Program
The Long Beach Lead-Safe Affordable Housing
Program Involves Owners and Lenders in the Plan to Solve Lead Poisoning
Long Beach. The
Long Beach Lead-Safe Affordable Housing Program was created to combat the
high concentration of lead poisoned children in the state. With limited
funds to correct lead hazards in affordable housing, the Long Beach Department
of Health and Human Services implemented the Long Beach Lead-Safe Affordable
Housing Program. This is an innovative approach to reach owners and lenders
to leverage the HUD funds and increase the number of lead-abated units.
The city partnered with nonprofit organizations, which receive funds from
lenders in return for Community Reinvestment Act credits from federal bank
auditors. The credits are an incentive for lenders to fund the nonprofit
organizations. The organizations, in turn, pass the funds to the city to
be used as program income. As of May 2000, the program has collected over
$14,000 in owner-cost sharing (10 percent of lead hazard control costs)
and $9,500 in funds and standby funds from several commercial banks.
Contact: Don Fast, Phone: (562) 570-4038
Tracking Number: 1870
Winning Category: Program (Office of Lead Hazard Control)
Best Practice: Connecting Points for Housing
Connecting Points for Housing Reference
Guide Educates Readers About Lead Poison and the Home
Oakland. Connecting
Points for Housing is a reference guide which provides strategies on how
agencies can work together to combat lead poisoning in children. The guide
educates readers about substandard housing conditions, such as lead-based
paint, identifies the missions of agencies that must respond to lead-based
paint hazards, and describes who to call, programs and eligibility. The
guide was part of a project that includes customized training that helps
agencies develop federal regulation compliance procedures. The program has
helped train more than 400 individuals. Connecting Points helps raise awareness
and forge partnerships among agencies with little to no previous contact
to meet the needs of families with lead-poisoned children. Partners collaborating
in the project include environmental health agencies, housing authorities,
building code and compliance agencies, community development departments,
first-time home-buyer programs, weatherization departments, county planning
departments, neighborhood development agencies and tenant advocacy groups.
Contact: Carina Kistler, Phone: (510) 567-8233
Tracking Number: 1191
Winning Category: Program (Office of Lead Hazard Control)
Best Practice: Acquisition Rehabilitation, Resale
Down Payment Assistance Loan Program
Acquisition Rehabilitation, Resale Down
Payment Assistance Loan Program Increasing Homeownership
Ontario. The
city of Ontario has used the Acquisition Rehabilitation, Resale Down Payment
Assistance Loan Program to increase homeownership opportunities for low-income
individuals while reducing neighborhood blight caused by HUD foreclosed
properties. With an initial investment of $319,000, the city was able to
leverage more than $7 million in private investment. Through this program,
the Ontario Redevelopment Agency purchases selected HUD properties in the
greatest need of repair. The city then sells the properties to pre-approved
contractors to rehabilitate the homes to meet local building standards.
Rehabilitated homes are sold to qualified low-income homebuyers. Financial
assistance, in the form of a deferred payment "silent" second
mortgage, is provided to homebuyers on a sliding scale. In addition, the
city has qualified Community Housing Development Organizations (CHDOs) to
work with very low-income families. Since the programs inception in
mid-1998, 64 homes have been rehabilitated and sold.
Contact: Julie A. Bjork, Phone: (909) 395-2307
Tracking Number: 2078
Winning Category: Program (Housing - Single Family)
Best Practice: Inland Fair Housing and Mediation
Board
Inland Fair Housing and Mediation Board
Uses Mediation as a Tool to Solve Disputes
Ontario. The
Inland Fair Housing and Mediation Board proactively encourages homeownership
and discourages housing discrimination by enforcing fair housing laws through
mediation. The agency is responsible for tenant/landlord mediation and counseling.
All staff members are trained mediators. In addition to mediation, the Board
uses assertive enforcement as needed and periodically tests programs to
identify fair housing issues. The Boards testing program has focused
on housing rentals, sales and real estate lending. All services are provided
in English and Spanish. Inland Fair Housing has filed approximately 40 fair
housing complaints with HUD and the California Department of Fair Employment
and Housing in the last two years.
Contact: Betty Davidow, Phone: (909) 984-2254
Tracking Number: 2064
Winning Category: Program (Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity)
Best Practice: The Paradise Ridge Community Resource
Center
The Paradise Ridge Community Resource Center
Provides Free and Low-cost Services to Paradise Residents
Paradise. The
Paradise Ridge Community Resource Center offers a "one-stop" shop
of enrichment and support services previously scattered in many cities and
helped revitalize downtown Paradise by renovating a dilapidated building
from which it provides free and low-cost services to Paradise residents.
Services include counseling, public health, family support, emergency food
and shelter. Private, public and nonprofit partnering organizations moved
into the Community Resource Center to provide services. Revitalization of
the building served as the catalyst for construction of off-street parking,
transit facilities and nearby landscaping.
Contact: George Siler, Phone: (530) 872-3896
Tracking Number: 2350
Winning Category: Program (Community Builder)
Best Practice: Preservation of President John
Adams Manor Apartments
Long-term Affordable Housing was Made Possible
through the Preservation of President John Adams Manor Apartments
San Diego. Creative
financing and state tax credits helped preserve the 300-unit President John
Adams Manor Apartments and ensure long-term affordable housing. The partnership
formed by government agencies, community-based organizations and social
services prevented displacement of the 300 low-income families during an
affordable housing crisis in San Diego. When the property owner did not
renew its project-based Section 8 housing tenant assistance, the project
was awarded bonds, federal low-income housing tax credits, commercial loans
and equity, and federal mortgage insurance to prevent the property from
converting to market rate housing. Staff representing HUDs San Diego
office and the housing commission met with residents to answer questions
about rental subsidies, coordinate unit inspections, qualify residents for
tenant-based rental assistance and provide language translators for the
large South African population with limited knowledge of English.
Contact: Ana Baiz-Torres, Phone: (619) 426-3595
Tracking Number: 1118
Winning Category: Program (Housing - Multifamily)
Best Practice: Rincon de Los Esteros Renaissance
Drive Development
Three Housing Developments Provide New
Rental Apartments for Low-income Families
San Jose. The
San Jose Department of Financing identified developers and provided funds
to assist in the development of a new mixed income residential "village"Rincon
de Los Esteros, that is within walking distance to a major employment center
and adjacent to public transportation. This development was created in order
to address the lack of affordable housing that impedes economic prosperity
in the Silicon Valley. The initiative was part of a citywide effort by the
City of San Jose to match new jobs with new housing. Three developments
provide 918 new rental apartments for very low-, low-, moderate- and market
rate-households. By rezoning Rincon de los Esteros, the city created three
developments that provide market rate housing and amenities at rents that
are compatible with the entry level wages paid by area businesses. Major
employers within walking distance include Cisco Systems, Honeywell, Sony
and Lockheed Martin. City subsidies of $12.25 million helped leverage more
than $99 million in public and private sources to finance the development.
Contact: Alex Sanchez, Phone: (408) 277-5817
Tracking Number: 1415
Winning Category: Program (Community Builder)
Best Practice: San Jose Teacher Housing Programs
San Jose Teacher Housing Programs Makes
Homes Available for Teachers
San Jose. The
San Jose Department of Housing launched an innovative First Time Teacher
Homebuying Program to help close the gap between the average salary of teachers
and the purchase price of a home. Teachers with full-time credentials who
teach grades K-12 in San Jose public schools are eligible. Private lenders,
homebuilders, realtors, federal, state and county agencies partner with
the city to reduce the monthly mortgage amount. The program is marketed
to existing and potential teachers, in conjunction with the annual teacher
recruitment program. Six teachers have purchased their first home since
the program began in June 1999, five more homes were scheduled for closing
in June and another 70 teachers are in the process of buying homes. The
city also has committed funds for private developers of rental housing that
agree to set aside units for low-income teachers.
Contact: Alex Sanchez, Phone: (408) 277-5817
Tracking Number: 2477
Winning Category: Geographical
Best Practice: Bay Area Teacher Housing
The Bay Area Teacher Housing Guide Uses
Laymans Terms to Educate School Districts and Public Officials
San Francisco. The Bay Area Teacher Housing guide describes need, legal and
public policy, development issues and resources available to support affordable
housing for teachers in the Bay Area. HUD Community Builders worked closely
with attorneys and HUD staff to close the gap between high housing costs
and low teacher salaries. The guide targets school districts and public
officials who may not be knowledgeable about HUD programs and housing opportunities.
Using laymans language, the guide includes examples of how to use
zoning, underwriting and creative financial incentives as tools to increase
teacher housing. Following an extensive outreach campaign, two cities created
housing for teachers; San Francisco committed funds to develop 43 units
above an elementary school parking lot; a partnership between San Jose and
a private developer resulted in a 92-unit mixed income development.
Contact: Art Agnos, Phone: (415) 426-6532
Tracking Number: 3075
Winning Category: Program (Community Builder)
Best Practice: Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center
Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center Helps
Small Business Owners
San Francisco. Hailed as the nations first micro-enterprise training
and incubator program, the Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center helps low-
and moderate-income residents develop small businesses and grow existing
ones. The center provides training for new and existing business owners
and offers a business incubator to stabilize struggling businesses. Center
resources have increased area economic development, expanded employment
opportunities, and resulted in an infusion of products and services into
the area. More than 1,200 low-income residents have received training, of
whom 450 are now business owners. In 1999, these businesses generated approximately
$37.5 million and created 1,200 new jobs. The business incubator has helped
stabilize 45 businesses.
Contact: Claudia Viek, Phone: (415) 541-8584
Tracking Number: 358
Winning Category: Program (Community Planning and Development)
Best Practice: Section 108 Child Care Center
Development Loan Program
Child Care Center Development Loan Program
Improves the Availability of Child Care for Low-Income Neighborhoods
San Francisco. The San Francisco Child Care Center Development Loan Program
creatively leverages local and federal funds to improve childcare availability
in San Francisco's low-income neighborhoods. Increased access to affordable
childcare allows parents to work, attend job training or return to school.
The project is an innovative application of Section 108 funding to finance
the development of childcare centers. Program staff provides technical and
managerial assistance to childcare providers during the development process.
The city leverages Section 108 funds with local general funds to subsidize
repayment. Project capital is $10 million in city authority for Section
108 loan funds. Up to 80 percent of the loan amount is subsidized for eligible
borrowers through the citys General Fund. The program leverages federal
funds with local and private resources to address the local childcare crisis.
To date, nine nonprofit childcare centers have used $4.7 million of the
programs funds to purchase buildings, construct childcare facilities
in HUD housing projects and renovate existing buildings to create 438 new
childcare slots and preserve 99 existing slots.
Contact: Anna Yee, Phone: (415) 252-3130
Tracking Number: 3025
Winning Category: Program (Community Planning and Development)
Best Practice: South of Market Senior Service
Program
South of Market Senior Service Program
Helps Seniors Carry Out Necessary Tasks
San Francisco.
The South of Market senior service program provides van service for seniors
to and from supermarkets for grocery shopping, and assists seniors with
their shopping needs because seniors in San Franciscos South of Market
area have few transportation options to meet basic needs. The service also
transports seniors to and from recreational activities. The program serves
219 seniors in the San Francisco Enterprise Community.
Contact: Anna Yee, Phone: (415) 252-3130
Tracking Number: 2438
Winning Category: Program (Community Planning and Development)
Best Practice: The Village
The Village Addresses the Social Services
Needs of a Multi-Ethnic San Francisco Community
San Francisco.
The Village is a consortium of 10 community service providers who provide
housing, economic development, health, youth and social services to a lower
income San Francisco community of more than 3,700 adults and children. Service
providers joined forces to assist residents displaced from their Visitacion
Valley housing complex during a long-term redevelopment project. More than
150 of the original families have returned to the new housing. The consortium
addresses the lack of available social services and the need for cooperation
among multiple ethnic communities. Area families can access services, from
health care to job training, on one community site while benefiting from
interagency referrals. While residents of the failed housing development
were primarily African American and the majority of neighborhood residents
were Asian, a team of Chinese-speaking service providers reached out to
the Chinese community and numerous Asian residents have moved into the new
housing. The new diversity among residents has helped diffuse tensions.
Contact: Judith Sandavol, Phone: (415) 587-7896
Tracking Number: 1196
Winning Category: Program (Community Builder)
Best Practice: Torres Martinez Mobile Home
Park Development Project
Torres Martinez Mobile Home Park Development
Project Provides Affordable Housing
Thermal.
This 330-unit mobile home park provides affordable, safe and sanitary housing
to Coachella Valley, families who live in substandard housing. Hundreds
of families in the area face displacement from their homes as a result of
Riverside County code enforcement violations. The development project provides
needed economic development opportunities for the Torres Martinez Tribe,
which is leveraging funds received from HUD, USDA and Riverside County to
obtain private-sector financing.
Contact: Mary Belardo, Phone: (760) 397-8144
Tracking Number: 2471
Winning Category: Geographical
Best Practice: Visalia Fox Theatre Renovation
Visalia Fox Theatre Renovation Empowers
the Community
Visalia.
Visalia citizens spearheaded a community movement to purchase and restore
the dilapidated 65-year-old Visalia Fox Theatre to its historic condition.
The residents performed a needs analysis and market study that indicated
a need for a large area performance venue. Obtaining nonprofit status, the
Friends of Fox simultaneously began fundraising while developing a business
plan to address the unmet cultural needs of the community. Once the group
raised half of the funds, the owner donated the building. Local service
clubs, the city of Visalia, the county of Tulare, the state, individuals
and other sources contributed an additional $1 million to rehabilitate the
theatre. More than 50 professional and trade organizations donated materials
and services, and more than 500 volunteers donated labor. The theatre now
offers visual and performing arts in the preserved landmark.
Contact: Steven Salomon, Phone: (559) 738-3312
Tracking Number: 1848
Winning Category: Program (Community Planning and Development)
Best Practice: Lead Hazard Control Program
Program Combines Lead-Safe Practices With
Weatherization Services for Low-Income Households
California (statewide). The California Department of Community Services
and Development has partnered with five to ten of its network of agencies
to combine its Lead Hazard Control Program with weatherization services
for low-income residents. Forty-four community-based organizations provide
these services throughout the state. By using weatherization service providers
already connected with the low-income communities, the Department was able
to seamlessly and quickly add lead-safe work practices adapted from the
Lead Hazard Control Program. The costs for this project were minimal and
consisted chiefly of purchasing lead-safe equipment and supplies (e.g.,
HEPA vacuums and personal protective equipment) for each weatherization
crew, expanding training to include lead-safe techniques, adding these lead-safe
work practices to the Weatherization Installation Standards, and increasing
program monitoring and inspections. The program results in an increase of
energy-efficient, lead-safe homes for low-income households as well as a
safer work environment for weatherization crews. An infrastructure of lead
hazard control professionals has also been created to further support the
program, servicing 910 housing units occupied by low-income households.
Contact: Susan Levenson-Palmer, Phone: (916)
324-4358
Tracking Number: 3284
Winning Category: Program (Office of Lead Hazard Control)
Best Practice: Mather Community Campus
Mather Community Campus Helps Homeless
Individuals Transition to Permanent Housing and Sustainable Jobs
Mather.
A pioneer in creating the first transitional housing on a former military
base, Mather Community Campus provides housing and job training and employment
programs for 300 previously homeless adults and children. This highly structured
program provides life skills and employment support to help residents transition
to permanent housing and sustainable jobs. The average starting wage of
graduates is more than $8 per hour. Five core agencies work with 13 neighborhood
stakeholders and 15 other provider agencies to offer services to the students
of the Mather Community Campus. Each student is paired with a case manager
and an employment services worker who provide the primary program services
throughout the student's two year stay. Together the 'triad' develops a
Graduation Plan, obtains job training and employment services, and works
to overcome personal barriers to job retention. Six months prior to graduation,
the triad begins preparing the student to exit the program and transition
into a mainstream lifestyle. A graduation ceremony marks the formal completion
of the student's stay at the Mather Community Campus (MCC). Services offered
include: case management; employment services; a one-stop career center;
culinary training and food service; building maintenance/painting tech training;
landscape training and services; children's services; recreation; drug testing;
transportation/van services; support staff, and housing. Since its inception
in 1995, Mather Community College has served 711 homeless individuals.
Contact: Rondi Colson, Phone: (916) 228-3102
Tracking Number: 1194
Winning Category: Geographical
Best Practice: Centro del Pueblo and Plaza
del Sol
Centro del Pueblo and Plaza del Sol is
a "One-Stop Shop" for Social Services in the San Francisco Area
San Francisco.
Centro del Pueblo is San Francisco's first nonprofit-owned, mixed-use office
and affordable housing complex. The 52-unit Plaza del Sol serves low- and
moderate-income San Francisco residents who receive a smorgasbord of direct
services and advocacy on site from Centro del Pueblo agencies. Fourteen
nonprofit organizations jointly own Centro del Pueblo from which they provide
services including childcare, housing counseling, legal services, immigration,
and youth and adult education. Residents enjoy access to an onsite resource
center providing job referrals, tutoring services and computers networked
to the San Francisco school districts computer system. In 1999, Centro
organizations served 200,000 low- and moderate-income residents and developed
100 new affordable housing units. HUD technical assistance and funds, in
addition to revenue generated by renting the auditorium and meeting space,
have enabled the property to be financially stable.
Contact: Larry Del Carlo, Phone: (415) 241-6183
Tracking Number: 600
Winning Category: Program (Community Planning and Development)
Best Practice: Parker-Kier Building
Parker-Kier Building Provides Shelter for
Homeless Individuals
San Diego.
The Parker-Kier Building, a 34-unit rental housing facility, has a dual
role of providing affordable housing to an underserved population of homeless
persons living with mental illness, while preserving a piece of San Diegos
architectural heritage. Heralded as the first development of its kind in
San Diego, the San Diego Housing Commission used a complex array of funding
sources to renovate and modernize the 87-year-old Parker-Kier building,
while preserving it original beauty. The commission partnered with two nonprofit
organizations and a local management firm to operate the facility and help
provide mentally ill residents with easy access to off-site support services.
These partners helped the commission overcome community resistance to the
development. Parker-Kier houses 22 low-income mentally ill adults whose
rent is subsidized through Shelter Plus Care funds from the HUD, and 11
very low-income adults.
Contact: Elizabeth Morris, Phone: (619) 525-3601
Tracking Number: 648
Winning Category: Program (Community Planning and Development)
Best Practice: Fremont Family Resource Center
Fremont Family Resource Center Offers Diverse
Services All in One Location
Fremont.
The Fremont Family Resource Center is a "one-stop" source of family-friendly
services provided through a consortium of 22 city, county, state, and private
nonprofit organizations co-located on one site. The concept for this project
emerged more than six years ago when the City hosted a series of "dreaming
sessions" for representatives from the non-profit and government sectors.
By purchasing the building using city and Community Development Block Grant
funds, the city rents prime space to the nonprofit agencies in Fremonts
business district at rates well-below market value. The Center includes
an on-site childcare facility, a career center, and a resource and computer
center, along with office and meeting space for all partner agencies. Agencies
collaborate to address a complex array of needs from medical to employment
to education. Interagency referrals have increased the demand for services.
The career center attracts 120 participants daily. Accessible childcare
has allowed families to participate in the Welfare-to-Work program and to
attend youth and family service workshops.
Contact: Robert Calkins, Phone: (510) 494-4502
Tracking Number: 2181
Winning Category: Program (Community Planning and Development)
Best Practice: The Telemedicine Program in
Public Housing
The Telemedicine Program Uses Advanced
Technology to Provide Health Services to Residents in Public Housing
Monterey Park.
The Telemedicine Program in Public Housing demonstrates an innovative use
of technology to bridge the health care gap in urban communities. Using
advanced telecommunications technology, the program provides public housing
residents with on-site access to early diagnosis and treatment of sight-threatening
diseases. The Community Development Commission/Housing Authority of the
County of Los Angeles, partnered with the Charles R. Drew University of
Medicine and Science in 1996 to launch the program. Drew University physicians
examine patients located miles away in urban public housing communities
without leaving their offices. State-of-the-art cameras, ophthalmic equipment
and computers transmit real-time images to computers at the medical center
where physicians make their diagnosis and treatment recommendations. A physician
attendant operates the equipment and communicates directly with the doctor.
Of the patients screened during the first two years of operation, 46 percent
had severe sight threatening conditions that required immediate treatment
and were referred to the King/Drew Medical Center.
Contact: Christy Miyagishima, Phone: (323)
890-7437
Tracking Number: 3017
Winning Category: Geographical and Program (Public and Indian Housing)
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