2000 Best Practice Awards
Program and Geographical Winners: Utah
Best Practice: Ephraim City Affordable Housing
Project
Partnership Provides Affordable Housing
to Utah Residents
Ephraim.
The Ephraim City Affordable Housing Project, formed in 1998, is a partnership
consisting of Ephraim City and Snow College South to build affordable housing
a need documented by a study of housing needs in Ephraim. Ephraim
City provided a parcel of city-owned land, while Snow College South provided
students to help build the homes. Federal, state and local agencies also
contributed to the project. The local USDAs Rural Development Office
served as qualifying agent; the State of Utahs Olene Walker Trust
Fund provided $120,000 at no interest for three years; the Utah State University
Extension Service offered homebuyers a home maintenance course; and the
Sanpete County Building Inspection Department waived fees. In two years,
the city and college built five homes, which were sold to families qualifying
under the affordable housing guidelines.
Contact: Gary Anderson, Phone: (435) 283-7595
Tracking Number: 470
Winning Category: Program (Community Builders)
Best Practice: Envision Utah
Utah Partnership Develops Long-Term Growth
Strategy
Salt Lake City. Envision Utah, a public/private partnership studying the
effects of long-term growth in the Greater Wasatch Area of northern Utah,
created a publicly-supported long-term growth strategy that will preserve
Utah's high quality of life, natural environment and economic vitality during
the next 50 years. Key to the programs success was early and constant
involvement of residents and local community groups. The group formed an
advisory board representing community interests to act as partners in the
planning process. They also held a series of meetings, surveys, and open
workshops to encourage local community support for the final proposal. The
final scenario includes the promotion of transit-oriented development, walkable
communities, in-fill development, higher-density housing development, preservation
of agricultural and recreational land, and conservation of natural resources.
Adoption of the strategy by local communities will preserve 171 square miles
of land, reduce mobile emissions by 7.3 percent, decrease traffic congestion
by 12.5 percent, and save $4.5 billion in infrastructure investment.
Contact: Stephen Holbrook, Phone: (801) 973-3372
Tracking Number: 590
Winning Category: Geographical
Best Practice: Utah Fair Housing Forum
Forum Increases Awareness of Fair Housing
Issues
Salt Lake City. The Utah Fair Housing Forum serves as a state-level clearinghouse
for all fair housing-related projects. The forum is a cooperative effort
by HUD, the state, municipal and nonprofit entities to identify common interests
and design a cooperative venture to address these interests. The Fair Housing
Forum has resulted in a greater understanding among fair housing organizations.
Forum members have become much more active in assuring fair housing rights,
and property owners and managers are now more aware of the fair housing
goals and are responsible for a noted decrease in fair housing complaints
being filed with the Utah Anti-discrimination and Labor Division. Members
of the Forum have also put together training on the Analysis of Impediments
for Entitlement Communities that the communities in turn are using to develop
their Consolidated Plans.
Contact: Harold Stephens, Phone: (801) 530-6435
Tracking Number: 434
Winning Category: Program (Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity)
Best Practice: Section 8 Lease Up Extravaganza
Outreach Program Helps House 200 Extremely
Low-Income Families
Salt Lake City. The Housing Authority of Salt Lake City (HASLC) hosted a
Section 8 Lease Up Extravaganza to put the 200 Welfare-to-Work Vouchers
it was awarded in January of 2000 to immediate use by extremely low-income
families. The event consisted of both a press conference and landlord training.
The purpose of the press conference was to inform the public of the need
for affordable housing within the community, and of the voucher award. The
landlord training served as a means to inform and prepare landlords, and
persuade them to accept the vast amount of families that would be flooding
the private market in search of affordable housing. The program allowed
the State of Utahs Department of Workforce Services to successfully
establish a maximum lifetime benefit in the amount of 36 months for welfare
recipients. Furthermore, the program resulted in 200 extremely low-income
families living in the safe and sanitary housing of their choice.
Contact: Jill Riddle, Phone: (801) 487-2161
Ext. 1209
Tracking Number: 73
Winning Category: Geographical and Program (Public and Indian Housing)
Best Practice: Homeless Veterans Apartment Complex
Program Provides Housing for Homeless Veterans
Salt Lake City. The Housing Authority of Salt Lake City (HASLC) brought together
nontraditional funding partners to acquire and rehabilitate a 14-unit complex
for homeless veterans who were willing to enter into a lease requiring a
mandatory work component. The goal is to give the residents an opportunity
to learn new marketable skills and transition into the private sector for
both employment and housing. HASLC partners provide housing, social services,
vocational training, and job placement for participants. Residents are required
to pay 30 percent of their income towards rent, and maintain both their
apartments and the community. Monthly meetings are held with the residents
to address any property or case management issues. Because of this project,
24 formerly homeless veterans now have a safe place to live, are in active
case management, and are learning new job skills.
Contact: Eileen Hjorth, Phone: (801) 487-2161
Ext.1220
Tracking Number: 72
Winning Category: Program (Public and Indian Housing)
Best Practice: Northeastern Housing Partnership
Utah Partnership Provides Affordable Housing
and Job Training
Roosevelt. The
Northeastern Housing Partnership is an innovative solution to producing
quality affordable housing units while at the same time teaching job skills
to inmates in the local prison. Inmates receive training in building homes
for a wage of 50 cents per hour, while under the supervision of a licensed
contractor from the Applied Technology Center. The Partnership is made up
of three state units: the Uintah Basin Association of Governments, Duchesne
County Justice Complex, and Uintah Basin Applied Technology Center. Since
its inception a year ago, the program has completed two homes. On average,
it takes between three to four months to complete a home, which cost between
$55,000 to $58,000 while other homes in the area cost approximately $86,240
to build. The cost savings allow the homes to be affordable for low-income
families.
Contact: Curtis Dastrup, Phone: (435) 722-4518
Tracking Number: 118
Winning Category: Program (Community Builders)
Best Practice: Habitat for Humanity Northern Utah
- City Creek Estates - Spring Break - Collegiate Challenge 2000
Volunteers Build Affordable Homes in Utah
Salt Lake City. Habitat for Humanity Northern Utah is building townhouse-style
units in Brigham City for low-income families. Upon completion in December
of 2000, the Habitats City Creek Estate Project will have 17 critically-needed
homes for families who have no other way of becoming homeowners. The units
will be sold to low-income families with 0 percent interest and no profit
mortgages. Habitat for Humanity relies on prospective homeowners and volunteers
to build the homes. Volunteers for this project include local churches,
youth groups, and college students from Utah State University, the State
University of New York at Cortland State, and the University of Wisconsin
at LaCrosse. The Collegiate Challenge 2000 program, where college students
use their Spring break to work on a project that benefits the community,
offered students the opportunity to learn valuable construction and team
work skills while building homes for Habitat.
Contact: Patricia Williams, Phone: (801) 524-6076
Tracking Number: 83
Winning Category: Program (Community Planning and Development)