The Consolidated Plan is a federally required document that will replace the existing Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy (CHAS). It incorporates the application and planning processes for four formula-based federal housing and community development programs. These programs include Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME), Emergency Shelter Grants (ESG), and housing Opportunities for Persons with Aids (HOPWA). The City of Escondido directly receives and distributes CDBG and HOME funds. ESG and HOPWA funds are received indirectly through the County of San Diego. This new consolidated process will replace all current HUD planning and application requirements with a single submission as well as satisfy the regulatory conditions for the four HUD formula programs.
The Consolidated Plan is comprised of four major sections, each of which represents a step in creating a comprehensive plan to address local affordable housing and community development needs for a five-year period. The plan begins by documenting citizen participation and involvement in local government; then provides an assessment of housing and community development needs which provides the foundation for establishing priorities and allocating Federal, State, and local resources; then the plan describes the priorities, strategies, objectives, and resources for addressing needs identified in the plan for a five-year period; and finally provides a one-year action plan for FY 95-96 including descriptions of the proposed projects to be financed with CDBG and HOME funds.
For purposes of the Consolidated Plan, the Federal government defines extremely low income households as those families whose income does not exceed 30 percent of the area median income, and very low income households as those families whose income does not exceed 50 percent of the area median income. Low-income households are those families whose income does not exceed 80 percent of the area median income, and moderate-income households are those families whose income is between 81 and 95 percent of the area median income. Each section of the Consolidated Plan is summarized below.
Over the years, the City has taken a proactive approach and several steps to formalize a framework for joint planning among community organizations, institutions and local government officials. This framework helps the City define its commitment to cooperation and citizen involvement through a variety of programs, Some of these programs include the California Healthy Cities Project which emphasizes a comprehensive approach to health, shared governance and citizen involvement; Neighborhood and Organizational Development (NOD) Department which strengthens the importance of citizen participation in community problem solving and governance; and Neighborhood Improvement Team (NIT) which provides a forum for direct citizen involvement in community improvement efforts. It is the goal of the City of Escondido to involve citizens in all phases of the planning and implementation of the Consolidated Plan. This will help the City to better respond to residents' needs as well as empower residents to become more involved in their neighborhoods and communities.
Provisions have been, and will continue to be made by the City to assure the
involvement of non-English speaking citizens, as well as citizens with
disabilities, in all activities related to the Consolidated Plan. Examples of
such provisions include printing information related to the Consolidated Plan
and other City programs in local Spanish language publications, providing
bilingual Spanish/English translation for public hearings and meetings, insuring
that meeting rooms are accessible to people with disabilities and providing
translation for persons with hearing impairments.
Since the late 1980s, the U.S. and specifically California, have suffered an economic recession that is slow in recovery. According to 1990 Census data, the State unemployment rate was 6.6%. Escondido also experienced an increase in unemployment during the past five years. According to 1990 Census, the unemployment rate in Escondido was 6.3% in 1989. This rate is increasing according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics which reported 8.3% as of July 1994.
From the 107,232 Escondido residents reported to the 1990 Census, a total of
12,016 (I 1%) were identified as living below poverty line, as defined by the
Office of Management and Budget.
The first step in the Plan was to assess housing and community development needs of Escondido residents. These needs help allocate federal funds and develop the Consolidated Plan. Citizen participation was solicited and a concerted effort was made to involve low income residents. They will be the direct beneficiaries of funding distribution under this Consolidated Plan. General residents, residents representing special populations and local experts in various fields participated in needs assessment activities.
The process of collecting information used three strategies: 1) community surveys; 2) focus groups; and 3) key informant interviews.
Based on 1990 Census data, the tenure distribution of the City's occupied housing units was 52% owner-occupied and 48% renter-occupied. Large housing units with three or more bedrooms were more prevalent in ownership housing stock than rental housing. In Escondido, overcrowding and vacancy were more prevalent among renter-households than among owner-households. This was a direct consequence of high housing costs in Escondido which were slightly higher than the County average. In 1990, the median gross rent was $621 in Escondido and $611 in the County. In terms of homeownership, 49% of the City's lower income homeowners had a cost burden of paying more than 30% of their gross income on housing costs.
Housing needs were assessed by a community survey which was broken into nine issue areas: residential rehabilitation, improved access for the disabled, residential property maintenance/code enforcement, homeownership, rental housing, homeless/transitional housing, supportive housing, lead-based paint, and energy efficiency. Survey responses suggested that the majority of the residents consider all but two issue areas, lead-based paint and energy efficiency, as high priority housing needs. Information on household trends, such as overcrowding and concentration of low- and moderate-income households, is an important component toward understanding growth and changing housing needs in a community.
The particular housing needs of low- and moderate-income households are identified by household type and housing problems. Households with housing problems include those that occupy units with physical defects, live in overcrowded conditions, have a housing cost burden, exceeding 30% of gross income, and have a severe housing cost burden, exceeding 50% of gross income. Based on this criteria and 1990 Census data, 46% of the City's households experienced some kind of housing problems. Overall, 58% of the renters experience some housing problems compared to 36% of the owners. Approximately, 86% of the large family renters were confronted with one or more housing problems.
Overcrowding is caused by the combined effect of low earning and high housing costs in a community. An increase' in overcrowding conditions in Escondido is evidenced by the increase in average household size between 1980 and 1990. Average household size in Escondido was 2.54 persons in 1980 and 2.73 persons in 1990 which is still higher than County's average of 2.69.
In 1990, 53% of the City's total households were low- and moderate- income households with incomes not exceeding 80% of the area median family income. Low-and moderate income households constitute 41 % of Black households, 58% of Hispanic households, 55% of Native American households, 41 % of Asian households, and 37% of White households. Based on income and demographic data supplied by HUD, the City's low- and moderate- income households by block group and census tract are concentrated in the downtown area.
Many of Escondido's neighborhoods are reflections of its residents with various cultural groups sharing a sense of community. The Anglo-American population accounted for 81% of the total households, with Hispanics at 14%, Asian/Pacific Islanders at 3%, and African-Americans and Native Americans at 1 % of the total households. The majority of the City's Hispanic population is concentrated in the downtown area.
California Community Redevelopment Law requires that at least 20% of tax increment funds generated by redevelopment project areas be used for the purpose of increasing and improving the City's supply of very low, low and moderate income housing. Over the five-year time period of this plan, 254 rental and cooperative units for lower-income families (at or below 60% of area median income) that have already gained City approval and funding commitments are expected to be completed and occupied.
Additionally, over the next five years, the City expects to be able to commit an additional $1,602,000 in redevelopment housing set-aside funds for the development of low-income housing units. During the next five years, the City will approve a series of housing projects to be funded with HOME funds and redevelopment housing set-aside funds in combination with other sources of public and private financing. Also, the City anticipates approving a total of 90 units (1 8 units annually) as a result of this process.
A goal of the Consolidated Plan is to coordinate services and facilities available for the homeless as a continuum of care. A continuum of care begins with a "point of entry" at which the needs of a homeless person or family are assessed. Once a needs assessment is completed, the person or family may be referred to permanent housing or to transitional housing where support services are provided to prepare them for independent living. Since more shelter and transitional housing programs are available for families and women with children, a greater percentage of the unsheltered homeless population are single adults, especially males. Consultations with service providers revealed that a common reason for why many families have become homeless is the economic downturn and subsequent job loss for one or both parents.
Ethnically, African-Americans and Whites each comprise about 40% of the total urban homeless population, with Hispanics and Asians representing 15% and 5%, respectively. In Escondido, providers serving the homeless population report a much higher percentage of Hispanics and a lower percentage of African Americans. An inventory of facilities and services for the homeless and persons threatened with homelessness was conducted by the City. It identified provision of services and facilities by the type of population served including single men, single women, women with children, families, and special needs populations. Currently, shelters and transitional housing, permanent housing for disabled, and day services are offered in Escondido for the different population groups identified above.
Comprehensive, long-term programs which combine housing and supportive services are needed to address the multiple and often complex needs of homeless individuals and families. Local homeless service providers emphasized the need to focus on education, job training/placement, and child care in order for homeless families to achieve economic independence. Additionally, the need for continuous year-round emergency shelter and supportive services tailored to the needs of homeless persons with alcohol, drug and/or mental health problems at all stages of the "continuum of care" was identified as an important need in Escondido.
Non-homeless persons with special needs include the frail elderly, persons with mental, physical or developmental disabilities, persons with alcohol or other drug problems and persons with AIDS and related disorders. According to the International City Managers Association, 1 % of the total population suffers from serious mental illness at any given time and the San Diego County Department of Health Services estimates that 80 Escondido mentally ill residents are in need of supportive housing. The proportion of disabled individuals is increasing nationwide due to overall increased longevity and lower fatality rates. According to 1990 Census data, 1,203 persons living in Escondido between the ages of 16 and 64 are listed as having a work, mobility, or self-care limitations. According to the County Health Department, 1.2% of the county's population is infected with HIV, and 14% of those are in need of supportive housing. Currently, these special population groups have access to housing services and facilities which provide supportive services as well as independent living skills. An inventory of these facilities identified a wide range of different types of supportive housing from emergency shelter to permanent housing located throughout Escondido. According to the community assessment, the current needs exceed the available resources, especially for low income persons.
Government factors and market conditions pose constraints to the provision of adequate and affordable housing. Constraints to housing' production significantly impact households with lower incomes and special needs.
Government constraints, such as land use controls, site improvement requirements, building codes, development processing procedures, and fees may serve as a constraint to housing development. The City can act to minimize the bad effects of these factors could have on affordable housing production. Other non-governmental constraints include land costs, construction costs, and financing costs which are not controlled by the City; and therefore, the City has a limited ability to influence these factors.
Crime prevention programs, services for youth, child care services and job training programs were identified by residents as the highest priority community services needs. In addition, youth centers, child care centers, parks and recreation facilities and health care facilities were identified by survey respondents as the highest priority community facility needs. For both child care and youth, the needs are greatest for subsidized, low cost or free services which are accessible to low income youth and families. Many of these services exist in Escondido. But, many programs operate below capacity, because those who need the services are not able to pay for them.
Significant mental health needs were also identified during the needs assessment process. The need for increased outreach capabilities, coordination of services for persons who are diagnosed with mental illness and alcohol/drug addictions, and expanded crisis center hours were some of the priority mental health needs identified.
The community survey questioned residents about eight categories of infrastructure improvements. Street lighting was identified as a high priority by the greatest number of respondents with street and sidewalk improvements also ranking as high priority needs. Garbage/trash removal, water system improvements, and sewer improvements were ranked overall as medium priority needs with flood prevention/drainage improvements and asbestos removal ranked overall as lower priority needs.
To encourage and sustain economic recovery, the City needs to address economic development issues at both the micro and macro level. Job training and other counseling services are required to better match the job skills of individuals with demands of the changing labor market. On the macro level, economic development and business retention programs are necessary to stimulate economic recovery in Escondido. Creation of new employment opportunities was the number one economic development issue identified by Escondido residents. Many respondents also identified technical assistance and small business development as relatively high priority needs.
The Consolidated Plan is administered through an interdepartmental project
team consisting of representatives from the Community Development Commission,
Housing Division, Neighborhood and Organizational Development Department, and
Planning Division. In addition, the project team obtained significant input in
the development of this document from various low income residents, homeless
persons and others with special needs, community-based housing, health and
social service providers and community and neighborhood groups.
The consolidated strategy allows a community to establish a unified vision for housing and community development actions through a collaborative effort and process. By consolidating the submission and reporting requirements for HUD formula programs, the Federal government is providing local jurisdictions with an opportunity to better shape the various programs into effective, coordinated neighborhood and community development strategies. It also creates the opportunity for strategic planning and citizen participation to take place in a comprehensive framework, and to reduce duplication of effort at the local level. It integrates economic, physical, environmental, community, and human development in a comprehensive and coordinated fashion so that families and communities can work together and succeed. The strategic plan also sets forth goals, objectives, and performance benchmarks for measuring progress and establishes a framework for assessing new knowledge and experience, and for identifying how they can add to a successful plan for revitalization.
The housing assistance needs of Escondido households far exceed the resources to be available over the five year time period of the Consolidated Plan. Analysis of housing data contained in the 1990 Census data, as well as a comparison of that data with 1980 Census data, showed the following trends:
Based on these findings, the following priorities have been adopted for investment of housing funds that are available to the City over the five year time period of the Consolidated Plan:
1) Expand the supply of affordable permanent housing for renter households.
2) Maintain the supply of existing ownership housing as a source of low and moderate cost housing and as a conservation measure.
3) Expand the supply of three and four bedroom rental units for low-income families.
4) Promote neighborhood stability by increasing the length of tenure of renter households.
5) Increase homeownership opportunities.
6) Increase the supply of well-designed multifamily units.
This section lists the priority housing needs as established in Consolidated Plan Table 2. It should be noted that several of the identified priority needs are not mutually exclusive, but could be met within the same housing projects and programs.
Prior community development proposals and projects, and consultation among City departments provided a basis for prioritizing community development needs, in addition to the needs assessment data gathered by the City, census and demographic data. The priorities are as follows:
1) Priority Community Development Needs, Strategies and Objectives. Revitalize low income neighborhoods through direct citizen involvement in improving the physical and social environment
The need for neighborhood improvement programs was identified by a large percentage of residents, across a variety of subgroups of the population. The success of previous neighborhood revitalization projects, both in Escondido and other communities, suggests that these types of programs are a sound investment with a high potential for improving the lives of a low-income residents.
The City of Escondido has identified the South Escondido Boulevard area for revitalization and set aside CDBG money to begin a pilot project in this neighborhood during Fiscal Year 1995. Revitalization efforts will be neighborhood-based, with a high level of involvement of residents and businesses in planning and implementing revitalization projects. Initial funding will go largely to short-term, high impact projects, with an emphasis on mobilizing other resources to match/supplement CDBG funds. The City will also encourage agencies to focus service delivery in this neighborhood during the revitalization period.
Objectives to be accomplished include:
2) Priority Service Needs for Low-income Families. Prevent problems among low income families and individuals and reduce demand for expensive, intensive services.
Prevention and early intervention were identified as high priority needs by a wide variety of individual citizens and groups within the City. Prevention efforts are needed in areas of health, social and psychological functioning, violence, alcohol and drug addiction, and many others. Currently there are no prevention or early intervention services addressing the multiple problems of low income, high risk families. Unattended, problems become more severe eventually requiring expensive treatment and/or rehabilitative services. By identifying and intervening early, many of the personal and community costs can be avoided.
Objectives to be accomplished include:
3) Priority Homeless Needs. Develop Comprehensive, Integrated Service Systems to Transition Homeless Families and Individuals to Permanent Housing and Self-Sufficiency.
Based on the "Continuum of Care" model, integrated and comprehensive services are the key to transitioning homeless individuals and families to self-sufficiency and permanent housing. The City is dedicated to the development of a continuum of care addressing homeless issues in Escondido, and will work to develop a comprehensive, integrated system to meet the needs of homeless persons and to prevent homelessness among at-risk populations.
There is a relatively large homeless population in Escondido, with a growing number of homeless families with children. Existing shelter and transitional housing programs, while very successful, cannot meet the current demand. The comprehensive nature of many existing programs has been a key to their success. There is a need to expand such programs, and to further develop the integrated network of services available to homeless individuals and families.
Objectives include:
4) Priority Special Population Needs. Develop Comprehensive, Integrated Service Systems to Meet the Needs of Special Populations, including Children and Youth, Persons with Physical and Mental Disabilities, Victims of Domestic Violence, Senior Citizens, Persons with Alcohol/Drug Problems and Veterans.
The City plans to address the needs of the special populations described above in a variety of ways, with the goal of developing comprehensive, integrated service systems to meet their separate and shared needs. The initial focus will be on services for children and youth, and services related to violence (interpersonal and domestic) and alcohol/drug problems. The City will work with community agencies to develop a comprehensive network of services and referrals to address these issues, with an emphasis on early detection and prevention of problems. The integrated system developed for youth, violence and alcohol/drug services will serve as a model for developing integrated service systems for other special populations. The initial focus on youth, violence and alcohol/drug services will not exclude funding for other special populations.
Objectives include:
The Consolidated Plan lists all anticipated federal and local funding
resources. Housing funding resources are allocated among the following
activities: acquisition, rehabilitation, new construction, planning, support
services, and operating costs of facilities.
The City of Escondido will continue to rely on an innovative and multi-faceted approach to provide affordable housing and meet the community development needs of its low income residents. Partnerships comprised of public, private, and non-profit agencies will continue to take place to maximize the use of resources to finance acquisition, rehabilitation, new construction, homebuyer activities, provision of rental housing, economic development, and health/human/social services in the community.
The City of Escondido has issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for allocation of FY 1995/96 HOME Program project development funds ($396,900) and the City's HOME Program matching funds ($125,000). Proposals are due in July of 1995, with a preliminary selection of project(s) scheduled to take place in September of 1995. Proposal(s) selected for HOME funding shall be consistent with the funding priorities established as part of this Consolidated Plan.
Location: Eligible projects may be proposed for any residential location within the City. However, three target areas have been identified as preferred locations for projects. They are the South Escondido Boulevard Pilot Project Area, the Redevelopment Project Area, and Mission and Fig Area.
Community Development and Homeless Projects Proposed for FY 1995/96
CDBG funding allocations specified in the FY 1995-96 One Year Plan address a wide range of community development and homeless needs. Priority needs, strategies and objectives defined in the Strategic Five Year Plan are addressed through the funding of projects in areas of child/youth services, senior services, services for persons with disabilities, alcohol/drug services, and health services. In addition, a pilot neighborhood revitalization project has been funded for FY 1995-96.
The City of Escondido's One-Year Action Plan includes a variety of projects to meet the City's priority to develop comprehensive, integrated service systems to transition homeless families and individuals to permanent housing and self-sufficiency. The City is dedicated to the development of a continuum of care addressing homeless issues and will support a wide variety of projects during FY 1995-96 with CDBG funds to assist homeless individuals transition into employment and the mainstream community, and to prevent homelessness for families at risk.
A broad range of agencies were selected to receive FY 1995/96 funding. These include agencies that have previously received Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding, as well as those that are new to the program.
Location: Funded projects are well distributed throughout the City, with a special concentration in low-income areas. A new area for FY 1995/96 funding is the South Escondido Boulevard corridor for a neighborhood revitalization project.
MAP 2 depicts points of interest and low-moderate income areas.
MAP 3 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, and minority concentration levels.
MAP 4 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, and unemployment levels.
MAP 5 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, and proposed HUD funded projects.
MAP 6 depicts streets with proposed HUD funded projects within one neighborhood.
