Oceanside, California, is the third largest city in San Diego County. It is located 36 miles north of San Diego and 84 miles south of Los Angeles. The city's proximity to Mexico and the area's large number of agricultural industries have resulted in a sizable immigrant population. Camp Pendleton, a U.S. Marine Corps base, occupies 195 square miles along the city's northern boundary.
The city has an airport, golf courses, parks, and community center facilities. Residents and visitors enjoy 3.5 miles of ocean beach, an excellent climate, and a host of cultural activities within Oceanside and neighboring communities.
In Fiscal Year 1995, Oceanside will have about $2 million in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds and $191,000 in program income, totaling $2.2 million for the 1995- 1996 Action Plan. These funds will be spent primarily on housing rehabilitation, planning, and various social services. Additionally, there will be approximately $600,000 of HOME funds available for allocation to housing programs.
The city's housing department is the lead agency for implementing the Consolidated Plan. At the beginning of the planning process, the housing department held several neighborhood meetings to explain the planning process and to solicit input on community needs and solutions to identified problems. Furthermore, about 300 citizens, nonprofit organizations, and other government agencies were surveyed on community needs. The city held a final participatory community workshop attended by over 50 citizens, city staff, and service providers.
Oceanside's 1993 population was 145,404, an increase of over 13 percent from the 1990 census count of 128,398. The city's population is expected to exceed 170,000 by 2005. This anticipated growth would represent a population increase of 78 percent from 1986.
Of the city's 37,027 households, 74 percent are headed by married couples, while 12 percent are female-headed households. Oceanside is a racially and ethnically diverse community, with whites comprising 64 percent of the population, Hispanics comprising 23 percent, African Americans comprising over 7 percent, and Asian Americans or Pacific Islanders comprising over 6 percent. In four of the city's census tracts, minorities make up 50 percent or more of the population.
In 1990 Oceanside's median family income (MFI) was $36,720. In 1989 the average poverty threshold for a family of four was $12,674. Of all the city's households, 3,694 are extremely low-income (0-30 percent of MFI); 4,976 are very low-income (31-50 percent of MFI); 9,383 are low-income (51-80 percent of MFI); and 4,741 are moderate-income (81-95 percent of MFI). In 10 of the city's census tracts, persons earning less than 80 percent of MFI comprise 50 percent or more of the population. Two of those tracts also have concentrations of minorities.
Two critical needs for Oceanside are increasing the affordability of housing and rehabilitating the existing housing stock. To address affordable housing needs, rental assistance is needed to reduce cost burden. To address housing quality/condition problems, funds are needed to help low-income persons maintain and repair their homes.
The 1990 census reported that Oceanside had 51,109 dwelling units and a vacancy rate of 8.5 percent. By the end of 1993, the vacancy rate had shrunk to 7.9 percent. Between 1990 and 1993, Oceanside's population grew over 13 percent, while its housing stock grew only 6.8 percent during that same period. In 1990, 53 percent of all units were owner- occupied homes, and 38 percent were renter-occupied units. Long waiting lists for onbase housing at Camp Pendleton influence the Oceanside housing market, with an estimated 2,000 families appearing on the current waiting list.
The 1994 median value for owner-occupied units was $137,629. The median contract rent reported by the 1990 census was $599 per month. These high median values reflect the high value of coastal land.
A number of housing units are beginning to show a need for rehabilitation. Based on the city's 1988 to 1992 Housing Assistance Plan, more than 8 percent of the city's housing stock is substandard.
Almost 50 percent of all the rental households in Oceanside are low- and moderate-income households whose housing cost burdens exceed 30 percent of their income. They need rental assistance and affordable housing options. Over 18 percent of all homeowners in Oceanside are low- and moderate-income households whose housing cost burdens exceed 30 percent of their income. They need rehabilitation assistance.
According to the 1990 census, the urban homeless population of Oceanside was approximately 848 persons. Of that population, 256 were members of homeless families; 528 were single adults; and 64 were unaccompanied youth. Furthermore, 31 percent were victims of domestic violence; 21 percent were substance abusers; 17 percent were severely mentally ill; and 14 percent had AIDS or related diseases. A study conducted by San Diego State University estimates there are anywhere from 1,000 to 3,000 homeless farm workers and day laborers residing in Oceanside. Numerous programs or facilities are available for homeless assistance, including:
Although there are no public housing units within Oceanside, 955 households receive assistance through the Section 8 program. This includes 417 certificates and 277 vouchers, and 261 "Ports" that the city administers. An additional 1,120 households are assisted through other Federal, State, and local housing programs, such as: the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development 202 projects, tax-exempt mortgage revenue bonds, coastal replacement housing, density bonuses, and mortgage credit certificates.
Affordable housing barriers that can be minimally controlled by government include land costs, construction costs, and financing. Land costs are increased by the number of adequate sites that are made available. Regional demand for housing and its costs have a greater impact on land costs. Construction and financing costs are also determined at the regional, State, and National levels by various private and public actions.
One governmental barrier to affordable housing could be building codes which ensure that all housing units are built to specified standards. The city enforces the Uniform Building Code, the National Electric Code, the Uniform Mechanical Code, and the Uniform Plumbing Code. Other barriers that add to the cost of housing are improvements to streets, curbs, gutters, parks, and schools.
Among overall building fees, Oceanside's average total building fee of $12,012 ranked 10th out of 19 jurisdictions in the region. The city has made a diligent effort to reduce the length of time required to process residential development permits. Although the city had previously mandated controlled growth, that ordinance has recently been repealed.
The city has agreed to affirmatively encourage fair housing practices. The city has adopted a Standard Condition of Approval for residential subdivisions which requires a developer to agree to comply with the Building Industry Association's Voluntary Affirmative Marketing Agreement or submit their own "fair housing marketing" agreement.
Approximately 37 percent of housing units in Oceanside could contain lead-based paint. About 40 percent of these units are occupied by low- and moderate-income households. As financial resources allow, the combined following steps could reduce lead-based paint in residential units:
The majority of supportive services and housing assistance for physically disabled people are provided through numerous nonprofit organizations. The Community Service Center for the Disabled provides services, such as: personal assistance, housing referral, benefits counseling, employment services, peer counseling, and transportation.
An estimated 1,895 Oceanside adults suffer from serious and persistent mental illness and require stable, decent housing. Insufficient access to this basic need often forces mentally ill people to become homeless or threatened with homelessness, or to live in unstable or substandard housing situations. A limited number of community-based rehabilitative and supportive housing options exist for mentally ill people, who are not in crisis, but who need living accommodations.
The State Office of AIDS estimates that 738 Oceanside residents are HIV positive, while the San Diego County Health Department reports that 169 city residents have full-blown AIDS. Although Oceanside does not have a residential facility for AIDS patients at this time, facilities for people with AIDS are available regionally, including: 5 residential facilities containing 50 beds, 6 hospices, 1 skilled nursing facility, 2 resource centers, and 11 health centers or clinics. About 100 rental-assisted units are supported by the Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS program.
Oceanside's community development needs include: improvements to infrastructure, improved accessibility for handicapped persons, better code enforcement, and provision of various public services, such as: employment training; fair housing counseling; services for the elderly, youth, and handicapped populations; child care; and substance abuse services.
The purpose of Oceanside's Consolidated Plan is to achieve three basic goals for its citizens:
Oceanside's 5-year housing priorities include:
The city's 5-year community development priorities include:
Oceanside has historically allocated the maximum amount allowed (15 percent of its annual Community Development Block Grant [CDBG] entitlement) to public services. Numerous services are provided, enabling many segments of the lower income population to move toward self-sufficiency.
The high cost of living, low incomes, and insufficient jobs contribute to poverty in Oceanside. Often, the jobs that are available do not pay enough to meet living costs. Training for jobs that pay adequate wages, combined with sufficient rent subsidies to assist those in need, could eventually help low-income residents to achieve self-sufficiency. The city provides rent subsidies to several different types of households.
Another obstacle to employment for the lower income population is the cost of child care. The city has an active Child Care Task Force that constantly searches for affordable child- care programs. Furthermore, the city provides several free afterschool programs for children.
Financial resources for addressing housing and community development needs are limited. City resources must be used to leverage additional funds from private and public sources and programs. Innovative partnerships with commercial banks, nonprofit agencies, and private developers are needed. Oceanside will rely on local banks for housing and economic development, and on the Savings Association Mortgage Company and the Federal Home Loan Bank for financing multifamily rental and limited equity housing cooperatives. The city will rely on nonprofit organizations for additional resources, including: the Local Initiative Support Corporation, which supports residential, commercial, or mixed-use projects serving low-income households; and the California Community Reinvestment Corporation, which provides permanent financing for multifamily rental and limited equity housing cooperatives.
Several local programs will add to the city's resources. The Redevelopment Agency will help with rehabilitation, new construction, and acquisition to assist low- and moderate-income households. Other programs for new construction assistance include: Density Bonus, Inclusionary Housing Program, Mortgage Revenue Bonds, Coastal Zone Replacement Housing, Single Room Occupancy, and Farmworker Housing.
The city could have access to numerous State programs, including: the California Homeownership Assistance Program, California Housing Rehabilitation Program-Owner Component, Mobile Home Park Assistance Program, California Energy Conservation Rehabilitation Program, Emergency Housing Assistance Program, California Housing Finance Agency, Mortgage Credit Certificate Program, and Building Equity and Growth in Neighborhoods Program.
All city departments work cooperatively to meet common city goals. The city will continue to work with various San Diego County agencies and local nonprofit service providers to ensure that Oceanside residents obtain all available services. The Housing Director is a member of the San Diego County committee of local housing coordinators, which coordinates the activities related to developing the Consolidated Plan.
City staff also attend meetings held by a group of CDBG coordinators from San Diego County. The group meets quarterly to review information and share data regarding projects and additional funding sources. Oceanside encourages all agencies involved in public services to attend citizen participation meetings regarding the CDBG application process. City staff provide technical assistance to nonprofit and for-profit developers who express an interest in building affordable housing.
The following are some of Oceanside's key Consolidated Plan projects for Fiscal Year 1995:
The city is the grantee for many of the programs that will be used to implement the Consolidated Plan. The City Council is the governing body that makes the funding decisions for the programs. City Council's primary advisory boards include: the Housing Commission for housing matters, and the Community Relations Commission for nonhousing community development matters.
Emergency shelter and support will be available for 180 youth in crisis and 200 abused women and their children. Shelter and services will be provided for 250 abused, neglected, or homeless children. Furthermore, 30 households will be assisted through the housing loan rehabilitation program, and 32 households living in mobile homes will receive similar grants. Housing and 24-hour care will be provided for 10 AIDS patients.
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, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects.
MAP 6 is a map, sectioned by neighborhood, which depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects.
MAP 7 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects within one of the four neighborhoods indicated in MAP 6.
MAP 8 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects within another of the four neighborhoods indicated in MAP 6.
MAP 9 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded project(s) from a street level vantage point; in addition, a table provides information about the project(s).
