The County's One-Year Action Plan is supported by $7.1 million in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds, $2.6 million in HOME funds and $192,000 in Emergency Shelter Grants (ESG). Additionally the County has an estimated $423,000 in program income and received $420,744 as its most recent Section 8 award.
The Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Authority has an extensive community participation process. Target Area Committees (TACs) have been in place in the County since 1978. The TACs represent the actual neighborhoods where CDBG are targeted and are an important part of program development, implementation, and evaluation. Recently, Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency (SHRA) staff also began relying on local neighborhood organizations for input in new areas without TACs.
These groups (including Project Area Committees, Redevelopment Area
Committees, Community Advisory Committees, and locally organized neighborhood
associations--any or all, including TACs, are referred to as TACs) represent a
true "neighborhood based" opinion. Regardless of modifications in
Federal regulations concerning citizen participation, Sacramento remains
committed to obtaining the broadest citizen participation possible. Citizens
may request additional information on any of those subject areas covered in the
plan by contacting the person named in the plan as responsible for that
particular subject area.
County's population is 671,854 (unincorporated area only) and of that number
22 percent are classified as minority. Minority households constitute a greater
percentage of the low income population than of the total population. The
County has 154,000 low income households, which the County defines as households
earning at/or below 80 percent of Sacramento's median income ($45,200 for a
family of four). Of those low income households, 68% are White, 12% Black, 11%
Hispanic, 1% Native American and 8% Asian.
148,325 low-income households county-wide experience one or more housing problems. These problems consist of households paying 30% or more of their income for housing, living in substandard conditions, and/ or overcrowded conditions. Large family renter households have a much higher incidence of housing problems than any other group.
Housing rehabilitation remains a need throughout the County. An estimated 5.6% or approximately 14,000 of the County's housing stock is defined as substandard with 13,300 suitable for rehabilitation. Current information demonstrates that low-income households in substandard housing are widely scattered throughout the County. Additionally, housing conditions data indicates that older housing is also widely dispersed through the County. These findings indicate that the need for financial assistance for housing rehabilitation occurs throughout the County.
A major emphasis of the County's CDBG program has been conservation of the existing housing stock and support for low-income property owners to rehabilitate their homes to an acceptable living standard through the correction of building codes. Despite the County's substantial efforts in housing rehabilitation, there are still major pockets of deteriorated housing with the County.
There is a high level of default and foreclosure in the local housing market both for multi- family and single-family units. Prices for single-family homes in the Sacramento area rose 74% from 1985 through 1990 with only 41% of Sacramento's households being able to afford to purchase a median priced home. Apartment rental rates moved steadily upward from 1986 to 1991 and have been stagnant ever since. A 1992 survey revealed a 7.9% vacancy rate for multi-family rental housing. Thus, vacancy rates are high enough to permit affordable housing programs, particularly those that utilize the existing housing stock through housing rehabilitation and Section 8 vouchers and certificates.
Very low income households have the highest cost burden with 31% of this income group paying 50% or more of their income for housing, compared to 8% for low income and 3% for moderate income. Even though interest rates have fallen, making single family housing more affordable, the County does not expect market forces alone to make homeownership more affordable to prospective low income households. Consequently, there is definitely a need to provide homeownership opportunities to households with incomes between 50 percent and 80 percent of area median income.
Because decreasing homeownership rates are considered the major cause of neighborhood decline, the housing elements of the County's general plans place great emphasis on owner- occupied housing. If the growing social problems which make the implementation of affordable housing in older neighborhoods more difficult, are to be eradicated, troubled neighborhoods must be strengthened through social services and job opportunities. There needs to be linkage between housing and community development efforts.
To alleviate the cost burdens of the 103,800 low income households, there is a need for rental assistance and other related affordable housing subsidies, particularly for the very low income households who suffer the largest housing cost burdens.
In the Sacramento area, there are approximately 3000 to 5000 homeless individuals consisting of single males and females, as well as families with children. The homeless have many divergent characteristics and problems, which can not be helped through housing assistance alone. Such divergence points to the need for multiple programs to address the array of needs unique to each of the homeless subgroups.
Through its Continuum of Care for the homeless, the County has established a system of outreach, intake and assessment, which includes numerous organizations serving the homeless persons and families. Nine organizations provide emergency shelter services which may take the form of vouchers to hotels/motels or specific shelter sites for overnight or short term occupancy. Limited emergency shelters provide temporary shelter for men, women, children, public inebriates, mentally ill singles, battered women and chemically addicted women. The County's largest shelter program, the Winter Overflow Shelter, provides 320 overnight beds. On a year-round basis, the community has 215 beds for women and children and 448 beds for single men in the emergency shelter system.
The Continuum of Care's second component is its Transitional Housing Programs funded through eight organizations. One notable addition to these programs is the Mather Community Campus is a HUD-funded $12.8 million employment and training project for homeless persons in a transitional housing setting located at the former Mather Air Force Base. This project is a one-of-a-kind in the nation and will serve, at full capacity, 60 families and 200 single homeless persons. The maximum stay for a resident is two years followed by six months of after-program case management.
The third aspect of the Consolidated Plan's Continuum of Care is the opportunity for affordable housing. Currently, there are 80 Section 8 certificates and 40 Section 8 vouches available and another 20 SRO mod-rehab units set-aside for the homeless. In 1995, under the Shelter Plus Care program, 279 units of rental assistance and 22-room Single Room Occupancy units are expected to be available to serve disabled homeless persons. There are four County organizations that provide 147 units of permanent supportive housing for persons with HIV/AIDS, the mentally ill and the chemically addicted homeless population.
The fourth aspect of the Continuum of Care consists of twenty-one organizations which provide an array of homeless supportive serves. There are also substantial numbers of community-based organizations, neighborhood associations, businesses and government agencies directly involved in regular meetings on homeless issues from the evaluation of current programs to setting homeless priorities to providing guidance and input to homeless providers.
Within the Sacramento area, there are approximately 59,379 non-homeless residents with special needs, such as the frail elderly, physically disabled and persons with HIV/AIDs. Like the homeless, many low income persons with special needs require supportive housing.
The County has some homeownership programs open for its special needs population. However, such programs are limited because low income households have a much more difficult time affording homeownership even with substantial subsidies. Decent and affordable housing is also needed for the 1,300 migrant farm workers employed in the Sacramento area during the peak summer months.
The total public housing inventory is 3,086 of which 1,050 units are owned and operated by the County Housing Authority. Through the Comprehensive Grant Program, the County receives approximately $1.8 million annually from HUD. These funds are targeted first for emergency repairs, such as life threatening electrical problems and leaky roofs; second, HUD mandated priorities, such as lead-based paint abatement and accessibility features for the physically handicapped and third, energy conservation and other general property improvements. Because needs far exceed resources, current levels of funding are sufficient to cover only the highest priority needs. Approximately 2400 assisted County and City housing units are in danger of being lost through prepayment of federally assisted mortgage and other subsidy agreements.
There is a need to consider eliminating duplication of Federal and State regulations. The County is concerned that Federal requirements for an impact assessment of public land use regulations and the production of affordable housing is nearly identical to a California requirement. Sacramento also has programs in place to encourage the production of affordable housing such as housing trust funds and zoning provisions which provide density bonuses for the development of affordable housing. Additional measures now under consideration by the City, such as inclusionary zoning will be considered by the County in conjunction with updates of its General Plan Housing Elements.
The County has certified that it will affirmatively further fair housing and aggressively comply with Anti-Discrimination requirements. The County also allocated funds to the Human Rights/Fair Housing Commission to provide assistance to eligible clients in areas of complaint mitigation and legal advice/referrals.
The County estimates the total number of owner and renter units containing lead based paint (LBP) as 98,243. A sample of 232 Oak Park homes revealed that 25% of units surveyed has elevated interior LBP levels, 65% had elevated exterior lead paint levels and 5% had elevated soil concentrated levels. This study also revealed that of the 382 children living in this sample study of homes, 14% had varying degrees of lead blood levels.
Sacramento has a five year LBP risk reduction strategy which includes increase coordination between relevant health, environmental and housing authorities; integrate local LBP risk efforts into existing housing programs and advocate increased state funding and other private sector support.
Sacramento cites the need to assist its troubled neighborhoods by placing
greater emphasis on these areas as the most logical geographic framework for
assessing community service needs and allocating scarce public resources. In
addition to revitalizing low -income neighborhoods, there is also a need to
expand economic opportunities for low income people. The Consolidated Plan
strategy is intended to support Sacramento's efforts to implement a new approach
to the provision of community services. Growing social problems and
unemployment in our neighborhoods make the implementation of affordable housing
and other physical improvements more difficult without bringing to bear
integrated public services to deal with those social problems. Neighborhood
self-sufficiency and commitment becomes more imperative in light of declining
public budgets and increasing neighborhood problems.
Major goals are to revitalize depressed or declining neighborhoods, provide public services to targeted lower income and disadvantaged populations and provide housing assistance to low income persons. Specific target areas have identified a need for affordable housing in their neighborhoods and housing rehabilitation remains a need throughout the County. Visible renewal to spur reinvestment continues to be a County goal and neighborhoods have been specifically targeted for infrastructure and neighborhood improvements.
The County cites the preservation and expansion of affordable housing as one of its major objectives. Thus, efforts will be directed towards the production of additional affordable housing in the face of increasing deterioration of funding. Factors such as economic conditions, owner abandonment of housing, changes in the laws and stringent financial markets require that emphasis be place on rehabilitation and the restoration of existing housing in order to promote neighborhood stability and growth.
The County target its single family housing rehabilitation program county-wide. It will also institute in those areas where the majority of the housing requires less extensive rehabilitation work its Paint and Beautification Program.
Sacramento will also provide additional affordable housing through new construction and has made this activity an important component in its housing strategy. It will use local funds for this effort and will make the new units to low and moderate income families.
In addition to the comprehensive community development and housing approach that the County will undertake in its designated neighborhoods, its goal is to institute a commercial revitalization program to reinvigorate its older, neighborhood serving commercial areas by providing low interest commercial rehabilitation loans, storefront improvement grants and free architectural design services.
Sacramento will continue to provide its extensive public services to its low-income population. Such services include funding for the Community Information Center which provides assistance in housing, legal services, transportation, health and consumer counseling.
The City/ County of Sacramento have a comprehensive economic development strategy. Because of its changing economic base, Sacramento has established an extensive array of federally supported economic development programs via the Consolidated Plan. Among Sacramento's economic initiatives is the neighborhood facade grant and loan program which is designed to enhance the older commercial corridor and to foster increased economic activity. Also, Sacramento has begun a microloan program to provide funding and training that small businesses need during their initial start-ups and expansion periods.
Notable of Sacramento's programs is the Grow Sacramento Fund, which is a newly formed partnership between the local utility company and Sacramento to provide Small Business Assistance guaranteed loans. The Sacramento's Consolidated Plan also contains four programs designed to assist individuals locate and/or be trained for jobs. These programs are the Youth Entrepreneurial Start-up Program; the Office of Equal Opportunity in Construction, the Job Bank Program and the State Enterprise Program. This latter program provides incentives for hiring individuals from high density unemployment areas. In addition, entrepreneurial training classes were implemented in four neighborhoods. Working in partnership with the West Forin Place Business Incubator, the program targets low income households and promotes small business formation as a means of self-sufficiency.
The County's Consolidated Plan resources also support business retention. For example, these resources helped to keep the Blue Diamond Growers Company in the area through a HUD 108 loan and an Economic Development Initiative grant of $9.5 million. The funds enabled the company to undertake over $30 million in plant upgrades. Sacramento's intervention warded off the company's plans to close its Sacramento operations. Such a closure would have resulted in the loss of over 725 full-time and 362 part-time low income jobs and a possible loss of 3,472 related sector jobs.
Sacramento is actively involved in activities to reduce poverty through increased economic development. Specific activities include business loans, training and employment opportunities in conjunction with affordable housing and homeless services program, and on an active State Enterprise Zone program which links low-income residents to job opportunities.
In addition to its HOME, CDBG and ESG funds, the County relies on Section 8 certificates and vouchers. It also recently received $3.1 million for public housing development and has a Housing Trust Fund which is based on revenues levied on development/construction fees generating $1 million in revenues in 1994.
The Sacramento Housing Redevelopment Agency (SHRA) is the lead agency and
responsible for coordinating with twenty-six entities responsible for carrying
out the programs and actions covered in its Consolidated Plan. Examples of
these entities are the Salvation Army, Women Escaping a Violent Environment, the
Human Rights and Fair Housing Commission, the Sacramento Mutual Housing
Association, and various County agencies.
The County's Consolidated Plan outlines the proposed use of approximately $9.9 million in CDBG, HOME and Emergency Shelter Grants. These funds will be expended on a wide range of newly proposed housing and community development activities, including the following examples:
Targeted neighborhoods and Countywide
County has designated the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency, which administers programs on the County's behalf and also to function as the Consolidated Plan's lead agency.
The County failed to reflect its housing goals in its Consolidated Plan nor does its list of proposed projects list cite any proposed accomplishments.
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; in addition, a table provides information about the project(s).
MAP 6 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded project(s) from a street level vantage point.
Mary Wray at the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Authority
(916) 440-1399, extension 317
