The County of San Diego, Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) administers funds from their federally funded HUD programs for housing and community development activities covered under the County of San Diego Consolidated Consortium Consolidated Plan. The activities are administered in two different jurisdictions; the Urban County and the County of San Diego HOME Consortium.
The County of San Diego operates programs funded by the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and the Emergency Shelter Grant (ESG) within the San Diego Urban County. The Urban County includes the unincorporated area and seven participating cities, including Coronado, Del Mar, Imperial Beach, Lemon Grove, Poway, San Marcos and Solana Beach.
The County of San Diego administers the HOME Investment Partnership Program (HOME) within the County of San Diego Consortium, which includes the Urban County (as listed above), as well as the cities of Encinitas, Santee and Vista. Of the entire San Diego County population, 756,272 persons reside in the Consortium jurisdiction.
Located in the far southwest portion of California, San Diego County spans over 4,300 square miles, nearly the size of three New England states. It ranks third in land area and population among the 58 counties in California. The residents of San Diego County enjoy excellent climate, rich cultural traditions and recreational opportunities, and a diverse economy.
The San Diego County population of more than 2.6 million people resides in eighteen cities, the unincorporated area and numerous small communities. San Diego County's population is greater than that of 19 states. Among large U.S. counties, San Diego County ranks second in size of County government general fund revenues and eight in total County government budget.
In Fiscal Year (FY) 1995, the County of San Diego Consortium will utilize over $10 million for housing and community development needs. Entitlement grants total $9,827,000 and program income is estimated to be $450,000. The County will receive $6,961,000 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds to meet a variety of community development objectives. Of the CDBG funds, it is estimated that $1,468,089 will be committed to affordable housing activities ($1,016,369 for housing development, and $451,720 for housing preservation). The remaining $5,492,911 will be dedicated to community development improvements identified by the local communities as needed to revitalize targeted areas meeting CDBG criteria.
The Consortium will receive $2,653,000 during FY 1995 of HOME funds to further the development of affordable housing, such as, the acquisition, rehabilitation or new construction of housing for lower income households. HCD is the lead agency for the Consortium's HOME program. Ten percent ($265,300) of the allocation is taken off of the top for administration of the HOME program. The remaining $2,387,000 is split among the Urban County and the cities of Encinitas, Santee and Vista based on a formula including population, over crowdedness and poverty.
The funds are allocated as follows: Urban County - $1,812,619; Encinitas - $174,358; Santee - $157,894; and Vista - $242,828. Of the HOME allocation for the year, 15 percent ($397,950) is reserved Community Housing Development Organizations (CHDOs). The CHDO set-aside is administered by HCD as a portion of the $1,812,619 Urban County HOME funds. The cities of Encinitas, Santee and Vista will utilize the HOME funds for tenant based rental assistance. The Urban County funds are divided as follows: $100,000 for tenant based rental assistance, $250,000 for residential rehabilitation, and $1,462,619 for housing development proposals solicited through a competitive application process.
The County and the City of San Diego are the two recipients of ESG funds in San Diego County. The County will receive $213,000 for FY 1995. These funds are also allocated through a competitive application process. HCD provides funding to partially fund the operating expenses of three emergency shelters throughout the region that provide shelter and services to homeless families.
The County of San Diego Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) is the lead agency in the preparation of the Consolidated Plan. As the lead agency, HCD worked in consultation with representatives from participating and neighboring cities, nonprofit organizations, County departments, local planning groups and interested citizens. The consultation process occurred at all stages in the Consolidated Plan development process.
Input was received during preparation of the Consolidated Plan. HCD consulted with County agencies, city representatives and adjacent local governments in preparation of the needs assessment and five-year and one-year strategies. Specific agencies involved in the preparation of the Plan were the departments of Social Services, Health Services, General Services, Planning and Land Use, Area Agency on Aging and Public works. All participating cities within the Consortium were included in the citizen participation process.
Neighborhood meetings and public hearings were scheduled as a method to
encourage citizen participation. Ten meetings were held throughout the Urban
County for input on the development of strategies and priorities for the use of
CDBG funds and on the development of the Consolidated Plan for the Urban County.
Seven additional community meetings were held throughout the Consortium to
gather input on the use of HOME and ESG funds and on the development of the
Consolidated Plan.
The 1990 population for the Consortium jurisdiction totals 756,272, of which 75.9 percent are Caucasian, 3.4 percent are African American, 16.3 percent are Hispanic, 1 percent are Native American and 3.4 percent are Asian/Pacific Islanders/Other.
There are 46 areas of low-income household census tracts, 29 areas of concentrations of low-income household census tracts and 5 areas of severe concentrations of low-income household census tracts in the Consortium jurisdiction.
Approximately 33 percent (82,660 households) of the total number of
households, 251,555, in the Consortium jurisdiction are low-income; of these
45,356 are renters and 37,304 are owners. Of the 82,660 households, 19,861
households are extremely low- income, 21,812 households are low-income, and
40,987 are moderate income.
The renter affordability gap, as defined as those households paying more than 30 percent of their household income for rent, is approximately 82 percent and 43 percent of all low- income renter households.
Within the Consortium Consolidated Plan area, there are 270,475 dwelling units, of which 93 percent are occupied and 7 percent are vacant. Of the 251,608 occupied units, 88,749 (35.3 percent) are renter occupied and 162,850 (64.7 percent) are owner occupied units.
Of the total housing stock which is occupied, 1,715 units are in substandard condition; almost all of which (99 percent) are suitable for rehabilitation.
Approximately 33 percent (82,660 households) of the total number of households, 251,555, in the Consortium jurisdiction are low-income. Of the 82,660 households, 19,861 are extremely low-income, 21,812 are low-income and 40,987 are moderate income. A significant number of these households are overburdened with housing costs. The highest priorities are attached to those households with the highest level of need. Acquisition, rental assistance, preservation and new development of affordable housing are all necessary activities to meet the housing needs throughout the Consortium.
According to the San Diego Regional Task Force on the Homeless (RTF) report on the homeless dated January 1995, current estimates of the total homeless population for the Consortium jurisdiction totals about 10,225, with approximately 93 percent (9,500) being resident farm workers and day laborers, and 7 percent (725 persons) urban homeless.
In order to determine the proportion of sheltered/unsheltered homeless, the number of available shelter beds within the Consortium is provided. Most of the shelters within San Diego County are in the urbanized areas, with few existing within the Consortium jurisdiction. Therefore, most of the homeless in the Consortium jurisdiction (98.9) are not sheltered.
The facility and service needs of the homeless population are many and varied. These needs include emergency shelter, transitional housing, social services, mental health services and general health services. The special needs of the homeless mentally ill, alcohol and drug abusers, those with HIV/AIDS, victims of domestic violence and runaway youth are group specific.
There are no public housing units located within the Consortium jurisdiction. However, the Housing Authority of the County of San Diego does own and operate 105 units of public housing in the City of Chula Vista. The Housing Authority of the County of San Diego has purchased a site in Chula Vista and is currently in the planning process to construct an additional 16 units of public housing.
There are 6,571 households currently receiving housing assistance in the Consortium area through HUD-administered programs, including Section 8 vouchers and certificates, and HOME rental vouchers.
Barriers to affordable housing that exist include: tax policies affecting land and other property, land use controls, zoning ordinances, building codes, code enforcement, fees and charges, growth limits, and policies that affect the return on residential investment.
The County certifies that it will affirmatively further fair housing. HCD provides CDBG funding to the County of San Diego Equal Opportunity Management Office (EOMO) to ensure fair housing practice throughout the Urban County.
The estimate of units within the Consortium jurisdiction that could contain lead-based paint is approximately 72,032 units, 27 percent.
Based on the available 1990 Census data, the unincorporated area would have the highest probability of the incidence of lead-based paint hazards. The unincorporated area (which included the cities of Del Mar, Lemon Grove and Solana Beach for this data count in the 1990 Census) had 49,937 low-income units constructed prior to 1979.
The implementation of the County's Lead Hazard Reduction Grant Program will result in the reduction of lead-based paint hazards in pre-1979 housing units within San Diego County.
The "at-risk" population is comprised of low-income families and individuals who, upon loss of employment, would lose their housing and end up residing in shelters or being homeless. Low-income families, especially those that earn less than 50 percent of the regional median income, are especially at risk of becoming homeless. These families generally are experiencing a cost burden. In the Consortium, 16,234 low-income households pay more than 50 percent of their income for housing.
The at-risk population also includes individuals who are in imminent danger of residing in shelters because they lack access to permanent housing and do not have an adequate support network. Needed services include counseling, rental assistance, and job training/assistance.
The Urban County has adopted an Anti-Poverty Strategy as a component of it's annual plan. This policy incorporates the various County policies and programs which are used to serve the needs of the poor within the Consortium jurisdiction.
The Urban County's community development needs include: public facility needs, infrastructure improvements, public service needs, accessibility needs, economic development needs, lead-based paint abatement, code enforcement and planning activities.
The public agency institutional structure established to carry out the
affordable housing strategy includes various units of government, community
development departments of the local units of government, and nonprofit
organizations responsible for assisting various housing needs groups within the
Consortium jurisdiction.
It is the general policy of the Consortium to assist extremely low-income groups in their affordable housing and community development needs as a first priority. These extremely low-income groups are most in jeopardy of becoming homeless or experiencing other serious deprivations due to a lack of adequate income. This policy is based upon the lack of sufficient funds at each level of government to assist all low and moderate income families in need of housing and community development.
The Consortium will pursue the creation of housing opportunities that maintain affordability for the longest period of time. Community development activities will help reduce and reverse the causes and effects of blight.
In establishing its five-year priorities, the Consortium considers not only who among the various categories of low-income households are most in need of these housing and community development activities, but also determines which of the activities will best meet the needs of the identified households.
In view of the high population of low income households in San Diego County, the lack of affordable housing stock, and the high-priced home and rental market conditions, five major relative programs are utilized for providing housing assistance to low-income groups, serving approximately 6,791 households over the next five years. These five programs (acquisition and/or new construction, moderate and/or substantial rehabilitation, rental assistance, homebuyer assistance, and support facilities and services) are prioritized for each income level and household type.
The Urban County will invest CDBG funds in the areas of housing development, residential rehabilitation, public improvements, economic development, public services and planning activities. CDBG funds have been and will continue to be invested in improving the targeted communities through a wide variety of projects, including streets, libraries, community centers, housing rehabilitation and new housing construction. The impact will be to reduce and reverse the causes and effects of blight.
The Urban County has adopted an Anti-Poverty Strategy as a component of it's annual plan. This policy incorporates the various County policies and programs which are used to serve the needs of the poor within the Consortium jurisdiction. As a whole, these policies and programs aim at planned collaboration among the different County departments, participating cities, and nonprofit agencies which provide health, social, employment training, legal assistance and other support services for the low-income population.
Although some affordable housing funding sources do exist for low and moderate income families at the local, State and federal level, these funding programs are inadequate to address the identified needs. HCD will use its funding to leverage additional dollars for housing and community development. The estimated number of units and dollars identified in the Consolidated Plan to address the housing needs reflect the reasonable level of activity by HCD to serve the needs of the low-income population over the next five years. The estimated dollar amounts reflect all anticipated public and private funds that will be accessed to provide affordable housing opportunities in the Consortium area. It is estimated that $202,369,784 will be used in the next five years to address affordable housing.
Strategies for addressing these needs include maximizing the efforts of
individuals, nonprofit and for-profit developers and related real estate lending
and development organizations through coordinated action and leveraging of
scarce federal, State and local resources to develop and preserve affordable
housing.
Approximately 80 projects and programs have already been identified in the Consolidated Plan for FY 1995. These projects include housing development, housing rehabilitation, rental assistance, emergency shelter operation, transitional housing, infrastructure improvements, public facilities, public services, fair housing and economic development.
The Consolidated Plan was prepared by the Department of Housing and Community Development in coordination with the cities constituting the Consortium. In addition, the County departments of Health Services, Public Works, Planning and Land Use and Social Services contributed required information. The Regional Task Force on the Homeless, Nonprofit Federation on Housing and Community Development and other nonprofit organizations also contributed significantly to the Consolidated Plan.
It is estimated that 6,510 households will be assisted with housing opportunities in FY 1995-1996. It is estimated that 6,134 renter households will be assisted through programs and funding administered by HCD. Of these households it is estimated that 1,571 are elderly, 3,338 are small related households, 1,145 are large related households and 80 are special needs populations. Assistance will be provided to 200 owner households, 120 existing homeowners and 80 first-time homebuyers. Approximately 176 homeless persons will be served through shelter provision and support services.
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 Neighborhood Segments and streets with proposed HUD funded projects; in addition, a table provides information about the project(s).
Stan Coombs
Housing and Community Development
County of San Diego
3989 Ruffin Road
San Diego, CA 92123
PH: (619) 694-4885
