Incorporated in 1906, Upland, California, is located in San Bernardino County, east of Los Angeles. The city's Foothill Boulevard is part of the historic State Route 66.

Action Plan

For the Fiscal Year 1995-1996, Upland will have access to about $800,000 in entitlement funds, which will support various activities, such as:

• Public facilities, such as parks.
• Infrastructure.
• Youth services, such as afterschool and computer education programs.
• Homeless transitional and support services.
• Housing rehabilitation and homeownership activities.

Citizen Participation

Consistent with Federal requirements, Upland solicited public input during the formulation of its housing and community development strategy. On February 16, 1995, the city held a hearing to receive community comment on the contents of the Consolidated Plan. Notice of this meeting was published in the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. Residents as well as representatives from the Inland Mediation Board attended the hearing. On April 10, 1995, the city sponsored a second hearing to present the draft Consolidated Plan to the city council. During development of the Consolidated Plan, the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Committee made recommendations on the allocation of CDBG funds.

At the time of the 1990 census, Upland's population was 63,374. The city is predominantly white, with non-Hispanic caucasians comprising 76 percent of the population. Between 1980 and 1990, the number of Hispanics increased significantly. The 1990 census counted 44,452 caucasians; 10,894 Hispanics; 4,346 Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders; 3,256 African Americans; 274 Native-Americans; and 152 members of other ethnic groups.

Although 73 percent of all households in Upland are families, this proportion of family households is slightly lower than the countywide proportion of 75 percent. Single-person households represent the second largest group, comprising about 21 percent of all households. In 1990 the median age was 32 years, which was slightly higher than the 1990 countywide median of 29 years.

Upland's median family income (MFI) is $50,040. Among white, Asian-American, and Pacific Islander households, nearly 70 percent earn 95 percent or more of MFI. Among African- American, Hispanic, and Native-American households, almost 50 percent earn 95 percent or more of MFI.

However, among African American households, 23 percent are very low-income, earning 0- 50 percent of MFI, and 22 percent are low-income, earning 51-80 percent of MFI. Comparatively, among whites, 13 percent are very low-income, and 11 percent are low- income. Among Native-American households, 16 percent are very low-income, and 21 percent are low-income. Of the remaining very low-income households, 27 percent are Hispanic, and 16 percent are Asian-American or Pacific Islander.

Conditions

Since the late-1980s, California has endured an economic recession. Recovery has been slow. Defense budget cuts, military base closures, downsizing in the aerospace and other high-wage industries, and natural disasters have contributed to a stagnant economy and higher unemployment. In December 1994, Upland had an unemployment rate of 4 percent, which was lower than the county's unemployment rate of 5.9 percent.

Housing Needs

The 1990 census reported that nearly 10 percent of all occupied housing was overcrowded. Nearly 25 percent of the occupied rental units were overcrowded, versus 3 percent of owner-occupied units.

Approximately 60 percent of Upland's housing stock was built between 1970 and 1990, with the remaining 40 percent being more than 30 years old. Although most of the city's housing stock is in adequate condition, 24 percent of the housing stock is in deteriorating condition. Furthermore, most of the deteriorating stock is located in the city's oldest section, which has a high concentration of low-income households who need financial assistance to complete necessary home repairs.

Market Conditions

Between 1980 and 1990, the overall number of housing units grew by about 32 percent. During that time, the proportion of single-family units decreased slightly to 64 percent, while multifamily units remained constant at 32 percent. However, the number of mobile homes more than doubled, rising from 474 to 1,000.

Upland's housing prices are extremely high. In 1993 the median sales price for a single- family home was $210,000, while the median sales price for a condominium was $185,000. During the past few years, housing prices have dropped slightly. However, only 16 percent of the city's low-income households can afford to own a home under current market conditions, and recent figures show that only eight affordable vacant units were available.

Average monthly rental rates are: $450 for a studio, $550 for a one-bedroom unit, $650 for a two-bedroom unit, and $750 for a three-bedroom unit. In 1994 the city's vacancy rate for rental units was nearly 5 percent.

Affordable Housing Needs

In 1990, 80 percent of Upland's extremely low- and low-income renter households were cost burdened, paying more than 30 percent of their gross income for housing expenses. This cost burden indicates a significant need for subsidized affordable rental housing. Among owner-occupied households, a disproportionate number of very low- to moderate- income non-elderly households are cost burdened.

Homeless Needs

At the time of the 1990 census, there were an estimated 132 homeless people in Upland. During the past year, the Foothill Family shelter reported that 4,280 homeless people were served in a day center; 11 people were directed to emergency shelter; and 6 families were sheltered in transitional housing. The Foothill Family Shelter indicates that more transitional housing is needed.

Public and Assisted Housing Needs

The city's only housing community, built 40 years ago by the Upland Housing Authority, contains a total of 97 units. The Housing Authority also administers 549 Section 8 certificates and vouchers. Another 53 housing units receive assistance from Housing Authority Multiple-Family Housing Revenue Bonds.

Barriers to Affordable Housing

Throughout Southern California and Upland, market conditions and government constraints inhibit the ability to provide affordable housing. Housing costs are a major barrier, especially for first-time homebuyers. Furthermore, downpayment requirements seriously discourage low-income households from purchasing a home.

The largest cost associated with new housing construction is the cost of building materials, which comprise 40-50 percent of a home's sales price. Upland's ability to mitigate construction costs is limited because the city does not have the financial resources to directly subsidize construction.

Fair Housing

Upland contracts fair housing services to the Inland Mediation Board, a private non-profit public benefit corporation, which offers technical advice to housing industry associations and educational courses for the Apartment Rental Owners Association and Board of Realtors. Fair housing outreach is promoted through television and radio advertisements. Public information articles appear in newspapers as well as newsletters produced by related associations and government agencies. The city distributes a biannual fair housing brochure,which community service agencies display and distribute to the public.

Lead-Based Paint

Nearly 3,478 extremely low- and low-income households could be living in units contaminated with lead-based paint. The San Bernardino County Department of Public Health administers Upland's lead poison program. Most of their referrals come from the State Child Health and Disease Prevention Program (CHDP) and from public health clinics that serve children. The CHDP requires that physicians who receive funding from the program test all children under age 5 for lead poisoning. Since January 1991, only one case of lead poisoning has been documented in Upland.

The city will consider designing and implementing programs that educate residents on the dangers of lead and that encourage the screening of children for elevated blood-lead levels. Lead-based paint hazard reduction will be integrated into housing policies and programs by:

• Establishing lead-based paint hazard reduction as an eligible activity in city housing rehabilitation programs.
• Reviewing existing housing and rehabilitation codes to ensure that lead-based paint hazard activities are incorporated.

Other Issues

The 1990 census counted four Upland residents living in mental institutions. An estimated 327 residents suffer from severe mental illness, and their housing needs can be met by providing affordable housing and supportive services, such as adult day care and in-home help.

Estimates suggest that between 476 to 1,429 Upland residents are developmentally disabled. Eight community care facilities provide supportive housing services for the developmentally disabled. Of these facilities, two serve children, while the rest serve adults. Overall, independent living facilities for the developmentally disabled are needed.

Upland has three community care facilities that provide supportive housing for the physically disabled. Housing opportunities for individuals with disabilities can be addressed by providing affordable barrier-free housing. Rehabilitation assistance for unit modifications that improve accessibility can be targeted toward disabled renters and homeowners.

According to the San Bernardino County Department of Public Health, there are 71 persons with AIDS and an estimated 213-284 people who are HIV-positive living in Upland. Three housing and shelter programs for persons with HIV/AIDS are located in nearby San Bernardino, Corona, and Riverside. Counseling services are also available. Based on national averages, 90 persons with HIV/AIDS could need supportive housing.

Community Development Needs

The city identified a number of non-housing needs, including:

• Infrastructure, such as sidewalk maintenance, street repairs, and storm drain and water system improvements.
• Community facilities. The city needs more child-care facilities, youth and senior citizen centers, and centrally located land for parks and recreation facilities.
• Community services, such as employment training, youth services, child-care services, substance abuse services, transportation services, crime awareness, senior citizen services, tenant-landlord counseling, and handicapped services.
• Accessibility needs. The city must ensure that public buildings comply with the Americans with Disability Act.
• Economic development activities, such as programs that encourage business and industry growth to stimulate the economy and programs that help people to improve their economic situations.

Housing Priorities

Upland identified a number of priority housing activities, which the city will strive to achieve during the next five years. These activities include:

• Preserving the existing single-family and multifamily housing stock. The city plans to use a deferred loan program to assist 225 low- and moderate-income households with home repairs needed for code compliance. Other activities include rental rehabilitation, a neighborhood restoration program, and code enforcement.
• Improving living conditions for very low- and low-income renters. Activities include rental assistance, fair housing education, and a tenant-based assistance program.
• Increasing homeownership opportunities for low- and moderate-income households, particularly first-time homebuyers. The city plans to assist 50 households using a first-time homebuyer program and a community lender program.
• Improving access to affordable housing, particularly for lower-income residents. Activities include: construction of second units on single-family lots in urban residential areas; new residential development for lower income households; and creation of an affordable housing set-aside fund to pay for issuance and preacquisition and to establish a reserve and pledge fund.
• Providing assistance to city residents threatened with homelessness. The city will work with the owners of federally subsidized rental properties that might be converted into non-affordable units. Upland may also establish an emergency foreclosure program, using Redevelopment Housing set-aside funds. Other programs include: tenant-based assistance, emergency rent relief, tenant-landlord mediation, homeless assistance, and rental assistance.
• Preserving affordable housing and supportive services for residents with special needs, particularly the elderly and large families. Activities include: single-family rehabilitation as well as supportive services and new construction for the elderly.

Non-housing Community Development Priorities

Upland's strategies for addressing non-housing community development needs include the following:

• Providing for new community facilities and improving the quality of existing community facilities that serve low- and moderate-income households. The city plans to construct a senior center adjacent to a senior housing community in the town center. The city will also make improvements at parks and recreation facilities, including replacing bleachers as well as repairing and upgrading restrooms and outdoor kitchen areas.
• Providing for the city's economic needs. The city will develop a marketing model to identify and evaluate the benefits of site placement. The city will also continue its commercial facade improvements in the town center.
• Ensuring that city infrastructure is adequate to support existing and future development. The city will make improvements to storm drains, sewers, and street lighting.

Anti-Poverty Strategy

The 1990 census indicated that 8 percent of the city's population had incomes below the poverty level. In 1989 the overall poverty threshold for a family of four was $12,674. Factors contributing to poverty include a low level of education, insufficient job skills training, a regional economy in recession, and a shortage of affordable child care that prevents single parents from joining the workforce.

To reduce the number of households with incomes below the poverty line, the city will aggressively pursue redevelopment opportunities that revitalize the local economy. Housing set-aside funds generated from redevelopment activity will also be used to develop housing and to alleviate cost burdens among some lower income households. In addition, the Upland Housing Authority operates a State-funded child-care program that serves 32 low-income children.

Housing and Community Development Resources

Upland has access to various Federal, State, and local resources that will help the city to achieve its housing and community development priorities. Specific funding sources will be used according to the opportunities and constraints of each particular project or program.

State resources include the Emergency Shelter program, which provides non-profit organizations with grants for shelter support services, and the Mobile Home Park Conversion program, which awards mobile home park tenant organizations with funds to convert mobile home parks into resident ownership. The State also provides individuals and corporations that invest in low-income rental housing with tax credits and low interest loans for the construction of senior housing.

Local resources include the Upland Redevelopment Agency funds, which use set-aside funds for affordable housing activities governed by State law, and the county single-family mortgage revenue bond program, which assists first-time homebuyers looking to purchase a new or existing single-family home.

Coordination of Strategic Plan

The city will coordinate and implement its strategies through the following actions:

• Targeting needy areas and populations for acquisition and rehabilitation.
• Coordinating with local service providers and other organizations that are funded by the city.
• Requiring non-profit organizations that receive CDBG housing funds to track non-duplicated assistance by helping the city to formulate and evaluate future housing strategies.
• Working with Upland Housing Authority to establish and implement a tenant/resident education program.

Description of Key Projects

During the next year, the city will have access to nearly $800,000 in entitlement funds, which will support the following activities:

• Continuing to fund afterschool classes at Upland and Citrus Elementary Schools and continuing the Summer Day Camps at Upland, Citrus, Baldy View, and Cabrillo Elementary schools. The activity should serve about 350 youth and will use $17,485 in CDBG funds.
• Remodeling outdoor kitchen facilities and upgrading restrooms at Memorial Park. This activity will use about $75,000 in CDBG funds.
• Installing new energy efficient street lights to replace older lights in the town center. This activity will use about $80,000 in CDBG funds.
• Providing eligible homeowners with deferred loans and grants for home repairs. This activity will use $400,000 in CDBG funds.
• Continuing to fund transitional shelter, support, and educational services for homeless people. This activity will use $14,460 in CDBG funds.
• Providing staff for the computer education center at the Boys and Girls Club. This activity will use $10,000 in CDBG funds.

Lead Agencies

The lead agency for implementing the Consolidated Plan is the Upland Community Development Department.

Maps

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).

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