Vacaville is located in the Sacramento Valley, straddling I-80, southwest of Sacramento and northeast of San Francisco. Vacaville was the subject of a Mexican land grant in 1841 and was incorporated in 1892. It is one of the oldest cities in the I-80 corridor.
The City of Vacaville's Consolidated Plan presents a strategic vision for housing and community development in this unique metropolitan area. It includes a One-Year Action Plan for spending approximately $684,000 million of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), HOME Investment Partnership Program, program income, and Emergency Shelter Grant funds in 1995. These funds will primarily be spent on housing and neighborhood livability activities.
The Consolidated strategy and plan was developed in accordance with the City's Citizen Participation Plan. An initial public hearing was held on Wednesday, February 15, 1995, at 7:00 p.m. in Conference Rooms A and B at City Hall, 650 Merchant Street, Vacaville, during a joint meeting of the Housing and Redevelopment Commission and the CDBG Advisory Committee.
A draft of the Plan was made available to the public on March 27, 1995 at the Vacaville Public Library, City Hall, and the Office of Housing and Redevelopment, which is located next to the Vacaville Social Services Center. Notice of the availability of the Plan and the next public hearing held on April 25 was published in "The Reporter" on March 27.
The public hearing on the Consolidated Plan was held by the City Council on
April 25, 1995. No comments were presented at the hearing and no comments have
been received to date.
Like most Solano County cities, Vacaville grew rapidly during the last three decades. Past growth was concentrated during the residential sector, with many residents commuting outside the City to work. According to the 1990 Census, Vacaville's population is 71,479. It has increased 65% between 1980 and 1990, the largest increases occurring in the non-White populations, which increased by 117%. According to the City of Vacaville's Advanced Planning Division, Vacaville's population is expected to increase by 96% to 85,172 by 1998.
One of the largest prisons in the country is located in Vacaville. There are two facilities on one site. One facility is the California Medical Facility for inmates with medical problems. The other facility is a state prison. The group population of the site increased from 1,956 in 1980 to 7,439 in 1990 as a result of the expansion of the prison. The number of inmates is anticipated to reach 8,200 by 1998.
Vacaville's increased population has brought several amenities including a hospital, recreation and cultural facilities, and new businesses and jobs. But growth also engendered problems faced by larger cities--an increase in crime, gang-related activity, graffiti, and increases in populations with special needs, including homeless people and people with AIDS. The crime rates and incidence of gang-related activities have been highest in Vacaville's Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and Residential Rehabilitation target neighborhoods.
The City has responded to the negative aspects of growth through
comprehensive
programs which address needs through a neighborhood approach. These
programs include community-based policing, a code enforcement program, a
Counterforce program designed to reach at-risk youth, and neighborhood activity
centers that bring information and referral, education and social services, and
mental health and substance abuse counseling. The Police, Code Enforcement,
Housing Authority, Office of Housing and Redevelopment, and Vacaville Community
Housing (VCH: a private non-profit housing corporation) are working together to
involve the community in their neighborhoods, including access to housing
rehabilitation resources, involvement in crime prevention programs such as "Neighborhood
Watch" and" Safe Streets," resolving landlord-tenant problems,
raising self-esteem, and creating volunteer and providing employment
opportunities for at-risk youth and young adults, particularly in four target
neighborhoods. Local elected officials and staff also participate in a variety
of city wide programs to address these challenges facing the community. Such
programs include the Youth Round Table, Vacaville Healthy Task Force, the Solano
County Coalition Against Homelessness, the Solano County Community Council, and
the Mare Island Futures Committee.
Less than 19% of Vacaville households can afford the price of the average Vacaville single family home. Over 2,600 households await assistance from the City Housing authority's Section 8 Rent Subsidy Programs. Households having incomes that are below 50% of the citywide median income are categorized as low-income households. Eighty percent of these households are paying more than 30% of their incomes for housing.
There is a need in the City of Vacaville to increase the number of affordable rental units, provide rental assistance for low income families and provide residential rehabilitation assistance.
The bottom of the Vacaville ownership housing resale market is approximately $130,000. The midpoint is approximately $151,000. The annual income required to purchase the "bottom end" house is approximately $53,600 or 127% of the area median income The "bottom" of the Vacaville new construction ownership market is slightly higher -- $160,000. To afford this home, an income of about $60,300 ($143% of the median) would be required. Although the existing housing stock is relatively new, the city does have a substantial number of units in need of rehabilitation. In October of 1988, the City surveyed four residential rehabilitation target areas that were selected on the basis of having a high proportion of low-income households. These target areas contained 1,111 structures in need of significant repair and rehabilitation.
Although the apartment vacancy rate is 4.1% at present, with no new construction, apartment rent levels can be predicted to rise sharply until the level of new constructions keeps pace with consumer demand in the apartment market in the City. A stable, "healthy" rental market vacancy rate is between 5% and 7%.
8,519 extremely low to moderate income households (4,985 owners and 3,534 renters) have inadequate housing units in terms of cost, size, or habitability.
Most of the new employment generated and anticipated to be generated in the City is in entry level positions, e.g., retail, warehousing, food services, financial processing, etc. these employees will earn incomes in ranges below 80% of the median income ($6 to $12 per hour = $12,000 to $25,000 per year). Employment generation now places and will continue to place demand on the marketplace for rental rather than ownership housing.
An estimated 40 to 50 households seek emergency housing services each week from local churches, social services, and Opportunity House (Vacaville's homeless shelter program). Opportunity House, the twenty-four bed homeless shelter, has an average occupancy rate of 90% occupancy throughout the year.
660 households (359 vouchers and 301 certificates) are assisted through the Vacaville Housing Authority's Section 8 Rental Housing Assistance Program.
There is a need for a continuum of housing with varying degrees of supportive services for people who have HIV/AIDS, are frail elderly, or have developmental disabilities.
Most of the barriers to efforts in addressing housing affordability concern the construction of new housing. State and local public policies, as embodied in statutes, ordinances, regulations, or administrative procedures affect the cost and incentives to develop, maintain or improve affordable housing in Vacaville.
Vacaville's Housing Counseling Agency is HUD certified to provide counseling, referral, and other assistance to persons with fair housing concerns; thereby increasing housing choices for minority and/or low-income persons. The City is currently conducting an Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing to be completed by February 6, 1996. This will incorporate information from various sources including the mortgage, real estate, non-profit, and other government entities.
There are an estimated 1,073 low and 1,108 moderate income households potentially residing in housing units having lead-based paint within the City of Vacaville. This estimate is based on the number of housing units built before 1979 that potentially contain lead- based paint and applied to an estimate of the percentage of low and moderate income households residing within the City's four target areas.
The City of Vacaville has long and short term Community Development
Objectives which are being met through two integrated strategies,
self-sufficiency and comprehensive
neighborhood revitalization. This approach is being carried out in the
Trower and Acacia
target areas. The long term community development objectives have been in
place since
the City began operating its Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)
program.
The City of Vacaville has two major strategies to address housing and community needs -- Comprehensive Neighborhood Revitalization and Self-Sufficiency. The City's goal is to work with individuals, neighborhood organizations, and social service agencies to increase and improve the supply of affordable housing, assist families to no longer rely on public assistance, remove blight, and ensure access to all services to all citizens.
Priority housing objectives are summarized below:
High Priority:
Medium Priorities:
Low Priority:
Neighborhood Centers in the target areas. They will serve as the central points from which neighborhood revitalization efforts, including increased access to education, health, recreation, social services, and the physical improvements in the neighborhood will be conducted. Additionally, there is a need to improve and expand the Social Services Center which provides essential city wide services.
The City's anti-Poverty Strategy focuses on self-sufficiency and comprehensive neighborhood revitalization. Utilizing the Housing Authority's Family Self Sufficiency program as a model, the Cityseeks to make services available to families participating in the Section 8 Rental Assistance Program available to all lower income families. The model has been designed to enable families to become economically independent through the cooperative efforts of the public and private sectors. By working together, agencies avoid duplication of effort and are able to economize on costs thereby increasing opportunities for those being served.
The family self-sufficiency model has developed effective collaborative strategies which permit families to concentrate on economic independence while other important facets of their lives are also addressed. This effort also proved to be a key element of neighborhood revitalization efforts throughout the city, the City's second approach to addressing poverty.
Through the Neighborhood Centers and the neighborhood outreach efforts, lower income families are encouraged to use the Social Services Center.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is the largest federal resource for the strategic plan. State resources come from the California Department of Housing and Community Development. In addition, $2,166,000 for-profit resources along with $1,010,000 non-profit resources and $60,000 of private donations are expected to be available during the upcoming fiscal year.
The City of Vacaville is fortunate to be of a small enough size to
coordinate closely with other resource agencies. First, almost all of the
implementation of the City's housing program is handled through one office, the
Office of Housing and Redevelopment. The OHR staff administers the Section 8,
FSS, CDBG, HOME, locally funded rehabilitation, MCC, Housing Counseling
programs. The staff also works closely with the two local non-profit housing
organization, VCH and VCHDO. The staff was instrumental in the development of
the emergency shelter program, Opportunity House and the staff provides direct
emergency shelter services on behalf of the VCWA. The staff also manages the
CDBG funded Vacaville Social Services Center which is located next to its
offices and houses six other social service agencies. OHR also operates the
Trower Neighborhood Center which is located in its lowest income target
neighborhood. Through the Trower Center, the staff is able to bring a wide
range of housing, education, employment, and social services to this
neighborhood.
The City of Vacaville One Year Action Plan outlines the proposed use of $32.8 million (estimated if all resource development is successful) in federal, state, local, for-profit and non-profit resources and donations. These funds will be spent mainly on an array of housing activities, including those with the highest priority:
Rental Assistance, Support Facilities and Services, Emergency Housing, and Rental and Security Deposit Assistance are provided on a city-wide basis. Acquisition and Rehabilitation, and New Construction are within the City's four target areas which were selected based on percent of lower income residents, housing conditions, and lack of public amenities.
The City of Vacaville is the lead agency for implementing the One Year Action Plan. In addition to the city, key projects will be implemented by Vacaville Community Housing (a non-profit housing corporation). Vacaville Social Services Corporation, and Solano County.
Highlights of the City of Vacaville's highest priority housing goals for the 1995-96 program year include increasing the supply of affordable housing for 660 households through rental housing assistance, 72 households through acquisition and rehabilitation, 1,250 households through support facilities and services, 75 households through new construction; and providing emergency housing, rental and security deposit assistance to 1,040 homeless persons.
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)
Terry Rogers
Operations Manager
Office of Housing and Redevelopment
City of Vacaville
40 Eldridge Avenue, Suite 4
Vacaville, CA 95688
Phone - 707-449-5660
Fax - 707-449-5683
