Manchester's Consolidated Plan is an effort to understand the full range of housing and community development needs of our low and moderate income areas, and to develop a strategy and action plan to address these needs. The action plan deals primarily with the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds which the Town receives annually from HUD on a formula basis. CDBG funds for Fiscal Year 1995/1996 total $694,000, and will be used to support a variety of housing activities, social services, public improvements, and a commercial facade rehabilitation program in the downtown neighborhood.
The Town of Manchester Planning Department is the lead agency responsible
for coordinating the development of the Consolidated Plan. The Planning
Department began the process of developing the Consolidated Plan in the winter
of 1995. A Citizen Participation Plan which detailed much of the process was
prepared first. The plan's data analysis and strategy formulation draws heavily
on the Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy (CHAS) approved in 1994, as
well as the Town's current Plan of Development update and neighborhood planning
activities. Specific consultations for the Consolidated Plan were held with the
Manchester Community Services Council, the Manchester Housing Authority, the
local health department (concerning lead based paint hazards), and officials
from neighboring towns. To achieve broad public participation, the Town
attempted to incorporate those formal and informal planning processes which
already occur in the community, and to work within the framework of Manchester's
well-established neighborhoods. Town-wide public hearings were held on June 8
and July 12, 1995, and various informational releases were published in the
Manchester Journal Inquirer and the local edition of the Hartford Courant.
Manchester is an "inner-ring" suburban community in the Hartford metropolitan area, with a population of 51,618. The Town has characteristics of both city and suburb, and for many years was promoted as "The City of Village Charm." Historically, Manchester was a big New England mill town, housing the mammoth Cheney Silk mills from the mid-eighteenth to the mid-nineteenth centuries. The Pioneer Parachute Company was also a major employer until after World War Two. As the mills closed, Manchester's proximity to the growing job markets of Hartford and East Hartford changed the Town into more of a bedroom community, and there was substantial residential construction in the 1950's. Manchester's biggest employers today are retailers and warehouse/distribution centers. About 27,000 people work in Manchester, and there is commuting both into and out of town.
The median income in the Hartford metropolitan area is $52,500. The
low-and-moderate income standard for a family of four is capped at $40,200,
which is less than 80% of median. Twenty-nine percent of Manchester households
qualify as low-and-moderate income. Manchester's minority population is about
8% of the total, and includes Blacks, Hispanics, and some Asians, principally
from Southeast Asia.
Manchester's greatest needs are found in its core, urbanized neighborhoods. Over the past five years these neighborhoods have undergone rapid physical and social change. Our central business district (CBD) is located between two of our oldest neighborhoods, the East Side and West Side. The CBD has suffered from poor infrastructure and changing shopping and business patterns over the past 20 years. Business vacancies increased, and upper floors of commercial buildings were converted to rooming units often housing people on General Assistance. Many tenants had mental health or substance abuse problems. In the surrounding East Side and West Side, there was a significant movement of owner-occupants moving up in the housing market and out of these neighborhoods. Owner-occupants were replaced by absentee landlords, and the area has become dominated by rental housing. The core neighborhoods contain a large percentage of the Town's affordable housing stock, and have seen a substantial increase in Section 8 rental assistance, due in part to recent changes in HUD policy regarding the mobility and portability of certificates and vouchers. Housing conditions are also an issue in the core neighborhoods. Over 54% of the housing on the East Side and 66% of the housing on the West Side is more than 50 years old, and it is safe to assume that rehabilitation and code compliance work is called for due to the age of the housing alone.
The Consolidated Plan demonstrates two general categories of housing need among Manchester households. First, there is a need for affordable housing, which is most acute for low and extremely low income households, although many moderate and middle income households also face affordability problems. Households face a housing cost burden when they pay more than 30% of their income for housing costs including utilities. In Manchester, 2,715 renter households and 1,469 owner households are in need of affordable housing. Second, about 1,600 households experience overcrowding or live in housing which lacks complete kitchens or bathrooms. Considering all conditions of housing need, over one-quarter of all Manchester households, regardless of income, are faced with some housing problems.
The 1990 Census reported a total of 21,704 housing units in Manchester. Ninety-six percent (20,745) were occupied: 8,405 by renters and 12,340 by owners. Manchester offers a variety of housing types. Nearly half of all units are in single family detached structures. Seven percent (1,443) are single family attached units; 13% (2,738) are two- family or duplex units; 7% (1,542) are in 3 to 4 unit buildings; and 23% (4,938) are in larger buildings. Because of this variety of housing types and also a variety of housing styles, many units may be adaptable for those with special housing needs such as the elderly or disabled. Since the 1990 Census, our rental housing stock has increased to 9,826 with the addition of 151 elderly congregate units, 288 units at the Weaver's Mill (a former Cheney Mill building), 932 units at Town Pavilions at Buckland Hills and 50 units at smaller developments. Certificates of occupancy have also been issued for 350 single-family houses. There have been very few housing demolitions in recent years, and the available housing stock continues to rise.
Local surveys, conducted for the preparation of our CHAS, show that most residents believe Manchester's housing stock to be in very good condition, although a number of respondents felt housing in older neighborhoods needed improvement. Based on the judgment of our chief building inspector, we estimate that 5% of housing units in multifamily structures are substandard. Most such units are in the older central part of town. No estimate of the number of substandard single family units is available, although it is thought to be less than that of the multifamily units. We define "substandard" as the lack of plumbing, overcrowding, serious safety problems in major building systems, structural defects, unsanitary conditions, or serious disrepair.
As described earlier, affordability is Manchester's greatest housing problem, affecting households from the extremely low to the middle income brackets. In all, 4,184 households are living in housing that is not affordable. Predictably, the problem is inversely proportionate to household income, and is more common among the elderly than the non- elderly, and more common among renters than homeowners. Severe cost burden (i.e., paying more than 50% of income for shelter) is mostly a problem of the very low income. Of Manchester's 314 non-elderly small families with extremely low incomes (30% of median or less) 226 have severe housing cost burdens.
Identifying the magnitude of the homeless problem can be difficult. Our most readily available sources of information are census data and statistics collected by the Manchester Area Conference of Churches (MACC) and Connecticut Department of Social Services (DSS). On a single night in March, 1990, the U.S. Census counted homeless persons in shelters and other known places where the homeless were likely to be found. In Manchester they found 24 homeless individuals at the Samaritan Shelter. Seventeen were white, non-Hispanic persons, four were black, non-Hispanics, and 3 were Hispanic. The Samaritan Shelter, which is designed to serve individuals, served 394 homeless men and women between July, 1994 and April, 1995.
Between January, 1993 and October, 1994 the Manchester office of DSS assisted a monthly average of 31 homeless families living in temporary housing. Approximately one- quarter were Manchester residents.
A substantial number of Manchester individuals and families are also believed to be threatened with homelessness at any time. In 1994, for example, MACC provided financial assistance to 186 households to prevent eviction or to acquire rental housing with a partial security deposit. Ninety percent of these households were families with children.
Over the years, Manchester has taken proactive measures to increase its stock of affordable housing, including participating in the Capital Region Affordable Housing Compact. Permanently affordable housing units are now over 10% of the town's total housing stock. As of March 31, 1994, there were 1,711 assisted rental units and 58 assisted owner units.
The Manchester Housing Authority manages 376 rental units in several developments for the elderly and disabled. It also operates 37 units of newly constructed housing for the frail elderly, 26 units of scattered site housing for families, and 16 units of newly constructed family housing in the north end of town. Our PHA and those from the State and surrounding communities administered 490 section 8 certificates and vouchers in Manchester in 1994.
Other subsidized rental housing for low and moderate income households include the 374 unit Squire Village Apartments, the 105 unit Oakland Heights apartments, and the 191 unit moderate income Beechwood Apartments. Other government assisted housing includes the 45 unit Bennet Elderly Housing and the 16 unit mixed income Common Thread Co-op. Also, 20% (or 79) of the units at Clocktower Mill and Velvet Mill apartments are set aside for low and moderate income tenants.
The demand for rental housing assistance exceeds the supply, and there are waiting lists for all publicly assisted programs and privately managed apartment complexes.
The Consolidated Plan contains a substantial analysis of public policies of the Town, region, and State of Connecticut which affect the affordability of housing in Manchester. The issues discussed include zoning, subdivision regulations, tax structure, public assistance and welfare policies, and housing assistance policy. The Town is currently conducting an analysis of impediments to fair housing choice in Manchester.
Nearly 85% of Manchester housing was built before 1980. Because these units are likely to contain lead-based paint, they represent a potential health risk, particularly for small children. On the basis of census data provided by HUD, there are likely to be 3,298 low and moderate income rental households and 1,963 low and moderate income owner households facing potential health hazards from lead-based paint.
The Town of Manchester's housing and community development needs are greatest, and the range of needs is broadest, in its urbanized areas. Our community development goal is to preserve, improve, and revitalize these areas so that they will continue to be liveable and attractive neighborhoods. We need to deal with both the physical conditions in the neighborhood and the human resource needs of the population living there. The objectives addressed in our strategy include the improvement of deteriorating public infrastructure, such as streets, sidewalks, recreational facilities, and water and sewer lines; the elimination of slum and blight through housing and commercial rehabilitation; the provision of new or increased public services appropriate to the needs of particular neighborhoods; and the removal of architectural barriers in public buildings and pedestrian sidewalks. The Town of Manchester has made economic development one of its primary activities over the years, and it will continue to work to expand the non-residential tax base and to provide jobs for residents and for the region.
The Manchester Planning Department is the lead planning agency for housing
needs assessment and for community and economic development planning. Other
major public players include the Manchester Housing Authority, the Manchester
Human Services Department, the Manchester Housing Commission (an official
appointed body representing public and private housing interests) and the
Capital Region Council of Governments. These agencies work with nonprofit
service providers in the community, and with private industry. The Town has
also initiated efforts to establish a community development planning consortium
with representatives of other CDBG entitlement communities in the region.
Over the next five years, the Town of Manchester will either continue or initiate a number of activities and programs to address the housing and non-housing community development needs of extremely low, low, moderate, and middle income households; the homeless; and those with special needs. Our overall strategy is to concentrate our resources in geographic areas which exhibit the greatest need over a range of housing and non-housing community development issues. In Manchester this has meant our core, urbanized neighborhoods. Over the past five years these neighborhoods have undergone rapid physical and social change. We plan to invest our CDBG and other public and private funds, and to fully utilize the human and capital resources already present in the central neighborhoods, to raise the quality of life for all residents in this area and throughout the community.
While most of our direct activities and resources will be directed to our core urbanized neighborhoods, we will continue to pursue other housing and non-housing strategies on a community wide basis. Among the other efforts we will pursue are:
Manchester's high and medium housing priorities include:
Manchester's homeless priorities include the full development of a continuum of care system, with first emphasis on continued support for outreach/assessment and emergency shelter, and a medium priority established for the development of transitional housing.
Over the next five years we will also continue to investigate, support, and participate in a variety of activities to meet the varied housing needs of special needs populations, including the provision of additional affordable congregate housing for the frail elderly.
Lead-based paint hazards will be addressed through the enforcement of existing regulations, coupled with the incentives made available through a $2,000,000 HUD grant, of which $1,300,000 is to be spent on lead abatement.
Our fundamental community development strategy will be to concentrate available resources, including public facilities improvements, recreation improvements, housing rehabilitation, and public services, in identified low and moderate income areas. The strategy call for the active participation of neighborhood residents in a collaborative effort with town departments and other agencies to identify strengths, focus on critical problems, develop plans and strategies, and share in the responsibility for taking action. The "short term community development objectives" described in our consolidated plan may be characterized as the Town's highest non-housing priorities. These include:
While most of these goals and objectives are CDBG-eligible activities, we expect to use CDBG funds, local revenues, and to seek out additional state and federal revenues to support the overall strategy.
We recognize that the structural and fundamental forces which place and keep families in poverty are for the most part beyond the reach of local government policies and powers. Educational levels, unemployment, General Assistance and AFDC regulations, health care availability, and pathologies related to mental illness or substance abuse are regional, state and national concerns. Nevertheless, the town is committed to providing whatever support services it can to complement or interact with the population in poverty and with regional, state or federal institutions or programs with resources to bring to bear on these issues.
The town's basic goal is to provide whatever resources it can to be prepared to assist individuals or agencies in their efforts to reduce the number of families in poverty. Among the resources which we will provide to deal with these fundamental issues are:
Our consolidated plan identifies a wide variety of federal, state, and local resources which may be available to carry out our objectives, and which the Town will seek to leverage with CDBG and general fund monies. Funds which we expect to be available during the first year of the strategy include:
Between October 1, 1995 and September 30, 1996, the Town of Manchester proposes to implement several activities and programs to help address the priority needs and meet the objectives outlined in the previously described five year strategy. This action plan deals primarily with the Community Development Block Grant formula funds and program income available to the Town of Manchester in the coming federal fiscal year (FFY95/96) along with other resources available to the town government. It does not address the resources and programs of other entities in the community such as the Manchester Housing Authority, Manchester Area Conference of Churches, other local nonprofits, agencies of the State of Connecticut or private organizations except where the town is providing funding for their services or programs. These entities provide considerable assistance in the form of rental assistance, homeownership assistance, services and shelter for the homeless, and social services to the residents of Manchester.
Federal resources available to support our action plan include $694,000 in CDBG formula funding, $2,609 in funding reallocated from other communities, and $3,749 in CDBG program income. These funds will be used to carry out the activities listed below and to leverage other public and private resources including the town's general fund resources which provide additional staff support for many of these projects.
| Housing Downpayment Assistance Program | $100,000 | |
| Housing Rehabilitation Program | $125,000 | |
| Rehabilitation Grant/Genesis Center | $ 18,525 | |
| Code Enforcement | $ 36,757 | |
| Commercial Rehabilitation - Facade Improvement Program | $150,000 | |
| Playscape and Recreation Improvements at Verplanck School | $ 60,712 | |
| Recreation Facilities at Wilfred Road | $ 9,000 | |
| Downtown/Spruce Street Community Outreach Project | $ 53,907 | |
| Project Right Choice After School Program | $ 26,684 | |
| Housing Authority Residents Services Coordinator | $ 11,303 | |
| MACC Job Retention Program | $ 11,000 | |
| Community Policing Program Funds | $ 1,597 | |
| Historic Properties Inventory | $ 5,000 | |
| Feasibility Study for East Side Community Center | $ 5,000 | |
| General Program Administration | $ 85,873 |
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 neighborhood streets and proposed HUD funded projects, as described in the table under MAP 5.
