Action Plan

The Connecticut Consolidated Plan represents a new comprehensive and collaborative approach to planning for housing and community development. This plan integrates economic, physical, environmental, and human development in a coordinated fashion to respond to the holistic needs of the state's communities. The strategies developed through the planning process represent a general approach to attaining essential community goals:

• Extend and strengthen partnerships among all levels of government and the private sector;
• Provide decent housing;
• Establish and maintain a suitable living environment;
• Expand economic opportunities for every citizen, especially for low-income and very low-income persons;

Citizen Participation

Elements of the Plan were developed with active citizen participation, including advocacy groups, local institutions, citizens, community groups, development and service organizations, and government officials. An informational briefing to representatives of 68 statewide regional organizations, advocacy organizations, providers, housing authorities, tenant groups, developers, and municipalities was conducted in May 1994, as was a separate "visioning session." Notices of preliminary public hearings and the availability of the Plan were published in seven newspapers and preliminary public hearings were held in two communities in early September 1994. Focus groups were conducted in three additional communities later in September. Three public hearings, in Hartford, Norwalk, and New Haven, were conducted in December 1994.

In Connecticut, there are vast differences in population demographics, land use policies, land values, household composition, economic status, housing costs, housing stock inventory, and community development needs from one area or town to another. Specifics on market conditions, housing and community development needs and other issues can be found in the sections below.

Housing Needs

Households at the lowest end of the income scale are faced with the most housing related problems, have the greatest housing needs and have the fewest affordable and appropriate units available to them. These households are severely limited in their housing options, choices, and availability. These households face a shortage of affordable rental units and enjoy virtually no chance of home ownership.

Larger families are more economically restricted in finding affordable housing than smaller families earning the same income.

In addition to very low and low income families, persons with disabilities, the elderly and frail elderly have significant housing needs which are not met without some kind of assistance.

Market Conditions

Large and growing gaps in housing costs in the state's communities continue to limit the options of lower income families regarding housing choice and opportunity. Lower income families are economically restricted to areas where affordable housing is available, mostly in the cities and urban centers.

The average cost to construct a new single family home in Connecticut in 1993 was $154,806. The median sales price was $137,500. The median gross rent was $598, according to the 1990 census.

Affordable Housing Needs

At thirty percent of income, a CT household would have to have an income of $53,240 per year in order to afford to purchase a median valued single family home. In 1990, 24.6% of owner households paid more than 30% of their income for shelter costs.

The cost of renting a typical one-bedroom apartment is beyond the reach of 44% of all renter households in CT. A two-bedroom apartment is unaffordable to 53% of the state's renter households -- the 11th highest rate in the nation.

The need for affordable housing is most severe for families at or below the poverty level and those on AFDC.

Homeless Needs

In recent years CT's homeless population includes not only single males, many with substance abuse problems, but also single females, the elderly, people with disabilities, mentally ill persons and families with children. In recent years, families with children seem to be the fastest growing segment of the homeless population in the state. It is estimated that there are between 3,000 and 5,000 homeless individuals on any given night. This includes people who use shelters and those who do not.

The available evidence shows that the high cost of living, the lack of decent affordable housing, and substance abuse are major contributing factors to homelessness in CT. In addition, teen pregnancy and the emotional illnesses suffered by adults are also factors.

Public and Assisted Housing Needs

This section is only applicable to municipal ConPlans. Information on this topic can be found in the individual municipal Plans for towns in CT.

Barriers to Affordable Housing

Significant barriers to affordable housing include regulatory barriers (unnecessary or duplicative regulation, excessive standards, unnecessary or sequential permitting) and land- use barriers which prevent housing from being built, thereby making existing housing more expensive. The Plan identifies a number of barriers (home rule, tax policies, administration, building codes and standards, infrastructure, fees, return on investment, concentration policies) that can impede the successful development of community based projects. It also presents a listing of barriers as delineated by social service, housing and disability advocates.

Fair Housing

The state will affirmatively further fair housing, prepare an analysis of impediments and maintain records pertaining to carrying out this change.

Lead-Based Paint

In CT, the population most at risk for lead poisoning is defined as children between the ages of 0-6 years and living in housing built prior to 1978. Populations living below the poverty level are more likely to have other risk factors which increase their risk of lead poisoning, including poor nutrition and substandard housing. It has been estimated that 80,000 of CT's children have blood lead levels of 10 ug/dl or above. Five towns with especially high risk factors will be targeted for a program of screening, education and lead abatement activities.

Community Development Needs

Two surveys were conducted to determine community development needs other than housing. In order of importance, CT municipalities listed the following needs:

• Public facilities
• Business working capital and equipment
• Funding for non-profit organizations
• Acquisition
• Incubator Development
• Job training
• Technical assistance to businesses
• Self-employment and Micro-enterprise Development
• Entrepreneurial training
• Public services relating to employment
• Minority business development
• Enterprise zones

Coordination

Identification of needs was coordinated through CT's citizen participation process. The participants are listed and the process is described in the Citizen Participation section above.

Vision for Change

The state's vision is that the people of Connecticut are a single community rich in diversity, living in safe, vital, and interdependent cities and towns. This vision will be achieved through flexible and responsive governments, neighborhood based decision-making, and comprehensive, collaborative planning which ensures safe and supportive environments for individuals and families.

Housing and Community Development Objectives and Priorities

The following constitute the state's objectives and priorities for housing and community development activities.

• Housing Choice and Opportunities: Housing programs and activities will result in real housing choices and opportunities, particularly for extremely low, very low, low and moderate income households, for individuals transitioning from the aegis of state agency human service programs and for people with disabilities in all geographic regions.
• Racial and Economic Integration: Housing and community development programs will promote racial and economic integration in all geographic regions, communities and developments. The integration of people with disabilities will also be promoted.
• Income Targeting: Each housing agency will, to the extent practicable, serve households with incomes less than fifty percent of the areas median income, including households with incomes less than 25 percent of the area median income, and will attempt to serve households in the lower range of the income group for which the housing program is developed.
• Housing and Jobs: Housing policy shall reflect the fact that affordable housing is central to a stable and productive work force, and housing shall be developed within a strategic context of economic and job development.
• Long Term Affordability: State housing programs should encourage developers to include maximum long term affordability in housing developments. The State will grant a preference, wherever possible, to proposals which guarantee long term affordability for 50 years or the useful life of the property.
• Preservation/Replacement of Existing Affordable Housing: Existing housing for extremely low, very low, low and moderate income households should be maintained and preserved. However, when housing stock for such households is deemed obsolete, replacement should be made with new or renovated units that meet all modern state and federal codes (including square footage recommendations). Design criteria should maximize security factors for individual families and the larger neighborhood. Location of the replacement units should be sensitive to other priorities in this document: e.g. reduce density of low income units in any given neighborhood.
• Revitalization and Stabilization of Urban Centers: Housing programs and developments should help revitalize and stabilize urban centers. State programs for housing and community development should help revitalize deteriorated residential and/or business districts through a comprehensive neighborhood improvement approach while avoiding displacement. Community facilities should also be part of these efforts.
• Mixed Income Developments: Housing should be for households of various income groups to avoid continued economic and class segregation. The income mix preference serves several ends; assistance to the full range of households in need, community economic and class integration, and workable housing developments. The preference for wide income mixes within housing developments, however, is not absolute. Workable housing developments with narrow income mixes which nonetheless serve the end of community economic and class integration, or of assistance to the full range of households in need, will also be favored.
• Appropriate Housing: Housing design and developments should promote a sense of community and be appropriate for the target population served, the market it is in, and should be consistent with the ability of the land and current and potential infrastructure capacity to support its development.
• Flexibility: Housing programs should be developed with cautious flexibility to adjust to changing market forces and take advantage of market opportunities.
• Efficiency/Leveraging/matching Funds: Consistent with the other goals of this Plan and to the extent possible, housing programs and developments should use public funds as efficiently as possible and should leverage other funds to help stretch those public dollars.
• Institutional Coordination: There should be a unified and collective strategy among state agencies for serving individuals and families which draws upon the agencies' strengths and opportunities and provides the ability to challenge harmful policies inherent in agency mandates. There should be a commitment among state agencies to eliminate barriers to effective service delivery and collaboration that may be caused by regulation, policy, administrative practices, etc.
• Prevention and Alleviation of Homelessness: Housing funds and programs should be spent to create affordable permanent housing or should otherwise assist in the prevention or alleviation of homelessness, rather than institutionalizing homelessness.
• Human Service Linkage to Housing: To promote self-sufficiency, avoid isolation, and prevent homelessness, appropriate social and support services should be provided, readily available and targeted to the needs of residents, particularly those with disabilities and with a special emphasis on services to those with the greatest economic and social needs. A person's ability to maintain their housing should not, however, be dependent on the acceptance of social services.

The planning and provision of services should be a shared responsibility within the community as a whole, rather than a single institution or agency.

Regional planning for housing, community and economic development should include the integration and collaboration with human services planning.

The most effective human service delivery systems should be supported at the local level, founded in collaboration between the public and private sectors with a strong commitment to support families which serve as the human foundation for our communities.

Services should be consumer directed to the maximum extent possible (i.e., under the control of the individual).

There should be a commitment to inclusive community life by increasing the availability of a broad array of community living arrangements and reducing the reliance on segregated programs or services.

• Economic Opportunity: Promote an economy with the strength and diversity to assure meaningful employment for all who seek it. Create and retain jobs for extremely low, very low, low and moderate income people; the unemployed and the underemployed.
• Energy: Housing and community development programs and activities should promote sustainable and efficient use of energy and natural resources through least-cost planning techniques in order to provide a viable economy, a healthy environment, and a high quality of life.
• Transportation: Housing and community development programs and activities should support an integrated, efficient, and economical transportation system which provides mobility, convenience, and safety which meets the needs of all citizens, including transit-dependent and persons with disabilities. Every effort should be made to develop programs that encourage maximum utilization of existing transportation services.
• Natural and Cultural Resources: Housing and community development programs and activities should enhance the quality of the physical, cultural and biological environment by the conservation and preservation of natural and cultural resources and ecological systems.
• Strengthen the economic base: Housing and community development activities should strengthen the tax base and retaining and increasing business and economic opportunities.

• Urban Infrastructure: Housing and community development activities should encourage maintenance, development and rehabilitation of urban infrastructure to support neighborhood revitalization efforts, including but not limited to streets, sidewalks, parking facilities, lights, utilities, sewer and water service, parks and open space, etc.
• Public Safety: State programs should ensure a safe environment in all of Connecticut's neighborhoods and communities.

Maintain the ability of state and local law enforcement to control and prevent crime statewide.

Encourage innovative law enforcement methods and strategies.

Encourage community participation on neighborhood issues.

Anti-Poverty Strategy

This section is not applicable for state ConPlans.

Housing and Community Development Resources

See the Action Plan section below.

Coordination of Strategic Plan

The need to develop coordinated strategies stems from the fact that community problems often do not exist in distinct categories. The state's coordination strategies can be considered in two categories:

• Customer Service: Involves the development and support of local structures for planning and implementing successful community development projects which meet the goals of the Plan. Specific activities include the development of state-local partnerships and the decentralization of planning authority through dissemination of information, marketing, training, facilitation, and technical assistance.
• Resource Allocation: Calls for the flexible deployment of financial resources, from multiple state agencies and private sources, to best meet community needs as defined locally. It requires coordinated planning, streamlined agency funding structures, standardized pre-application processes, and on- going assessment.

Description of Key Projects

The Action Plan provides a one year plan for expending funds in the following federal programs:

HOME: For the 1995-96 fiscal year Action Plan, HOME funds, Federal Low Income Housing Tax Credits and any required state matching funds will be distributed according to the priorities listed in the housing goals section below. It is impossible for the state to predict accurately how many units of what kind of housing will be funded because the state does not know in advance what kind of specific proposals will be submitted for funding.

Small Cities CD Block Grant: The priorities of the 1995 Small Cities Program will be projects that create or rehabilitate housing, especially housing for the homeless, and that create or retain job opportunities for low and moderate income persons. This emphasis will not necessarily preclude the funding of community/public facility or infrastructure type projects.

Emergency Shelter Grants: The ESG funds will primarily be targeted for operational costs of existing shelters followed by essential services and administrative services. It is estimated that 15,000 individuals, including families with children, will receive emergency shelter services during the 1995-96 program year.

Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS: Funds will be distributed to seventeen community-based organizations (previously selected through a competitive process) for community residence operational costs, rental assistance, technical assistance to non-profit organizations, supportive and case management services associated with housing, housing information, and resource identification. An estimated 300 individuals living with HIV/AIDS and their families will receive supportive housing assistance.

Locations

Geographically, funds will be available to all 169 communities although certain kinds of housing and community development activities will be given a higher priority if located in certain cities and towns.

Lead Agencies

The lead agencies for the programs covered in the ConPlan are the Departments of Economic and Community Development and Social Services and the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority.

Housing Goals

In general, the housing goals for the 1995-96 program year are:

• The development or preservation of service enhanced housing which promotes independent living for the homeless;
• The promotion of choice and economic integration through deep income targeting of family housing;
• The development of affordable home ownership for first time buyers, low income households, particularly in communities which have low rates of home ownership;
• Neighborhood revitalization and community development through acquisition and rehabilitation in Urban centers;
• The development of assisted elderly housing where there is none;
• Preservation of low income service federally assisted housing that may be lost through prepayment.