The City of Augusta, recently consolidated with Richmond County, is now the second largest metropolitan city in Georgia. Augusta is home to the world-renowned Master's golf tournament and is situated on the Savannah River, the site of many national water sporting events.
The City of Augusta's Consolidated Plan presents a unique approach to housing and community development needs throughout the metro area. The one-year action plan is an attempt to allocate approximately $2 million in Community Development Block Grant, HOME, and ESG funds in 1995. Better, more affordable housing is Augusta's primary concern.
In order to encourage citizen participation in the development of the
Consolidated Plan, the Community Development Department held seven (7)
neighborhood meetings and three (3) public hearings. Advertisements were placed
in three (3) local papers, flyers were distributed in neighborhoods, and notices
were sent in advance to local housing agencies and homeless service providers.
Citizens, public agencies and other interested parties had the opportunity to
receive information and to review and submit comments on the submission,
proposed activities, amount of assistance expected to be received, and plans to
minimize displacement of individuals as well as to assist those already
displaced by these activities. The City made the Consolidated Plan available to
the public by examination and comment thirty days prior to its submission.
According to the 1990 census, the population of the City of Augusta is 44,639, a 6.1% decline from 1980 census data. After consolidation, which officially goes into effect January 1, 1996, the population will skyrocket to over 200,000. Over 50% of Augusta's total population is black, with Hispanics, Native Americans and Asians making up approximately 8% of the total population.
In 1990 the total number of households in Augusta was 18,795. 61.8% of
black households are very low income, as compared to 30.8% in white households.
According to 1990 census figures, there are 2,769 vacant units in Augusta. The
median family income in 1994 was $33,322, slightly lower than the national
median family income of $35,939. The total number of public housing units in the
City of Augusta is 2,773. 230 of these units are vacant.
The analysis conducted for the Consolidated Plan revealed that the existing supply of affordable housing does not fully meet the needs of our lower income population and those with special needs. One factor is the condition of the affordable housing stock - it encompasses many substandard units of which only a portion may be economically rehabilitated. The inability to afford rent is another factor, which calls for additional rental assistance. Also there is a growing recognition that some of our population may require unconventional housing arrangements which may sometimes encompass special services needed to sustain these persons. Other factors are deteriorating neighborhood conditions, decreased availability of land, growth outside (rather than inside) the City, construction costs and other such considerations that complicate the successful development of affordable housing inside the Augusta city limits.
Several critical housing needs are identified in the Consolidated Plan, two of which are the need for rehabilitation of affordable housing for low income persons and the need for temporary rental assistance for low income persons, homeless persons and persons with special needs.
The very low income elderly homeowners are the group most in need of rehabilitation assistance. The very low income small related (2-4) households are most in need of rental assistance. The majority of both of these groups are minority households.
The City of Augusta's general housing market in terms of supply and demand is as follows: There is currently enough inventory (taking the average number of sales per month versus the total number of listings available) to last about 10 1/2 months, i.e., supply is comfortably ahead of demand.
Within the corporate limits of Augusta, there was a 4% increase in housing units from 1980- 1990, bringing the total to 21,588. There were two (2) census tracts which lost more than 10% of their units and eight (8) tracts which lost between 1% and 10% of their units since 1980. Only one (1) census tract in the City of Augusta had a housing unit gain of over 20%. Occupied housing units as a percentage of total units has been on the decline. According to 1990 figures, 12.8% of the total housing units in Augusta are vacant.
The median value of an owner-occupied housing unit in Augusta is $49,000. The median contract rent paid by persons residing in renter-occupied units is $217. This is beyond the price range of most lower-income families. There is very little, if any, multi-family housing construction in progress so other, more creative, solutions are required.
The City's downpayment assistance program, owner-occupied rehabilitation program and rental rehabilitation program are attempts to meet these needs. Households with incomes at or below 50% of MFI have the greatest housing cost burden.
70% of the homeless population in Augusta is black, 28% is white and 2% is Hispanic/other. Based on information received from local homeless service providers, there are approximately 1052 homeless individuals and 166 homeless families in Augusta. The majority of the homeless population are black males.
There is a need for additional emergency shelter and transitional housing for the homeless. The emergency shelter bed space for single men needs to be increased by 150% and the emergency shelter bed space for single women needs to be increased by 50%. Emergency shelter capacity for families needs to increase 500%. The total number of transitional homes needs to be tripled and the number of transitional homes servicing female victims of domestic violence and persons with AIDS needs to be doubled. At least 10% of the transitional housing should be accessible to persons with disabilities. The severally mentally ill homeless category is the one most in need of assistance.
The total number of public housing units in the City of Augusta is 2,773. 230 of these are vacant. The total number of Section 8 assisted units by size currently under ACC of HAP contract in Augusta is 2,350. 2013 of these are moderate rehab (180 are one bedroom, 1,412 are two bedroom, 396 are three bedroom, 25 are four bedroom) and 337 are substantial rehab (all of which are efficiencies or one bedrooms). The condition of the units is fair and the rehabilitation needs are as follows: site improvements, sheetrock interior walls, new ranges and refrigerators, replace roofs, repaint and waterproof brick, replace gutters and downspouts, install house numbers on mailboxes, renovate kitchen, replace tile flooring, enclose closets, insulate exposed walls, replace bathroom lavatories, replace interior doors, replace space heaters, and replace DHW heaters. There is also a need to modify additional units to provide accessibility to persons with disabilities.
The total number of individuals on the section 8 waiting list is 4,483. The percentage of households who meet one or more of the Federal preferences for admission to rental assistance programs is 48.43%.
There are no unused tenant-based rental certificates and vouchers by unit size as of the last six months and no units are expected to be lost from the assisted housing inventory for any reason.
Zoning is one of the public policy areas that may restrict affordable fair housing. All zoning ordinances restrict the density of development, the occupance of single-family dwellings by non-family members and the location of low cost housing such as mobile homes. Augusta is no exception. Code enforcement, which has recently been escalated by the City as one solution to the drug problem, is another area that impacts the availability of affordable housing. The last resort of code enforcement, which is condemnation and demolition, reduces the supply of affordable, albeit dilapidated, housing in the inner City.
On the whole, Augusta's governmental structure is small and it avoids unnecessary regulation such that its impact on housing affordability and minority concentrations is relatively small.
Metro Fair Housing Services, Inc. recently completed an extensive fair housing study for Augusta. The study showed that area real estate agents spent more time with the white testers than with black ones, that the white testers were given more information, and that the white testers received follow-up calls more often than the black testers. In addition, the black testers were quoted higher interest rates (reverse redlining) than the white testers and were required to be pre-qualified when the white testers were not. The white "clients" were told to avoid certain undesirable neighborhoods.
There are no current court orders, consent decrees, or HUD-imposed sanctions that affect the provision of fair housing remedies.
According to the Augusta Housing Authority and the Augusta Health Department, there have been no confirmed cases of lead-based paint poisoning in Augusta, despite routine testing using a state-of-the-art x-ray fluoroscope (xrf) device. One official at the Augusta Housing Authority cited traces of lead in the water pipes as being more of a physical hazard than lead- based paint.
Community development needs include jobs for unemployed and underemployed
residents, better access to financing for area businesses, more private
investment in the Augusta area, better sewer systems, more police protection,
improved street lighting, more recreation facilities, removal of dilapidated
structures, continued rehabilitation of both owner-occupied and rental housing
units, construction of new affordable units, assistance to homeless and HIV/AIDS
victims in obtaining affordable housing.
In creating a strategic plan to address the needs already mentioned, the City of Augusta has set forth the following goals: the creation of affordable housing and rental assistance for those in need, rehabilitation of the existing housing stock, downpayment assistance to encourage homeownership, a facade program to improve the exterior condition of historic commercial businesses within the City, a paint improvements program to address the exterior of the older housing stock in Augusta, the creation of additional emergency shelters and transitional homes for the homeless and those in danger of becoming homeless, and the creation of low interest loans for local businesses.
Housing priorities in Augusta include housing rehabilitation for low income existing homeowners and renters; temporary rental assistance for low income persons; new construction, reconstruction, and homebuyer assistance for low income persons and households; improvement of the exterior of the older housing stock within the City; encouraging public housing residents to become owners of their public housing units and/or develop other homeownership opportunities for these residents.
Public facilities improvements (parks, recreation, etc.), infrastructure improvements (street, sidewalk, streetlights, and sewer), and an increase in the City's tax revenue by providing low interest loans to local businesses are the City's top non-housing community development priorities.
According to the 1990 census, 33% of Augustans are below the poverty level. A number of local agencies administer programs such as financial counseling, referrals to community resources, budgeting classes, job training, motivational techniques, remediation/GED instruction, self-esteem building, job search/placement assistance, etc. to address this need.
The primary federal resources for the City of Augusta include CDBG, HOME and ESG funds. The organizational structure for the various supportive services will consist of funding providers (federal, state, local and private), the City of Augusta as a facilitator and conduit for funding, and various community agencies implementing the services that lie within their respective areas of expertise (Georgia Legal Services, Department of Family and Children Services, Salvation Army, etc.). In addition, private programs through local lending institutions and area businesses will be utilized.
The Community Development Department is primarily responsible for administration of Consolidated Plan activities. However, a number of public and private agencies are responsible for administering plan components. For the most part, these agencies will be monitored by the Community Development Department.
There are some gaps in the City's institutional structure due to limitations
in funding, the need to better coordinate existing services, and the need to
improve the accessibility of services to those in need.
The City of Augusta One-Year Action Plan outlines the proposed use of approximately $2 million in CDBG, HOME and ESG funds. The key projects are as follows:
The majority of the projects in the One-Year Plan are dedicated to the following targeted residential areas: Albion Acres, Bethlehem, Harrisburg, May Park, Laney-Walker, Pinch Gut, Sand Hills, Turpin Hill and West End.
Highlights of the City of Augusta's One-Year Action Plan housing goals include rehabilitating 40 single-family owner-occupied homes, rehabilitating 20 rental units, assisting 30 households with first-time homeownership, providing paint and supplies for 100 households, assisting hundreds of homeless persons with emergency shelter and transitional housing.
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, and proposed HUD funded projects.
MAP 6 depicts Neighborhood Segments and streets with proposed HUD funded projects.
MAP 7 depicts Neighborhood Segments and streets with proposed HUD funded projects.
MAP 8 depicts Neighborhood Segments and streets with proposed HUD funded projects.
MAP 9 depicts Neighborhood Segments and streets with proposed HUD funded projects.
MAP 10 depicts Empowerment Zones\Enterprise Community information.
MAP 11 depicts Empowerment Zones\Enterprise Community information.
MAP 12 depicts Empowerment Zones\Enterprise Community information.
TABLE (with associated map) provides information about the project(s).
