The cities of Sioux City, Iowa; South Sioux City, Nebraska; and Dakota City, Nebraska; operating as a consortium, submit the following Consolidated Plan and Strategy to be eligible for federal housing and community development funding programs. The City of Sioux City serves as the lead agency for the Siouxland Consortium and has responsibility for allocating funding and filing required reports.
Early in April 1995, the date for the first public hearing concerning the Consolidated Plan and Strategy was set for April 26, 1995. In order to publicly promote attendance at this meeting, 3,600 notices of the meeting were sent out to low income clients of the Woodbury County Community Action Agency (WCCAA) living in Sioux City, holders of Section 8 vouchers and certificates, public housing residents, and some of the Key Participants of our EZEC process. In addition to these notices, the city published notice of the meeting twice in the Sioux City Journal and once in the South Sioux City Star.
The purpose of the meeting was to review previously identified needs, prioritize the housing assistance needs of low income households to add to or change the needs that have been identified, and identification of strategies to meet those needs. The input from this meeting was expected to supplement the two major planning documents which preceded the Consolidated Plan and Strategy -- the updated 1993 Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy (CHAS) and the city's EZEC application and planning process from the spring and summer of 1994. The CHAS established, identified and quantified Sioux City's housing needs. Those needs were modified by the needs expressed at the April 26 hearing. The city's strategies are an amalgam of the priorities identified in the EZEC application, the solutions proposed at the April 26 hearing, and the unfulfilled strategies stated in the CHAS. Fifty residents attended our April 26 meeting as a result of our publicity. The participants represented the wide diversity of our community by race, income, age, and interest.
Housing Needs: As identified at the public hearing held on April 26, 1995
It costs a lot to move into a housing unit. There is the cost of rent, the cost of a deposit equal to a month's rent, and probably a deposit for a utility connection. We need lower deposits with first month's rent or a substitute deposit from some program funding
Rent should be tied to income. It should be a ratio to income. Income should be compared to the cost of living to determine rents.
Rental units are not kept in good repair and they should be.
There is a need for more transitional housing to be provided.
Too many housing units are being torn down and not being replaced
Residents feel unsafe in their own neighborhoods.
More single family homes need to be constructed.
This is causing the sense of "neighborhood" to diminish. Neighborhood residents need to have the services that neighborhood businesses provide if they are going to continue to feel that they are part of a neighborhood.
The city needs more housing for senior citizens.
The community needs higher paying jobs. This would encourage the available work force and allow them to meet their housing needs
The entire community needs housing to be available.
Many housing units need some small amount of repairs. The city needs to have a program to help provide for minor repairs for those who can not take care of such repairs themselves
Teach people how to buy a home and how to maintain it.
These responsibilities need to be better understood by each party.
The city is tearing down too many housing units that could, and should, be rehabilitated or at least made habitable.
The city needs to make someone available who can assist tenants in communicating better. This person might be a translator providing assistance to non-English speaking residents.
The city needs more housing so that people have a larger supply and more choice.
There are not enough large homes available for rent or they are not being made available to large families.
Language barriers cause some housing problems. Facilities and services need to be made available locally to reduce the misunderstanding and confusion between tenants and landlords.
A center needs to be provided for people coming to town, especially low income persons and persons with language or cultural diversity problems.
The city needs to work more comprehensively to create environments safe from lead-based paint.
A program needs to be instituted to provide information and assistance in home maintenance and repairs for the elderly and low-income households.
We need to use our cultural diversity as a positive community asset rather than a community liability.
Sioux City, Iowa is the largest and central community within a regional urban area that lies in three states: Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota. Other communities within the metropolitan area include South Sioux City and Dakota City, Nebraska; North Sioux City, South Dakota; and Sergeant Bluff, Iowa. Sioux City's location on the navigable Missouri River, at the intersection of several railroads and regional and Federal interstate highways has been a leading factor in its growth as a large manufacturing, interstate trucking and food processing center. As the central city in the metropolitan region, Sioux City's economic growth as an industrial employment center supported rapid population growth to a level of nearly 80,000 persons in 1930, a figure that remained relatively stable through the 1940's and 1950's. Reflecting national demographic trends, the city population reached 89,159 in 1960, but soon afterward began a population decline continuing to recent times. Sioux City experienced a major employment downturn in the early 1980's, losing about 2,460 jobs, or nearly 4% of its total employment force between 1980 and 1982. This catastrophic decline was most serious among wage and salary earners, who experienced a loss of 2,880 jobs, or 5.5% of all such jobs during that two year interval. Unemployment in the Sioux City area reached a high of approximately 9% during this period. The job base has experienced a revival since its low point in 1982. The unemployment rate had dropped to 3.1 percent by 1993.. Employment levels have increased by about 6,000 jobs, or slightly under 10% of 1980 levels.
While population is a critical component of forecasting housing demand, household formation is perhaps more critical to predicting market requirements. The household is the unit that occupies a house or apartment. As a result, many cities which have experienced declining populations since 1970 have nevertheless maintained reasonably healthy housing markets, fueled by the creation of new households. These trends are evident in the Sioux City metropolitan area as well. Within Sioux City, population declined by 4.6% between 1970 and 1980. Household numbers during the same period increased by 9.0%, or an increase of 2479 units. Each of the four surrounding communities recorded dramatic gains in household numbers, together adding just over 2000 households. By 1990, the rate of increase in household formation was slowing. Household numbers for the four communities of South Sioux City, Dakota City, Sergeant Bluff, and North Sioux City increased by 376 households between 1980 and 1990, exceeding Sioux City's increase of 350 households.
Population composition by race and age is an important influence on population growth. The Areas of highest minority concentration are Census Tracts 8, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16. Geographically, these six census tracts, border the downtown central business district to both the north and west. Census tracts 8, 14 and 15 are in the Westside neighborhood. This neighborhood has been traditionally home to the city's Black and American Indian populations. Census tracts 12, 13 and 16 are north of the Sioux City downtown area and are sometimes referred to as Mid-City or Near-Northside. The term Near-Northside technically includes parts of census tracts 10 and 11. The Mid-City and Near-Northside neighborhoods have had the highest concentration of Hispanic and Southeast Asian residents, but always has and continues to be, a neighborhood with mixed races, including White, Black and Native Americans. We define an area of minority concentration as any census tract where at least 10 percent of the total population is made up of minorities. As maps provided in this section will show, Census tracts 12, 13, 15 and 16 have minority concentrations between 20 and 35%, more than exceeding our definition of minority concentration.
These findings suggest the following trends evident among communities in metropolitan Sioux City:
An analysis of 20 years worth of employment and wage data shows that the Siouxland area is making a strong economic recovery. Unemployment in 1994 was 3.1%. The 1994 edition of "Iowa's Counties: Selected Population Trends, Vital Statistics, and Socioeconomic Data" by Willis Goudy and Sandra Charvat Burke of Iowa State University, shows that of a Woodbury County labor force numbering 54,700, 53,000 of them are employed with 40,722 of those individuals employed in Woodbury County businesses. Goudy and Burke also show that the number of business establishments in Woodbury County has increased during the years of economic recovery (1986-1990) from 2,666 in 1986 to 2,681 in 1990 and 2,721 in 1991. The above statistical measures confirm what the local Chamber of Commerce asserts, namely, that significant job growth is occurring in the metropolitan area.
Economic growth and statistical indicators identified point to the relative economic health of the Siouxland area as a whole. They do not, however, tell the entire story. Not all residents of the Siouxland area have shared equally in the economic recovery. Based on the 1989 Median Family Income of $29,400 and a total Siouxland household count of 36,184, a total of 17.7 % of families (counting urban and non-urban combined) earned under $8,820 per year, which represented 30% of Median Family Income. Another 10.9% earned under $14,700 per year, placing them at under 50% of the Median Family Income. Families at the 30th and 50th percentile in income-earned categories have traditionally been the segment of the population most at risk of experiencing housing crises which can be defined as anything from inability to find suitable housing, overcrowding, residing in unsafe structures or experiencing cost burdens (paying in excess of a third of their gross income for housing). Even families and individuals earning up to 80% of the Median Family Income can experience cost burdens in an extremely tight housing market like Siouxland's. Low income renters and homeowners alike, are often paying as much as 35% of their income for housing. The number of households reporting a cost burden exceeding 35% of gross income is 4,012 or 11.1% of those households tracked by the Census. Additionally, the 2,143 renting households as suffering a high cost burden make up 66% of the total number of households earning less than 40% of the median income. By comparison, only 27% of total rental households pay so much for housing.
Community service organizations have played a key role in providing housing assistance and support services for many people in the Sioux City metropolitan area. The number of organizations is growing, yet there is broad agreement that the numbers of those in need are growing. The United Way of Siouxland provides funding for 28 organizations serving special needs populations such as the homeless, the mentally ill, the disabled, the elderly, victims of violence, and others whose need for housing requires community support. As part of the information gathering process for the Siouxland Consortium's Consolidated Plan and Strategy, participants from the organizations providing these services were included in the planning sessions. These community leaders reported that they are dealing with a different clientele than they have historically dealt with in the past. The agencies and organizations providing services to the low-income and special needs populations have been tailoring their programs or re-inventing them to meet the new demand for services. Some of this change is attributable to the changing ethnic makeup of Siouxland and a need to provide services in Spanish, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Laotian, and Hmong, for example.
Homelessness is an issue in Siouxland. While it is neither a terribly visible problem, nor a rampant one in terms of numbers of individuals living in the streets, awareness of homelessness has been increasing in recent years. More public agencies, civic leaders and social service providers now recognize that near-homelessness is a more prevalent problem and have become more aware of the causes of temporary and long-term homelessness, even if the average resident remains unaware of the extent of homelessness within their community. Such was the conclusion of R. Dean and Susan E. Wright of Drake University (Des Moines, Iowa) in their study "Homelessness in Iowa: The 1992 Summary" when they stated: "The national media have constructed an image of homelessness that is inconsistent with the condition as it exists in Iowa. It is not surprising that many Iowans fail to recognize homelessness in their communities, and reject the notion that there are homeless persons in the State and in their county. The consequences and ramifications of homelessness in a rural state are as serious as are those in an urban area. An emerging recognition of that fact has increased awareness and identification of the existence and needs of homeless individuals in the rural and urban communities of Iowa."
Near-homelessness was identified as a growing problem in the Siouxland area. Near-homeless people were described as those who exhibit a housing need brought upon by a transition in employment, income, family setting or other temporary situation. Many individuals in transition settings exhibit signs of financial distress.
Much is being done in the Siouxland area to assist mentally ill and retarded persons with housing needs and supportive services. However, there remains a need for certain types of housing, and new projects opened within the past two years have filled up almost immediately, indicating continuing demand.
It is difficult to identify precisely the number of people who are physically disabled in the Siouxland community. The 1990 census provides an indication, although the specific disability is not identified. Conversations with local service organizations indicate that while there are many good efforts in the community to provide handicapped-accessible housing and support services for the physically handicapped, there is a need for larger unit sizes to accommodate families with one handicapped individual. All existing units for the handicapped are one-bedroom units, except for public housing units.
AIDS cases in the Siouxland area are relatively few. According to the Iowa Department of Public Health, there are 12 cases of AIDS in the northeast region of Nebraska (which covers several counties in addition to Dakota County) and 10 cases in Woodbury County, Iowa Because of the potential rapid rate of increase of the disease, the Siouxland communities should monitor their State Health Department numbers, but currently and in the foreseeable future, special housing efforts for AIDS infected individuals are not a critical part of the housing strategy.
The needs of the growing elderly portion of the local population are substantial. At the same time, the dynamics of the local housing market are producing an environment where the needs of the elderly have increasingly become a universal concern. This is especially true in Sioux City where the past decade witnessed virtually no new residential construction. Growth in the number of elderly households, as well as family households, has magnified the need for additional elderly units, and focused attention on the opportunity for a succession of existing larger homes to other occupants.
No longer the largest ethnic minority group in the Sioux City area, blacks still comprise the largest racial minority in the metropolitan area. Community housing organizations estimate that 40 50% of blacks are ill housed. More than 1,800 blacks were reported as residents of the metropolitan area during the 1990 census, with most people concentrated in a narrow portion of the west side of Sioux City. Fundamental housing needs identified include housing rehabilitation, and engaging financial institutions toward an increased willingness to invest money into housing in the black community.
Sioux City's geographic history, its industrial employment opportunities, as well as its proximate location to several area tribal reservations, have established Native Americans as a large minority population. American Indians surpassed blacks as the largest minority race in 1980, only to themselves be removed from that position in 1990 by persons of Spanish origin.
Needs of this group reflect the problems of lack of affordable housing discussed with other ethnic minorities. Characteristic of Native American needs is an observed lack of short term transitional housing. Community leaders observe individuals arriving in the community to secure income from short term employment, and later leaving the community to return to Native American reservation areas. Short term housing to address these needs is not adequately available.
An ongoing lack of attention to housing needs on Native American reservations in Nebraska and South Dakota, creating substandard and overcrowded conditions, has encouraged migration to the Siouxland communities. South Sioux City and Sioux City are a draw to Native Americans because of the availability of rental assistance, for which this population may receive federal preference. Federal government attention to housing on reservations will assist the Siouxland communities' housing strategy.
The Siouxland District Health Department tracks lead poisoning and provides lead screenings for children. From July 1992 to July 1994, the last full year for which statistics are available, the Siouxland District Health Department conducted lead poisoning screenings on a total of 883 children. Seventy-one children, 9% of the total number screened, showed elevated levels of lead in their bloodstreams. The state average percent of children with elevated lead levels is 7%. The average age of the children who have been positively identified as lead-poisoned is 2 1/2 to 3-years old. The Siouxland District Health Department has been aggressively promoting lead-screening of all children.
The Housing Market Analysis section will provide information regarding housing characteristics of the Siouxland Consortium member communities; review the current status of public housing and assisted and subsidized housing; discuss homeless services, supportive housing services, and barriers experienced in finding permanent solutions to the housing problem. This section will review housing characteristics of Sioux City, South Sioux City, and Dakota City in light of changes between the 1980 and 1990 Censuses. Housing characteristics are evaluated through an analysis of construction activity and changes in housing value and rent. An affordability analysis was also conducted using available data.
The following picture emerges from an analysis of the past ten years of housing condition, housing development, owner occupancy, renter occupancy, housing value, contract rent and vacancy rates:
Taken together, these facts and trends reveal a housing market that is weak in supplying any units; shows significant increases in the cost of rent; and indicates a decline in the level of owner occupied units during the past decade. These trends pose serious challenges to the community's ability to:
This section will summarize the housing need, provide an affordability analysis, outline the current housing delivery systems operating in the consortium area, detail the obstacles encountered in trying to solve the need for affordable housing, and justify the need for investing in non-housing CDBG-eligible activities as part of a holistic solution to the twin problems of affordable housing and neighborhood revitalization.
Sioux City:
Based on natural population change, Sioux City's population is expected to grow slightly, from 80,505 in the 1990 census to 81,141 in 1999. Even this modest growth would represent a reversal of a consistent recent history of population decline. At the same time, population per household will decline slightly, from 2.55 in 1990 to 2.50 in 1999. These changes by themselves will generate a need for additional units.
Based on these projections, Sioux City will require 1,765 units between 1995 and 1999, an average annual output of 178 units. Based on 1990 income distributions, about 40 percent of the city's population is low and moderate income. Proportionately, then, Sioux City should produce approximately 71 units annually that are affordable to low and moderate income households.
South Sioux City:
Based on natural population change, South Sioux City's population is expected to grow slightly, from 9,677 in the 1990 census to 9,808 in 1999. This rate of growth generally reflects population changes experienced by South Sioux City during the 1980s. In common with other parts of the metropolitan area, population per household will decline slightly through 1999, from its current 2.61 to 2.56. Generally, average household size in South Sioux City will remain above that of Sioux City.
Based on these projections, South Sioux City will require 269 units between 1995 and 1999, an average annual output of 29 units. Based on 1980 income distributions, about 40% of the city's population is low and moderate income. Proportionately, then, South Sioux City should produce approximately 12 units annually that are affordable to low and moderate income households. Over the last 10 years, South Sioux City has produced an average of 40 new units (30 single-family, 10 multi-family) annually.
Dakota City:
Natural population change will produce a modest population increase in Dakota City. Average household size in the community is substantially higher than that of the metropolitan area's other cities; however, it is expected to follow the common metropolitan area trend of slow reduction through the year 2000. Dakota City has the area's highest vacancy rate of 7.25% in 1990. We would program a gradual absorption of existing units, leading to a reduction in vacancy to 6.25% by 1999. Finally, an annual replacement of five units is programmed for the next five years. Based on these assumptions, Dakota City will require an additional 88 units between 1995 and 1999, an average annual production of eight units. This is a significant increase over Dakota City's housing production of 41 units between 1980 and 1991.
About 34% of Dakota City's households fall within the low and moderate income range, based on 1980 income distributions. Proportionately, this suggests a five-year requirement of 35 low and moderate income housing units.
Sioux City:
Data indicates a shortage of affordable units for income ranges through about 50% of the citywide median income. This deficit is most severe for the lowest income groups. Thus, for people earning less than 40% of the median income, there are about 3,200 fewer "affordable" units than there are people who need them. These needs are addressed by programs such as Section 8. However, even the application of these programs results in a deficit of over 1,500 units.
Surpluses of units over families begin to appear with houses ranging in price from $25,000 to $40,000 and rental units ranging from $300 to $400 for monthly rents. These surpluses suggest that: 1.) some lower income people are inevitably overpaying for housing; and 2.) some upper income people are living in housing units that are priced considerably below their ability to pay. No one can argue with the wisdom of staying in good housing that is also a bargain; indeed, Sioux City provides many such units for its residents. However, these relatively affordable units are also unavailable to lower income people in the absence of a reasonably active development market providing a range of housing choices.
South Sioux City:
The information presented presents the housing affordability analysis for the City of South Sioux City and indicates that South Sioux City displays a shortage of affordable units available to residents below about 45-50% of the citywide median income, corresponding to an income of about $11,000 annually. This shortage of 337 units is addressed by the city's approximately 250 units of Section 8 vouchers and certificates assistance. Thus, while South Sioux City continues to display a need for additional housing assistance, its existing stock and subsidy programs have addressed a significant part of its overall local housing needs.
In common with Sioux City, South Sioux City displays a surplus of affordable units over residents in moderate to middle income ranges. These surpluses suggest both some overpayment by low-income people for housing; and continued occupancy of relatively low-cost housing by higher income household. In general, however, assisted programs in Sioux City are addressing an important part of the community's low-income housing needs.
Dakota City:
Data suggests a more limited low income shortfall for the City of Dakota City than for either Sioux City or South Sioux City. The city' affordability deficit is concentrated at the lowest end of the income spectrum, for those households earning below 40% of the community's median income. The 40% border corresponds to an annual income of $10,622 or below. Unlike the two larger communities, housing and income ranges tend to be relatively more balanced in upper income ranges.
Most of the activities in this Consolidated Plan & Strategy that are relevant to these goals are conducted through the Emergency Shelter Grant Program. The City of Sioux City contracts these services through five local not-for-profit agencies: the A.I.D. Center, the Council on Sexual Abuse and Domestic Violence, the Woodbury County Community Action Agency, Shesler Hall and the Crittenton Center. Each of these non-profits works with different sectors of the homeless and near-homeless population. As stated in Section 3 "Housing and Homeless Needs Assessment", the Siouxland area has a higher need for services to the near-homeless (as defined by such factors as overcrowding and housing cost burden) than for homeless individuals on the street.
Availability of Financing. Housing agencies and developers report tight money supplies hinder the availability of capital for housing development.
Siouxland Housing Economics. In spite of significant housing shortages, analysis indicates that housing prices in the Siouxland area remain relatively low. This prevents multi-family developments from achieving adequate rentals to retire debt and create a reasonable return for investors.
Development Capacity. The severe economic downturn experienced in the region since the 1970s caused the virtual collapse of many segments of Siouxland's development industry. In Sioux City, for example, the net average increase in housing was less than 15 units per year. While Siouxland's economy has rebounded strongly, the development and residential construction industries have not fully recovered. Thus, the market may not have the current capacity to develop needed housing in area communities.
Development Corporations. While the Siouxland area has a variety of organizations that have actively sponsored and developed programs using Section 202 or other Federally subsidized production programs, the area has lacked a strong development corporation able to mobilize private resources as part of partnerships to complete affordable housing developments.
Tax Levels. Siouxland communities experienced relatively high tax rates. Property tax levels provide a distinct disincentive to residential development, particularly of multi-family housing.
Codes. During the public hearing process, some groups identified building and zoning codes as potential obstacles to the provision of affordable housing. Areas of concern included the application of new construction standards to moderate or substantial rehabilitation.
Demographic Shift. The demographic information included in Section 2's Demographics and Section 3's Housing and Homeless Needs Assessment indicate an increase in the Siouxland area's Hispanic population beginning in the 1980s and continuing to the present. The population of people of Hispanic origin increased (by the most conservative of estimates) by 2,000 -- three times its 1980 level. Information gathered during interviews with area agencies, including those serving Hispanic residents, suggested that the actual population might range from 4,000 to 5,000. The availability of jobs in the area's meatpacking industry has contributed to this in-migration. This situation is atypical of the Midwest. States and municipalities along borders or ports are the usual destination of newly arrived immigrants. It is atypical to see such a mass influx of immigrants to what still must be considered a predominantly rural area.
Short-Term Vs. Long Term-Situations. The tightness of the housing market, the heightened local economy, new commercial construction, the development of a new city, the expansion of a major employer, the rebuilding of a large industrial site following an explosion -- these are all unconnected, short-term events making independent impacts on the local development of affordable housing at the present time.
Section 6: Action Plans will, as its name implies, present the work plan for
the next five years based on the priorities that were identified through the
on-going Siouxland Consortium joint planning process in the area of housing.
Taking the 1993 Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy as a starting
point, the Consolidated Plan and Strategy was formulated based on a core of
priorities that have been the guideposts for all the Consortium's activities in
the past five years. Some shifting of the priorities has occurred throughout the
years in order to better focus resources and better respond to current or
expected needs. The Strategic Plan for affordable housing was prepared with
input from the Citizen Participation Public Hearing held April 26, 1995 at the
Sioux City Convention Center.
The City of Sioux City has selected the following eight priorities:
| Priority 1: | Preserve and maintain the integrity of Sioux City's existing
owner-occupied housing stock.
The City of Sioux City plans to spend $450,000 annually to rehabilitate 35 owner-occupied units in the Riverside, Census Tract 6, area. |
|---|---|
| Priority 2: | Develop or encourage the development of new multi-family housing
that accommodates low and moderate-income households.
The availability of multi-family rental housing is a fundamental priority because the current tight housing market has forced rental rates higher, causing more individuals and families to experience a cost burden exceeding 35% of their gross income to pay for housing costs. Types of housing in particular demand are large family units, the use of large houses, and small units for elderly and handicapped people. These needs will be addressed through the Multi-Family Production Program and the Adaptive Reuse Program. These two programs will construct or rehabilitate 250 multi-family units. Multi-family housing vacancy rates of below 1% justify the allocation of Tax Increment, HOME and CDBG funds to address this issue. |
| Priority 3: | Develop transitional housing to meet the temporary housing
needs of the near-homeless and new immigrants to the Siouxland metropolitan
area.
The need for transitional and emergency shelter is placed in the top three because individuals and families in need of transitional or emergency shelter are in a precarious housing situation of an immediate nature. In common with other urban areas, some residents of the area experience emergency situations, such as domestic abuse or serious financial reversal, that cause them to become temporarily homeless. Subcontractors will provide emergency shelter and transitional housing services. The subcontractors are: the A.I.D. Center, the Council on Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence, the Woodbury County Community Action Agency, Shesler Hall, and the Crittenton Center. A total of $104,000 will be allocated to these agencies to provide emergency shelter. |
| Priority 4: | To revitalize neighborhoods through remedial public
improvements, urban amenities, historic preservation, quality-of-life
programming and other efforts designed to assist low-income families and keep
the neighborhoods they live in from degenerating.
The City of Sioux City advocates neighborhood revitalization, seeing housing, economic development, quality of life, education, and social services as a continuum. The problem of creating enough affordable housing can not be solved without taking into consideration the condition of entire neighborhoods and placing an emphasis on efforts that can be made to stabilize more than just one house at a time. Addressing only one portion of the continuum while ignoring all other factors that define neighborhood quality has led, in the past, to large investments and low results. The continuum approach of neighborhood revitalization matches the investments made in neighborhoods with a matching investment in human capital. The following projects will be accomplished as part of this priority: infrastructure improvements such as streets, sidewalks, sewer replacements and electrical service projects in Riverside and other low-income neighborhoods; commercial rehabilitation of facades and interiors in the Riverside Urban Renewal District; a Micro enterprise Development Program for low-income citizens; a Summer Recreation Program for low income youngsters in the Riverside, Prospect Hill and Mid-City areas; the Fourth Street Historic Preservation improvements; residential and commercial property acquisition and relocation in low-income sectors of the Perry Creek flood zone, Riverside Urban Renewal District, and Prospect Hill Urban Renewal District; and spot demolition to remove slum and blighted areas. Between $1 and $1.5 million will be spent yearly for this priority. |
| Priority 5: | Maintain development and support services, including an
effective nonprofit housing development corporation and two Community Housing
Development Organizations (CHDOs) in the Siouxland area; and adequate support
services to encourage self-sufficiency in clients. Encourage the development of
alternative forms of housing service delivery.
Providing "capacity-building" to encourage non-profit organizations to enter the housing development field is a part of the long-term solution to the need for affordable housing for the low-income. Alternative housing development programs and innovative projects will have a better chance for succeeding and positively impacting the housing situation if they are developed properly and given an early role in the total housing plan. A $10,000 HOME CHDO set-aside will be used to assist new and existing housing development organizations. Supportive services such as Family Development Self-Sufficiency, homebuyer education, housing counseling, day care programs, and home maintenance, repair and budgeting classes will be provided through area non-profits and educational institutions as a means of reinforcing the goals of owner-occupancy and rental programs geared toward the low and moderate-income residents and to protect the substantial investment that has been made to provide affordable housing and revitalize endangered neighborhoods. |
| Priority 6: | Develop special needs housing for the mentally and physically
disabled, elderly, and single-parent families.
This Priority will seek the development of 150 to 200 new units or special needs housing for the mentally ill, physically disabled, and elderly in the next five years through Section 202, CDBG, and HOME financing. This Priority was selected based on the cited need for more suitable independent-living units for these special populations. |
| Priority 7: | Take advantage of public housing units and federal resources to
provide affordable housing for new owner occupants through the sale of remaining
public housing single-family units and one-to-one replacement with Section 8
certificates.
The Sioux City Housing Authority will attempt to sell the remaining single-family housing units it owns to current public housing residents and Section 8 assisted housing tenants. This Priority was selected to empower low-income families to become homebuyers and to more effectively use existing housing stock. |
| Priority 8: | To acquire and rehabilitate vacant, placarded housing units,
providing affordable housing for low and moderate-income homebuyers.
This Priority was placed at the end of the list but it is in no way of lesser importance than all of the other priorities. The $1.75 Million Special Appropriations Grant Program will continue to acquire and rehabilitate such units as become available if the rehabilitation efforts do not exceed $40,000 per house. The program will complete 8-10 units a year for a total of approximately 50 new units in five years. |
The City of South Sioux City has selected the following three priorities:
| Priority 1: | Encourage the continued development of affordable single-family,
owner-occupied housing.
This Priority will see the development of 96 affordable housing units in Arbor Arcres and downpayment assistance for 5 new units. Another 43 single-family units will be constructed adjacent to Arbor Acres through the assistance of the City, Siouxland Initiative and private lenders. Siouxland Initiative will provide $150,000 in low and no interest loans, the City of South Sioux City will provide $48,000 of no interest loans, and private lenders will provide $217,000 of low-interest loans to finance utility improvements that will make the project possible. An additional tax credit project has been applied for which would construct 956 more units near the Arbor Acres subdivision. One single-family unit will be constructed using Housing Initiative Residential Economic Development funds. |
|---|---|
| Priority 2: | Preserve and maintain the integrity of South Sioux City's
existing housing stock.
This Priority will accomplish the rehabilitation of 40 owner and renter-occupied units. Rehabilitation remains the most cost-effective method of providing housing and is an integral part of South Sioux City's housing strategy. Additionally, preservation of the housing stock of South Sioux City will be accomplished through a CDBG/HUD funded inspection/code enforcement program followed up with rental rehabilitation. One hundred and fifty units will be inspected the first year. |
| Priority 3: | Develop or encourage the development of new multi-family housing
that accommodates low and moderate-income households and special needs
households.
Approximately 66 multi-family units will be constructed through completion of the Arbor Acres Project. Twenty-one units of housing for low and moderate-income families has been completed at the Riverfront site at Scenic Park East. Another 84 units for low to moderate-income families is under construction at this site. An application has been made for low income tax credits for an additional 36 units at this site. This Priority addresses the need to increase the quantity of housing units available for low to moderate income, and elderly and handicapped individuals. Two duplexes will be built by Region IV South Sioux City Office of Developmental Disabilities to accommodate 12 mentally handicapped clients. The project will cost $300,000 and will be funded through $81,000 from the Siouxland Consortium and the remainder from Nebraska HOME funds. |
The City of Dakota City has established the following two priorities:
| Priority 1: | Develop or encourage the development of new multi-family housing
that accommodates low and moderate-income households.
This Priority will accomplish the new construction of up to 30 multi-family units. |
|---|---|
| Priority 2: | Encourage the continued development of affordable single-family
housing that accommodates low and moderate-income households.
This Priority will encourage the development of 11 affordable housing units in Dakota City through a downpayment assistance program and second mortgage financing program for qualified buyers. The City will also construct five single-family units through the Housing Initiatives Residential Economic Development Program. The cost per unit will be $65,000 and financing will come from the Nebraska Investment Finance Authority. The City will tie in their downpayment assistance program with this NIFA project to offer a 30-year, 7.25% fixed-rate mortgage to qualified buyers. The City of Dakota City will also donate the lots for this development and waive utility tapping fees. The private builder will receive a guaranteed take-out from NIFA with no-risk to the developer. This project is one of only 36 demonstration projects in the State of Nebraska. |
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 describes additional information about the project(s).
MAP 6 depicts Neighborhood Segments and streets and proposed HUD funded projects, referenced in the table under MAP 5.
