Hammond is located in N.W. Indiana and is near Chicago. The City's focus is to ensure that its funding decisions are in line with its housing and community development planning strategies.
The plan is primarily supported by three HUD grants, representing $3,037,000.00 from HUD's Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program, $562,000.00 from HUD's HOME Program and $112,000.00 from HUD's Emergency Shelter Grant Program. In addition to these HUD grants, there will be program income, local and other resources available, resulting in a grant total of approximately $5,210,353.00 for the Action Plan activities.
In formulating its future direction to meet its housing and community
development needs, the City continued its longstanding tradition of citizen
participation and inclusion. The City actively sought its citizens views by
holding eight well-attended evening neighborhood meetings during its planning
process. In addition, the City held five public hearings with its community
and civic leaders, as well as five meetings with Hammond Housing Authority
officials, managers and residents. Besides these public forums, there were
also a number of public hearings held during the CDBG planning process.
Hammond is one of area's most highly industrialized cities, producing such commodities as railway equipment, steel goods and hospital and surgical supplies. While the City lost approximately 10% of its population over the 80's, the rate of this decline has slowed considerably since 1986.
Expectations are that the City's population will remain stable for the last
decade of this century. However, increases in persons over 65 and in young
low/moderate income families needing affordable housing is anticipated.
Very low income is defined as income at or below 50% of median family income, which for Hammond is $42,800; where as low income is defined as income from 51% to 80% of the median family income. The 1990 U.S. Census showed that of the 32,177 City households cited, 27% or 8,759 of those households fell into the very low income category and approximately 20% of City household were cited as low income.
Of all the homeowners living in substandard housing, 52% were classified as lower income and of the renter households living in substandard housing, 60% were of low income. There were 2309 lower income households paying in excess of 30% of income for rent, with 2157 of these households having income below $10,000.
There is a need for more affordable and decent housing for low and moderate income families, particularly for the elderly population. According to the 1990 Census, the estimated population of Hammond's moderate income families was between 3,271 to 4,000. Generally, these families are headed by marginally employed unskilled or service workers, who have little discretionary income and few resources to develop the financing needed for a down payment. Consequently, there is a need to assist these families with downpayments and/or programs that offer acquired properties. With such assistance, many of Hammond's moderate income families could become responsible homeowners.
Hammond's elderly population has risen from its 1980 increase of 10.7% to an increase of 14.3% in 1990. Thus, creating a need to involve more of the City's elderly in affordable housing programs. A conservative projection based on 1980 Census figures places approximately 1,000 elderly as paying excessively higher percentages of their income for rent and are in need of public assistance.
In 1990, Census reported a total of 33,924 housing units in Hammond, representing a 6% decrease from the 1980 Census figure. Of these units, 5% were vacant, approximately 65% were owner-occupied and 35% were tenant-occupied. The 1990 rental vacancy rate was 7%. The 1990 Census data showed Hammond's median rental cost as $297., with 33% paying less than $250 and 64% paying between $250 and $499. While the median value of owner-occupied units was $45,500 with slightly less than 62% of the units below $50,000. in value. Based on the 1994 CHAS statistics, 15% of Hammond's 18,149 owner occupied units and 10% of its 10,987 rental units were cited as substandard.
Data supports the need for more affordable and decent housing opportunities for those at the lower end of the income spectrum, particularly for larger families. Of the number of established lower income renter households in substandard units, by far the largest singular income group consisted of households with zero to $9,999 incomes. For example, out of a total 829 of established lower-income rental households residing in substandard housing, there were 414 families with zero to $9,999.incomes, followed by 210 families with $10,000. to $14,999.
The income group most affected by rental housing costs are very low income families. The number of established lower income households paying in excess of 30% of income for rent is 2,309. Of that number 2,157 represent families whose income range from zero to $9,999.
According to the Hammond Police Department, there are approximately 40 to 50 chronically homeless men and 10 to 12 chronically homeless women that have come to the Department's attention. CAPES House, an emergency shelter for families in Hammond, offers 9 units of transitional housing. In the months of January and February 1991 alone, CAPES received 23 requests for emergency shelter. Hammond also draws on the assistance provided through 3 Lake County Centers for Family Violence. The Centers have a combined capacity of 42 beds and more than 1,500 individuals have requested services annually.
In June 1994, Hammond Housing Authority stated that 110 elderly and 376 families were the recipients of assisted public housing at its three housing sites referred to as Columbia Center, Turner Park and the Hubert Humphrey Senior Citizen Center. Hammond continues to address the need to improve its public housing units and received a 92.5% rating from HUD for its modernization program, rent collection record and energy conservation measures. To date, Hammond's accomplishments to improve public housing units include the remodeling of 18 Turner Park units and a $858,300 facelift on the Hubert Humphrey high rise. Columbia Center also received attention in the form of removing old rusted out steel columns and lead based paint removal in its 228 single story units.
Hammond states that it has attempted to eliminate those public policies within its control that impede access to decent affordable housing and has considered a number of policies during both its CHAS and Consolidated Planning Process that would help to accomplish the removal of affordable housing barriers. Examples include the promotion of mixed family income communities, a minimum property tax for all households, assistance to low to moderate income homeowners to correct code violations, establishing a systematic inspection and enforcement system for the compliance of building/housing codes.
Through its Human Relations Commission, Hammond continues to pursue an aggressive fair housing enforcement policies through its Human Relations Commission. In close partnership with realtors and financial institutions, the commission works to eliminate discriminatory practices, such as redlining and denial of credit based on race, ethnic and sexual considerations.
The Lake County Health Department is responsible for responding to any hazardous lead conditions identified within Hammond. The City's Health Department employs a lead screening environmentalist to conduct tests upon the request of citizens. This Department responds to approximately five lead screening requests monthly or approximately 50 to 60 each year.
There is a need to create a more attractive community through the encouragement of decorative landscaping, paint and repair projects and the expansion of the External Facade Loan Programs within designated neighborhood housing areas. There is also the need for curb and sidewalk repairs in many of the City's residential areas.
The City's Department of Planning and Community Development has the principal responsibility for coordinating the efforts and activities of its citizen/neighborhood groups, agencies, city departments and non-profit/business organizations in achieving the City's housing and community development objectives.
To assist in the achievement of both the City's short and long term goals,
the Planning Department will establish a Hammond Residential Development
Committee of 12-15 members, consisting of citizens, including public housing
residents, and local housing representatives from real estate market, financial
institutions and the Building Commission. Among the Committee's activities will
be to conduct rent-audits and to develop a system of on-site monitoring of
performance by subrecipients of the various housing and community development
programs.
The City bases its vision on the completion of a set of housing and community development priorities. The first priority is to develop Hammond into a dynamic area of economic growth, balancing commercial and business development and nurturing a quality residential environment. Other priorities are to open homeownership for families of all income levels; to form an active, city-wide network of neighborhood organizations and incorporate a non-profit corporation to administer housing programs, and lastly, to provide public housing families with greater economic and housing management opportunities.
Important to Hammond's promotional strategies for changing the public perception of its community as industrially blighted, the City strives to change that image to one of rich opportunity and residential attractiveness. In this regard, Hammond sets as priorities the provision of low-interest starter home mortgage loans for first-time home buyers, the establishment of neighborhood non-profit corporations to assist in rehabilitating neighborhood properties and to continue in its support of housing improvement partnerships between City and private lending institutions. Such housing partnerships include the City's Housing Rehabilitation program and Citizen's Federal for low interest home improvement loans to single family home.
In its CDBG cycle and its 1995 Consolidated Plan, the City identified activities that would benefit youth, promote business opportunities and related economic development, and expand public services that better addressed the needs children and domestic violence.
Other priorities included meeting the needs of the elderly, particularly those who are victims of abuse and intimidation, and of the handicapped and disabled, especially in the area of providing vehicles that are adopted to meet the disabled needs.
Beyond Hammond's focus on activities that address housing needs, its Consolidated Plan also includes activities that are designed to meet one of the City's major objective to improve the economic betterment of the lives of the City's families. Simply stated, the reduction of poverty is the intent of the majority of the plan's activities and projects.
Hammond will use the estimated $5,210,353 made available in 1995 through the formula block grant programs of CDBG, ESG and HOME along with local income and match funds to carry out its Consolidated Plan action priorities. The City points out that specification of all resources necessary to accomplish its plan for 1995 and for the ensuing five years could not be fully presented. In addition, the City will continue to work closely with its financial institutions and community banks to promote the City's economic and housing opportunities. The City's projected CDBG, HOME and ESG funds for its plan's activities for the period of 1996-1999 is $15 million.
The City's Department of Planning and Development is responsible for
carrying out the Consolidated Plan's priorities and will administer the funding
by presenting subrecipients such as the Hammond Housing Authority, City Building
Commission, Greater Hammond Community Services, North Township Trustee's Office, the Urban Enterprise
Zone, Lakeshore Employment and Training Partnership, the Tri-City Comprehensive
Mental Health Center and others with grants.
The following are examples of the activities that will be undertaken with the $5,210 million in CDBG, HOME and ESG and other funds that will be available in FY 1995.
Projects have been designated as serving citywide or neighborhood benefit areas.
Approximately 510 Hammond residents would be served by housing activities that include emergency rehabilitation program, low interest housing rehabilitation loans for both rental and owner occupied properties, residential exterior paint programs and the administration and monitoring of housing rehabilitation programs. In addition, many Hammond residents will benefit from activities focusing on the monitoring and furthering of fair housing practices in the City.
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.
Rocharda Moore Morris
Director
Department of Planning
649 Conkey Street
Hammond, IN 46324
PH: (219) 853-6371
Fax: (219) 853-6500
