Taunton's 1995 Consolidated Plan constitutes a strategic vision for housing and community development for the city. This document summarizes the plan so that citizens in the community can have a quick overview of the housing and community development problems; the 5 year broad objectives and actions proposed to meet those goals; and specific projects for carrying out this strategy during 1995.
The Consolidated Plan is a multi-faceted community development program that supplements local efforts to maintain and strengthen the local economic, community and physical infrastructure. The 1995 action plan includes 12 specific projects using 1.066 million dollars of Grant money for infrastructure improvements, social service, more police, human service needs, family education and economic development.
The City of Taunton will implement its Consolidated Planning process and its
CDBG program in accordance with its Citizen Participation Plan. The City of
Taunton recognizes the significance of active citizen participation,
particularly by individuals of low and moderate income who are served by the
program. Proper notice of public hearings and meetings,(held at handicapped
accessible locations as well as outreach to individual organizations and
coalitions, including local publications, ensures that persons who might be
interested will have been afforded the opportunity to do so. Discussion on
funding and proposed accomplishments will take place in each of the following
four strategic plan elements: Affordable Housing, Homelessness, Other Special
Needs, and Non-Housing Community Development.
The City of Taunton is responsible for an area of 49+ square miles. Simply
put, the massive amount of infrastructure the City must maintain puts an
incredible strain on city services and budgets, and has resulted in prioritizing
city services maintenance, repair, and improvements. There is a severe demand
for human services in Taunton. The poverty rate according to the 1990 census
was 8.3%. The Department of Human services administers a FEMA emergency
rental/mortgage assistance program, a fuel fund, and an advocacy program. There
is a growing Hispanic population needing City services, and the senior
population has increased dramatically from 1980 to 1990. Urban decay follows
urban flight and spreads outward from the city center. The strategy employed by
the City is to continue addressing critical needs in the urban core.
Criteria for prioritization in categories other than Physical improvements and infrastructure follow need. Some criteria are more complex. Public policy, socioeconomic forces, and in some cases simple misfortune have created a politically disenfranchised population within the city that requires a disproportionate amount of support to function productively in the community.
Housing needs are derived from analysis of the housing market and conditions, as well as other economic indicators. The need for affordable housing in Taunton continues to be strong. Because the Taunton housing market is tied to the Greater Boston market as a bedroom community, and the salaries and wages are more closely tied to the Southeastern Massachusetts economy, housing costs make up an inordinate percentage of household income.
The Falling rental Vacancy rate and high rents relative to household income have tightened the rental market. The City is not receiving FY95 HOME funds but will attempt to collaborate with neighboring municipalities in the future to establish a consortium. The local housing partnership, Pro-Home,Inc is expanding its role as a leader in affordable rental housing by purchasing, rehabilitating and leasing them to low and moderate income families. The City will continue to offer first time homebuyer assistance which includes counseling, mortgage assistance, rehabilitation loans, and downpayment and closing cost assistance. A number of vacant residential, commercial , and industrial structures are suitable for renovation or affordable housing. The glut of housing in the early 1990's and the shortage of subsidies, has prevented development of those structures.
The City supports the development of affordable housing. The City recently approved a comprehensive permit to allow the South Shore Housing Development Corporation to build 72 units of affordable housing. The CD Office anticipates rehabilitating 55 to 60 units through its housing rehabilitation programs.
It has been concluded by providers that the need for a family emergency shelter exists in Taunton. The City will be studying the need further with the Taunton Emergency Task Force and the St. Francis Samaritan House, Inc. By establishing a track record and by more clearly documenting the extent or the need, the city hopes the shelter may be able to access additional grant funds.
The Taunton Housing Authority is committed to maximizing assistance and expanding to the greatest degree possible its role in providing affordable rental housing opportunities Availability of new state and federal funding is not determined locally, so Taunton Housing Authority must rely on the continuation of subsidy programs. The THA will continue to offer subsidies that become available to the City, and maintain the subsidized units it now administers.
Obstacles to meeting under served needs include a lack of coordinated strategies within the community. Limited personal and community financial resources, strict lending policies and regulations, The lack of a political voice among the more disenfranchised neighborhoods and socioeconomic groups, and limited tax revenues.
Supportive housing for the elderly has been documented as a community need. As discussed in the Needs Assessment, the elder population has grown considerably and will require assisted or supportive housing arrangements. The Taunton Housing Authority and the Council On Aging (COA)believe that there will be a great need for older supportive housing in the near future.
The COA Senior Center will be expanded during 1995; The Hispanic Community has leased a space for a youth recreational activities to meet the needs of the community's low and moderate income youth; After school recreation programs for children under 12 will be available at the Riverside Apartments and Fairfax Gardens development
The City will carry out the consolidated planning process under the
leadership of the Community Development Office. The City has been undertaking
public-private community planning efforts that have formed the foundation of the
consolidated planning process long before it was required by HUD. The strategy
itself will be carried out by the community. Information and resource sharing
and goal setting take place through existing formal networks and informal
affiliations.
The City of Taunton has established a five year time frame for this Consolidated Plan. This time frame coincides with the City's recently completed 5 year Capital Improvements Plan. Geographic priorities for investment are generally the low and moderate income block groups in Taunton. More specific areas are defined as the neighborhoods surrounding the Riverside Apartments and the Fairfax Gardens public housing development; the WEIR Commercial and Industrial Revitalization Area; the Weir, Downtown, and Whittenton Commercial Area Revitalization District (CARDs) and the residential neighborhoods on the fringes of those CARDs.
Urban decay follows urban flight and spreads outward from the city center. The strategy employed by the City is to continue addressing critical needs in the urban core, while arresting the spread of decay in the immediate neighborhoods of the central city and Weir and Whittenton Commercial Districts as well as the neighborhoods containing the public housing developments.
The bases for the geographic priorities are many, but in general investment will follow need. There is a documented need for physical improvements in each of the areas described above. The areas within the aging urban core contain the highest percentage of aging infrastructure and disinvestment, and are in most need of repair.
Infrastructure spending includes water line replacement, demolition, sidewalks, curbing, street lights, tree grates and trees. the projects are located on the fringe of the central business district that ties the residential neighborhood to the downtown. The projects serve to arrest the decay as it spreads outward from the urban core.
Most social spending addresses symptoms of poverty. The community recognizes the need to address root causes in order to reduce poverty, while still insuring that families can access the basic human needs of food, shelter, health and safety.
The Taunton community has been investing in youth and family support programs that attempt to prevent social disfunction and poverty. The majority of the public services funded with Small Cities CDBG funds in the past, and with federal CDBG funds in the future, are preventive and early intervention, programs, such as family literacy, youth counseling, immunization, crime awareness and prevention and peer mediation.
Support of Applications will come from the Emergency Shelter Grant Program, HOPE, Supportive Housing, Section 202 Elderly, Rehab, and other Competitive Programs. Vouchers
As stated before, the Mayors Office of Community Development (CD Office) has
been designated the lead agency in the City of Taunton's Consolidated Planning
and Submission process. The CD Office is the responsible agency to coordinate
the Strategic Plan.
The activities under the 1st year Comprehensive Plan include:
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.
