The Consolidated Plan is a document required by HUD, and must be approved by HUD for the City to continue to receive Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding as an entitlement. While the other entitlement programs of HOME, ESG, and HOPWA are consolidated into the same plan by larger jurisdictions, the City is not entitled to any of those program funds, and therefore they are not included in the plan.
There are four major sections of the Consolidate Plan, hereinafter known as "the Plan," as follows: Housing and Homeless Needs Assessment, Housing Market Analysis, Strategic Plan, and the one-year Action Plan. Each section will be summarized below.
Housing needs have been determined with data from the 1990 census, and are broken down into three income categories, based on the 1990 median family income (MFI), which in 1990 was $40,116 for a family of four, as follows:
Total Housing Problems - It was determined that of 8,571 rental households in Frederick, there are 2,729, or 31.8% of total, who have a housing need. All needs for renters are further broken down by the type of household, i.e., elderly, small related, large related, and all other households. The need is seen across the spectrum, and declines as incomes increase.
Cost Burden and Extreme Cost Burden - The need that affects by far the majority is "housing cost burden," defined As paying in excess of 30% of household income to housing costs. "Extreme cost burden" is defined as paying in excess of 50% of income to housing costs. Of those low to-moderate income households with a need, 2,618 have a cost burden or extreme cost burden. While this represents 96% of the total renter need, it does not mean that these households do not have other housing problems, as well, such as living in substandard or overcrowded units.
Other Housing Problems - Only 111 renter households were found to have housing problems exclusive of cost burden. Unfortunately, we do not have the statistics to break out the extent of those problems, nor can we identify the extent of other housing problems within the population affected by cost burden and extreme cost burden.
Overcrowding - Overcrowding is defined as more than one person occupying a
room in the dwelling unit. There are a total of 126 overcrowded families, of
which 68 are large families and the balance represent all other household types.
Total Housing Problems - It was determined that of 7,130 owner households in Frederick, there are 771, or 10. 8% of total, who have a housing need. All needs for owners are further broken down by only two type of household, i.e., elderly and all other households. The greatest need is seen among the extremely low income elderly, although all segments of the low to moderate income owner population demonstrate considerable need.
Cost Burden and Extreme Cost Burden - Of the 771 owners with any housing need, fully 730 suffer from housing cost burden or extreme cost burden. All of the 357 elderly owners with a need are paying too much for housing.
Other Housing Problems - There are only 41 owners with housing problems exclusive of cost burden, and none of those are elderly, falling into the other-than-elderly category.
Overcrowding - Only 25 owner households were overcrowded, all of them being
other than elderly.
Renter Cost Burden by Race - Of the 8,266 renter households, 31.7%, or 2,618 households suffer from cost burden or extreme cost burden. At the same time 30.5% of all white, 33.4% of all African American, and 72.7% of all Hispanic renter households have the cost burden problem.
Owner Cost Burden by Race - Of the 7,404 owner households, 1 0. 1 %, or 749
households suffer from cost burden or extreme cost burden. At the same time
10.5% of all white, 7% of all African American, and 8.5% of all Hispanic owner
households have the cost burden problem.
Overcrowding - Overcrowding, while a cause of housing problems, is not a
major problem in Frederick.
The population of Frederick is made up of whites, African Americans, Native Americans, Hispanics and Asian/Pacific Islanders. The populations of all races and ethnic groups increased between 1980 and 1990, and, as the white population was largest in absolute numbers, its share of the population increased from 84.8% to 86.4%. African Americans declined in share of the population from 13.% to 12.4%, -while the smaller minority groups increased their shares, but still account for only 4% of the total population.
A trend of integration first noted in the 1980 census continued through 1990, as the city became more integrated. All predominantly white census tracts showed increases in the percentage of minority residents, and the share of minorities in the tracts with the highest concentrations, showed a decline in minority percentage.
Concentrations of low to moderate-income persons remain generally in the inner city.
There are 456 public housing units, 378 Section 8 (new construction), 22 Section 8 (moderate rehabilitation), and 412 Section 8 vouchers and certificates in various programs throughout the City, for a total of 1,268 subsidized housing opportunities in Frederick. All are full and waiting lists are generally long and frequently closed.
There are six agencies or organizations which provide housing support for the homeless and four non-profit organizations which provide special needs housing for victims of abuse, the chronically mentally ill, severely mentally retarded persons, and recovering alcoholics.
The major identifiable barrier to affordable housing is the cost of
development in Frederick, which is exacerbated by the very high cost of land.
This latter factor is a result of our proximity to Montgomery County, MD, one of
the highest cost counties in the Country. Other deterrents include government
regulation and the costs associated with it, and the City's not having control
of any housing funds other than the Community Development Block Grant.
Priority Housing Needs - That the City has needs in all segments of the low to-moderate income population is undeniable. However, because our resources are limited to the CDBG dollars, we have made only one need a high priority - owners with physical housing defects. This is because it is the only area where we can guarantee that we will have funds to address the needs. All other funds are discretionary and come to the City only when developers make fundable proposals to the State for such sources as HOME and the Low Income Housing Tax Credit.
Priority Homeless Needs:
Two high priorities are given to transitional shelters for families and persons with special needs. These needs are addressed in the 1995 Action Plan.
Priority Community Development Needs:
Two community Needs: development needs were given high priorities; child care centers and other public service needs, defined here as operation of the city's homeless shelters. Both are addressed in the Action Plan.
For meeting housing needs, our strategy is to use whatever resources are made available to us from outside the scope of this plan, particularly Section 8, HOME funds, and the Low Income Housing Tax Credit. CDBG funds will be used to meet some of the need, particularly through our low-income homeowner rehabilitation program. For the most part, the City is in a reactive position, meaning that when there are opportunities to address the need, we will react positively and give the support necessary to developers of affordable housing.
For meeting homeless needs, the strategy is to assist providers, including the City agency which operates our homeless shelters, using the continuum of care approach. This is a multi- faceted approach that involves the City, the Department of Social Services, and several non-profit providers.
For meeting community development needs, the strategy is to develop a day care center for use primarily by shelter residents and to continue the funding of support services for the city's current shelter and the one which will be created in late 1995.
The overall strategy is work with all the diverse providers of housing, services to those with special needs, and shelters, all of whom are identified in the Plan, and assist where possible in finding and developing solutions to our identified need. The City does not have the resources to attempt to tackle the problems on its own, and must rely heavily on the non-profit and for-profit sectors to provide the bulk of the solutions to our problems.
The Strategy closes with a table which states whether the City will support
applications from other entities for each of the Federal housing and homeless
programs. The Plan states that we will support applications to every program
which is available to other entities, with the caveat that we reserve the right
to review applications to determine whether the applications are for activities
that will best serve the needs of the community.
The Action Plan proposes a CDBG program for 1995 of $51 1,000, made up of the following components:
| 1995 CDBG Grant | $461,000 |
| Program Income | 45,000 |
| Unprogrammed prior year funds | 5,000 |
| Total | $511,000 |
|---|
Five activities will be funded from the 1995 CDBG program, as follows:
Activity 1
Development of a Day Care Center by Frederick Community Action, a department of City government, in South Frederick, primarily for children who reside in homeless shelters. The day care center will provide parents with opportunities to seek training and jobs. Estimated CDBG Cost - $135,000.
Activity 2
Homeless Shelter Operations by the City of Frederick will provide funding under the public service cap of CDBG for the operation of the City's current and future homeless shelters. Estimate CDBG Cost - $75,000.
Activity 3
Non-profit Development of Transitional Housing entails the development of apartments by Advocates for the Homeless, Inc., in a church on Winchester Street to be donated to the non-profit for the purpose of providing transitional units. Estimated CDBG Cost - $125,000.
Activity 4
Rehabilitation for Victims of Physical Violence provides funding to Heartly House, Inc., to rehabilitate its former headquarters building into four apartments which will provide transitional shelter to victims of physical violence. The City assisted Heartly House in the acquisition of the building in the early 1980's. Estimated CDBG Cost - $80,000
Activity 5
General Administration of the CDBG Grant. Estimated CDBG Cost - $96,000. Usually the City does not expend all of the administrative funds allocated to administration. Unspent funds are then reprogrammed to fund activities.
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 low-moderate income areas and unemployment levels.
MAP 5 depicts low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects.
TABLE (without associated map) provides information about the project(s).
Mr. William duBell
Director
Department of Housing and Community Development
PH: (301) 694-1443.
