Located on the Atlantic Coast in southern Maine, Portland is at the north end of the eastern United States' metropolitan corridor. It is Maine's most populated city and a regional financial, service, and sales center.
Portland's 5-year Consolidated Housing and Community Development Plan describes its housing and community needs and strategies to assist very low-income residents. During the first year, the city will spend $3.4 million of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), HOME Investment Partnership Program (HOME), and Emergency Shelter Grant (ESG) funds on a wide variety of housing, social service, and neighborhood revitalization activities.
To encourage input on the Consolidated Plan from a broad range of its citizens, Portland carried out a Citizen Participation Plan with six elements. The City Manager's Policy Advisory Committee advised the city manager on priority needs and on program performance. A consolidated housing and community development mailing list was used to inform the community, especially plan stakeholders, about time frames, meetings, and availability of funds. An informational housing and community development brochure about the Housing and Community Development Program was sent to city households. This brochure announced upcoming public hearings and provided a summary of key economic, housing, and community development issues proposed for the upcoming year. Each year seven neighborhood meetings will be held to discuss and prioritize proposed community projects. A special solicitation for information was sent to housing and social service organizations. Finally, information and articles in the monthly newsletter of the Greater Portland Council of Governments were used to inform adjacent towns and cities about plans and processes. Advertisements announcing public hearings and neighborhood meetings also were placed in the local newspaper.
Portland has a population of 64,358, a gain of nearly 3,000 since 1980. This population increase marks a reversal of a trend of out-migration during the 1970s. It was accompanied by a continuing decrease in household size, both because of the characteristics of the baby boom generation and by a growing elderly population choosing to remain in their homes after retirement. In 1990, 15 percent of the population was over age 65. More than half of Portland's households are family households, and one-fourth of families are headed by single parents.
Median household income in Portland grew faster than did the national rate during the 1980s, rising from $12,200 to $26,570, but it was still 92 percent of the national median household income. While the unemployment rate in Portland is relatively low (4.9 percent in April 1994), the city's median household income suggests a shortage of high-wage jobs. While only 8 percent of Cumberland County residents are in poverty, 14 percent of Portland residents (8,783 persons) live below the poverty level. More than 75 percent of the female- headed households with children under 5 are in poverty in the city. Peninsula neighborhoods in the city are relatively worse off.
Portland, like Maine, is overwhelmingly white. In 1990, 96 percent of the city's population was white, 1.6 percent was Asian American, 1.1 percent was African American, and less than 1 percent each were Hispanic and/or Native American.
Of the 28,140 occupied housing units in Portland, approximately 16,340 (58 percent) are renter-occupied and 11,800 (42 percent) are owner-occupied. Although the number of housing units grew at a faster rate than the city's population between 1980 and 1990, Portland faces substantial shortages in housing units affordable to low- and moderate- income households. In 1990, the median household income for Portland was estimated at half of the income needed to afford a median-priced home. Approximately 15% of Portland's total housing stock (25% of its rental units) is subsidized in one form or another.
In 1990, 4,841 households in Portland had extremely low incomes (0-30 percent of median family income [MFI]). Of these, 71 percent had housing cost burdens more than 30 percent of their income, and 55 percent spent more than half of their income for housing. Of the 534 elderly owners at this level, 85 percent had excessive cost burdens.
Among very low-income households (those earning 31-50 percent of MFI), 74 percent of renters and 66 percent of owners had excessive cost burdens.
Less than half of the 5,441 other low-income households (those earning 51-80 percent of MFI) were housing cost burdened. Two-thirds of households at this level were renters. Only 7 percent of the 926 elderly owners were cost burdened.
Fifty-nine percent of moderate-income households (those earning 81-95 percent of MFI) are renters.
Portland reports a need to increase the housing options available to moderate-income first- time homebuyers and to rehabilitate many of the rental units available to lower income families. The city expresses a particular need to improve the quality of housing units in the peninsula neighborhoods, which have both the highest incidences of substandard housing and highest concentrations of lower income households.
Portland annually assists about 2,500 persons who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. On a typical night, between 250 and 350 persons stay in Portland's homeless shelters. The city is a regional center that serves as a passthrough or temporary stopover point for people seeking housing and employment. Many homeless have special needs. It is estimated that nearly one-half have mental illness or substance abuse problems. About 18 percent are fleeing domestic violence and 2 percent have HIV/AIDS.
The Portland Housing Authority (PHA) operates 10 public housing developments containing 1,020 units. There are 470 units for elderly persons and 550 units for low-income families. Portland's public housing facilities are aging; 90 percent were built before 1974. The majority of persons on waiting lists for public housing are single-parent females with incomes less than 50 percent of MFI. The Portland Housing Authority also administers 1,900 units of Section 8 existing housing.
PHA is the city's largest provider of handicapped-accessible and special-needs housing. PHA has 181 units occupied by non-elderly (62 and under) persons with disabilities, and it administers 525 units of Section 8 housing occupied by this group. These 525 represent about 30 percent of PHA-administered Section 8 housing.
Portland has a long history of affirmative policies and programs that support affordable housing. The city's zoning regulations allow the highest densities and widest varieties of housing types in the State. However, the high cost of development of both new construction and substantial renovation has been a major barrier to the development of additional, affordable housing.
Because of Portland's small minority population, the city focuses on economic rather than racial diversity in its fair housing policies. As part of its Consolidated Plan, the city will continue to develop strategies that ensure diversity in the size and type of housing throughout the city.
Because 89 percent of housing units in Portland were built before 1978 when lead-based paints were banned, lead poisoning is an important issue. About 25 to 30 percent of children under six in Portland have abnormally high blood-lead levels, versus the national average of about 17 percent. As many as 1,500 children in Portland may be lead poisoned.
Portland's Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program has been in operation since 1992. In 1993 the city investigated 24 housing units where children diagnosed with lead poisoning lived. The majority of these housing units were in the peninsula neighborhoods, which contain Portland's oldest housing stock. The city reports abatement efforts were conducted in 6 of these 24 units. Portland was awarded a $1.4 million lead-based paint hazard reduction grant to carry out testing of children, inspections, abatement activities, and public education activities.
Social service needs often are interrelated and need to be addressed by a collaborative effort of public, private, and nonprofit organizations. However, there are systemic weaknesses in the area such as a lack of an overall policy that supports families; a lack of coordination among programs and providers; and a need for a continuum of prevention, early intervention, treatment, and aftercare services for complex problems.
Family and child issues include child protection, child care, domestic violence, and child poverty. Adolescents need services related to violence and substance abuse. Elderly persons may need long-term care that is unavailable to them, home care services, and transportation. Health care needs are going unmet because of costs and lack of insurance coverage. Mental health problems are exacerbated by the poor economy, and services do not nearly meet the needs.
The economy of southern Maine is emerging from a difficult recession, but growth is only at 2.4 percent. There has been disinvestment in downtown Portland, which had a 17- percent office vacancy rate in 1994. Manufacturing and defense spending have declined, in the region, leaving some persons unemployed or underemployed. Job training needs to be linked to opportunities.
Infrastructure needs include the expansion of park and recreational facilities and street, sidewalk, and sewer improvements.
Portland's 5-year plan has four housing priorities and strategies to address them:
In developing its Consolidated Plan, Portland created strategies to improve its infrastructure and social services. The city recognizes a particularly high need to improve family and adolescent support services, senior services, mental health care, and employment training.
Portland has an overall poverty rate of 14 percent, but 20 percent of children under age 18 live in poverty. Several programs are designed to help persons move to self-sufficiency:
In addition to CDBG, HOME and ESG funds, Portland uses a wide variety of State and local resources to fund housing and community development projects.
The Portland Community Development Division administers CDBG, HOME, and ESG funds. Participating State and local agencies include the Maine Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation, the PHA, and the Portland Health and Human Services Department.
During the first year of its Consolidated Plan, Portland will spend $2.7 million in CDBG funds, $550,000 in HOME funds, and $90,000 in ESG funds. These will be used for a wide variety of key housing, social service, and infrastructure improvement activities, as follows:
Portland will further enhance efforts to encourage collaboration between agencies that assist the homeless to prevent duplication of services and better assist homeless persons with special needs. During the upcoming year, ESG funding will be used on three projects:
Portland's Consolidated Plan will focus on housing and community development throughout the city. However, public improvements, public facilities, and first-time homebuyer activities funded with CDBG funds will be targeted to eligible neighborhoods on the Portland peninsula.
MAP 1 depicts points of interest in the jurisdiction.
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.
MAP 6 is a map, sectioned by neighborhood, which depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects.
MAP 7 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects within one of the four neighborhoods indicated in MAP 6.
MAP 8 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects within another of the four neighborhoods indicated in MAP 6.
MAP 9 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded project(s) from a street level vantage point; in addition, a table provides information about the project(s).
