The City of Dearborn, located in southeast Michigan, is perhaps best known as the location of Ford Motor Company's World Headquarters, the hub of an industrial empire founded in 1903 by Henry Ford.
Dearborn is an aging community. A major emphasis of the Consolidated Plan, therefore, is the rehabilitation of our housing stock and the reconstruction of neighborhood infrastructure.
Dearborn's 1995 Action Plan includes the following resources: Community Development Block Grant Allocation, $2,816,000; Emergency Shelter Grant Allocation, $98,000; Community Development Block Grant program income (anticipated) $125,000; and Community Development Block Grant funds reprogrammed from prior periods, $214,108.
Through an expanded mailing list and publication of appropriate notices,
Dearborn citizens and public service agencies were invited to participate in two
Consolidated Plan public hearings, a meeting of the City Plan Commission, and
three meetings of the City Council.
The City of Dearborn has experienced a decline in its population from 112,007 in 1960 to 89,286 in 1990. Much of this decline is characterized by an aging trend: 22.5% of Dearborn's population is over the age of 60 and 17.9% is over the age of 65.
The 1990 Median Family Income (MFI) for the City of Dearborn of $34,909 is 2.9 percent less than the National MFI of $35,939 and 14.8 percent less than the Detroit Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) MFI of $40,961. Twenty-two percent of all Dearborn households have incomes at or below 50 percent of MFI (Low Income).
15.4% of Dearborn's population report an Arabic ancestry. Originally
concentrated in the southeast section of the City, this ethnic group has
expanded considerably throughout the City in recent years.
The City has an aging housing stock, 83.8% were constructed in 1959 or earlier (30+ years). However, as a result of strong codes, the housing stock is structurally sound and suitable for rehabilitation.
Vacant land, available for new housing is scarce. Most of Dearborn's vacant land is controlled by Ford Motor Land which has its own Master Plan for land use. Other vacant land, created by Dearborn's locally funded Operation Eyesore Program (facilitates the removal of substandard structures not suitable for rehabilitation) or from the sale of privately owned lots, easily attracts private sector investment.
Three special needs groups dominate Dearborn's housing market: the elderly (11,128 households, householder 65 years of age or older), families with children (9,648 households with children under 18 years of age) and single person households (10,215 households, including elderly householders).
A vacancy rate of 0.54% of owner units indicates a somewhat high demand for housing. Frequent turnover due to retirements, employment transfers and new developments ( such as two recent retirement villages) help to ensure an adequate supply.
Housing costs remain affordable in the City of Dearborn. The median value of a Dearborn home, $69,000, is affordable to households with an income of $30,307, which is 86.8% of Dearborn's median family income (MFI).
The vacancy rate for rental units is 7.33%. Dearborn's median gross rent (with utility costs) of $465 is affordable to households with an income of $18,600, only 53.3% of Dearborn's MFI.
Dearborn housing stock accommodates just 34% of our low income population's demand for owner units. Due to the scarcity of vacant land and the costs of new housing development, the needs of this group must be satisfied by increasing household income or by decreasing housing costs.
There is an adequate supply of affordable rental housing in the City of Dearborn. However, the high incidence of cost burden among low income renters suggests that these affordable units are often occupied by those less in need.
According to State of Michigan estimates, Dearborn's "point-in-time" homeless population of 72 includes 20 family members and 52 individuals. Three Dearborn agencies, the City of Dearborn, ACCESS, and the Fairlane Mental Health Center, provide counseling, temporary shelter, referrals and financial assistance.
All of Dearborn's public and assisted housing units are in good condition and maintain a less than 1% vacancy rate. Our inventory includes 333 subsidized senior units, 351 city owned senior units, 152 subsidized "project-based" units, 106 Section 8 Certificates, and 247 privately owned, subsidized elderly/disabled units.
As a result of the market, inventory and needs analysis contained in our Consolidated Plan and recent revisions to major public policies (review and recodification of the City Code), we are unaware of any current policy that adversely impacts the provision of affordable housing.
The City of Dearborn has been a member of the Fair Housing Center of Metropolitan Detroit since 1990. Through this membership the City obtains information on fair housing activities, counseling services, educational services, and a fair housing needs analysis.
Affirmative actions include tenant/landlord assistance through ACCESS and the City's Legal Department, and the publication of Fair Housing information.
It is estimated that 4,437 substandard structures in the City of Dearborn may contain lead- based paint. The current strategy for addressing LBP includes the inspection of paint surfaces of rehabilitation projects, and the education of household members.
The City of Dearborn's community development needs can be separated into three major categories: Public and Neighborhood Facilities (senior center, fire station, recreation), Infrastructure (streets, water, sewer), and Public Services. The dominant cause for these needs is age, however several projects target the lack of a facility or service in a given area.
The Consolidated Plan was coordinated by the City of Dearborn's Economic and
Community Development Department with assistance from the City Plan Department,
the Dearborn Housing Commission and several key public service agencies:
ACCESS, Fairlane Community Mental Health Center and Oakwood Adult Day Care.
The City of Dearborn is an older, built-out community. As such, our goal is to maintain and improve our existing infrastructure and housing stock, halting deterioration, so that our low and moderate income residents may enjoy a higher standard of living.
The City's past and future objectives remain substantially unchanged and include: Rehabilitation of residential and public housing units, improvement of recreation opportunities and facilities, delivery of services to low income persons, infrastructure and neighborhood facility improvements, public health and safety, and the revitalization of commercial areas.
The Consolidated Plan summarizes housing needs totaling over $16 million. Housing priorities include the continuation of our public and assisted housing programs, and the rehabilitation of public and private housing units for low income persons.
The Consolidated Plan summarizes community development needs totaling $11,500,000. Needs designated as high priority include: senior center, neighborhood facilities, parks/recreation facilities, water/sewer improvements, street/sidewalk improvements, services to seniors, handicapped, and youth, crime awareness, health services, accessibility needs, code enforcement and energy efficiency.
The City of Dearborn has excellent employment, higher education, and public service opportunities. The control of financial assistance programs (welfare, unemployment..), policies and goals, in most cases, lies with higher levels of government; as such, the City's role is generally that of a referral agency.
Estimated resources through June 30, 2000 total $28,950,585 and include:
The City's Economic and Community Development Department, which administers the CDBG and ESG programs, shall coordinate and monitor (as necessary) all available programs, services and special resources available to low and moderate income residents to provide affordable housing and community development opportunities as described in this document.
The City will work cooperatively with community service organizations in the
pursuit of grant funds and special initiative resources (for which the City is
not itself an eligible applicant) for affordable housing and community
development activities for which there is a documented need.
The City of Dearborn's Action Plan for the one-year period ending June 30, 1996 proposes projects for the use of $3,155,108 Community Development Block Grant resources and $98,000 Emergency Shelter Grant resources.
Dearborn's Action Plan proposes 26 projects. The five projects budgeted to receive the greatest funding are:
All projects that are location specific are located in the northeast and southeast quadrants of the City. This corresponds directly with the City's identified low income areas.
The lead agency for the City of Dearborn's Consolidated Plan is the Economic and Community Development Department, 13615 Michigan Avenue, Dearborn, Michigan 48126, (313)943-2195, Fax (313)943-2469, TDD (313)943-2074.
Two projects in Dearborn's Action Plan are housing specific: SE New Housing Construction and Home Rehabilitation. Upon completion, these projects are expected to provide assistance to 122 low income housing units.
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 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects within the East Michigan Avenue Neighborhood.
MAP 7 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects within the South East Area Neighborhood.
