The 1995 Consolidated Plan constitutes a strategic vision for housing and community development and the city's expenditure of its allocated funds under the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, and other block granted HUD funds for which it may qualify. This summary offers city residents a quick overview of Long Branch's housing and community development needs, the five-year goals of the Consolidated Plan, and the strategies and actions for carrying out those goals in 1995.
This plan includes a one-year plan itemizing the specific projects for which the City will expend its FY 1995 CDBG allocation of $728,000.
The City of Long Branch reached a wide segment of the low income community
through mailings to every agency and non-profit group that represents low income
residents and neighborhoods. An article in the local paper also publicized two
public meetings that were held in the city's poorest neighborhoods. The focus
of the meetings was to develop the a short list of priorities and develop
consensus. An official hearing was held in City Hall council chambers.
Long Branch has a current public housing waiting list of 224 households of which 186 are families, 23 are seniors, and 15 are disabled households. Income disparities among Long Branch's racial and ethnic minorities also tend to factor into the City's overall housing problems. High numbers of low income households, as well as rates of overcrowding, substandard units, and neighborhood deterioration tend to concentrate in census tracts where racial and ethnic minorities predominate. Service providers and residents attending meetings in these areas established service needs for these areas--both economic and housing related.
Among the elderly, housing options are also of critical importance. Monmouth County's 1994 Comprehensive Housing Assistance Plan identified county-wide needs for services and housing targeted to this population. Elderly households experience disproportionate rates of high rental burdens -- over 50 percent of income for rent, housing deterioration, and the need for in-home services.
Based upon survey of Monmouth County social service providers, the estimated homeless population in Long Branch includes 470 persons with slightly more than half of those persons being single adults and the remainder families. Of this population over 410 are housed in emergency shelter and 60 in transitional housing.
There are 650 City Housing Authority units located in the city. As stated above, there are long and ever-increasing waiting lists for these units. Continuing efforts will be made by the Housing Authority to maintain, renovate, and upgrade public housing units, grounds, and physical plan; to provide supportive and educational services; and to improve the ability of the Housing Authority administrative offices to manage and respond to the needs of Housing Authority tenants. The expansion of Family Self-sufficiency programs, providing employment opportunities to residents, day-care services, and moving higher income families to Section 8 or homeowner units are future priorities.
Because almost all of the new housing built in Long Branch since 1979 has been for middle and upper income people, we can assume virtually all the low-, very low-income, and poverty residents (11,454 households at 80 percent of median family income or lower) of the city face lead paint hazards.
More than 13,500 housing units are available with the City of Long Branch. Slightly more than one-tenth of these were constructed in between 1980 and 1990. Several factors--a strong economy, the electrification of the New Jersey Transit rail line to New York, and ocean front improvements -- facilitated this increase. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, changing economic conditions contributed to a sharp downturn in real estate expansion. By 1993, in response to prices bottoming and low interest rates, local real estate activity -- especially the market for existing homes began to improve significantly.
Housing values range for less than $50,000 to $300,000 or more. Median housing price is $149,100. The 1990 Census indicated a median contract rent of $540, with rents ranging from less than $250 to more than $1,000. By 1995 substantive market activity had driven
The major barrier to affordable housing in Long Branch is a perception that the existing supply is enough. The existing supply of affordable housing in Long Branch is 750 units of public housing and at least 750 Section 8 certificates circulating in the community. These 1400 units account for 12 percent of the total 11,544 households in the city.
The average homeowner pays $4,000 a year in property taxes and the City's reliance on property taxes discourages homeownership and discourages those who might otherwise build or renovate rental housing units. Racial differences also contribute to barriers to the development of affordable housing. A higher proportion of public housing and Section 8 tenants are minorities than the Long Branch population at large. But in the short-term, low income and minority households will continue to move to Long Branch because of economics, such as cheaper rents, better mass transit, quality schools and a the availability of a range of health and social services.
Better working relationships with existing providers of housing and social services will ensure optimum use of present resources. We also should be prepared to seek new, responsible providers when necessary.
For the past few years, the Community Development office has distributed
information to City departments, social and housing groups, landlords, realtors,
banks and tenants on the fair housing laws. It has held a seminar each year for
tenants on their rights and the responsibilities of landlords. The major
problem is for large families with children to find housing. To prove
discrimination, households must show that the landlord has the regulation amount
of space for the number of proposed tenants. In a housing market with few large
units, this puts the tenant at a decided disadvantage. The community
development office keeps a list of landlords who are known to have large
apartments.
The City of Long Branch lacks the financial resources to significantly impact most of the housing and community development challenges confronted by very low-, low-, and moderate-income households in the city. Thousands of our residents pay far more than they should for rent or mortgage payments, in many cases leading to other social problems. Many housing units are substandard.
The City of Long Branch is committed to using local State and Federal resources in a more innovative and effective manner, seeking to increase the supply of safe, affordable housing, and to combat poverty. The City owns land and intends to produce much needed new affordable housing in our community. The City cannot do large scale rehabilitation programs, but we can fund hundreds of small scale safety-oriented rehabilitation projects. The City cannot fully subsidize the construction of more than a handful of new affordable housing units, but we can leverage our limited funds to enlist hon-profit developers in a wider effort.
During our citizen participation process citizens and members of non-profit groups expressed a vision of change that included support for the following:
The highest priority was a recommendation that the City invest $75,000 in CDBG funds to acquire State and private funds for a frail elderly or special needs housing project.
The City will address these goals through the following actions:
The City's continued emphasis on housing rehabilitation reflects the need to preserve its large stock of affordable housing. Given this large existing supply, the city cannot afford to make large increases in affordable housing.
Crime Prevention, community health and other services helping residents improve the quality of life in Long Branch are essential. Proper running of the City's Urban Enterprise Zone, business loan program, and other projects to generate jobs for residents is the best long- term strategy for maintaining affordable housing in Long Branch. Careful use of limited City resources provides the bricks and mortar of a better quality life. In an old city such as Long Branch, the needs for new public safety equipment, sidewalks, roads, parks, and trees are ongoing.
Monmouth County has been recognized for the variety and excellence of its social service programs. The City has relied in the past on the County's greater resources and expertise. The County has a well-developed continuum of care for the homeless and the City will continue to refer people to the County for assessment and outreach, emergency shelter, transitional housing, permanent supportive housing and permanent housing. If the City can find new resources they should be spent on programs to prevent homelessness.
The City of Long Branch will receive a total of $728,000 from the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. Approximately $30,000 of program income from the CDBG program will also be available. NO other HUD Community Development Funds are allocated to the City. Other resources for FY 1995 include 167 Section 8 Certificates administered by Monmouth County. The State of New Jersey has recently announced a dramatic and wide ranging array of new programs and resources to enhance the affordability and availability of decent, safe, sanitary housing.
The City's anti-poverty strategy will focus on job creation and training
programs. Specific programs to carry out this strategy will include: the REACH
program designed to increase the employability and self sufficiency of welfare
recipients; the Private Industry Council working with both private industry and
training programs to identify employee needs and link qualified low income
candidates with training to acquire necessary skills; County Vocational and
Technical School system programs; the State Enterprise Zone program to produce
100 new jobs each year for 20 years, a multi-million dollar waterfront economic
development along the ocean frontage with training designed to bring hundreds of
jobs to low-income residents; the job development loan fund (Project Re-STORE);
and the city will cooperate with the Chamber of Commerce and religious
coalitions to maintain and enhance the Job Bank program.
Planned Projects for FY 1995 include the following:
| Project | Cost |
|---|---|
| Crime Prevention | $109,000 |
| Sidewalk Reconstruction | 44,000 |
| Fire Truck | 44,000 |
| Senior Center Rehabilitation | 12,000 |
| House Painting | 33,400 |
| Code Enforcement | 58,570 |
| Rehab Administration | 61,013 |
| Economic Development | 70,801 |
| Health Center | 50,000 |
| Redevelopment Plan/Study | 148,000 |
| General Administration | 97,216 |
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).
Carl Blumenthal
Community Development Director
Long Branch, NJ
Phone: (908) 222-7000
