The Mercer County Consortium consists of nine (9) contiguous municipalities: East Windsor Township, Ewing Township, Hamilton Township, Lawrence Township, Princeton Borough, Princeton Township, Washington Township, and West Windsor Township. These nine municipalities house around two-thirds of the Mercer County population. The Consortium's Plan provides a needs assessment, housing market analysis, strategic plan and an action plan as part of the application for HUD financial assistance for affordable housing projects and low and moderate income families.
The proposal includes a request for $482,000 in HOME funds for the Consortium and the activities proposed in an application for $832,102 in Community Development Block Grant Funds for Hamilton Township. This Summary provides an overview of the application which may be reviewed in its entirety at the Lawrence Township Branch of the Mercer County Library and at the Mercer County Office of Housing and Community Development in Trenton.
The Mercer County Housing and Community Development Staff consulted with
pertinent municipal, county and state government agencies and individuals plus
the Mercer County Board of realtors regarding specific sections of the Plan. In
addition, a public hearing was held on March 15, 1995 and copies made available
in the library and Mercer County Housing and Community Development Office for
public review.
The Mercer County Consortium, with its nine municipalities, has a population of approximately 237,000. Hamilton Township is by far the largest municipality in the consortium. Its 1990 census population of around 86,000 approaches that of Trenton, which has around 88,000 residents. Hamilton Township accounts for about 40-percent of the consortium's total population. The Township of Hamilton receives its own CDBG allocation. However, their specific needs, strategies, and projected use of CDBG funds are separately noted in this Plan.
Consortium communities are economically and physically diverse, which makes it difficult to draw generalizations about housing needs. The consortium ranges from older, densely populated suburbs, such as Ewing Township, Hightstown Township, and Princeton Borough, to fast-growing communities with high proportions of new housing, such as East Windsor Township, West Windsor Township, and Washington Township. Townships like Hamilton, Lawrence, and Princeton combine the older neighborhoods with the newer ones.
The median household income within the consortium is $48,500, which is well
above the nationwide median household income of $36,000. While the median
income is above the national average, so is the cost of living within the
consortium. The economic base of the consortium includes high-tech research and
development firms and related service concerns located along the route 1
corridor, as well as the manufacturing industries more likely to be found in
Ewing and Hamilton. The Hightstown tax base has been particularly hard hit by
plant closings within the past decade.
The composite need for additional affordable housing units in the nine (9) consortium municipalities from 1993-1999 totals 3,022 units. The Mercer Consortium expects the types and proportions of housing needs described in this section to remain fairly stable during the five-year term of the Consolidated Plan, as a result of new housing construction and ongoing affordable housing rehabilitation and development activity that should largely offset any added need generated by the continued aging of the housing stock and modest population growth. The County will focus its efforts on meeting those needs. Categories of persons affected follow:
Extremely low income households consist of two subgroups. The lowest income subgroups are households earning up to 30 percent of the area median family income (MFI). The other subgroup is households up to earnings from 31 percent to 50 percent of MFI. Minority and elderly households from a disproportionately large share of the very-low-income. The very- low-income rates for African American, Hispanic and Native American Households are 22 percent, 17 percent and 24 percent respectively, compared to a rate of 14 percent for the consortium in its entirety. The incidents of housing problems, such as physical defects, other substandard conditions and overcrowding, and of shelter cost burden are strongly linked to low-income- levels.
The incidence of housing problems and cost burden moderates as household income rises, but is still substantial among the low-income. Among households in this group, with incomes at 51-80% MFI, renters are more severely affected than owners. More than half of the total low-income renters experience housing problems and/or cost burden, as do at least 40 percent of homeowners. Non-elderly households, particularly homeowners and small related renter families, are in the majority in the low-income category. African- American and Hispanic households are also represented at rates somewhat higher that for the consortium population as a whole.
The rates of housing problems and cost burden range round one-third for moderate-income renter and owner households, those at 81 to 95 percent of MFI. Again, the composite figures obscure some significant differences by household type, which shows the highest rate of housing problems among the small number of large related renter households and the lowest rates of housing problems and cost burden among moderate-income households is relatively nominal, with the largest incidence, 8 percent, among non-elderly homeowners.
Combined market, needs assessment and housing valuation data for the consortium clearly point to the need to assist first-time homebuyers in covering down payment and closing cost and reducing carrying charges. Cost burden affects nearly half of low-income, non- elderly homeowners households, and rises to more than 80 percent among non-elderly, very-low-income owners. Only a fraction of the for-sale stock is affordable to prospective low-income purchasers.
Elderly one- and two-person households account for 20,093, or 23 percent, of the consortium's total 86,014 households. Of these elderly households, 15,041, or nearly 75 percent, are owners, and the remaining 5,052, or 25 percent, are renters. The proportion of elderly households in individual municipalities ranges from a high of 32 percent in Ewing Township to a low of 9 percent in West Windsor Township. Nationally, statewide, and locally, growth in the rate of older households is expected to continue through the next decade.
Hamilton Township Homeowners:
The Township of Hamilton has continuously provided for housing
rehabilitation activities with Community Development Block Grant funds since the
third program year in 1977. This program has provided a combination of loans and
grants to income eligible low and moderate income homeowners (then defined as at
or below 50% - 80% of the median income level for the Trenton, New Jersey
Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area (SMSA). While more than 1100 dwellings
have been rehabilitated to HUD Section 8 standards over that period of time,
obviously the need continues as the supply of applicants for this assistance is
not diminishing.
The consortium registered a population gain of 10 percent during the decade of the 1980s. This growth, combined with a population loss of smaller magnitude from the center city of Trenton during the same period, suggests a trend of increasing suburban dispersal of the County population. The consortium's minority population is growing at a pace far exceeding the overall rate. The increase in minority residents of the consortium area from 1980 to 1990 ranged from a 20-percent increase in the African American population to a 275-percent increase in the small number of Native Americans. The Plan identifies neighborhoods designated by local housing officials as having greater than average revitalization needs, based on field surveys and residents' income levels.
Homelessness in Mercer County is concentrated in the urban center of Trenton, but that does not mean that suburban homelessness is nonexistent. Homelessness is a problem that transcends municipal boundaries and service capacity, and one that demands a countywide approach. The majority of homeless within communities in the Mercer Consortium are believed to be in Hightstown and Princeton Boroughs. Both municipalities have sizeable immigrant populations and have recorded instances of large extended families living in overcrowded housing. The number of homeless families in the consortium is estimated at 11, six sheltered and five unsheltered, for a total of 41 persons. The typical composition of a homeless family in Mercer County is a single mother in her 20s to 30s and several children under the age of 10.
The figures show those with severe mental illness to be the predominant household type in need of supportive housing. Their number totals 3,200 or more than half of all special- needs households in the consortium. The next most frequent household types in need of supportive housing are the elderly and frail special needs total. The number of households with at least one physically disabled member in need of supportive housing is 384, or 6 percent of the special-needs total. Persons with alcohol or drug addictions, AIDS or related diseases, or developmental disabilities (mental Retardation) account for the combined balance of 9 percent, in descending order of frequency.
The incidence of possible lead-based paint hazard among owners is highest among those living in units built before 1940, at 24 percent. The rate for owners living in units built between 1940 and 1959 is 21 percent, and for owners of units built between 1960 and 1979, the rate is 6 percent. The incidence of possible lead-based paint hazard is highest among very-low income owners, who are statistically at risk for lead-based paint hazard at rate about double that for other low-income renters.
The number of year round units totals 90,088, of which 86,197 are occupied. Of the occupied units, 62,104 or 72 percent, are owner-occupied, and the remaining 24,093, or 28 percent, are rentals. Units of three bedrooms or more in size compose 80 percent of the owner-occupied stock. Just under 18 percent of all owner-occupied housing has two bedrooms, and only 2 percent is in efficiency or one-bedroom units.
The situation is reversed for renter-occupied housing, with nearly 82 percent of that total stock in efficiency, one- and two-bedroom units. Larger units of three or more bedrooms make up the remaining 18 percent. The vacancy rate of slightly over 5 percent for rental housing approximates the rate considered normal to allow for market fluidity. COAH estimates that there are 1,369 units occupied by low-income households and in need of demolition in the East-Central Region (Mercer, Monmouth, and Ocean Counties). Housing sale prices are high within the consortium. The median 1990 census value for owner- occupied housing in Mercer County is $136,700, a figure that is skewed downward by the $70,600 median value for the City of Trenton.
There are two public housing authorities (PHAs) that own and operate public housing within the consortium: Hightstown Borough and Princeton Borough. The Princeton PHA operates three (3) developments that encompass a total of 200 units, 100 in Princeton Borough and the remaining 100 in Princeton Township. The Hightstown PHA has 100 public housing units in its Hightstown Homes development.
The number of all Section 8 units totals 445, all in residential developments for senior citizens. The bulk of Section 8 certificates and vouchers issued in Mercer County by DCA are held by Trentonians. There is no unused Section 8 capacity and the waiting list for Mercer County has been closed for five years.
The number of senior citizens units assisted under the Section 202 program totals 198 and is located in developments in East Windsor and Princeton Township. There are 100 units of family housing in Lawrence and 239 units of family housing in Princeton Township assisted under the Section 236 program. Mount Laurel units, developed to meet municipal affordable housing obligations in compliance with the New Jersey court rulings of the same name, are also a major source of assisted units. The consortium's stock of Mount Laurel housing totals 842 units, 230 of them rented and 612 owner occupied. Vacancies are nonexistent among the rental units, but there have been a few instances of difficulty in finding income eligible purchasers for the sale units.
The need for additional units of rental assistance continues. The Township of Hamilton as a PHA, has maintained a HUD section 8 Rental Assistance Program since 1977, with 175 Section 8 certificates and 42 Section 8 Vouchers. Despite a very low turnover, there is no slackening on the numbers of applicants seeking rental assistance.
The number of emergency shelter and transitional housing spaces providing overnight sleeping capacity for the homeless in mercer County totals about 300. Nearly all of the shelters and transitional housing in Mercer County are located in Trenton.
The most common type of elderly housing on the consortium is Section 8 and Section 236 HUD-assisted rental developments for the elderly, frail elderly and the handicapped. There are more than 800 federally assisted senior citizens apartments in the consortium. Other types of supportive housing of the consortium have a total of about 141 spaces.
The State Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD) waiting list for
community placements such as group homes, family-care homes, supervised
apartments and supportive living apartments numbers more than 1,300 for the
developmentally disabled.
The five year strategy of the Mercer Consortium is designed to preserve the existing affordable housing stock and to create additional housing targeted to undeserved segments of the low-income population. The strategy also seeks to channel resources to assist municipalities in meeting Mount Laurel obligations. The majority of consortium communities are obligated under the state's Mount Laurel court rulings and the resultant Fair Housing Act to rehabilitate and develop additional affordable units during the next six years.
These are priority objectives of the consortium's housing strategy:
The priorities have been based on the availability and likely future availability of resources. Resources include funds available from state, federal, and local governments, as well as county and municipal capacity to undertake the specified activities.
A review of the housing needs of very-low and other-low income households indicate the most obvious need to be met is the cost burden of their housing payments. This is the crux of the affordability problem. The high cost of production and subsequent operation of housing results in a housing cost burden borne disproportionately by lower-income households. This is a national problem. Outlined here is the local response -- what can be done by Mercer County to ease the affordability burden.
Priorities have been determined as a result of weighing the housing needs of the population with available resources, existing organization and administrative capacity, present and predicted market conditions. Efforts to establish housing priorities within the consortium as a whole have involved input from County and municipal officials directly concerned with affordable housing policy and program administration. The County and its constituent municipalities have demonstrated strong efforts to meet housing affordability needs.
Accordingly, the consortium's five year plan represents an effort to balance local diversity with common goals in the setting of county-wide priorities. It should be emphasized that priorities have been set considering present and proposed available funding sources, primarily from the federal and state governments.
Mercer County plans to develop about 10 units of single-room occupancy transitional housing for low-income veterans. The County is also considering construction of a group home for special needs youths, including runaways and the homeless. Over the five year period covered by this Plan, the County looks to fund one or two such projects per program year, with an practical goal of six such projects.
Mercer County plans to commit a portion of its HOME allocation for the purpose of providing downpayment and closing cost assistance loans to first-time, income-eligible buyers. The funds will be combined with monies taken from a pool of funds created through a public/private partnership among local lenders. These low-interest, deferred loans will offer to those who otherwise would not be able to purchase a home the opportunity to have a piece of the "American Dream" of owning a home. These member lenders have agreed to contribute toward a pool of $1 Million Dollars, from which funds will be used to offer below-market rate mortgages to eligible, low-income homebuyers. HOME funds will be used to offer low-interest, deferred loans as a subsidy for the below- market rate mortgages. Over a five year period, the County hopes to fund fifty new home purchases.
The rehabilitation of deteriorating units preserves and stabilizes residential neighborhoods. It is the most cost effective means to restore and maintain owner-occupied affordable housing to low-income households. More than half of all very-low income homeowner households in the consortium are elderly. Households with a disabled member are also more likely to be very-low income. Rehabilitation assistance, including the installation of accessibility modifications, where necessary, helps these owners make needed safety repairs and maintain independence. The County Consortium sets a practical goal of 50 units over the five year period covered by this Plan.
The Mercer County Consortium plans to invest funds into the Bootstraps: Self Help and Communities, Inc., a non-profit community housing development organization (CHDO) for the construction of housing for low-income families.
Working with the County and the participating Municipalities, Bootstraps, Inc. plans to develop a stretch of wooded land and convert the parcel into fifteen (15) starter homes located in suburban West Windsor Township. Teams of fifteen families, working together to build fifteen houses, will begin construction sometime in late 1995, and it is hoped that other Mercer municipalities will desire to participate in the program as the project progresses. The long-term success of this program very much depends on the short-term success that Bootstraps has with its pilot West Windsor project. Ideally, the County would want to have five municipalities active with the self-help housing concept over the five year period with a total of 75 units constructed.
The five year plan developed for the Hamilton Township Community Development Block Grant program will deal with both housing and non-housing issues. National objectives continue to be:
As those with physical and developmental disabilities are unable to afford housing prices on the current competitive market, federal funds will be used to assist with the creation of new supportive housing for the developmentally disabled and the physically challenged. The County looks to assist over 100 persons during the 5 year period of the Plan.
Rehabilitation of existing housing for extremely-low, low-, and moderate-income homeowners, especially the elderly, is a continuing need throughout the County. Those who own property often cannot afford simple repairs, which can lead to more significant code violations. The consortium will assist these households through HOME monies. The consortium looks to assist around 150 persons over the five year period.
The current market for housing sees a rising spiral of housing prices. As such, the ability of the average low-income family to purchase a home diminishes every year. Many buyers are able to fund the cost of a mortgage but lack the necessary downpayment and closing costs, which ultimately block the sale. The County aims to assist those families with its first-time buyers program. The County looks to assist between 150-200 low-to-moderate income persons over the five year period of the Plan.
Today's market calls for housing to assist certain sections of the low-to-moderate income groups. The consortium plans to dedicate funding toward area CHDOs, which serve the needs of special segments of the low-to-moderate income population. The County hopes to assist around 150-200 persons through this agenda.
The populations which the County and local governments look to target are:
The County of Mercer is strictly a HOME recipient and not a CDBG recipient; therefore, the County will not undertake any non-housing community development activities. The Township of Hamilton, however, has its own CDBG allocation.
For the non-housing component of the CDBG program, Hamilton Township has proposed to continue to work on the Shady Brook Creek Drainage Project in the Cedar Lawn community of the Township; continue the construction of curb and sidewalk improvement in the Cedar Lawn neighborhood; continue the distribution of air conditioners to those of very-low income and the elderly; and address the needs of ADA improvements on Township-owned buildings.
Abatement will be performed in compliance with HUD standards as an integral part of rehabilitation work. Hamilton Township, which conducts ongoing rehabilitation work through its CDBG program adheres to the regulations governing that program which concern lead-based paint. The two PHAs within the consortium do abatements as part of their CIAP programs.
The Mercer County poverty rate according to the 1990 census is 7.4 percent. The rate for the Mercer Consortium, which excludes the City of Trenton, is 3.6 percent. The rates are higher among minorities, households headed by women, and the elderly.
Mercer County's anti-poverty strategy emphasizes economic development as a
means of generating jobs that will prevent and reduce poverty. Key facets of
this strategy call for locating public facilities in the County's urban center,
the City of Trenton. Other elements of the strategy provide for business
retention and recruitment and development of a Free Trade Zone at the Mercer
County Airport, plus training.
| Consortium HOME Funding: | |
| Rehab - Single Unit Residential | $120,000 |
| First Time Buyers Program | $125,000 |
| New Construction Low Income Housing | $ 75,000 |
| Homeless and Special Needs Housing | $113,798 |
| Program Administration | $ 48,200 |
| TOTAL: | $481,998 |
|---|---|
| Hamilton Township CDBG: (seperate application) | $832,102 |
Other resources from private and non-Federal public sources which will be made available to meet the identified needs include: New Jersey WAP grants, County Capitol funds, and a pool of funds derived from the Mercer County Banking Consortium for use in the First-Time Homebuyer's Program.
Currently under renovation within the County is the Roebling Complex Project, which will provide, among other things, private housing for seniors. Whether this project will be operational during the five year term of this Consolidated Plan is not yet determinable.
Continuing to place Housing Rehabilitation as a high priority, the CountyConsortium plans to continue to administer the Mercer County HOME Investment Partnerships Program - Comprehensive Residential Housing Rehabilitation Program and has assigned $120,000 for this purpose.
For the past year, Mercer County has been coordinating a public/private program to assist income-eligible families who desire to purchase a home located within a specially- designated area of the City of Trenton titled the Mercer County Waterfront Park Community Empowerment Program. It aims to assist people who otherwise would not be able to purchase their own home. As the City of Trenton is an entitlement community, this program is not funded through HOME monies. Mercer County looks to expand this ambitious program out of the City and into the consortium municipalities. Funded through HOME monies, this expanded program would provide zero-interest, deferred loans to homebuyers to cover downpayment and closing costs associated with buying a home. The new Program will be entitled the Mercer County Banking Consortium First-Time Buyer's Program. The Mercer County HOME Consortium plans to commit one-hundred twenty-five thousand dollars ($125,000) toward this ambitious program.
The Mercer County Consortium plans to invest funds into the Bootstraps: Self Help and Communities, Inc., a non-profit community housing development organization (CHDO) for the construction of housing for low-income families. Participants will benefit through learning a trade and owning a house that they, themselves, were instrumental in building. Concurrently, the Municipalities will benefit, as the Housing will go toward satisfying Mount Laurel requirements. The Mercer Consortium finds self-help housing to be an innovative approach to solve the housing needs of Mercer County families and has allocated $75,000 for this purpose.
The jurisdiction will undertake activities to address the needs of homeless and special needs population with $113,798 through its HOME grant.
MAP 2A and MAP 2B depict points of interest and low-moderate income areas.
MAP 3A and MAP 3B depict points of interest, low-moderate income areas, and minority concentration levels.
MAP 4A and MAP 4B depict points of interest, low-moderate income areas, and unemployment levels.
MAP 5A and MAP 5B depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects.
TABLE (without associated map) provides information about the project(s).
