Monroe County and the City of Rochester are located in the Finger Lakes Region of Upstate New York and comprise the State's third largest city with an MSA population of over 1 million. It is home to the University of Rochester and Medical Center, the Eastman School of Music, and the Rochester Institute of Technology and its National Institute for the Deaf. Local businesses such as Bausch & Lomb and Eastman Kodak Company rank in the top ten nationally for sales per production employee. They are on the cutting edge of the optics and imaging markets which comprise over half of our manufacturing base and have earned this area the title of the World's Image Centre. Over 20% of our employees are in high-tech industries and the percentage of scientists and engineers are twice that of New York State and the U.S. as a whole.
Through its Department of Planning and Development, Monroe County focuses its resources and activities on the economic, physical, and human service needs of low and very low income persons in our program area, which is comprised of 19 towns and ten villages in suburban Monroe County, excluding the City of Rochester.
Monroe County's 1995 Consolidated Plan establishes a strategic framework for community development and affordable housing programs in our program area. It includes a one year action plan for spending a total of $3,665,000 of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), Home Investment Partnership Program (HOME) and Emergency Shelter Grant (ESG) funds. We strive to accomplish our goals through the development of affordable housing projects, public works and facility improvements, the provision of essential community services, planning and capacity building projects, and activities that generate jobs for our residents and economic growth for our local businesses.
Our Housing and Community Development Steering Committee is our primary vehicle for generating public interest in our HUD funded programs. This is an advisory board comprised of Town Supervisors, Village Mayors and other government officials from each of the 29 participating municipalities, as well as citizens from minority groups, the County's elderly and special needs populations, low income residents of subsidized housing facilities, the Home Builders' Board, the Monroe County Departments of Social Services, Health, Youth Bureau, Aging, ADA, the Housing Commission and various nonprofit housing and community agency representatives, and other public and private interest groups.
Public notices are effective because we publish throughout the year to
announce funding availability, solicit interest in program planning &
performance evaluation, announce public hearings and publicize proposed
projects. We also make optimum use of our standard County government procedures
which involve widespread public notification for the review/approval process and
require public forums where citizens and groups can have input into public
policy decisions. In addition, we develop and conduct various surveys,
disseminate promotional materials, and advertise in local newspapers and
municipal and special interest publications. Public hearings are held throughout
our citizen participation process. The Plan is then submitted to HUD after
comments are received and incorporated.
From its founding in the early 19th century, the City of Rochester and the 11 suburban villages closest to the Genesee River and the Erie canal were the first to develop. By the 1940's, nearly 70% of our residents still lived in these areas. The population shift from the City to the suburbs began in the 1950's with access to the new interstate expressway. Commercial development and industry followed and by 1990, our population was concentrated in the suburbs.
In the l980's, the number of suburban households grew by 10%, a slightly faster rate than the overall population at 8%. The fastest growing age cohorts continue to be senior citizens over 65 years of age in the suburbs where nearly 70% of them live.
Many of the suburbs have grown at a faster pace than the rest of the County. Between 1980 and 1990, the suburban population experienced a modest increase of 5% while the City's population declined by 4%. Seven of our towns grow by 10% or more with the Town of Mendon, experiencing the greatest increase of 26%. While the minority population increased by 31% in that decade, minorities comprised only 4.6% of the suburbs in 1980 and in 1990. Still, there are no concentrations of racial or ethnic minorities within suburban Monroe County.
Although low income households are scattered throughout the suburbs,
there are no large concentrations of people at or below the poverty level in
Monroe County. In fact, data from the 1990 Census indicates that only 2.18% or
10,500 persons are in the 0-30% median family income range. None-the-less, our
Plan addresses the priority needs of this subgroup with a goal to supply
sufficient housing units to accommodate them as well as new residents who may
wish to move from the City.
Four priority affordable housing needs are identified in the Consolidated; construction of affordable elderly rental units (with supportive services), construction of family rental units, homeowner housing improvements for low-income households and the provision of affordable homeownership opportunities for low-income households.
Elderly households now constitute 40% of all low-income households in Monroe County. Approximately 7,500 out of 11,000 elderly, low income renters pay more than 50% of their incomes for rent, and approximately 75^% of all elderly households are homeowners and 67% are low or very-low income. According to the 1990 Census, there were about 10,602 very low or extremely low income non-elderly family households in suburban Monroe County. Of these families, 4,961 rent and 5,641 are Homeowners.
Most significant is the rate at which suburban rents are rising faster than the median family income.
In general, suburban Monroe County's housing stock is in good condition. This is due to the fact that 45% of it less than 35 years old.
The decade ending in 1990 saw a net increase of 22,606 suburban housing units, or an 8.5% increase over the previous decade. Over 95% were single family homes, the vast majority of which were owner- occupied. Monroe County continues to experience an average of over 2,000 new homes each year.
In 1990, only 8% of Monroe County's suburban housing stock sold below $70,000, which is a home affordable by families making 80-95% of median income ($97,000 was the median price of a single family home). This means that there is virtually no homeownership housing stock available to households at and below 50% of median income.
About 45,000 housing units, or 31% of the suburban housing stock, are rental units. Abut 6% are subsidized for low-income families and about 2% are subsidized for low-income elderly.
A 1994 survey found a rental vacancy rate of 3.7%, indicating a relatively tight market. This, coupled with the fact that during the past decade, virtually no new rental units were build for low and very low- income households has made it even more difficult for these people to find affordable housing. As a result, there are long waiting lists and an even tighter market for these units, making the construction of new affordable rental units a necessity.
The Suburban Monroe County focuses on two of the three low-income categories: 0-50% MFI, and 51- 80% MFI, extremely low and very low are combined together. There are 4,961 family households who rent that are in the 0-50% MFI, and 4,498 family households who rent that are in the 51-80% MFI category. In addition there are 5,641 family homeowners in the 0-50% MFI category, and 11,312 family homeowners in the 51-80% MFI category. Total family household need is 7,404 families who rent and 12,791 family homeowners.
There are 5,111 elderly households who rent who are 0-50% MFI, and 2,491 elderly households in the 51-80% MFI category. There are 7,233 elderly homeowners in the 0-50% MFI category. Total elderly household need is 7,602 who rent and 14,961 elderly homeowners.
In Monroe County, most homeless people are in the City of Rochester, although some, especially homeless youth, originate from suburban Monroe County. The County and City support a variety of services and emergency and transitional housing for people who are homeless.
In 1995, the City and County developed a joint Homeless Continuum of Care Plan to prevent and reduce homelessness. The County and City collaboratively commissioned an update of the 1988 Homeless Study to more thoroughly address both the immediate and long-range needs of the homeless population. In addition, a number of other changes have occurred since 1988 related to governmental policies and practices, the economy and various societal stresses which collectively have had a significant impact on the numbers and characteristics of the homeless population seven years after the initial study was done. Efforts to date have led to implementation of a number of improvements in services and strategies designed to prevent persons from becoming homeless and to improve services to those in the community who do become or already are homeless.
The existing homeless shelter system has the capacity to house well in excess of 500 homeless people on a typical night of the year. This represents an increase of about 50% from the system's capacity in 1988.
Since 1988, the total number of separate persons who are homeless one or more times during the year has grown to about 5,900 - an increase of almost 50%.
There are between about 380 and 405 homeless persons in Monroe County on a typical night. More than 375 homeless persons receive shelter in an average night - an increase of about 50% since 1988. In general, about 75% to 80% of the homeless beds are filled each night.
In addition to homeless persons who receive shelter, all available evidence indicates that on most nights in Monroe County, there are no more than five people sleeping ?on the street", that on even warm nights there are rarely more than 10 to 15 such persons, and that even those who do occasionally sleep outside find their way at other times into shelters or ?crash" with friends or relatives. A maximum of 20% of the local homeless population ever sleep outside, and most of those spend no more than one or two nights a year ?on the street". However, the numbers of people who are at risk of homelessness and spend nights during the year ?crashing" or ?doubling up" with friends or relatives is substantial (between 40% and 50% of local homeless people spent at least some time in the past year living with friends or relatives outside their immediate family).
Excluding shelters whose primary focus is to serve substance abusers, about 43% of the homeless population in 1994 were age 20 or younger, including 30% under the age of 16. During the year, there were about 1,4650 homeless children under 16 - a 71% increase from 1988.
There were more than 850 homeless families in 1994 - almost double the 1988 total - and almost 1,750 homeless women - an 83% increase from 1988.
Well over 80% of the homeless population are from the Rochester/Monroe County area; most have a long history of connections with the Rochester area and most have parents, siblings and other family members still living nearby.
Almost 75% of Monroe County's current homeless population became homeless for the first time within the past year. Only about 20% have been homeless for two years or longer.
Well over half of all homeless adults have substance abuse problems, at least a third are mentally ill (many are both mentally ill and chemically addicted), and 30% were classified as having behavioral problems (many of the latter may also have experienced undiagnosed mental illness). One-forth are victims of domestic violence, sexual abuse or child abuse (either as a victim, abuser or both).
Many people knowledgeable about housing and homelessness in this community believe that homelessness will increase over the next few years as a result of factors such as continuing changes in the economy; gaps between housing costs and the ability of low-income people to pay for decent housing; the likely impact of welfare reform and federal and state budget reductions; and continuing high levels of substance abuse in the community.
Among the most frequently-mentioned (by both providers and homeless persons) unmet service needs and resources needed to reduce homeless in Monroe County were job creation/training/placement/support, expanded affordable housing in the city and suburbs, educational services targeted to homeless persons, substance abuse treatment and counseling, psychiatric and related mental health services, a homeless daytime drop-in center, and short-term crisis housing for hard-to-place homeless persons.
In Suburban Monroe County there are 22 housing projects which contribute nearly 4,000 units to the subsidized housing stock. Many of these projects were constructed under Section 236 housing programs and are therefore subject to mortgage prepayments. Nearly 74% of these units could be converted to market rate housing because the units twenty year mortgage period has expired. However, for a variety of reasons, this conversion is not likely.
Of the 14 public housing projects, only one is located outside the city of Rochester, the Antoinette Blackwell Estates projects in Henrietta, New York. This is a 100 unit public housing facility for the elderly. It is 11 years old and is in good condition. Ten units were recently retrofited to comply with ADA requirements.
Lack of a sufficient number of affordable housing units continues to be a critical problem in Monroe County. Public Policy barriers were identified in five categories: regulatory review requirements (e.g., municipal land use regulations); tax policies; public policy funding programs; agreement requirements between the local housing authority and municipalities; and fair market rent and utility allowance requirements. It was determined that:
The Consolidated Plan lists several initiatives to be undertaken in coordination with Monroe County's Task Force on Affordable Home Buying, order to begin removing the barriers.
In a cooperative effort, suburban Monroe County, the City of Rochester and the Towns of Greece and Irondequoit are conducting an analysis of the impediments to fair housing choice, to identify and analyze local practices which impede members of the protected classes under the Fair Housing Act from freely choosing where they live. The analysis is nearly completed, and the above entities have certified that this analysis will be submitted to HUD on or before February 6, 1996. The results of this study will be used to develop a plan of action to address the identified impediments..
The two most reliable indicators of potential lead hazards are: 1.) structures built prior to 1960 and 2.) Statistics on the high incidence of lead poisoning in families with incomes below the poverty income ratio.
Over 5,000 of the 16,000 households which were built in Monroe County prior to 1960 are occupied by persons with incomes below poverty and pose potential lead hazards. However, these units represent a small % of all units in Monroe County because there are no large concentrations of people at or below the poverty level.
Nearly 55% of existing structures in Monroe County were built prior to 1960, while in the City of Rochester, 81% were built prior to 1960. The result is a much higher incidence of leaded households in the City than in the County as evidenced in 1991-93 when 99% of the lead poisoning cases identified were in the City and less than 10 cases, or 1%, were found in Monroe County.
The Health Department has increased screening and is enforcing local laws to reduce hazards. Training is also provided to inspectors for our Home Improvement Program to enable them to alert health officials of hazardous conditions. In addition, the remediation of lead based paint is an eligible use of Home Improvement funds which we market to lower income residents who qualify for the program.
Public facility needs are a high priority, particularly handicap access
improvements to municipal facilities for mobility impaired persons, expansion of
senior citizen centers to accommodate the growing elderly population, expansion
and improvements to parking lots in many older commercial districts, and
suburban parkland expansion. Improvements to replace and build new sidewalks
and water and sewer lines in lower income neighborhoods, adjacent to affordable
housing developments, and to serve businesses development, also rank high.
There are many gaps in essential public services needed by lower income persons.
Home safety and maintenance services for the elderly, transportation services
for low income and disabled persons in rural areas, fair housing services,
mortgage default prevention counseling, and employment training rank high in
community needs. Economic development needs include developing, attracting, and
retaining more businesses in Monroe County to keep existing jobs and create new
ones.
The Consolidated Plan sets forth the strategies for meeting the housing and community development needs of CDBG and HOME Program area for the 29 towns and villages in Monroe County over a five year period beginning with August 1, 1995. The overall goal of these strategies is to achieve, principally for low, very low, and extremely low income residents, decent and affordable housing; a suitable living environment by increasing access to quality facilities/services and revitalizing deteriorated neighborhoods; expanded economic opportunities by creating jobs and empowering residents in federally assisted and public housing to achieve self sufficiency.
A variety of activities will be undertaken to expand the supply of decent, safe, and sound housing affordable to households at or below the low income level. These strategies are consistent with current housing policies, as no significant deviation from previous projections are anticipated over the next five years in population or in housing needs.
The primary components of the five-year strategy to meet priority housing needs are: the development of rental housing for low and very low elderly households; the continuation of programs to assist low and very low income elderly homeowners to maintain their houses; the development of rental units for low and very low income families, particularly units affordable to families at or below 65% of the median family income for the metropolitan area; the continuation of programs to assist low and very low income families who live in their own homes to maintain their homes; a first time home buyer program (including acquisition, acquisition/rehab, new construction and special needs components); efforts to assist homeless persons to secure permanent housing and to become self- sufficient; and assistance to allow persons with special needs increased choices for affordable housing.
Economic development strategies include using an array of public financing sources to leverage private capital investments by existing and new businesses for job growth. Section 108 loan guarantees and CDBG funds are used in conjunction with our Industrial Development Agency, the Industrial Development Corporation, and the New York State Urban Development Corporation to assist small business expansions, job training, development and placement, and projects such as the development of our new indoor sports facility at Frontier Field. Strategies to address infrastructure needs include new or improved sidewalks and sewer and water systems in lower income neighborhoods to correct existing deficiencies, to accommodate new housing, and to support business development. Essential gaps in public services are addressed by providing a fair housing counseling hotline, financing for over 50 mortgage default prevention cases, essential transportation services for elderly and disabled persons, home safety and protection training and awareness for thousands of elderly and disabled persons, and even expansion of jobs for disabled persons by providing adaptive computer and manufacturing equipment for visually impaired workers. Accessibility Needs are addressed by retrofiting public facilities for safe access. Limited funds are also used to municipal planning needs.
The Monroe County Consortium Anti-Poverty Strategy is defined through specific goals, programs and policies coordinated with the towns of Greece and Irondequoit, with the City of Rochester, nonprofit organizations, Community Housing Development Organizations (CHDO's), and the public and private sector to reduce the number of households with incomes below the poverty line. The goals, programs and policies are listed below:
In implementing its housing and community development strategies, Monroe County will employ funds received under federal HUD entitlement programs of CDBG, HOME and Emergency Shelter Grant to leverage other federal, state and private sector resources. Other federal resources include Section 8, Low Income, Tax Credit Program, HUD Section 202 and 811, U.S. Department of Energy Weatherization Program and programs of the Rural Economic and Community Developments Administration of the U.S. Departments of Agriculture.
State resources include the NYS Affordable Housing Corp., NYS Division of Housing and Community Renewal Low Income Housing Trust Fund and the Mobile Home Cooperative Fund. Private programs include affordable housing initiatives funded by local lending institutions, the Federal Home Loan Bank of NY, and a variety of nonprofit organizations.
In addition to securing other federal and state funds to complement Consolidated Plan funds, Monroe County pools resources with the following non-profits that are primary entities in the development of affordable housing for lower income persons: United Way of Greater Rochester, the Greater Rochester Housing Partnership, the Housing Council, the Bishop Sheen Ecumenical Housing Foundation, Rochester Housing Authority, Housing Opportunities, Inc., Rural Opportunities, Inc., the Monroe County Legal Assistance Corporation, the Urban League, Habitat for Humanity, ISLA, and Providence Housing Development Corporation. These agencies play a major role in our housing initiatives by assisting us in administering our housing programs in accordance with fair housing requirements and encouraging fair housing practices by developing housing for special population groups. Many also play a key role in our projects because they receive preference for the development and ownership of low income rental housing over the long term. The non profits also assist in the delivery of needed support services to elderly homeowners, lower income renters, and homeless substance abusers who receive rehab services.
Key strategies to meet CDBG, HOME and ESG goals in assisting lower income families, elderly persons, persons with special needs and homeless persons include:
After our Consolidated Plan submission to HUD, we received comments from
the Monroe County Legal Assistance Corporation, formerly hired as a
subcontractor by Monroe County to develop part of our Plan. These concerns
related to our efforts to address the specific rental housing needs of 0-30%
median income households. We have addressed these comments through a request to
developers to submit affordable housing proposals that include rental units for
extremely low-income households. Also, we have hired a consultant to perform a
study and analysis of assisted tenants and subsidized units, including proposed
projects, for the lowest income groups. As part of this analysis, we recently
conducted a survey to provide current data on subsidized units broken down by
number, type, income level of families served, and location. The results of the
study/analysis will assist us in properly targeting our limited CDBG/HOME funds
to the lowest income groups based upon the needs of each income category.
Monroe County's 1995-96 Consolidated Plan funds in the amount of $3,665,000, including program income, will predominantly fund projects that support housing, economic development, community services and public works. CDBG and HOME funds are used to assist over 200 low income homeowners throughout the 29 municipalities annually through the Home Improvement Program, our principal housing repair activity. The United Way Housing Initiatives Program will service over 100 lower income, elderly and disabled households through its affordable housing development program. Agencies such as the Housing Council will, through its fair housing counseling services, serve over 100 households and the Mortgage Relief Program will assist nearly 20 households. Our Satellite Housing Assistance Office in the Village of Spencerport, administered by Rural Opportunities, Inc., will provide technical assistance to over 200 lower income households.
Public Works initiatives will revitalize the commercial business district of the Village of Brockport, provide new sidewalks in the Village of East Rochester and the Towns of Hamlin, Henrietta & Perinton, install new sewers in lower income neighborhoods of the Towns of Chili, Clarkson, and Scottsville, energy efficiency improvements to the Town of Ogden Senior Center and assistance with the Sweden Senior Center expansion. Handicap access improvements will be made to community centers in the Village of Hilton and the Towns of Penfield and Wheatland, and other handicap access alterations to Town Halls in Mendon, Parma and Penfield.
Community Services include technical assistance to the Union Street Homeless Shelter which assists over 2,000 persons, a senior citizen van for mobility impaired persons in the Town of Gates, home safety and protection training and repair services to over 1,200 lower income, elderly and disabled persons.
The Emergency Shelter Grant in the amount of $81,000 will fund the Housing Demonstration Program operated by the Monroe County Department of Social Services to assist nearly 1,300 of the most difficult to serve homeless persons with emergency, permanent and supportive housing.
Nearly $300,000 in HOME Program funds are obligated to the First Time Homebuyer Program to assist 40 lower income homeowners throughout Monroe County. Nearly 100 rental housing units will be constructed with $220,000 in HOME funds through a CHDO Rental Project in Northwestern Monroe County. The Homeless Prevention Program will utilize $100,000 of HOME funds as deferred loans to rehabilitate or replace the homes of 5-10 very low-income families throughout Monroe County.
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).
