Poughkeepsie's Consolidated Plan for 1995 constitutes the City's vision for meeting its housing and community development needs. This summary offers City residents an overview of the needs assessment, a three year strategy to meet the needs and a detailed action plan for FY 1995 Federal expenditures with HUD assistance.

Action Plan

The Action Plan provides for HUD assistance in FY 1995 in the following amounts:

Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) Program       $1,410,000 
CDBG Program Income                                        778,300 
                                Total                   $2,188,300

Citizen Participation

The City sent an outreach mailing on the planning process to over 300 persons plus social service providers regarding the first public hearing held in October, 1994. A second mailing with a draft consolidated plan was made in November. Citizen viewer disks were distributed to local libraries with computer viewing capacity. The second public hearing was held in December. The following groups participated in the process: Citizens, non- profit organizations, social service providers, governmental entities, other interested parties.

The City of Poughkeepsie has a population of 28,844 persons, and has experienced continued population decline since 1970. This outmigration is partly due to the lack of suitable housing stock, a high unemployment rate and the subsequent failure to attract residents to the area.

Fifty-two percent of the City's 11,874 households (30 percent of which are headed by women) fall into the low, very low and extremely low income categories. 4,532 households or 38 percent of the City's total, earn less than $17,499 or less than 50 percent of the median family income and another 1,619, or 14 percent, earn $17,500 - 27,499, or 50-80 percent of the median family income. Slightly more than 14 percent of the population is living below the poverty level and approximately 52 percent of the households are considered to be low, very low or extremely low income.

Approximately 64 percent of the population is white, 31 percent Black and the remaining 5 percent other minorities. In recent years there has been a substantial increase in Hispanic residents.

The median family income in 1990 was $34,211, which is 5 percent below the National median and 15 percent below the Metropolitan Statistical Area median. 64.5 percent of the City's total households that earn below 51 percent of the median family income are occupied by elderly homeowners.

Of the 13,112 units of housing stock, approximately half are over 50 years old.

Forty-one percent, or 4,829 housing units are owner occupied. Of these, 3,406 are occupied by people who earn less than 80 percent of the median family income. Fifty-nine percent of the residents are renters, 67 percent of which fall into the low to extremely low income household category.

Conditions

The City's aging commercial districts have been devastated by the downturn in the economy in recent years. Parts of the City have become the center for drug trade activity in the Mid-Hudson area with drug and violence rivaling larger cities when compared on a per capita basis. Corporate downsizing, particularly IBM, has resulted in the loss of 19,000 jobs, nearly 8,000 in 1993 alone. In addition 11,000 manufacturing jobs were lost in Dutchess County. Over 20 percent of the population is considered economically disadvantaged. The poverty rate was 14.7 percent in 1990 while unemployment was 7 percent in 1993.

Housing Needs

Substandard conditions and defects:

• 62 units have no form of heat
• 26 units lack complete plumbing facilities
• 41 lack approved means of sewage disposal
• Some 16 percent of owner-occupied housing units have some type of housing deficiency
• Disrepair of many units is occurring since half of housing stock is over 50 years old.

Cost Burdens and Supplies - based on County-wide rental rates and household incomes as reported in the 1990 Census, at least 20 percent of the City's population cannot afford a one-bedroom apartment. Lower and moderate income residents, not to mention extremely low income residents, are experiencing considerable difficulty renting affordable apartments as housing is predominated with owner-occupied detached single-family homes.

• Approximately 2,000 persons are on the County's Section 8 waiting list
• Approximately 600 persons are on the City's Section 8 waiting list.

Homeless Needs

There are an estimated 96 homeless persons in the City, 95 adults and one youth plus 32 homeless families (97 persons). Associated related problems are:

		Percent	Number
Severe Mental Illness		15	29
Alcohol/Other Drug Abuse Only		46	89
SMI and Alcohol/Other Drug Abuse		30	58
Domestic Violence		26	50
AIDS/Related Diseases		26	50

Special Needs Populations

Special needs populations in the City include HIV/AIDS victims, homeless and runaway youth, and drug and alcohol addicted individuals. These are groups that are at risk of becoming homeless. There are over ten organizations providing assistance to these populations. In addition there are victims of abuse and domestic violence.

In 1990, 5,807 persons or 20 percent of the City's population was elderly, over 63 percent of which was female and 36 percent male. In 1992, 11.4 percent of the elderly were living below the poverty level. In addition 3,293 households in the City are supported through Social Security and have a median household income of only $8,055. Retirement funds or pensions for 2,002 households provide a median household income of only $7,138.

Public and Assisted Housing Needs

There are project based and tenant based assisted housing units within the City which represent 17 percent of the total occupied housing units. The Poughkeepsie Housing Authority operates 600 units, 240 with State funds and 360 with Federal funds. HUD Section 8 funds are used in both project and tenant based units through rental vouchers and certificate programs. Both programs assist elderly, small families, large families, and non-homeless persons with special needs who earn no more than 30 percent of the median family income. In 1994 there were 515 vouchers/certificates provided but there was a waiting list of over 600 families. There were also 549 Federally-assisted senior citizen housing units in the City.

Lead-Based Paint

Lead-based paint is considered a hazard, particularly to children, when certain lead levels in the blood are exceeded. Older homes are more likely to have lead-based paint than newer homes since high concentrations of lead in paint were banned in 1978. Based on the 1990 census, only six percent of Poughkeepsie's housing stock was built after 1980. Although children living inolder homes are most at risk due to the age of the housing stock, elevated blood-lead levels in children is not perceived as a problem in many of these units when certain conditions exist.

Community Development Needs

Crime - Poughkeepsie constitutes 11 percent of the Counties population but 32 percent of violent crimes. There has been a significant increase in violent crimes and drug crimes by youth in the last two years.

Child Care - There are some 100 persons on waiting lists for DSS child care. There is a need for child care for lower income groups for the 6 week to 3 year old groups.

Elder Care - The elderly as a group have special needs, going beyond day care. There is also the need for the mentally and physically frail, the live alones and the limited income problem.

Health Services

• Resources/Affordability of Care - lack of affordable care for low/marginal incomes, no insurance, developmentally disabled, HIV positive population and recent immigrants.
• AIDS/HIV Epidemic - The present level of services is not meeting the need.

Need of Persons with Disabilities

• Developmental Disabilities
• Mental Emotional Disorders
• Physical Disabilities

Substance Abuse - Almost eight percent of the County's population aged 14 and above are estimated to be alcohol abusing or dependent individuals.

Work Force Development

• Educational attainment levels - 15 percent of County has not received high school diploma; 31.5 percent of the City's population did not achieve high school graduation.
• School dropouts
• Job readiness and job related skills - chronically unemployed/retraining IBM personnel.

English as a second language (Hispanic population doubled since 1980)

Infrastructure to support economic development.

• Transportation
• Water and sewer
• Building stock - rehabilitate existing or go on to new sites.

Vision for Change

The intent of the Housing and Community Development Strategic Plan is to provide a plan that brings Poughkeepsie's needs and resources together in a coordinated strategy to meet its future needs. The three main goals involved in the consolidation of HUD programs are:

• Provision of decent housing
• Provision of a suitable living environment
• Expansion of economic opportunities

In addition, the plan has been developed to achieve the following statutory goals, principally oriented to low, very low, and extremely low-income residents:

• elimination of slums and blight
• elimination of conditions that are detrimental to health, safety and public welfare.
• conservation and expansion of the City's housing stock.
• expansion and improvement of the quantity and quality of community services
• better utilization of land and other natural resources
• reduction of the isolation of income groups within communities and geographic areas.
• restoration and preservation of properties of special value.
• alleviation of physical and economic distress.

Housing and Community Development Objectives and Priorities

Objectives:

1. Increase the supply and availability of affordable rental housing, especially for extremely low-income renters.
2. Improve the quality of affordable rental housing for extremely low-income small and large-related households, very low-income large related households and elderly households in all income categories.
3. Increase the supply of affordable housing for purchase by existing and first-time home buyers by expanding these housing opportunities through homebuyer programs.
4. Improve the availability of and access to supportive social services for existing homeowners.

Priority Homeless Needs and Objectives

1. Increase the level and delivery of support services to the homeless and those at-risk of becoming homeless.

Priority Non-Housing Community Development Needs

1. Maintain and improve existing public facilities, particularly with regard to parks/recreation facilities and parking facilities serving low income populations. Also support the activities of those neighborhood facilities/programs already in existence.
2. Maintain and improve the City's infrastructure, particularly with regard to flood drain improvements and asbestos removal.
3. Support the continuance and/or expansion of existing public service programs sponsored by public service providers in the City - particularly those which provide services to seniors, the handicapped, and City youth or which offer transportation services, employment training, crime awareness and prevention, fair housing counseling, tenant /landlord counseling, and/or child care services.
4. To expand existing efforts to meet the needs of the City's physically handicapped population by supporting projects designed to make current facilities accessible or to provide new handicapped accessible facilities/equipment.
5. To enhance and expand existing economic development efforts, particularly with regard to rehabilitation of commercial/industrial structures, improvement of infrastructure to benefit commercial/industrial businesses, the promotion of micro-business, and the provision of technical assistance to new and established businesses. In addition, to coordinate these activities with those proposed as part of the City's Economic Development Zone.
6. To enhance and expand other community development efforts, particularly with regard to lead-based paint remediation/education and code enforcement activities.
7. To continue existing administrative and planning activities necessary for the implementation of the objectives, actions and programs outlined in this Strategic Plan.

Public Housing Priorities

Examples of the types of activities to be included by the Public Housing Authority are appliance replacement, elevator replacement, lighting, playground facilities, security enhancements, kitchen and bathroom upgrades and other physical improvements. Joint City/Housing Authority activities may involve:

• Promoting homeownership through HOME.
• Providing technical assistance grants to train and support resident organizations.
• Promoting Small Business Administration Grants to support start up and business development for resident-owned and resident-operated businesses.
• Providing as-needed programming -- i. e. fair housing counseling -- to public housing residents.

Anti-Poverty Strategy

• housing preservation and expansion activities will be dovetailed with the creation of job opportunities for below poverty individuals when feasible.
• housing rehabilitation of both owner occupied and rental properties will offer opportunities for unskilled to semi-skilled workers to gain job experience while helping to keep construction costs at effective levels.
• direct rental assistance will be continued and expanded.
• first-time homeownership activities will be continued and expanded.
• services for the impoverished will be better coordinated among public and private entities.

Lead -Based Paint

• Evaluating lead hazards in Office of Property development and Office of Community Development administered housing projects.
• Add lead-based paint abatement as eligible activity to rehabilitation guidelines.
• Update construction manual to address lead-based paint hazard reduction.

The Action Plan for Poughkeepsie identifies the activities it will undertake to address the priority needs and local objectives with anticipated program income and funds received in FY 1995 under the CDBG program. Allocations were made based upon the objectives and actions set forth in The Three Year Strategic Plan. The City HOME funds from HUD in 1995 were received as part of a consortium of 23 municipalities in Dutchess County. The specified proposed projects were therefore presented in the Dutchess County 1995 Consolidated Plan.

The type of projects assisted with the $2,188,900 in the CDBG program funds and program income funds follow. A complete description is found in the Plan.

• Playground and park improvements
• Provision of parking lots
• Video transmission system for crime awareness
• Fallkill Creek Flood Drainage Improvements
• Senior Citizen's Multi-Service Center
• Dial-a-Ride Program for elderly
• Juvenile Diversion Program
• Jobs and Summer Youth Programs
• Community Day Care Center
• Hudson River Housing Emergency Shelter
• Assist Public Housing Authority with Rehabilitation Funds
• Economic Development Gap Financing
• Small Business Creation
• Funding Non-Profit Organizations to Perform Revitalization
• Provide City Share of Funding for Administration of NYS
• Designated Economic Development Zone
• Housing Rehabilitation Loan Program

Maps

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 at street level.

TABLE (without associated map) provides information about the project(s).