Suffolk County, New York encompasses 922 square miles of eastern Long Island. Bordered on three sides by water and the west by Nassau County, Suffolk County lies 35 miles from the eastern border of New York City. The ninety-mile length of Suffolk County stretches from the highly populated and developed west end which is urban and suburban in character to the sparsely populated east end which consists of residential and rural communities. The western urban and suburban part of the County has become a high technology center with an expanding bio-tech market. The eastern part of the County is known for its farming, fishing and resort communities.
The 5-year Consolidated Plan is submitted by the Suffolk County Community Development Consortium. The Consortium includes 15 separate municipalities that include about half of Suffolk County's population.
For the first year of its Consolidated Plan, the Suffolk County Community Development Consortium is requesting $4,550,000 in Federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds, $1,401,000 in HOME Investment Partnership Program (HOME) funding, and a $172,000 Emergency Shelter Grant (ESG). These monies will be used to finance the 93 community development and service activities planned for Fiscal Year 1995-1996.
Soliciting citizens' views on housing and community development, and the use of Federal funds, involved the cooperation of each of the 15 municipalities that are members of the Suffolk County Community Development Consortium. Fifteen notices were published in local newspapers to advise citizens and nonprofit organizations of each of the 15 public hearings that were held. In addition, the Suffolk County Office of Community Development enlisted the help of many public and nonprofit agencies, including the eight public housing agencies in the county, State and county health and aging departments, local charities, and local alliances of town governments. All attended a consultation meeting on December 4, 1994.
Another public hearing was held on December 22, 1994, after public notice
and mailings sent directly to interested parties. A summary of the proposed
Consolidated Plan was published in the Newsday newspaper on February 3,
1995, along with announcement of a public comment period. The entire proposed
plan was available for review at 10 locations.
The combined 1990 population of the towns in the Suffolk Consortium was 615,275, an 8 percent increase from 1980. About 598,000 of the Consortium's residents live in family households. Another 16,700 are classified as a "nonhousehold" population living in institutions such as the State University of New York at Stony Brook (SUNY Stony Brook), or the Kings Park State Psychiatric Hospital.
Median family income (MFI) for the Nassau-Suffolk Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) is $56,725, significantly higher than the national median of $35,939. Approximately two- thirds of Suffolk's households earn more than 95 percent of the MSA's median income.
Of the 207,743 households in the Suffolk County Consortium, 37 percent have annual incomes of $53,888 (95 percent of MFI) or below. Households with 80 percent or less of median income ($45,380) are defined as lower income. These are further divided into the following levels:
By standards of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), 33 Suffolk County communities are an "area of low-income concentration" because their median income is below $45,380, 80 percent of the area MFI. (However, Suffolk's 80 percent of MFI exceeds the national median income of $35,939. Consequently, area benefit activities in Suffolk County are restricted to communities where income limits do not exceed 63 percent of MFI, and not the standard HUD rule of 80 percent.)
Minorities represent slightly more than 10 percent (65,352 persons) of the residents of the Suffolk County Consortium. Fully 89.9 percent (552,923 residents) are white. Racial or ethnic minorities tallied by the 1990 census include:
The trimming of Federal defense spending with the end of the Cold War has contributed to a loss
of defense and defense-related jobs in Suffolk County, and to a slower than
expected recovery from the late-1980s recession. Although unemployment in
Suffolk County declined from 6.6 percent in October 1993 to 5.4 percent in
October 1994, unemployment rates are no longer an accurate barometer of the
degree of economic stress in Long Island. The unemployment rate does not
include workers who have dropped out of the workforce, or who are underemployed.
For Suffolk County the latter issue is particularly significant. Highly
skilled defense workers who find new employment are frequently hired at lower
salaries. Continued downsizing of the defense section and consolidation of the
banking industry are likely to result in further job losses in Suffolk County.
The Consortium consists of 15 different towns and villages. Even though the broader economic environment is generally similar, the communities, their populations, sizes, and housing and community development needs vary considerably.
The housing in the Suffolk County Consortium area is largely owner-occupied, typical of the suburban counties in the New York metropolitan region. Housing costs soared in the 1980s, making housing affordable only to those in the middle- and upper-income brackets. The greatest need is for affordable housing for low- to moderate-income households.
According to the 1990 census, communities in the Suffolk County Consortium have 250,973 year-round housing units, with 199,048 occupied. Of these, 78 percent are owner-occupied and 22 percent are rental units. Of the vacant units, about 44,000 (or 86 percent of the vacancies) are seasonal homes.
During the 1980s a boom economy in the Greater New York region fed spiraling housing costs. A shortage of buildable land and sites with utilities available pushed up land prices. Housing prices soared. In 1990 the median value of owner-occupied housing in Suffolk County was $165,900, up 268 percent from 1980. Contract rents climbed 134 percent, from $297 in 1980 to $696 in 1990.
The scarcity of affordable rental units is a concern, with many rental units lost during the 1980s to conversions to cooperative or condominium housing.
Three percent of the housing stock, about 7,900 units, is substandard housing; most of these units are candidates for rehabilitation. However, there are concentrations of substandard housing in a few areas, such as North Bellport, Shirley, Mastic and Mastic Beach, Gordon Heights, Flanders, Riverside, and Greenport West.
High portions of the Suffolk County Consortium's 23,835 lower income and moderate- income renter households are cost burdened by paying more than 30 percent of their income for housing expenses. Severely cost-burdened households are those paying more than 50 percent of income for housing. Among the 9,749 extremely low-income households (0 to 30 percent of MFI), 76 percent are housing cost burdened and 67 percent are severely cost burdened. Even more, 80 percent, of the 6,474 very low-income households (31 to 50 percent of MFI) are cost burdened, but the percentage of severely burdened drops to 39. Of the 3,766 low-income households (51 to 80 percent of MFI), 70 percent are cost burdened, but only 8 percent are severely burdened. Although 54 percent of moderate-income households (81 to 95 percent of MFI) are housing cost burdened, just 4 percent are severely burdened.
Historically the elderly appeared to have a greater degree of housing problems, particularly in the lowest income categories, but 1990 data indicate that problems are increasing for small and large families as well. While minority, very low-income households do not appear to have disproportionate housing problems, it does appear that Hispanic households in the low- and moderate-income categories have disproportionate numbers of housing problems. Moderate-income blacks also appear to have excess housing problems.
The estimated number of homeless persons in Consortium communities is 936. (This is half of the homeless in the county, based upon an October 1994 count by the Suffolk County Department of Social Services.) Of these, 905 persons were part of 235 homeless families, one was a youth under 17, and 30 were adults aged 18 or older.
Subpopulations of the homeless with special needs are estimated as follows:
Over several years there has been an increase in the homelessness rate in the Consortium area, exacerbated by the lack of affordable housing. Providers need help to meet the growing needs of homeless families and individuals for housing and support services. Continued support services are needed for those at risk of becoming homeless.
There is no public housing within the Suffolk County Consortium area, but eight public housing agencies administer Section 8 rental assistance programs. The Suffolk County Development Corporation (SCDC) also provides Section 8 certificates and vouchers countywide. Locations and numbers are listed below. (Not included are Section 8 certificates/vouchers issued in connection with rehabilitation or new construction work, or the Family Self-Sufficiency Program.)
The inventory of assisted housing includes units developed under Sections 8, 202, and 236 programs. In Consortium towns there are 23 assisted projects of these types, with a total of 2,136 units for the elderly and 243 family units.
Impediments created by market conditions and regulatory considerations to producing affordable housing for lower income renters and owners include:
There is an identified need for fair housing counseling services to complement county Housing Rights Commission and counseling at local level.
In New York State, manufacturers of residential paint eliminated the use of lead in 1955, and a followup State law reduced lead content to .05 percent or less in 1974. Studies by the Suffolk County Health Department indicate that more than 90 percent of the housing built after 1960 contains no potential for lead contamination.
Various special populations are in need of supportive housing services, including persons with AIDS/HIV, the handicapped, the mentally retarded and mentally ill, elderly and frail elderly persons, substance abusers, and victims of domestic violence.
The Consortium's nonhousing community development needs fall into three areas:
The identification of needs and development of a consolidated plan called
for the cooperation of all 15 Consortium towns and villages with the Suffolk
County Community Development Office and with several public agencies and
nonprofit housing, human services, and development organizations.
The Consortium's 5-year strategy calls for bringing together housing and community development resources to provide decent housing, create a suitable living environment, and expand economic opportunities for lower income residents.
Strategic housing priorities for the Suffolk County Consortium are:
The Consortium's approach to its community and economic development strategy is threefold:
Comprehensive neighborhood revitalization activities will include:
There are about 29,500 persons below the poverty level in Consortium communities. To reduce the number of persons with incomes below poverty level, Suffolk County has developed or will participate in the following programs:
The Consortium will utilize a variety of Federal, State, county, and other resources to fund its 5-year plan. Available Federal programs include HOME ($7 million over the next 5 years) and CDBG ($22.5 million over 5 years). Approximately $850,000 in ESG is also anticipated. The Suffolk Consortium has also applied for a $1.5 million HUD Section 108 loan, which can be used for housing rehabilitation or economic development projects, and repaid either from CDBG funds or project income.
The lead agency for implementing this plan will be the Suffolk County Community Development Office. Coordination necessary to fulfill the Suffolk County Consortium's strategic plan will be extensive. Besides the normal interaction between Federal, State, county, and city agencies, and private sector nonprofit and for- profit groups, there must be coordination among members of the Consortium. The Suffolk County Community Development Consortium includes the following entities:
During 1995 the Suffolk County Consortium plans to spend $4,550,000 in CDBG funding for 81 housing rehabilitation, community development (including comprehensive neighborhood revitalization), and public service activities.
A HOME grant of $1,401,000 will used for 10 efforts including downpayment assistance for first-time homebuyers, construction of 15 affordable housing units, acquisition and rehabilitation of other units, and fair housing coordination. The Consortium will allocate a $172,000 ESG to four activities, including operating expenses for two homeless shelters (one for female runaways and unwed mothers, another for families), and outreach and needs assessments for shelter residents. Grant funds will be supplemented by $163,000 in matching funds from the county and State.
The activities covered by this plan will be carried out at locations in each of the member communities of the Suffolk County Consortium, most of which are in the eastern half of the county. Administrative functions will be performed at the county's Community Development Office, located in Hauppauge, N.Y., and at the offices of member communities.
Projections are that the activities in the 1995 Action Plan will improve or create 606 affordable housing units. The activities will benefit 1,105 households and 6,094 persons, of whom 251 are elderly and 5,508 are youth.
MAP 1 depicts points of interest in the jurisdiction.
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 is a map, sectioned by neighborhood, which depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects.
MAP 7 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects within one of the four neighborhoods indicated in MAP 6.
MAP 8 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects within another of the four neighborhoods indicated in MAP 6.
MAP 9 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded project(s) from a street level vantage point; in addition, a table provides information about the project(s).
