The Consortium is governed by a six-member Board consisting of the Mayors of Cleveland Heights, Euclid, and Lakewood, along with the three Cuyahoga County Commissioners. The primary reason these four jurisdictions formed a consortium was to enable them to receive HOME funds jointly from HUD, which has meant hundreds of thousands of dollars of new funds that have been received locally for affordable housing projects. The amount of money that could be received by the group is greater than the amount of money that could be received by the individual jurisdictions directly from HUD. The Urban County, whether or not it was part of a consortium, would receive a direct allocation of HOME funds from HUD. In contrast, due to the small amount of their allocations, Cleveland Heights, Euclid, and Lakewood could only receive funds directly from HUD if they joined with a larger entity. The alternative to a consortium, which was not acted upon, would have been for Cleveland Heights, Euclid, and Lakewood to compete to obtain funds through the State of Ohio's HOME allocation. Actions taken as the Cuyahoga Housing Consortium do not affect CDBG allocations or allocations of other federal funds to the four individual members.
In addition to the ability to receive HOME funds, the Consortium intends to take advantage of the fact that now 45 communities within Cuyahoga County will be working together as part of the Consolidated Plan process. The Consortium hopes to use this opportunity to ensure broader planning and coordination on affordable housing issues within Cuyahoga County. The following communities are not members of the Consortium and file Consolidated Plan documents directly with HUD: Cleveland, East Cleveland, and Parma.
The following agencies and organizations have participated in the Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy and/or Consolidated Plan development process: (in alphabetical order): Aftercare Residential Services, AIDS Housing Council of Greater Cleveland, Citizens Committee on AIDS/HIV, Cleveland Area Board of Realtors, Cleveland Society for the Blind, Cleveland Tenants Organization, Council for Economic Opportunities in Greater Cleveland, Cuyahoga County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, Cuyahoga County Community Mental Health Board, Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority, Cuyahoga Plan of Ohio, Federation for Community Planning, Greater Cleveland Round Table, Lutheran Housing Corporation, Metropolitan Strategy Group, North Coast Community Homes, Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless, Paralyzed Veterans of America, Services for Independent Living, United Way, and Urban League of Greater Cleveland. In addition to the above list, the Consolidated Plan development process also included the HUD Cleveland Office, Ohio Department of Development - Office of Weatherization Services, Cleveland/Cuyahoga County Office of Homeless Services, Western Reserve Area Agency on Aging, Alcohol and Drug Addiction Service Board of Cuyahoga County, Cuyahoga County Board of Health, Cleveland Heights Health Department, Lakewood Division of Health, Shaker Heights Health Department, Lakewood Christian Service Center, Maximum Independent Living, and Neighbors Organized for Action and Housing (NOAH).
The Cuyahoga Urban County contains about 222,600 households. In terms of household types, families represent 70% of all households. Two trends occurring in the Cuyahoga Urban County are a decline in the number of families and an increase in the number of nonfamily households (persons living alone or with nonrelatives only). In addition, as of 1990, 19.4% of all households in the Cuyahoga Urban County are headed by females, a rapidly rising category.
In terms of income, HUD utilizes median family income (MFI) as its main measure. In 1990, at an estimated $45,284, the Cuyahoga Urban County compared favorably to the national median family income of $35,939.
To show the detail of how incomes are distributed at various levels, HUD uses the following income categories. The figures are adjusted depending upon the number of persons in the households. This sample is for a family of four during FY 1995:
0%-30% of Median Family Income - Extremely Low Income: Maximum $12,850 annual income
31%-50% of Median Family Income - Low Income: $12,851 to $21,450 annual income
51%-80% of Median Family Income - Moderate Income: $21,451 to $34,300 annual income
81%-95% of Median Family Income - Middle Income: $34,301 to $40,750 annual income
Based upon 1990 Census data analyzed through HUD, about 24% of Cuyahoga Urban County residents
(131,800) are considered low or moderate income. This percentage represents about 52,000 households
(HUD, Low and Moderate Income Reports, July 9, 1993).
As important as the number of housing units in the Cuyahoga Urban County is the time periods in which they were constructed. Approximately 27,500 units (12%) were built before 1939, meaning their age is approaching a minimum of 55 years. Within the Urban County, almost 170,000 units (73%) were built before 1969, meaning their age is approaching a minimum of 25 years. Due to the age of the housing stock in the Cuyahoga Urban County, HUD estimates that 131,000-172,000 units may contain at least some lead-based paint (Consolidated Plan, Community Profile, Lead-Based Paint section).
According to the 1990 Census, within the Cuyahoga Urban County approximately 71% of units were owner-occupied, 25% renter-occupied, and 4% vacant. In terms of the pattern of homeownership by age, as of 1990 the homeownership rate exceeded the overall 71% figure in the 35-44, 45-54, 55-64, and 65-74 age brackets.
The housing stock within the Cuyahoga Urban County is also affordable. The 1990 Census shows approximately 34,500 (63%) of all rental units costing $250-$499 per month and about 91,400 (62%) single-family houses valued at less than $100,000. In terms of recent real estate sales, the median sale price of single-family homes in the Cuyahoga Urban County rose 21% from 1990-1994, reaching an estimated $120,300. In the Cuyahoga Urban County during the 13-month period January, 1994 through January, 1995, of the 8,027 single-family homes sold, 2% sold for less than $45,000, 9% sold for $45,000-$65,000, and 20% sold for $65,000-$85,000. Although homeownership is affordable to a household of at least the median income purchasing a median priced house, it can be difficult for first-time low and moderate income households to purchase a home without some type of assistance.
Of all occupied units in the Cuyahoga Urban County, renters occupy almost 90% of zero- and one-bedroom units, 54% of two-bedroom units, and 7% of units with three or more bedrooms. Restating the above information in terms of owners shows that owners occupy about 10% of zero- and one- bedroom units, 46% of two-bedroom units, and 93% of units with three or more bedrooms.
A portion of the households just mentioned are considered at-risk of homelessness if their income is 0%-30% of the Median Family Income and more than 50% of gross income is spent on gross housing costs, including utilities. Within the Cuyahoga Urban County, that group totals about 5,000 households. Other groups threatened with homelessness include victims of domestic violence, persons being released from jails and prisons, and persons doubled up in housing with another household. An estimate of the number of these situations within the Cuyahoga Urban County, and the percentage of persons that might be threatened with homelessness, is not available.
Although there is not a visible homeless problem within the Cuyahoga Urban County, it is now estimated that 10,000 Cuyahoga County residents (including the City of Cleveland) are homeless at one point or another during a year. This includes the common notion of individuals in shelters or on the street, and situations such as persons and families sleeping in their auto. The organizations that provide shelter for the homeless have recently begun to ask persons the zip code of their last residence, improving the available data concerning the countywide geographic distribution of homelessness situations. The Cleveland/Cuyahoga County Office of Homeless Services is now considering other changes in the survey form being used by shelters, such as potentially asking the city of last residence, which would improve information in situations where zip codes overlap municipal or neighborhood boundaries. In terms of structure, homelessness issues within Cuyahoga County as a whole, such as assessment/outreach, emergency shelter, transitional housing, permanent supportive housing, and permanent housing, are coordinated through the Cleveland/Cuyahoga County Office of Homeless Services.
HUD has divided renter households into four categories: elderly one- and two-member households, small families (two to four persons), large families (five or more persons), and "all other households" (primarily nonelderly one-person households). The Cuyahoga Urban County considers all four of these categories of renters important, however the most attention will be directed toward the 11,300 low and moderate income elderly households and the 6,700 low and moderate income small family households. Large families and "all other households" will not be excluded from housing strategies, however large families are numerically a much smaller group of residents (900 low and moderate income households). "All other households," primarily nonelderly one-person households, although totaling 8,000 low-income households, do not have the same constraints as persons who are elderly or households with children.
The strategies planned by the Cuyahoga Urban County for renter households include rehabilitation of units, tenant-based rental assistance, and support services. Rehabilitation is important in order to provide housing that meets health and safety codes, including addressing the issue of lead-based paint. It should be noted that older housing stock can be expensive to rehabilitate. In addition to an ongoing program of rehabilitating small rental structures, the Cuyahoga Urban County will explore the feasibility of involvement in the rehabilitation of larger apartment complexes. Tenant-based rental assistance will assist in addressing the needs of some of the households that currently have a housing cost burden. Support services include thorough marketing of weatherization programs and programs that pay a portion of winter heating bills, in order to reduce the housing costs of renters.
The Cuyahoga Urban County considers existing homeowners, which total 42,600 low and moderate income households, to be one of the highest priorities. Strategies planned by the Cuyahoga Urban County for existing homeowners include rehabilitation and support services. Rehabilitation ensures that housing meets health and safety codes, as well as extends the useful life of a structure. Support services include thorough marketing of weatherization programs and programs that pay a portion of winter heating bills; pre-foreclosure counseling to at-risk homeowners; mortgage refinancing to take advantage of lower interest rates (when applicable); and homestead property tax exemptions and homestead water exemptions for the elderly, all in order to reduce the housing costs of owners.
Strategies planned by the Cuyahoga Urban County for first-time homebuyers will focus on the acquisition/rehabilitation/resale of foreclosed properties. In addition, purchasers who utilize the program will also receive homeownership counseling. For first-time homebuyers, the Cuyahoga Urban County has made one distinction. Efforts will be concentrated in the 51%-80% MFI category, meaning an annual income range of $21,451 to $34,300 for a family of four. The Cuyahoga Urban County wants these first-time homebuyer efforts to be long-term successes, and as annual income for a family moves downward from the $21,450 level, it becomes increasingly difficult to achieve that goal.
HUD has divided homeless persons into three categories: individuals, families, and persons with special needs, such as persons with mental illness, substance abuse problems, AIDS, or victims of domestic violence. The Cuyahoga Urban County plans to address this issue by continuing to be one of the sponsors of the Cleveland/Cuyahoga County Office of Homeless Services, as well as supporting existing programs and searching for additional mechanisms to strengthen services.
The final category is non-homeless persons with special needs. The Cuyahoga Urban County plans to work with public agencies and nonprofit organizations to undertake projects such as housing for the elderly, frail elderly, persons with developmental or mental disabilities, persons with physical disabilities, persons with drug/alcohol addictions, and persons with AIDS. Depending upon the project, the Cuyahoga Urban County could be involved directly with financial participation, or indirectly by providing assistance in securing other state or federal funds.
The Department of Development's programming is directed to those areas that will serve the needs of low and moderate income households. By contractual agreement, 40% of the CDBG funds are set aside for use in the 42 suburban jurisdictions that comprise the Cuyahoga Urban County. These programs are described in the Competitive Municipal Grant and Exterior Maintenance project descriptions (see Appendix B). These funds are awarded in a competitive process, and FY 1995 funding recommendations have not been made, nor has the Board of County Commissioners made project awards.
Partnerships have also been formed for the purpose of the HOME Program. The Cities of Cleveland Heights, Euclid, and Lakewood have joined with Cuyahoga County to form the Cuyahoga Housing Consortium. The Consortium structure enables more federal funds to flow directly to local communities in Cuyahoga County and enables the communities to better coordinate housing projects. Complete programming for HOME funds are based upon decisions by the Consortium's Board. Programming has not been finalized for the entire amount of the FY 1995 HOME Program allocation, and this fact is reflected in the Listing of Proposed Projects sheets in Appendix B.
Cuyahoga County continues to be very supportive of efforts to remove barriers to fair housing opportunities. A partnership has been formed with the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, the Greater Cleveland Round Table, and the Ohio Civil Rights Commission, which developed the Residential Housing and Mortgage Credit Project. This project is examining all areas where discrimination can occur in the home purchase process. The participants in this self-examination process include a comprehensive list of the various aspects of the housing industry, including financial institutions, mortgage companies, title companies, local appraisers, and realty firms.
Cuyahoga County will also seek assistance from the Greater Cleveland Growth Association, which is undertaking a study to define the types of employment that will be needed in the metropolitan area for the 21st century and allow better coordination with other public agencies, foundations, and private corporations.
The revitalization of rental housing complexes of substantial scale is receiving support in the FY 1995 proposed projects, specifically an ongoing effort to provide rehabilitation assistance to the Banbury Village housing complex. The ability to participate in funding other projects of scale is also being proposed by reserving existing housing rehabilitation program income resources for such projects.
The County has submitted applications to access the HUD 108 Loan Guarantee Program and the Economic Development Initiative Program. These programs would enable the County to significantly increase its lending capacity. Also, the County is working with the Federal Home Loan Bank to access additional financing for housing projects.
Existing program income in the housing rehabilitation loan program is proposed to be used for the following non-housing related needs: $250,000 for the Economic Development Program; $40,000 for homeless assistance; and $32,898 for auditing of housing sales and rental activity for discrimination. The proposed use of these funds will not hinder the ability of the Department of Development to make housing rehabilitation loans.
MAP 1 depicts Cuyahoga County and selected points of interest.
MAP 2 depicts low and moderate income areas of the County.
MAP 3 depicts areas where higher levels of unemployment are concentrated.
MAP 4 depicts the areas of racial concentration within the County.
MAP 5 depicts project locations.
MAP 6 depicts project locations within the Warrensville Heights and Woodmere Neighborhoods.
Steve Sims, Director
Cuyahoga County Department of Development
112 Hamilton Avenue
Cleveleand, Ohio 44114
PH: 216-443-7280
