Beaver County, PA has prepared a Consolidated Plan (CP) in order to strategically implement Federal programs which fund housing, community development and economic development activities within the County. Through a collaborative planning process involving a broad spectrum of public and private agencies, the County has developed a single, consolidated application and planning document to encompass the Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG), HOME Investment Partnership Program (HOME), and Emergency Shelter Grant Program (ESG).

The Consolidated Plan will serve the following functions for the County:

• A planning document for the County, which builds on a participatory process beginning at the lowest levels of the community.
• An application for Federal fiends under the HUD's formula grant programs;
• A strategy to be followed in carrying out HUD programs; and
• An action plan that provides a basis for assessing performance.

The overall goals of the housing, and community development and planning programs covered by the CP are: to strengthen partnerships with other jurisdictions and to extend and strengthen partnerships among all levels of government and the private sector, including for-profit and nonprofit organizations, to enable them to provide decent housing, establish and maintain a suitable living environment, and expand economic opportunities for every County Resident, particularly for those who are low and extremely low income.

Action Plan

This plan includes a 1-year action plan for specific projects using funding from the CDBG, HOME, and ESG program to promote expansion of the supply of housing for very low-, low-, and moderate-income persons; shelter and services for persons who are homeless or have special needs; community facilities; social services; and economic development

Citizen Participation

A public notice was published to announce the development of the Consolidated Plan, to solicit public comment and to advertise a public needs hearing. A public hearing was held on March 21, 1995 a the Beaver County Court House. Beaver County also solicited input from social service agencies, housing providers, the Beaver County Housing Authority, local municipalities, and various County departments.

Community Priorities and Objectives

The needs set forth in the Consolidated Plan (CP) for the five-year period of 1995 through 2000 are based on the needs identified in the County's market analysis, input from surveys, past performance and action plans and consultations. The needs are as follows including priorities:

Priority #1: Provide housing opportunities for first-time low income homebuyers.

Tenure and occupancy characteristics in the County indicate it is primarily an owner community with 73 percent of all occupied units owner occupied and only 27 percent renter occupied. Most of the lower income households are renters; these households should be afforded opportunities to become homeowners.

Priority #2: Provide moderate housing rehabilitation programs for owner occupied housing.

Stabilization of the housing stock through rehabilitation is an important tool for improving neighborhoods, eliminating blighting influences, improving property values, and preserving/expanding the tax base. As household incomes decrease the number of housing units with problems and the number of cost burdened households increase. Cost burdened families are the most likely to live in households that are deficient.

Priority #3: Provide moderate rehabilitation for lower income tenant households, including households with special needs.

As with owner-occupied housing, there is a need for rehabilitation and preservation o tie renteroccupied housing stock.

Priority #4: Maintain and increase rental assistance provided to renter households who are cost-burdened (those paying more than 30% of their monthly income on housing costs).

Those most in need of rental assistance is that group of the County's population which is classified as "at-risk" families or individuals experiencing or being threatened by homelessness or temporary homelessness. Public and assisted housing have been an option for some of those at-risk. However, the waiting list for subsidized housing attests to the need for additional tenant based rental assistance.

Priority #5: Preserve and upgrade the supply of affordable housing through acquisition in conjunction with rehabilitation and or new construction.

Acquisition could be used in a number of ways to support and expand the supply of affordable housing. Besides the acquisition of land or buildings in support of new construction or rehabilitation, acquisition could be used to convert rental housing into cooperative housing or condominiums to expand the concept of homeownership and to preserve existing housing from being converted into market rate units.

Homeless Needs

General Priority - Provide shelter and services to the homeless and those threatened with homelessness.

While the County did not have access to reliable, unduplicated data which numerically described the homeless population and sub-populations of Beaver County, the County recognizes that there is significant population of homeless and those threatened with homelessness. This assumption has been made based upon the substantial numbers of homeless and those threatened with homelessness which are provided emergency, transitional and permanent housing and related support services by a multitude of organizations through Beaver County.

Based upon the identified gap in the level of services provided (both direct housing assistance and related supported services) and the demand for services, the County will support a variety of activities to be implemented over the next five years.

Priority #1: Outreach through Shelter Providers

Continue to fund and work with shelter and service providers to reach out for homeless households to determine their root causes of homelessness on a case by case basis.

Priority #2: Provide Financial support to Homeless Shelters and Transitional Housing Facilities

There is a demonstrated need for shelter beds and Transitional Housing, by provision of financial support to those operating homeless shelters households can be assisted and potentially move out of hopelessness.

Priority #3: Provide Assistance to Homeless Households in Obtaining and Maintaining Permanent Housing

The County has recognized the value of helping homeless households move to permanent housing. This assists in making neighborhoods more stable and improves the quality of life for County residents.

Other Special Needs

General Priority: Supportive services and housing for persons with special needs who are not homeless.

Within Beaver County there are individuals and families with special needs, in addition to housing assistance, who require support services as an integral component of their transition to independent, community living. These special needs populations include the frail elderly, mentally ill, and individuals with alcohol and drug addictions.

Public Housing Residents

Priority #1: Development of Initiatives for Residents of Public Housing which will Improve Quality of Life

The County will continue to work with the Beaver County Housing Authority to promote resident Initiatives such as renovation of apartment units and promotion of programs which involve residents in management. These activities would improve the quality of life of the residents of public housing.

Non-Housing Community Development Needs

Short Term Objectives:

Among the short term goals that the County seeks to achieve are the following:

• Improve and expand the County housing stock primarily for low and moderate income families;
• Provide resources for the replacement and installation of infrastructure improvement to insure neighborhood stability;
• Insure the adequacy of County facilities which address the health, safety, and recreational needs of County residents;
• Assist communities in the provision of facilities which service the special needs of various groups, such as the elderly, youth, handicapped, etc.
• Cooperate with local municipalities in assuring the adequacy of local planning and regulatory documents;
• Promote economic development through the provision of incentives to businesses and needed infrastructure for development;
• Provide resources for the provision of handicap accessible improvements.

Long Term Objectives

The County has established the following long term community development objectives:

• Assure a clean and sustainable environment for existing and future residents, workers and visitors to Beaver County and integrate environmental protection objectives into all planning decisions, reviews and other activities.
• Sustain the health and abundance of the County's natural resources.
• Protect, maintain and improve the quality and supply of water.
• Preserve the rich cultural and historic resources which exist within the County. Provide a source for historic research, and referral services, and coordination of preservation activities.
• Retain and protect the County's open space regardless of present use or ownership.
• Preserve and/or expand lands and waters which have significant recreational, natural, scenic, or aesthetic values or which are needed to protect existing open space from development or encroachment.
• Attempt to form alliances across political boundaries to achieve logical continuation of green spaces or green corridors.
• Promote the efficient use of all sources of energy.
• Encourage maintenance and improvement of the existing system of roads and other infrastructure improvements.
• Ensure continued improvement and operation of the public transportation facilities through maintenance, rehabilitation, restoration and initiation of operational improvements.
• Provide for orderly and appropriate growth and change, addressing present and future needs.
• Provide for the human service needs and the necessary facilities to serve all residents of the County. Provide adequate public services at reasonable or no cost. At this time many public services are provided by the County. The level of service should change along with the changes in population.

Specific Long Term Economic Development Goals are as follows:

• Encourage expansion of employment opportunities for residents through job growth and retention and strengthen economic health of the community.
• Accommodate industrial and commercial development of all types, which are job producing and compatible with surrounding land uses and which pose no threat to health and welfare of the people.
• Encourage and support industries which are of greater benefit than harm to the community and which create employment opportunities.
• Encourage an economically viable amount of various types of retail facilities and services in appropriate locations.
• Maintain and strengthen the existing tax base to provide sufficient funding for community services and facilities.

The County of Beaver proposes the following activities for FY 1995:

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 is a map of the Mid County area which depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects.

MAP 7 is a map of the Beaver Falls area which depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects.

MAP 8 is a map of the South County area which depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects.