The City of Erie is located at the junction of Interstates 79 and 90 in the northwestern section of the state of Pennsylvania on Lake Erie. The city is the third largest in the state as of the 1990 census, and provides Pennsylvania its only access to the Great Lakes. Because of its location, the City has had a tradition of manufacturing as its economic base.

Action Plan

The City's sources of funding for the activities included in the Consolidated Plan is Community Development Block Grant funds (CDBG), HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME), and Emergency Shelter Grant Program (ESG). The City will use its CDBG, HOME and ESG funds to complete a number of activities in the City of Erie. Some of the activities are site specific while other are activities are available on a City-wide basis. Site specific activities are being undertaken to address health and safety concerns of predominantly low-income households seeking to provide the most efficient use of scarce resources based on critical needs. City-wide activities are available to ensure equitable distribution of funds and provide opportunities for redevelopment City-wide.

Citizen Participation

During the winter and spring of 1995, the City of Erie's Department of Economic and Community Development conducted two public meetings to solicit input into the preparation of the CP. Additionally, the City accepted comments in writing. The public hearing was advertised in the local newspaper and conducted in the evening at City Council Chambers.

In addition to the two public meetings, the City invited other governmental agencies and nonprofits to provide insight and input into the goals and actions that should be considered as a result of the consolidated planning process. Each agency and nonprofit organization in the City was contacted by mail to identify specific needs and subsequent actions to address needs.

Consultation with the Housing Authority of the City of Erie was made to obtain data on the public housing inventory, including Section 8 Rental assistance, and to discuss the Housing Authority's plans for public housing development activities. The City also solicited input from social service and homeless agencies providing housing assistance and related services to low and moderate income persons. Comprehensive surveys were mailed to each of these agencies.

Copies of the CP were distributed to various public locations as well as sent to the Housing Authority for their comments. A summary of the CP was published on March 15, 1995 in the local newspaper to alert interested persons as to the availability of the CP. The CP was placed at five locations for public review.

The City of Erie is the largest city in Erie County. Between 1980 and 1990 the City experienced a 8.7% percent population loss. The decline has been contributed to the economy of the area which was hard hit by the decline of the manufacturing industries in the late 1970's and early 1980's. Erie, however, is experiencing a rebirth with the growing plastic industry and other diversified industries. In addition to these industries, the city also relies on tourism because its proximity to Presque Isle State Park and the beaches of Lake Erie.

Conditions

• The top two employers in the City are General Electric and Zurn Industries as of 1992.

• In 1990 the median family income (MFI) for the Erie Metropolitan Area (MSA) was $32,145 for a family of four. According to information released by HUD in May, 1993, 45.38 percent of Erie's population was low- and moderate-income (LMI) with annual incomes of $25,716 or less for a family of four.

Housing Needs

Because of the old age of the City's housing stock in combination with a high incidence of low- and moderate-income households, the City housing continues to need rehabilitation. There also continues to be the need for home buyer assistance among lower income renter households.

Market Conditions

Fifty-two and one half percent of the City's 45,424 housing units is owner- occupied. Median value of the owner-occupied housing stock is $43,000. Median contract rent is $231. The U.S. Census reports that there is a city-wide vacancy rate of 7.2 percent.

Affordable Housing Needs

While the availability of units for owner-occupancy is small, the majority of the units are affordable to households with income below 80 percent of the median. Up to 60 percent of the units are affordable to households between 30 and 50 percent of the City's median income and almost one-third are affordable to households with income below 30 percent of median. Similarly, 99 percent of the vacant for-rent units in Erie are affordable to households with incomes below 80 percent of the median and 83 percent are affordable to households between 30 and 50 percent of the City's median income.

Homeless Needs

Service providers for the homeless indicate that the most pressing need in the community for the homeless population is affordable rental units. Services are also needed for the transitional time between leaving a shelter and moving into an affordable rental unit. In addition, the provision of a continuum level of support services is needed to assist individuals and families in maintaining self- sufficiency once it is achieved.

Public and Assisted Housing Needs

Because of the old age of the public housing stock in the City of Erie, there is the need for continuous rehabilitation and modernization.

Barriers to Affordable Housing

Generally, the regulatory and administrative policies in Erie do not impede affordable housing in the City. A significant concern in Erie is housing quality with much of the old housing stock in need of constant repair. Affordability is most often limited by a household's ability to save toward a downpayment and the transaction costs associated with the purchase of a home.

Fair Housing

In 1991 the City completed a Fair Housing Analysis. The City has been implementing the recommendations of the Fair Housing Analysis ensuring impediments to the provision of fair housing do not exist in the City of Erie.

Lead-Based Paint

Lead paint is typically found in homes that were constructed prior to 1978. Since most of the units in the City of Erie are older, the probability of finding lead paint is high. There is a significant portion of the City's housing stock that is occupied by low income households, renters and owners, which potentially contains lead-based paint and consequently, poses a health hazard to children younger than age 7.

Community Development Needs

Due to the old age of much of the City's infrastructure along with limited resources resulting from a continuously decreasing and poorer population residing in Erie much of the City's infrastructure is in need of maintenance and replacement. Another major community development needs in the City are public facilities improvements, commercial and residential rehabilitation, public services, removal of architectural barriers, historic preservation, economic development, code enforcement, acquisition, and disposition.

Coordination

The City of Erie's Department Economic and Community Development, taking direction from the City Council, is responsible for administration of the City's CDBG, HOME and ESG funds. As such, the Director of the Department of Economic and Community development coordinates many of the activities described in the Consolidated Plan. The City works with public agencies providing housing resources, assisted housing providers, and private and public social services to coordinate housing and support service efforts.

Vision for Change

Erie's goal is to create a strong, viable, and revitalized community. Through the coordinated efforts of all persons and organizations, pride in the community can be restored, and children can be given a feeling of hope for their future. Working with and through human service organizations, the dependency on human services can be lessened as families become more economically and socially self- sufficient.

Housing and Community Development Objectives

The objectives are to use scarce resources in an efficient manner benefitting the greatest number of persons and households with an emphasis on assistance to low- and moderate-income households.

Housing Priorities

The City of Erie's housing priorities include maintaining and increasing rental assistance; providing homebuyer assistance for first-time homebuyers; providing rehabilitation of less than $25,000 for housing units to households at 0% to 80% of median income; providing rehabilitation for lower income rental households, including households with special needs; provide support for homeless and transitional facilities and services in the City; and preserving and expanding the supply of affordable housing through acquisition in conjunction with rehabilitation and or new construction.

Non-Housing Community Development Priorities

The major non-housing community development priorities in the City are public facilities and improvements; commercial rehabilitation; public services; removal of architectural barriers and curb cuts to improve accessibility; historic preservation; economic development; acquisition, disposition, clearance, and code enforcement.

Anti-Poverty Strategy

In an attempt to reduce the number of families living in poverty in Erie, the City will continue to provide CDBG, HOME, and ESG funds to social service agencies which attempt to integrate the provision of social services and affordable housing activities for households below the level of poverty. The City of Erie is placing a special emphasis eliminating poverty among its children. The City's reasoning is based on the statistics from the 1990 census which showed the City of Erie had one of the highest levels of child poverty in the country.

Housing and Community Development Resources

The City will use CDBG, HOME and ESG funds to carry out the programs described in its Consolidated Plan. In Fiscal Year 1995 the City's CDBG entitlement is $4,722,000, it HOME entitlement is $1,068,000 and its ESG entitlement is $167,000. Additionally the City has available $50,000 of program income.

Description of Key Projects

• General Administration
• Disposition - City-wide
• Renovations to various neighborhood centers
• Street Improvements throughout the City
• Park/Playground Improvements
• Owner-Occupant Housing Rehabilitation - City-wide
• Historic Preservation- Warner Theater
• Remove Architectural Barriers - Handicapped Ramps
• Code Enforcement - City-wide
• Clearance
• Funding of various public service agencies - City-wide
• Relocation
• Commercial Rehabilitation - West 18th Street and Parade Street
• Special Economic Development - Entrepreneurial Outreach, Revolving Loan
• Interim Assistance - Trash Removal
• Planning and Capacity Building
• Acquisition of Real Property - St. Paul Acquisition
• Community Policing

Lead Agencies

The City of Erie's Department of Economic and Community Development.

Housing Goals

The City projects funding rehabilitation of 120 units in the City during Fiscal Year 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; in addition: a table provides information about the project(s).

MAP 6 depicts neighborhood streets and proposed HUD funded projects, as described in the table under MAP 5.