The City of Harlingen is located in the geographic and population center of the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Southern Texas. Harlingen is a rapidly growing city of over 52,300 and forms part of Cameron County, one of Texas' fastest growing metropolitan statistical areas (MSA).
Due to its central location, many commercial and industrial firms have chosen to headquarter their Valley operations in Harlingen. Manufacturers, processors, and distributors move their products with ease to points throughout the Valley and beyond by way of Expressway 77 and Expressway 83, the Port of Harlingen, Southern Pacific and Union Railroad rail lines, and Harlingen's Valley International Airport. Harlingen is located 26 miles northwest of Brownsville and 33 miles east of McAllen, the Valley's two other large cities. This locational advantage has prompted Harlingen to become the transportation and distribution hub of the region.
The Harlingen Consolidated Plan addresses the housing and non-housing community development needs of the City. It includes a One-Year Action Plan for spending approximately 2.3 million of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), HOME Investment Partnership Program and program income funds in 1995. These funds will primarily be spent on housing, public service and neighborhood infrastructure.
The City staff and Community Development Advisory Board held a
pre-development meeting with service providers, residents and officials to
discuss the CPS process. Notices were published and several public hearings
were held in the evening to accommodate working families. The local housing
providers were provided a housing questionnaire, citizen surveys in both English
and Spanish were provided to those in attendance at the public hearings and the
social service organizations were advised on the application process.
Located in Cameron County in the southernmost reaches of Texas, the City of Harlingen is the geographic and population center of the area often referred to as the Lower Rio Grande Valley, or simply "the Valley". With an estimated population of over 70,000 people within its metropolitan area, the city is one of the fastest growing communities in South Texas. It is a major urban center in the Rio Grande Valley with access to major transportation routes that has encouraged many commercial, industrial and service organizations to establish their base of operations in the City.
In 1992, the City of Harlingen was one of ten cities selected from throughout the nation as an "All-America City" for 1992. Awarded to the nation's ten most progressive and innovative cities, this distinction exemplifies the spirit of what the Harlingen community and its residents have strived to accomplish and recognizes the efforts that the community has undertaken to solve pressing problems.
Harlingen is located at the crossroads of U.S. Highway 77 leading to Corpus
Christi and U.S. 83 running parallel with the Rio Grande River to Laredo. The
Port of Harlingen provides access to the Port of Houston via the Intercoastal
Waterway. Two class-one railroads, the Southern Pacific and Union Pacific,
provide single line access from Harlingen's Industrial Park and the Port of
Harlingen to every state west of the Mississippi. The Rio Grande Valley
International Airport serves as the regional air transport hub with daily
passenger and cargo services from the Valley to major cities throughout Texas,
the United States and Mexico. These major transportation assets facilitate the
ease of transport of both goods and services within the Rio Grande Valley and to
the rest of the U.S. and Mexico.
Government, Service Industries, Trade and Manufacturing are the top four employers in the Cameron County metropolitan statistical area. Despite its favorable location and status within the Valley, Harlingen has been unable to escape the pervasive problems that plague the area. The Valley has the dubious notoriety of having chronic high unemployment and extremely large numbers of families living at or below the poverty level. In fact, two of the four counties that comprise the Valley are among the five poorest counties in the United States. Harlingen's current unemployment rate stands at 12.7 percent with over 51 percent of its families living at or below the poverty level.
Several critical housing needs are identified in the Consolidated Plan: increasing the affordability of housing, increasing homeownership, rehabilitation of the existing owner occupied housing stock and increasing the availability of standard rental properties.
The market trends indicate that there is definitely a shortage of housing in our area. The following information represents a general overview of housing types and related factors which contribute to the unavailability of affordable housing. Homeownership has become increasingly difficult to obtain for those families of low and moderate income and particularly to those families at or below the poverty level. The ability to acquire affordable housing in the City of Harlingen is directly related to the availability of resources which a low income family may utilize to seek housing. These include, available housing stock within the ability of a low income family of four; financial resources from financial institutions; and housing services providers which could augment or supplement existing resources of low income families to move into standard housing. Rental Housing has long been the first experience many low income families have with housing. While it may have been available and many times within the economic means of the family, it has too often been substandard or in need of serious rehabilitation.
Some problems faced by low-income households include housing overcrowding, substandard housing and an inability to acquire a home. Households in this category often include younger families with children, families with parents employed in low or moderate wage jobs, or elderly households. Low-income households also often pay more than 30 percent of their income for housing.
Harlingen has a total of 17,798 dwelling units with 15, 398 of those units occupied. Nearly 60 percent of the dwelling units are one unit single-family homes. The 1990 Census data provides a breakdown of Harlingen's housing stock according to the number of dwelling units per housing classification. The most prevalent housing type in Harlingen is the single family detached structure (61 percent of the total units). The second most prevalent type of housing (10 or more units) constitutes only 11 percent of Harlingen's dwelling units. Each of the other types of housing make up approximately 28 percent of the total housing stock.
For the 1994 year, Harlingen issued 199 building permits for single family units, 17 for multi-family units, and 15 for commercial, industrial and professional buildings. The number of permits for single family increased 11.2 % while the commercial buildings decreased by 12.8% over the number of permits issued during the same period of 1993.
Harlingen does not have specific information regarding the number of families living in substandard units. However, lower income residents have fewer housing options and are more likely than other income groups to have to resort to substandard conditions. Also, without assistance, these residents are likely to have difficulty affording home upkeep and rehabilitation. The housing problems identified include overcrowding and/or physical problems (poor or lacking plumbing and/or kitchen facilities, roof damage, etc.)
Trends in the price of housing over a period of time can either expand or contract the number and proportion of families that can afford homeownership. When the price of new housing continuously increases at a rate greater than income gains, more and more households are priced out of the homeownership market. The impact of price escalation is most severe on first-time home buyers. The less expensive houses tend to be smaller houses or houses with physical problems and may not be suitable for all families. In addition, lower income families may find it difficult to same down payments and closing costs for appropriate properties, and many others need assistance in obtaining financing. All of these factors combine to create a more difficult homebuyer climate for the lower income family.
These is no accurate "point in time" unduplicated count of the number and characteristics (i.e. race, ethnicity, special needs) of homeless in Harlingen. Although no accurate numbers are available, the homeless--both sheltered and unsheltered--are in need of permanent, affordable and decent housing, and may need other supplemental services such as food, subsidized child care, housing search assistance and employment training.
1,123 households are currently served through Harlingen's public and assisted housing programs. Both programs presently have waiting lists and the Harlingen Housing Authority recently constructed another residential facility to address the growing needs. 588 public housing units are owned by the HHA with one high- rise elderly/disabled development and others for larger families. In addition, the HHA provides 466 certificates and 69 vouchers. Although there are no immediate plans for major restorations to any of the complexes, remodeling work will be done in several of the HHA properties. The HHA also is constructing 15 homes for the self-sufficiency program. The developments are 98% occupied. The HHA continues to witness a large need for tenant-based rental assistance primarily for large families as is witnessed by the 1000 plus applications received during between May 1994 and May 1995.
In addition to affordable housing, the service providers for special needs identified the following:
The City of Harlingen is aware of the important impact various government policies can have upon the availability of affordable housing within the community. The housing constraints that affect affordable housing in Harlingen are primarily economic. Rising costs within the construction industry, the cost and availability of financing and the high demand for a limited amount of land have combined to limit housing production, particularly for low and moderate income persons. The net result is significantly higher costs for housing in a period when incomes may not be rising at the same pace. Compared to nearby communities, Harlingen's policies (i.e., tax policies, land use controls, zoning ordinances and subdivision regulations, growth limits, building codes, building fees and charges) are reasonable. None of the City's policies or regulations are excessive, discriminatory or duplicative. For the most part, the high cost of housing has stemmed from the high costs of land, construction and building materials.
Harlingen follows its adopted Fair Housing Ordinance, as well as all applicable federal FHEO laws and guidelines. The City, in conjunction with the housing authority, nonprofit and for-profit developers, social service providers, lenders, and the Board of Realtors continually make every effort to ensure that no individual or family is in any way discriminated against on the grounds of race, color or national origin.
Though no accurate information about the incidence of lead-based paint exists in the City of Harlingen, the Census data indicates that 67.9% of the homes in Harlingen were constructed prior to 1980, when lead-based paint was still in use. Currently all units assisted through Harlingen's housing rehabilitation program are free of lead-based paint. Prior to rehabilitation, the City's program requires that all homes constructed prior to 1978, in which a resident child under the age of 7 or expectant mother reside, be tested for the presence of lead-based paint. In contacted the Cameron County Health Department, who has the most contact with residents exposed to lead paint, we were advised that only one case has been reported for our area. The Housing Authority continues to inspect public and assisted housing for this and other hazards.
The City has identified a variety of Community Development needs. They include public facilities for seniors and youths with high priorities for neighborhood and health facilities. Community Development needs include infrastructure improvements ranging from solid waste disposal improvements to flood drain improvements to street improvements throughout the City. Other Community Development needs in the public service category of high priority for the City include services for at risk youth, senior citizens, employment training, accessibility needs for the disabled and transportation services.
The City, as lead jurisdiction will strive to increase the strength, scope
and effectiveness of the network partnerships developed as a result of the
process. Working closely with the Housing Authority, service providers,
employers, lenders, and the respected leaders of our lower income populations,
the City will serve as a resource for community-based initiatives.
Harlingen's goals include not only visually changing our low income neighborhoods areas but making a difference in the lives of people impacted by our projects. Contributing to the redevelopment of the identified low income neighborhoods, providing services plus supporting the affordable housing programs will strengthen and stabilize our neighborhoods. Bringing additional resources to our community will only augment the improvements further.
Through consultations, observations and analysis within the community, the City identified key priorities to pursue on a policy and program basis. The Housing objectives were to preserve and rehabilitate of the City's existing single family housing stock, to improve the living conditions of low income renters, to improve services for the homeless, and to increase opportunities for homeownership. Community development objectives are to preserve, provide and improve social services for residents with special needs, such as the elderly, youths and disabled and to expand economic opportunities in the community.
Affordable housing was consistently named as a critical issue facing the Community. Factors such as tight owner and rental markets, available (developed affordable) land in the City, rehabilitation issues and the lack of homebuyer education, all combine to create a difficult environment for Harlingen's lower income resident.
Encouraging homeownership as well as homeowner and investor-owner property improvement is a high priority in Harlingen. In order to make homeownership an option for more of its lower income residents, an increase in the supply of available affordable housing is necessary. It is believed that increasing the level of homeownership within the community will help promote neighborhood stability, improve community pride and property attractiveness.
Housing rehabilitation and construction is stressed as being essential to maintaining a viable supply of decent, safe and sanitary affordable housing. The assessment process revealed that an estimated 46% of all homes in lower-income areas are in need of some form of rehabilitation.
Priorities for homeless assistance include service expansions, construction of a new shelter and interim solutions for families needing emergency shelter.
Priorities for public facility needs include neighborhood and health facilities. a high priority has been placed on the development of family-oriented neighborhood facilities, particularly in lower income neighborhoods. Consultations also reveal that the existing health facility currently has a waiting list for the next 3 years.
Priorities for infrastructure improvements include improvements to the solid waste disposal system, to flood drain facilities and streets.
Priorities for public services include services to the elderly, at risk youth, transportation, employment training and health services.
It is important to recognize that the Anti-Poverty Strategy is not necessarily a housing plan but an economic development plan that increases the income and job opportunities for low- income households. The economic changes in Harlingen have lead to growth in the number of low-as well as high-paying jobs. The core of any plan to combat poverty within the City must be the creation of secure, well paying jobs. However, housing is a major component of the Plan, since a secure and affordable residence allows households members to pursue jobs, education and training without having to worry about the threat of homelessness. Local nonprofit service organizations discussed throughout the CPS also provide critical resources to combat poverty and promote family self-sufficiency.
Resources which are currently utilized by the City of Harlingen include CDBG, HOME, Section 8 and Public Housing. Local Lending institutions continue to actively participate in the implementation of the City's Affordable New Housing Construction Program. Local Lenders-Harlingen National Bank, Texas State Bank, River Valley Bank-FSB, Texas Commerce Bank and Nations Bank have already demonstrated a commitment to providing affordable housing to the City's residents. To date these Local Lenders have contributed in excess of 1.4 million dollars to affordable housing.
The City of Harlingen is responsible for the implementation of the
Consolidated Plan activities. The overall goal of the community planning and
development programs is to develop viable urban communities by providing decent
housing and a suitable living environment and expanding economic opportunities
principally for low-and moderate income persons. The primary means towards this
ends is to extend and strengthen partnerships among all levels of government and
the private sector, including for-profit and nonprofit organizations, in the
production and operation of affordable housing and other needs.
The City of Harlingen One-Year Action Plan outlines the proposed use of 2.367 million in CDBG and HOME funds in addition to program income. These funds will be spent on the following projects:
Approximately 71% of all projects identified, are located in low income census tracts. The funds allocated to these tracts will be spent on public improvements, social services, housing rehabilitation and new housing construction.
The Community Development Department will administer the Community Development Block Grant and HOME Program. However, the City's local CHDO will be the lead agency in the expenditure of the HOME Program funds for use in the Affordable Housing Program.
The City's goals for the Housing Rehabilitation Program is to identify and oversee the rehabilitation of 30-33 homes belonging to extremely-low, very low and low income residents during this program year. The concentration of work will be in the lower income neighborhoods.
The local CHDO has indicated that their goal for the year is to construct a minimum of 20 new homes for qualifying low to moderate income families by using the allocated HOME Program fund. An additional 10 homes are expected to be constructed toward the end of the year with anticipated program income.
MAP 2 depicts points of interest and low-moderate income areas.
MAP 3 depicts points of interest and minority concentration levels.
MAP 4 depicts points of interest and unemployment levels.
MAP 5 depicts points of interest, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects.
MAP 6 depicts a Neighborhood Segment and streets with proposed HUD funded projects; in addition, a table provides information about the project(s). The table also identifies project information for Maps 7 and 8.
MAP 7 depicts a Neighborhood Segment and streets with proposed HUD funded projects.
MAP 8 depicts a Neighborhood Segment and streets with proposed HUD funded projects.
Ms. Diana R. Serna
Community Development Coordinator
(210) 427-8735
