Laredo, Webb County is located in South Texas along the U. S.-Mexico Border midway between San Antonio, Texas and Monterrey, MX. More than one third of all U.S. trade with Mexico is transported through the Port of Laredo; consequently, Laredo is recognized as the United States' largest inland port. As impacted by increased trade between the United States and Mexico, Laredo has experienced phenomenal growth within the last decade and is reported as the second fastest growing city in the United States.
The City of Laredo's Consolidated Plan informs the reader of the city's housing and non- housing needs and its strategy to meet these needs. The Plan further serve as an application to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for the 21st AY Community Development Block Grant, the 1995 HOME Investment Partnerships Program, and the 1995 Emergency Shelter Grant. It includes a One Year Action Plan for spending approximately $7,652,000 of CDBG, HOME, and ESG program year funds and program income. CDBG funds will be primarily spent on non-housing community needs while HOME funds will be used primarily in support of homeownership and other affordable housing activities. ESG funds will be used in homeless prevention and rehabilitation of homeless shelters.
The City of Laredo's Department of Community Development acted as the lead
agency in the preparation and submission of the Fiscal Year 1995 Consolidated
Plan. As the lead agency, the City of Laredo sought citizen and local service
agency participation in the development of the plan so that the plan would
accurately reflect local conditions, needs, and solutions. A series of 4
public meetings and 1 public hearing were held prior to preparation of the plan.
Additionally, Community Development staff met with and/or received information
from 13 local service and housing agencies. The Plan was made available for
public review and comment for a 30 day period, prior to being adopted by
Laredo's City Council on August 10, 1995. Timely notices of public meetings,
hearings and comment period were placed in the City's newspaper of widest
circulation and distributed among different neighborhood and public housing
sites and offices of local service agencies. Notices were printed in both
English and Spanish.
Laredo is the fastest growing city in the state of Texas and the second fastest growing city in the United States. This is a bicultural community with over 93% of its population being of Hispanic origin. Within the last decade, Laredo's population and economy have grown exponentially. Since 1986, there has been a record increase in residential, commercial and industrial development. Laredo's population grew 34.4% from 99,258 in 1980 to 122,899 in 1990. Based on growth factors, the City's Planning Department estimates Laredo's present population to equal approximately 150,000 and projects it to reach over 189,000 by the year 2000. Of Laredo's total population, 93.75% are of Hispanic origin.
While Laredo's economic forecast is bright, there exists great poverty
throughout the City. The 1990 Census notes that approximately 45,126 persons
(37% of the population) have incomes below the poverty line. Income levels for
Laredo have historically been and continue to be drastically lower than those of
the state or nation. Laredo's per capita income as noted for 1992 was $10,387 as
compared to $18,437 for the state and $20,105 for the nation.
Due to its geographic location on the South Texas/Mexico border, the City of Laredo has been and continues to be impacted by the state of the Mexican economy. On December 20, 1994, Mexico allowed its currency to float, thus creating a devaluation of the peso versus the dollar. This resulted in the slow down of Laredo's economy. It is anticipated that this devaluation will not have a permanent adverse effect given that the City now has a more diverse economy; however, the present economic situation has given rise to the City's unemployment rate. As of April 1995, Laredo's unemployment rate equaled 13.75% as compared to 8.85% for the same period in 1994.
Laredo's population as reported previously is 93.7% Hispanic; consequently, those statistics reported for the population as a whole, closely mirror those reported for the community's minority and Hispanic populations. Housing needs among low income households in Laredo can be attributed to several major factors including:
Based on the 1990 Census, 45% of the community's households (both renter and owner) experience some housing problem. Issues considered include cost burden, overcrowding, and substandard housing conditions. Renter households make up 40% of the total households in the City. Of these renter households, over 60% relate a housing need with 40% experiencing cost burden and 33% experiencing overcrowding. Statistics for various sized renter households are similar. Notably, 69% of all renter households have incomes that are 80% and below the HUD Adjusted Median Family Income (HAMFI).
Owner households constitute 60% of the total households in the City. Approximately 36% of owner households have a housing need or problem. Twenty percent (20%) of all owner households experience cost burden while 19% experience overcrowding. Again, statistics for the various sized owner households are similar. Notably, 41% of all owner households have incomes that are 80% and below the HAMFI.
Noted is a trend toward increased housing needs among low income elderly households. One factor influencing this growing need is changing cultural conditions resulting in more elderly persons choosing to live independently. Forty seven percent (47%) of all elderly renter households experience some housing problem while 21% of elderly, owner households experience some housing problem.
The total number of housing units in Laredo is estimated to equal 40,750. Of these, approximately 57% were constructed on or before 1979. A local survey conducted noted that 23% of all housing units are in substandard condition. Of those that are substandard, 80% are believed to be suitable for rehab while 20% are not.
As a whole, safe, decent, and affordable housing is in short supply for both renter and owner households of low income regardless of size.
In terms of homeownership, low income people who want to own a home have practically been priced out of the market. Low income households have great difficulty saving enough money for a downpayment.
The lack of affordable housing often leads to overcrowding and the migration of families to neighboring "Colonias" in which substandard housing is characteristic.
Homelessness is a growing problem in Laredo. A local count taken in 1995 indicated there were 136 visible homeless individuals in our community. Laredo's homeless population is comprised of:
There is a more prevalent "hidden homelessness" in which individuals and families shuttle between the homes of families or friends, often spending extended periods of time in shelters or sleeping in automobiles.
Needs expressed by homeless providers:
The Laredo Housing Authority (LA) currently has 962 units of low rent housing. Through the Section 8 Program, there are 1,189 assisted units including 35 certificates issued through the Family Self Sufficiency Program. All public and Section 8 assisted housing is maintained in standard condition and is at full occupancy. None of the public or assisted housing in Laredo is expected to be lost in the near future, and there are no plans for converting units to private ownership in the next year.
There are currently over 213 families on the waiting lists for public housing and 1,889 for rental assistance through the Housing Authority's Section 8 Program.
Equal opportunity and fair housing initiatives are important factors in promoting affordable housing and require strict adherence with applicable laws and ordinances. There is no local board in place to monitor adherence. The City's Department of Community Development is currently conducting an assessment of local fair housing practices.
According to a report by the Texas Department of Health, Bureau of Women and Children, of the 1,906 children tested in 1994, as part of the Medicaid Well Child Check, 176 or 9.2% tested with high blood lead levels of >10mcg/dl. As per EPSDT testing records, the percentage of children who were reported with high lead blood levels of >10mcg/dl residing in the local zip code areas is as follows:
| - 32% | ||
| - 23% | ||
| - .3% | ||
| - .6% |
Special needs populations who require supportive housing services including rental assistance, counseling, training, etc... in order to live independently and/or become self sufficient include:
Needs identified include water and wastewater improvements, drainage, transportation infrastructure, housing, parks and recreational facilities, police and fire protection, public support services and general community health and safety. The City of Laredo has in place a Capital Improvements Plan which is approved by Laredo's City Council and which identifies and prioritizes the projects to be carried out to address the various community needs.
To better the community, it is essential that organizations work closely
together to discuss needs and utilize available resources in the community.
Currently there is a very good referral system in place, in which agencies
initially contacted for assistance will refer clients to another agency as
needed. In the preparation of this document, it was noted that the City and
local service providers need to move beyond the referral system and coordinate
resources to better meet the public's needs.
The City of Laredo is a fast growing community and is faced with challenges as well as opportunities in association with this growth. The need for improved infrastructure and housing are a top priority. The City government has and will continue to utilize its local resources conscientiously to implement necessary programs and strategies; but recognizes that it cannot do it alone. The City looks to the federal, state, and county governments, local nonprofit organizations and the private sector for assistance in carrying out identified goals. Working together, the needs of the community can be best met.
The City's Consolidated Plan notes a high priority regarding the cost burden suffered by both owners and renters. Owner households received a higher priority in terms of the need to address overcrowding and the unit's physical defects. In terms of the homeless population, outreach assessment, emergency and transitional shelters, and permanent housing received a high priority. The funding identified as needed was unrealistic in terms of the funds which are available to address these priorities.
Providing affordable housing to persons of very low, low and low and moderate income in our community remains a top priority. The City of Laredo proposed to meet this need by implementing programs which maximize federal, state, and local government funds in conjunction with private resources that are made available. Initiatives to be undertaken include:
Priorities for homelessness alleviation include homeless prevention services, homeless outreach, rehabilitation of existing emergency shelters, creation of a transitional housing program, and the implementation of a permanent housing program for homeless individuals and families.
Programs that help serve the needs of non-homeless persons with special needs will continue to be implemented and/or expanded including:
It is proposed that Community Development Block grant funds be used in support of the following non-housing community development needs, identified in the City's Capital Improvement Plan and voiced as necessary by citizens.
Efforts to be undertaken to reduce the incidence of poverty include: the development of economic planning capabilities to insure strong economic growth; infrastructure development to facilitate attracting and maintaining industry; support of education and training initiatives; implementation of minority outreach programs, and utilization of minority small business contractors; and utilization of all available resources in support of activities which minimize the incidence of poverty within the community as supported through public/private partnerships.
It is anticipated that during the course of the 5 year planning period, that housing and community development resources will principally be made available through non-federal funds including private sector financing, the local government and state funding. The remainder of funding will derive from federal resources, specifically the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Identified in the Consolidated Plan are 19 agencies including government and
nonprofit agencies which have and will continue to play a major role in carrying
out the City of Laredo's housing and community development plan. While not
identified by name, it is further anticipated that the private sector will play
an instrumental role in furthering the goals identified in the Plan.
The following is a summarized list of the projects to be carried out by the City of Laredo in partnership with the private sector and local nonprofit organizations during the 1995-1996 fiscal year utilizing federal funds made available through the Community Development Block Grant, the HOME Investment Partnerships Program, and the Emergency Shelter Grant:
Funds will be primarily utilized in areas of low income in accordance with the census tract income data provided by HUE. In other instances, funds will be utilized citywide and made available to limited clientele whose incomes equal <80% of HAMFI.
The City of Laredo's Department of Community Development acted as the lead agency in the preparation and submission of the Consolidated Plan. However, the various government agencies and nonprofit organizations together with the private sector play an instrumental role in carrying out activities which further local housing and community development goals.
The housing goals for the City of Laredo during the first year of the Consolidated Plan include providing homeownership opportunities to 432 first-time homebuyers through new construction activities and 60 others with downpayment assistance; rehabilitating 106 existing owner occupied units; constructing 130 multi-family housing units; and providing rental assistance to 1,189 households. These goals will be achieved through both public and private efforts.
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 depicts Neighborhood Segments and streets with proposed HUD funded projects.
MAP 7 depicts Neighborhood Segments and streets with proposed HUD funded projects.
MAP 8 depicts Neighborhood Segments and streets with proposed HUD funded projects.
MAP 9 depicts Neighborhood Segments and streets with proposed HUD funded projects.
Ms. Ronnie Acosta
PH: (210) 791-7364
