The City of Tyler, located in East Texas, is a community of 76,872 population, with 32,860 housing units. Fifty-three percent of the housing units are owner occupied and forty-seven percent are renter occupied. The Consolidated Plan for the City of Tyler consolidates all current planning and application requirements of the City for the Community Development Block Grant and HOME programs into a single submission. The development of the Consolidated plan for 1995-2000 was an extensive process, involving numerous city and state government agencies, social service agencies, non-profit agencies and citizens.
Funding from the Department of Housing and Urban Development for the Action Plan for the fiscal year 1995-1996 includes $1,497,311 from the Community Development Block Grant Program and $492,000 from the HOME program, totalling $1,989,311.
Meetings were held throughout the year to obtain information
concerning housing needs of
children, persons with disabilities and special needs, and
homeless persons and families.
The organizations contacted for their input included the
Salvation Army, People Attempting
to Help People (PATH), Tyler Community Homes, the Andrews Center,
St. Marcus
Compassion House, East Texas Crisis Center, East Texas Fair
Housing Center, Smith County
Public Health District, and the staff of the City's Section 8
Housing Assistance Program.
The greatest impact has been through a group known as the
"Project 365" Citizens
Operating Committee, made up of social service organizations,
police, pastors, youth
groups, other citizens of Tyler, and City representatives. There
is also a coordinated effort
through the New East Texas Foundation, the Pew Partnership for
Civic Change, the City of
Longview and the City of Tyler.
Tyler's population in 1995 is estimated at 76,872. The racial
and ethnic composition of
Tyler is sixty-two percent White, twenty-eight percent Black,
nine percent Hispanic, and one
percent Indian, Asian and other. Over half (53 percent) of the
housing units are occupied by
homeowners, while 47 percent are renter-occupied. Seventy-three
percent of the
population live in single-family detached homes. In Tyler, many
seniors live in their own
homes but do not have disposable income for needed home repairs.
Some could stay in
their own homes if they had someone to live in with them, but
they cannot afford help.
Many are frail elderly.
Tyler contains areas of concentrated poor conditions. For example, a twenty-nine (29) block area has been plagued by high crime, reduced city services, and deteriorating housing for a long time.
Substandard structures are a problem. It is estimated that 35 per cent of the rental housing stock is in need of rehabilitation. Occupants of rental housing are more likely to be living in substandard structures: 65 percent of large families who rent as well as a substantial percentage of small families who rent and elderly needing assistance live in substandard structures.
The older housing stock is centered around the downtown area and north of the central business district. The majority of the deteriorating housing stock is in the CDBG target area. This area has a combination of vacant lots, dilapidated or deteriorating structures, along with some fairly good housing. The cost of these housing units varies according to location and school districts.
Tyler has nearly 30,000 occupied housing units (29,381) and 3,479 vacant units.
Fourteen percent of the units are valued at less than $30,000; 46 percent are valued between $30,000 and $75,000. Some of the rental units (406) have no cash rent, and 615 rental units have a cash rent of less than $10. Forty eight percent (6,638) have a cash rent of less than $299. It is estimated that thirty-five percent of the rental housing stock is in need of rehabilitation (1,217 units); fifteen percent (15%) of the renter substandard units are suitable for rehabilitation. It is estimated that thirty percent (30%) of the owner-occupied units are substandard, with fourteen percent (14%) suitable for rehabilitation.
According to the priority needs table, the City of Tyler needs 1,268 additional rental units to meet the needs of small and large families and the elderly. For rental units, the cost burden is most severe for the extremely low income households: 277 additional housing units are needed for low and moderate income households with a cost burden greater than 30 percent; extremely low income renter households, 238 of whom are elderly, have a cost burden of over 50 percent of income spent for housing, and need 991 additional housing units. Owners of 50 owner-occupied units have a cost burden in the 30 to 50 percent range, while an estimated 75 owner-occupied units have a cost burden greater than 50 percent.
The City of Tyler does not have a serious homeless problem, having organizations which serve the homeless (Salvation Army, PATH and East Texas Crisis Center). Most of the services offered are designed to meet the immediate physical needs only. Most of Tyler's homeless are hidden; they live with other family members or are in danger of eviction and becoming homeless with no way of earning additional money.
Tyler has no public housing, but participates in the Section 8 Housing Program. Many owners are not willing to place their available property to rent through the Section 8 Program because they have the responsibility to fund and make repairs if any damage is done to the property, to bring it in compliance with the Housing Quality Standards.
The City of Tyler assists 753 people through its Section 8 Program, and has an additional 1,136 more on its waiting list requiring assistance. Over two-thirds of the households on the waiting list for rental assistance with the City of Tyler Housing Assistance Payment Program are paying thirty to fifty percent of their gross income on housing and utility costs. The waiting list is comprised of thirty-eight percent (38%) elderly households, forty-four percent (44%) small family, and eighteen percent (18%) large family households.
It is the goal of the city to ensure that organizations and individuals who normally might not apply for grants or housing assistance because of their minority status know about the availability of grants and housing assistance and have the opportunity to apply. The city is writing a new fair housing ordinance and conducting special outreach to African Americans and Hispanics. During FY'94-95, the City assisted 32 families with closing costs for the purchase of a home, through the HOME program.
Each low-income area in Tyler needs infrastructure improvements: flood drain improvements, street improvements, sewer improvements, and curb and gutter installation. Condemned properties need to be demolished. Transportation services are inadequate. City parks need improvements.
The City of Tyler has been working with Nations Bank, Century
21 and local investors in an
effort to leverage the Federal dollars. All participants have
given verbal commitment to help
in area renovation. Match for HOME funds will come from donated
services by local banks
(provide underwriting), land gifts, and housing sold at below
market rates.
When this plan is completed in each designated area, Tyler will have brought needs and resources together to achieve the statutory goals of providing decent, safe, and affordable housing; creating a suitable living environment; and expanding economic opportunities for people in and out of the area."
Tyler will concentrate development funds in a single neighborhood each year. The concentration of development actions in an area which will be designated each year will provide progress which can be seen in a short time. The priority for the 1995-1996 program year will be to provide decent housing for owner-occupied structures in the target area. Other needs will be addressed by those agencies receiving funds outside the identified area. The top twelve programs from a list of thirty-one requesting organizations were funded.
Tyler's housing priority focus is to increase the number of homes repaired under the Owner Rehabilitation Program for low- and very low-income homeowners.
Approximately $920,000 will be spent in the area on non-housing related projects. Infrastructure improvements include flood drain improvements, street improvements, sewer improvements, and curb and gutter installation. The majority of each year's funding will be spent in a depressed area (to be determined each year) with the remaining funds being spent outside the area mainly for public service projects.
The City of Tyler and non-profit agencies promote affordable housing and assist those persons who have excessive cost burdens for housing. Tyler Community Homes will continue to provide training is areas such as budgeting, house keeping, planning, home maintenance and other areas relating to homeownership to encourage renters to become homeowners. The Section 8 Housing program will continue to work with Tyler Community Homes to promote the family self-sufficiency program to help renters become less dependent on subsidies and more self-sufficient. It is Tyler's goal that each family receiving rental subsidies is trained in each of the areas mentioned above.
Primary Federal resources are CDBG, HOME and Section 8. The Smith County Health Department is adding a mobile unit to the neighborhood to provide screening for a number of social services. The city's Cops Ahead program will place two community policing officers in the area where a new Crime Watch program has also been started. Tyler Community Homes has offered a house to any police officer who will live in the revitalization area. Local banks expressed interest in providing community development loans for new housing. A private company will build homes in an area contiguous to the target area.
The Neighborhood Services Department will work with non-profit
organizations to keep up-dated on current needs and recommend to
the City Council to fund projects which meet
Tyler's prioritized needs.
The area identified as the targeted area is located predominantly in the West and Northwest Council Districts and has an eastern border with the Northeast District. It is located predominantly in Census Tract 2.02, in an area bounded by Broadway Street, Border, Gentry Parkway on the south and Barrett on the north. The area has a high number of low-income residents as well as poor housing stock. Some project funds will be spent outside of the area, in support of non-profit agencies providing social services to persons both inside and outside the target area.
The overall goal of the Action Plan is to concentrate a high percent of development funds in a single neighborhood and "really make a difference with a new approach." To provide progress which can be seen in a short time, in 1995-96, every housing unit in the target area will have driveways, curbs and gutters; funds will be available for rehabilitation of 25 to 50 properties owned and occupied by low and very low-income households, up to $20,000 per unit. Condemned housing will be demolished. Assistance will be provided to non-profits for the homeless and prevention of homelessness.
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 points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects at street level.
MAP 7 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects within one neighborhood; in addition, a table provides information about the project(s).
