Salt Lake City is located on the west side of the Rocky Mountain's Wasatch Front Range. The Salt Lake Metropolitan area includes the largest population center between Denver, Colorado and San Francisco, California. This area is also called the "intermountain West".
Salt Lake City/Odgen was rated first among the nation's "up and coming cities," by Money Magazine. CFO Magazine listed the city as having "the best environment for business." Managing Your Career (college edition of National Employment Weekly) listed Salt Lake City as the best place to launch a new career. In a feature article "Housing's Hot Markets", Baron's listed Salt Lake City as one of seven cities across the nation with a combination of strong economic growth and undervalued residential real estate. U.S. News & World Report ranked Salt Lake City as the ninth best housing market in the nation. The accounting firm of Ernst & Young ranked Salt Lake as the fourth most affordable housing market when prices are compared to disposable median household income. The National Association of Realtors reported that even though Salt Lake City's medium home prices were up 16.7 percent for 1994 over 1993 (the 2nd fastest appreciation in the nation), they remained 7 percent below the national median cost of a home.
Steady job growth in Utah for several years, accompanied by a low unemployment rate compared to much of the rest of the nation, has brought many people to the Salt Lake Valley. However, from 1970 to 1980, the City's population declined 7.3 percent, from 175,885 to 163,033. There was a further decline from 1980 to 1990, to 159,936 persons. Salt Lake City has a large proportion of its population in poverty. In 1989 there were 25,651 persons, or 16.4 percent of city residents, whose incomes were below the poverty threshold, compared to a Salt Lake County level as a whole of 9.9 percent and a State level of 11.4 percent.
The Salt Lake City Consolidated Plan presents a strategic vision for housing and community development. It includes a One-Year Action Plan for spending approximately $8.3 million of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), HOME Investment Partnership Program (HOME) Emergency Shelter Grant (ESG) and program income funds in 1995. These funds will be used to address a multitude of community development, housing and human service needs which will result in an improved quality of life for Salt Lake City residents.
In order to establish housing and community development needs and
priorities, a workshop was held by the Housing Advisory and Appeals Board to
solicit information on needs and to develop a list of housing and homeless
priorities. City staff met in-person and via the telephone with local
organizations involved in community development, housing and human services.
Five Neighborhood Meetings were held to present Consolidated Plan and Annual
Action Plan information. Meetings were held in the communities that project
proposals would effect, should they be awarded federal funds. A public hearing
was held in October 1994 before the Community Development Advisory Committee and
representatives from the Mayor's Office. Community Development announcements
were mailed to over 350 organizations, Community Councils and citizens
throughout the City. Newspaper display ads notified the public that the
hearing would be held. An overview of the Consolidated Plan and Annual Action
Plan was presented by Mayor Corradini to the Salt Lake City Council in March
1995. A summary of the proposed Consolidated Plan was published to begin the
30-day comment period. A final Public Hearing was held before the City Council
on March 21, 1995.
From 1970 to 1980, the City's population declined 7.3 percent, from 175,885 to 163,033. There was a further decline from 1980 to 1990, to 159,936 persons. The 1980-1990 drop in population was accounted for by 923 fewer households in the City in 1990, and by fewer persons per household. The 2.33 persons per household in the City in 1990 compared with 2.35 in 1980, and was considerably lower than the 1990 State average of 3.15 persons.
Until very recently, there were more owner than renter households in Salt Lake City, but like most inner cities, the proportion of housing occupied by owners has been steadily decreasing. In the 1980 Census, the percent of housing occupied by owners was 50.1. In the 1990 Census, the City registered a slightly higher proportion of renter households than owners (50.6 percent). This change was due to construction of large rental complexes in the 1980s in the city and movement of homeowners to the suburbs.
As recorded by the Census, Salt Lake City has a large proportion of its
population in poverty. In 1989 there were 25,651 persons, or 16.4 percent of
city residents, whose incomes were below the poverty threshold, compared to a
Salt Lake County level as a whole of 9.9 percent and a State level of 11.4
percent. In the City, the poverty level is particularly high for unrelated
individuals (26.2 percent) and female head of household families (32.8 percent).
The percent of families in poverty was 11.9 for Salt Lake City, 7.7 for Salt
Lake County, and 8.6 percent for Utah. Two-thirds of female-headed families
with related children under five in Salt Lake City had poverty incomes in 1989.
Overall, the Salt Lake City Metropolitan area has experienced an increase of in- migration, strong economic growth leading to low unemployment, and rapidly escalating housing costs which have caused a shortage of affordable housing. Salt Lake City has a population, per the 1990 Census, of 159,936. The City's population has actually declined over the past twenty years and like most inner cities, the proportion of housing occupied by owners has been steadily decreasing and there are now more renter than owner households in the City. Only 10.5 percent of the City's housing stock was built after 1979, and it is believed that most housing units contain lead-based paint. Despite the age of the housing stock, most homes are in relatively good condition due mainly to several decades of code and zoning enforcement and because of the higher demand for housing the last two years which has spurred private investment through rehabilitation.
The Salt Lake City housing market has been significantly affected by the economic growth taking place in Utah over the previous several years. A steady job growth in Utah for several years, accompanied by a low unemployment rate compared to much of the rest of the nation, has brought many people to the Salt Lake Valley.
The growth in jobs comes at a juncture of very low mortgage rates and a low point in a building cycle that has just begun an upturn. The result is that housing, both for homeowners and renters, has become very scarce and much more expensive. The Salt Lake Board of Realtors reports a 51% increase of houses sold in 1993 and a 66% jump over 1992 totals. The board says the average price of a home in Salt Lake jumped 30% from $86,000 in 1991 and up to $125,033 in 1994. In the first quarter of 1995, the board reported an average sale price of $127,285, a 12.3 increase from the same time a year ago.
The low vacancy rate accompanied by rapidly rising rental rates is making it more difficult for low-income families to find housing. Elderly and other persons on fixed incomes find it difficult to meet the increased costs of renting or of home maintenance. It is especially difficult for low-income special needs groups to secure housing. These include mentally and physically disabled, substance abusers, persons with HIV/AIDs and their families, and individuals being released from prison. The job rate growth in Utah in 1994 was 6.2 percent, creating additional demand for housing.
It is estimated that there are between 1500 and 2400 homeless persons in the Salt Lake area on any given day. The number of persons sheltered or on waiting lists for shelter grew 25% a year for 2 years in a row and 9% in 1993. The Salt Lake City Community Shelter served more than 3,500 homeless persons during 1993-94. The largest increase in recent years have been in homeless families with large numbers of children. An average of sheltered homeless counts reveals that 900 persons per night were sheltered in Salt Lake City in 1993.
All shelters in Salt Lake City are constantly full, with waiting lists often as long as the shelter's capacity. In recent years two-thirds to three-quarters of the state's sheltered homeless persons occupied shelters located in Salt Lake County; over 60 percent of them at the Salt Lake Community Shelter. A larger proportion of Utah's total sheltered homeless in 1993 were located outside Salt Lake County, because those shelters that have been established in many other communities, also tend to be completely filled.
The number of unsheltered persons is unknown except for homeless youth. Using the numbers of individuals who seek the services of the Winter Overflow Emergency Shelter (WOES) and the estimated number of individuals who sleep in camps, under overpasses, in doorways, etc., the estimate of homeless persons on any given night in Salt Lake County is 500. During the coldest winter months, November through December, a winter overflow emergency shelter program is operated collaboratively by four local nonprofit agencies. During the winter of 1993-94 an average of 199 persons were sheltered each night. Between November 1994 and February 15, 1995, an average of 256 persons were provided shelter each night in the overflow.
The City's main resource for low-income housing is the public housing units and Section 8 certificates and vouchers provided by the Housing Authority of Salt Lake City. This agency supplies 2,245 units of assisted housing, 30 percent of it being public housing units owned by the agency. The Public Housing stock can be described as being in good condition. The Housing Authority has 337 units of public housing designated for seniors. Two elderly high-rises were retrofitted in 1994 to make them more handicapped accessible. Although the disabled are currently eligible for senior housing, the Housing Authority will be implementing the new regulations allowing for senior only buildings in Public Housing and designating other housing for the disabled. Currently, the agency has 631 units in its various Section 8 programs that serve disabled persons who are eligible.
Among the actions taken during the last year to address public barriers to affordable housing are: 1) Building Services and Licensing worked with the City Council and adoption of the Salt Lake City Housing Code, which grants flexibility in meeting the code for repair and rehabilitation of older housing; 2) The Planning Division completed the complete adoption of the new Zoning Ordinance; and 3) The City passed a new ordinance to deal with boarded houses. The Consolidated plan also describes several other barriers, discusses the strategies to overcome them, and provides the progress that has been made to-date.
Until recently, the Utah Fair Housing Act was not certified by HUD nor funded for enforcement. In 1993 the State legislature passed amendments to the Act and funded enforcement.
Because of the age of Salt Lake City's housing, only 10.5 percent of it built after 1979, most housing units contain lead-based paint. The estimated LBP units creating a hazard because they are occupied by extremely low or low- income households is 45,415 units, or 62 percent of the City's total 73,762 units. However, in assessing the LBP hazard in Salt Lake City, the City is not aware of any children who have suffered lead-based paint poisoning due to lead paint in their home. The Salt Lake City Housing Authority has abated Lead Based Paint in all its public housing units and is scheduled to complete its abatement plan in 1996.
The City has established community development needs in the following areas: Public Facilities, Infrastructure Improvements, Public Services, Accessibility, Economic Development, Historic Preservation and Planning.
In early 1993, Governor Mike Leavitt appointed a Governor's Housing Task Force, which made its priority recommendations for legislation. Tom Godfrey, Salt Lake City Councilman, is co-chairman of the Intergovernmental Relations Subcommittee. Other committees are: Affordable Housing Committee, Financial Resources and Special Needs. The Task Force announced their top priorities were: 1. Creation of a State Low Income Housing Tax Credit, 2. Creation of a Utah Mortgage Insurance fund, 3. State HOME match for participating jurisdictions and, 4. Creation of ongoing sources of revenue for the Utah Housing Trust Fund.
The final report of the committee and the ensuing legislation improved coordination throughout the State. The efforts of the Task Force directly resulted in $2,5 million being appropriated by the Legislature in 1994 for the State Housing Trust Fund (several projects within the City are partially funded by this fund). This appropriation was a significant increase over the previous $500,000 level.
One project resulting from the Task Force is the establishment of a nonprofit assistance organization to provide technical assistance to nonprofit housing agencies in the State.
There have been a number of ad-hoc coordination efforts to assure that
Federal grants are applied for. The City, through its grants writer in Capital
Planning and Programming, assists in writing grants which coordinate the work of
non-profit, banks, and the City in proposed projects.
Salt Lake City will improve the quality of life for its citizens by providing a variety of services and opportunities that will address housing and community development needs.
Specific priorities and objectives to be accomplished during the next five years utilizing Federal CDBG, ESG and HOME funds will be as follows:
Priority 1 - HOUSING - All HOME funds and approximately 30% of the CDBG funds received each year will be expended in the housing category. Specific objectives will include but are not limited to: rehabilitation, homebuyer assistance, homeless and transitional housing, rental assistance, new construction, infill housing, special needs housing, emergency home repair, and accessibility.
Priority 2 - COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT NEEDS - Approximately 40% of the CDBG funds received annually will be spent on Community Development needs. Specific objectives to be addressed are: Public Facilities, Infrastructure Improvements, Public Services, Accessibility, Economic Development, Historic Preservation and Planning.
Priority 3 - HOMELESS - All Emergency Shelter Grant funds received by Salt Lake City will be allocated to homeless provider subrecipients to address homeless issues. This may be in the form of renovation, major rehabilitation or conversion of buildings for use as emergency shelters for the homeless, essential services to the homeless or maintenance, operation, insurance, utilities and furnishings for homeless. Additional CDBG funds are expected to be utilized for: Emergency Shelters, Transitional Shelters, Permanent Supportive Housing, Permanent Housing, operational support, food pantries, and services to homeless children.
The City held a needs workshop listing housing activities and strategies that will be pursued as much as feasible over the coming five-year period. The priorities to be emphasized are: 1) rehabilitation, 2) homebuyers assistance, 3) homeless and transitional, 4) rental assistance, 5) new construction (including infill and move-on), and 6) special needs. During the five-year period, there should be additional for- profit and nonprofit developers ready to be involved to carry out these strategies.
Community development is one of Salt Lake City's top priorities. Approximately 40 percent of the CDBG funds received annually will be spent on Community Development needs. Specific objectives to be addressed include Public Facilities, Infrastructure Improvements, Public Services, Accessibility, Economic Development, Historic Preservation and Planning.
Salt Lake City Mayor Deedee Corradini appointed a task force to look at innovative solutions to the growing number of city residents living below poverty levels. The mission of the Task Force on Poverty is to determine the needs of the citizens of Salt Lake City living in poverty with a focus on reducing homelessness. The following subcommittees were created: Housing and Shelter, Social Services, Resources, and Employment and Training. The Task Force issued a final report in January 1993 indicating possible action to be taken. A summary of the recommendations made by each Task Force is described on pages 65-69 of the Consolidated Plan.
Federal resources include: CDBG, HOME, ESG, HOPE 3, Low Income Housing Tax
Credits, Conventional Public Housing, Public Housing Drug Elimination Program,
Family Investment Center Program, Section 8 Certificate Program, Section 8
Housing Voucher Program, Shelter plus Care, Supportive Housing Programs, Single
Room Occupancy, Comprehensive Grant Program, and the Department of Energy
Weatherization and Energy Efficiency. State resources include the State
Homeless Trust fund and the State Critical Needs housing fund. City resources
include the Salt Lake City Housing Trust Fund and the Transitional Housing Fund.
In addition to the funding sources listed above, private resources are also
available.
Salt Lake City's One-Year Action Plan describes 84 different projects or activities totaling over $8.2 million in anticipated resources. These resources will be spent on a variety of housing and community development projects including:
$305,000 for Assist. Inc.-Emergency Home Repair.
$145,000 for NHS Acquisition and rehab for LMI, first-time homebuyers.
$325,000 for 200 South Median and Street Improvements.
$200,000 for Poplar Grove Boys and Girls Club building purchase and
renovation.
$510,000 for Rehabilitation of vacant housing for LMI, first-time
homebuyers.
$166,300 for single family rehabilitation.
$376,000 for 800 West Median and Street Improvements.
$100,000 for New construction of single family homes
$138,000 for New Construction of 16 Units of Affordable Housing.
Many of the activities to be undertaken will be located within the City's Target Areas. These area are shown on page 163 and 164 of the Consolidate Plan.
The lead agency for the Consolidated Plan is the Salt Lake City Capital Planning and Programming Division, 451 So. State, Room 445, Salt Lake City, UT 84111 Phone: (801) 535-7119
The City's housing goals for the 1995 Program year include, but are not limited to, increasing the supply of affordable housing to benefit 32 LMI, first- time home buyers. Approximately 154 single family households will receive rehabilitation assistance to improve their homes.
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 low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects.
MAP 6 depicts Neighborhood Segments and streets with proposed HUD funded projects; in addition, a table provides information about the project(s).
Ms. Kathy Ricci,
Director, Capital Planning and Programming Division
451 So. State, Room 445
Salt Lake City, UT 84111
Phone: (801) 535-7119
Fax: (801)535-6131
