The City of Bellevue, Washington, is the State's fourth largest city situated along the shores of Lake Washington, east of Seattle. Over the past decade, Bellevue has grown into a major center for economic and cultural activities. The goal of the 1995 Consolidated Plan is to explain how various funding strategies, practices, and sources combine to provide for a comprehensive approach to meeting Bellevue's housing and human services needs, and what role CDBG and HOME funds play in those strategies.
The City of Bellevue's 1995 Consolidated Plan provides a foundation for the development of future housing and human services policies and strategies by describing the City's current strategies and describing the partnerships the City of Bellevue has developed with numerous community-based non-profit agencies and other units of local government to fund the full range of housing and human services. The Plan also provides for an assessment of community housing and human service needs and one-year and five-year plans to address those needs. It includes an application for $640,000 from Community Development Block Grant program (CDBG). These funds, along with other funds from the City of Bellevue, will allow the City to commit over $1.5 million to community-based non-profit agencies.
Formal public input into the City's housing and human service policies is
via two annual public hearings before the Human Services Commission: one in the
Spring and one in the Fall. The Spring hearing is held to solicit input into
the community's housing and human service needs and how the City should
prioritize Community Development Block Grant funding. The Fall hearing provides
a chance for citizens to review the preliminary plan for use of CDBG funds for
the following calendar year. Additional opportunities for public input include
surveys and research conducted as part of the biennial human services needs
update, as well as through oral and written communications with the Human
Services Commission which meets biweekly throughout the year. Future plans
include obtaining citizen input on draft Consolidated Plans through Bellevue
Online, a computer network which allows residents of Bellevue to communicate
directly with the City as well as review current activities.
The population of the City of Bellevue is approaching 100,000 in 1995. With a median income of $43,800 per household (1990 Census), Bellevue continues to be one of the more affluent cities in the area compared to other parts of King County. However, it is important to note that the City is becoming more economically diverse and the number of low-income residents is increasing. According to the most recent income figures from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, over 25% of the population is classified as low- or moderate-income. The number of residents in poverty increased at twice the rate of the general population increase and the number of students in the Bellevue School District who receive free or reduced-cost lunch assistance represented 18% of the total student population in the 1993-94 school year.
Bellevue is also becoming more culturally and ethnically diverse. The City's ethnic minority population doubled between 1980 and 1990, while the general population grew at a much slower pace (17%). In the 1990 census, ethnic minorities accounted for approximately 14% of the City's population and have continued to grow. An especially significant development is the growth in the population of refugees and immigrants from Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe, and the former Soviet Union.
The population is also growing older. From 1980 to 1990, the median age
increased from 31 to 35 years and the number of residents over the age of 65
doubled. Seniors represent 10% of the population.
The City of Bellevue expects to see the creation of 22,000 new jobs between 1990 and the year 2000, despite an increase in the unemployment rate from 3% to 6% between 1979 and 1989. This represents a 30% increase in the number of jobs provided by Bellevue employers. Nearly 70% of these new jobs will be in the services and retail sectors of the economy. Another 15% of the increase is expected to be in the communications or wholesale trade areas, 9% in manufacturing, and approximately 8% in government or education.
According to the 1990 Census, 4,807 Bellevue residents had incomes below the Federal poverty level. For a family of three, a poverty level income equates to $9,885 annually. For that family to be housed in a two-bedroom Bellevue apartment (average rent = $625) would require 75% of their monthly income. The number of Bellevue residents living in poverty increased by 35% between 1980 and 1990.
An analysis of affordable housing units in Bellevue indicates that units affordable at the lowest level of need tend to be smaller units. Very little housing stock is available to large families with lower incomes. It is estimated that there are 228 two-bedroom rental units affordable to persons with 0-30% of median family income and no two-bedroom owned housing units for this population. It also shows that, of housing which is affordable to households below 80% of median income, the majority is really only affordable to households between 50% and 80% of median income.
The number of homeless persons in Bellevue is not known. Homeless populations tend to be very mobile, so the number that may be homeless on any given day varies. King County estimates conservatively that there are approximately 4,100 homeless persons in the County on any given day. The County also estimates that, at any one time, there are over 3,100 shelter beds available and filled in all of King County. All but about 460 of these shelter beds are in the City of Seattle. There are six non-profit human services agencies serving Bellevue residents who are homeless.
As of June 1994, there were 2,276 applicants on the King County Housing Authority's waiting list. Only 23 units were vacant as of June 1994. Of the applicants on the Housing Authority's waiting list, 68% qualify and have been approved for a Federal Preference for admission. The Housing Authority also gives priority to applicants referred by outside agencies under certain local preference programs. The eight single family houses in Bellevue owned by the Housing Authority are part of this preference program.
The Housing Authority's 1994 Comprehensive Grant Program for funds to improve the physical condition and management of Authority-owned properties indicates that approximately $571,600 will be spent on properties in Bellevue in 1995.
Some members of the community find housing harder to obtain because of physical or mental disabilities, or other issues. This includes people with disabilities, victims of domestic violence, persons with AIDS, youth and seniors.
Following are needs for special populations, in addition to affordable housing:
The cost of housing is a major barrier on the Eastside. In Bellevue, the limited amount of land remaining available for the development of new housing, combined with growing population, can be expected to keep housing costs high. The City of Bellevue has adopted an ordinance requiring affordable units to be included in all new housing development of ten or more units, as a way of assuring that the private market provides some amount of new, affordable housing stock. Additionally, the City is using its own resources, both cash and land, to create opportunities for development of new units, or acquisition and rehabilitation of existing units.
The regulations that control how housing can be developed in a community can be a factor in the cost of housing. In 1994, Bellevue initiated a code revision project to review the Land Use code in order to eliminate conflicting requirements. The City will continue that process into 1995.
Bellevue's minority population nearly doubled between 1980 and 1990. The Census data does not indicate areas of concentration in Bellevue. Because minority populations and special need populations, in general, have lower incomes, it is possible that a trend of concentration of those groups in the areas of the City with less expensive housing could occur. The City's objective is to have diversity throughout the community, which was a major factor in the City's adopting a requirement that, city-wide, new housing developments must include affordable housing.
City of Bellevue Code Chapter 9.20, Fair Housing Practices, prohibits discrimination in housing on the basis of race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, sex, familial status, marital status, or use of Section 8 vouchers or certificates for payment of rent.
It is not possible to know exactly which houses in Bellevue may have exposed lead-based paint that would present a danger to the occupants. The Health Department indicates there has be one case of child lead poisoning in the past several years. However, the amount of older housing stock in a community occupied by low-income households may give an indication of the scope of the problem. HUD has prepared a cross tabulation of 1990 Census data for Bellevue that indicates the number of older housing units that were occupied by low-income households at the time of the Census. The total number of older housing stock (pre-1980) by low-income occupancy is estimated to be 5,561 housing units.
Bellevue provides brochures describing lead-based paint hazards to recipients of funds under the City's Home Repair Program.
Human services needs information are gathered from a number of sources, including a comparison of 1980 and 1990 Census data, input from housing and human service providers, consultations with King County and other cities in East King County, formal surveys and analyses by organizations such as United Way of King County, and direct input to the Human Services Commission by the public. Needs are growing in the areas of permanent affordable housing, emergency and transitional housing for a growing homeless population, services to non-English speaking refugees and immigrants, services for the elderly, and mental health care for children.
In addition, United Way's most recent survey of key informants states that the most pressing need on the Eastside is affordable housing, gang/youth violence, emergency/transitional shelter, and employment/job training services. Community forums held by King County for the development of their Housing and Community Development Plan, identified the major needs on the Eastside to be emergency services (food, clothing, eviction prevention), emergency and transitional shelter (especially for single adults without children), and affordable mental health services for low-income children, individuals, and families who are not eligible for the mental health services provided by King County. It was also noted there is a great unmet need for services to persons with disabilities on the Eastside.
In 1983 Bellevue adopted a policy dedicating all CDBG funds toward housing and human services activities. As such, these funds are not available to finance capital improvement projects.
The City of Bellevue is 40 years old. Although most of the infrastructure
is newer than that, the City must maintain existing systems and expand systems
to meet the demands of a growing population. The Bellevue Capital Investment
Program (CIP) plan for 1993-1999 contains specific information about 214
projects either underway or planned for the near future. The projects were
selected based on established prioritization criteria identified in the CIP.
The City of Bellevue does not directly develop housing and community development projects; it relies mainly on community-based non-profit affordable housing developers and human service organizations to put projects together. The City, however, plays an active role in advising and shaping projects to meet the City's needs. This role, in the context of being a planner and funder, is spelled out in the Comprehensive Plan policies.
The goals of the Comprehensive Plan's affordable housing policies are:
To attain these goals, the City of Bellevue has determined there is no one solution to the affordability problem and the City should take a comprehensive approach, using a variety of means. These are listed under housing priorities.
The City's role is that of being a planner and funder of services. Human services involvement by the City of Bellevue comes primarily via two avenues: 1) indirectly via funding for community-based service agencies and facilitating community action and 2) directly via programs operated by the Parks and Community Services Department. Funding recommendations for the indirect services are made by the Human Services Commission to the City Council.
In the role of planner and funder, the City has the ability to shape and guide the direction of human services for the City's residents and actively uses its resources to promote the orderly development of a complete human service system infrastructure. The City's current practice is to provide funding to a broad range of services, and to periodically concentrate staff coordination efforts on particular issues and needs, such as developing services for immigrant and refugee populations. The City also plays a role in supporting more collaborative efforts among the many service providers operating in the City. While there are not formal City priorities for human services, the following areas are receiving a significant amount of attention during the needs update process in 1994-95 and by the Human Services Commission:
Resources for housing include: federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds; Bellevue's Capital Investment Program (CIP), General Fund, and Housing Trust Fund; and King County Housing Authority. In addition, several community-based non-profit agencies, e.g., St. Andrew's Housing Group, Multi-Service Centers of North and East King County, and YWCA of Seattle-King County, have leveraged other local, state and federal funds for affordable housing projects throughout East King County, including Bellevue.
Resources for non-housing community development are provided by City of Bellevue and federal funds: CDBG funds; Bellevue's General Fund allocation to the Human Services Fund; and employee contributions to and interest earnings on the Human Service Fund. In addition, the operating budget of the Recreation Division of the City's Department of Parks and Community Services supports many recreation and social programs for the city's residents.
Bellevue's Human Services Division coordinates housing projects with staff
from the City's Department of Community Development (DCD) which is responsible
for carrying out the City's affordable housing program to ensure that housing
opportunities for all persons are encouraged throughout the City. In conducting
its analysis of land use and other ordinances and policies, DCD staff consult
regularly with staff from the Office of Neighborhood Enhancement and Economic
Development (formerly Office of Policy Planning) which is charged with the
responsibility for developing the City's Comprehensive Plan. Often housing
projects are funded in partnership with other East King County cities and with
the King County Planning and Community Development Division, as well as A
Regional Coalition for Housing (ARCH) and King County Housing Authority.
Coordination of non-housing services involves other jurisdictions,
community-based service providers, community and regional groups such as the
Eastside Human Services Alliance, Eastside Funders Group, and Human Services
Roundtable, and the Bellevue School District.
Bellevue's 1995 Consolidated Plan explains in its one-year strategy for housing how resources will be allocated via the Housing Trust Fund, downtown housing funds, city- owned property, federal funding consortia (HOME and HOPWA), and the Home Repair Program (funded by CDBG). Resources outlined in the one-year strategy for human services include the City's General Fund, federal CDBG funds, and other sources, e.g., interest income. When combined, these will allow the City of Bellevue to commit over $1.5 million in funds to community-based non-profit service agencies for human services.
Some of the 14 projects funded with federal CDBG funds include:
Projects serve low- and moderate-income residents throughout the City of Bellevue, although some are targeted to serving residents of low-income housing complexes.
The City of Bellevue uses a variety of community-based non-profit agencies for the delivery of services. Parks and Community Services Department is the lead City agency responsible.
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; in addition, a table provides information about the project(s).
City of Bellevue, Washington
Emily A. Leslie
Phone Number: (206) 462-6452
