The City of Olympia Consolidated Plan presents a strategy for housing and community development in the Capitol City of Washington. It includes a one-year action plan focusing $516,000 of CDBG funds and program income in FY 1995.. These funds will be spent on housing rehabilitation and community livability activities.
Three public meetings including early
communications with the city neighborhood associations' leadership in March
1995. Notices were mailed to thirty-five neighborhoods, non-profit
organizations, and housing providers.
Olympia (population 37,000) is the central city of the metropolitan area of
190,000. The fastest growing group in the county is the single person household
(35% increase since 1980). Elderly households represent the next fastest
growing area with a 14% increase between 1980 and 1990. The 1990 median annual
income in Olympia was $27,785. Twenty-five percent (25%) of elderly households
earn less than $10,000 per year. Olympia's population is 92% white and 8%
minority (1% black, 1% American Indian, 5% Asian, 1% other). Approximately 59%
of the housing stock is owner-occupied, but that trend appears to be shifting
due to new multi-family construction rates since 1990. Low-income single and
elderly households are a disproportionate share of the households followed by
small related households. Of 3,600 low-income households, 3,337 are Caucasians.
Therefore there is not a disparity based upon minority status. Over 27% of
Olympia's households need housing assistance. There is no concentration of
racial minorities in any one census tract.
Government employment and service industries dominate the top employers in the Olympia area. Unemployment has remained at or below the national and state levels since 1989.
Over 4,000 low and moderate income households are in need of housing assistance. Increasing the affordability of housing and rehabilitation of existing affordable housing stock are two critical needs. Funds are needed to address rental assistance need and loans to upgrade and repair sub- standard residential units. Another priority is to improve social service support to those who have housing needs. Of the low-income owner households, elderly units represent 41% of the needs while small households represent the largest bulk of renter households (27%).
Fifty-nine percent (59%) of Olympia's 16,000 households are single-families while 41% are multi- family/other. Vacancy rates are relatively low (3-7%) in a high growth area. Residential construction ebbs and flows in a cycle of growth and expansion. Recent low-interest rates have stimulated home ownership opportunities for middle and upper income households.
Households with incomes at or below fifty percent of MFI have one of the greatest cot burdens. They need rental assistance and affordable housing options and owners need rehabilitation assistance. Low income first time home buyers need down payment assistance.
1993 and 1994 homeless surveys showed 194 persons who were homeless in the county (192,000 total population). There are 208 beds in 23 facilities in Thurston County for emergency shelter. Transitional housing is only available for three percent of those persons needing to move from the shelter beds. Permanent subsidized housing is experiencing a short fall in federal and state funding and represent the greatest need in getting people out of the cycle of homelessness.
King County housing Authority owns and operates a seventy-unit elderly housing project in Martin Way in Olympia. They are in the process of upgrading and maintaining more units.
The Housing Authority of Thurston County has over 700 households on their waiting list. Reduced federal funding exacerbates the growing need for affordable rental subsidies.
Lack of affordable housing is one of the most critical housing problems in the City of Olympia. The City Council has studied its tax policies, land use controls, zoning ordinances and subdivision regulations, growth limits, building codes, building fees, and charges and found that these practices did not pose significant barriers to affordable housing development. Neighborhood opposition and state public hearing requirements for scattered site low-density affordable housing are sometimes impediments to affordable housing.
The City of Olympia is in the process of completing a study of fair housing. One of the issues highlighted so far was the lack of public information on fair housing complaints. Data on the demographic profiles of buyers and renters (in terms of protected classes) was lacking. The City was unable as yet to obtain a total number of housing discrimination cases within Olympia. There are no current court orders, consent decrees, or HUD-imposed sanctions that affect the provision of fair housing remedies.
Of the 16,000 housing units in Olympia, 34% were constructed before 1980 when lead-based paint was still in use. Of the units built before 1980, over half were occupied by households with very low- or other low-income households. Lead-based paint abatement has been a part of the housing rehabilitation program since 1986. In 1994, no cases of childhood lead poisoning were reported in Thurston County.
Olympia is fortunate to have a low unemployment rate. Nevertheless,
developing the skills of low-income persons to meet the requirements of a
changing economy will remain an important long-term need. Community development
needs include gainful employment for the at-risk population, adult education and
vocational training programs, self-sufficiency programs and intensive case
management, affordable child care, educational and development programs for
children before first grade, retraining for displaced workers, emergency
assistance for at-risk families and individuals, and affordable and accessible
transportation and infrastructure improvements.
Housing and community development problems are primarily related to affordability of housing and an aging housing stock as reflected in our priorities. Housing objectives focus on the supply of affordable housing. Community development objectives are to upgrade our residential and commercial areas and remove blight in our downtown.
Housing Priorities
Homeless and Special Needs Priorities
Small business development through financing, technical assistance, and problem solving, will be encouraged by the City during this time period. At least $34,500 will be directed toward the Economic Development Council (EDC).
Services also will include a storefront improvement program targeted at the central business district, technical assistance in the form of business plan development and referral, as well as small business loans through the EDC.
Safe, clean and healthy neighborhoods are also important to the standard of living of low and moderate income people. Adequate sidewalks, safe routs to schools, parks, street lighting, street trees and transportation make up the infrastructure of livable neighborhoods.
The Neighborhood Matching Grant Program will provide funds to target neighborhoods that want improvements in the neighborhoods matched by volunteer labor and materials.
Olympia intends to continue supporting existing anti-poverty programs through the Human Services Review Council. A number of social service organizations administer programs such as Head Start, assistance for families in crisis, subsidized child care, Job Training Partnership Act activities, job training and self-sufficiency programs for low income housing residents.
Within Olympia, Federal, State, local, and private programs currently provide services to the community. The primary Federal resources include CDBG, Section 8, public housing, and Emergency Shelter Grants. Resources available from the State include the HOME and Housing Trust Fund Program. Local resources include the Human Services Review Council and the City of Olympia general fund money. Private programs include local lending institutions' affordable housing programs and a wide range of non-profit initiatives.
The City of Olympia is responsible for the Consolidated Plan activities, but a variety of public and private organizations are involved in administering plan components. For example, the Housing Authority of Thurston County issues tax-exempt bonds to fund below-market mortgages for low- income housing acquisitions. Several non-profit organizations provide services for the homeless and private lenders operate affordable housing loan programs. The Consolidated Plan acknowledges that there is some overlap in service provision. However, Olympia's Consolidated Plan lends itself to coordinated efforts.
Although Olympia feels that it has a well developed network of government
agencies, non-profit, and private organizations to carry out its Consolidated
Plan, it also noted some gaps in the delivery of services. Coordination of
services for the non-homeless special needs population needs strengthening.
Furthermore, efforts to eliminate barriers to home ownership will also require
increased attention.
The City of Olympia's One-Year Action Plan outlines the proposed use of $516,000 including:
| $ 221,000 | Single Family Rehabilitation Loan Program | |
| $ 111,000 | Multi-family Rehabilitation Loan Program | |
| $ 70,000 | Rehabilitation loan processing and support administration for single and multi-family loans. | |
| $ 20,000 | Direct home ownership assistance (closing costs, etc.) | |
| $ 35,000 | CDBG General Program Administration | |
| $ 50,000 | Spot blight removal through rehabilitation of privately owned and commercial buildings | |
| $ 516,000 | Total |
The housing rehabilitation and home ownership will occur city-wide but most sub-standard units are in older, lower income neighborhoods.
The "spot-blight" program will occur in CT 101 in the downtown area.
The lead agency for the program will be the City of Olympia Community Planning and Development Department, Housing and Community Development Division.
Up to forty units rehabilitated and/or homeowners assisted.
MAP 2 depicts points of interest and outline of low-mod income areas.
MAP 3 depicts low-mod income and areas of minority concentration.
MAP 4 depicts low-mod income and unemployment.
MAP 5 depicts proposed HUD funded project(s) with low-mod income areas and unemployment; in addition, a table provides information about the project(s).
Kenneth L. Black,
Ph: (360) 753-8554
