The One Year Action Plan is predicated upon receiving a 1995 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) of $1,115,000 and program income of $100,900 for a total budget of $1,215,900.
In the course of collecting information to be used in this plan the City held a public hearing on October 4, 1994. In addition to publishing a notice of the hearing in the paper, notices were sent directly to over 20 local agencies serving low to moderate income clients and those with special needs. The City contacted several of these agencies directly to gather information regarding their activities and the needs of their clients. This information, along with information provided at the public hearing is included in this Plan.
In addition, the City sent community needs surveys to nearly 70 local
agencies to collect information on their perception of community needs and
notified adjacent units of local government of the opportunity to provide
comments to be used on common problems that might be addressed in the Plan.
According to the 1990 Census, there were a total of 21,827 housing units in Oshkosh. Of these, 20,957 were occupied and 870 were vacant. Of the occupied units, 11,942 were owner occupied and 9,015 were renter occupied.
During the 1980's, the proportion of renter occupied units increased as compared to the number of owner occupied units. Census data indicates that in 1980, 39% of all occupied units were occupied by renters and in 1990, 43% of all occupied units were occupied by renters.
There were 2,794 additional housing units in 1990 as compared with 1980. Of these additional units, 1,827 were rental units and 844 were owner occupied. The overall vacancy rate remained fairly constant from 1980 to 1990 (3.93% and 3.98% respectively).
According to the 1990 Census, the 1989 median household income for the City was $25,168, which translates into a monthly income of $2,097.
The 1980 City median gross rent of $257 was 17% of the monthly median income in 1980. The 1990 City median gross rent of $379 was 18% of median income in 1990. The 1990 Census indicated that 33% of all renters were paying less than 20% of their gross monthly income for selected housing costs, and 49% of all renters paid 0-24% of their 1989 income for selected housing costs. This makes rental property in Oshkosh appear fairly affordable and stable over time.
However, the fact that 30% of all renters were paying 30% or more of their monthly income for selected housing costs per the 1990 Census indicates that there is a housing affordability issue for lower income renters.
The median selected monthly owner costs for a mortgaged home per the 1990 Census was $595 - or 28% of the median monthly gross income. The median owner cost for homes with mortgages was 26% of median income in 1980. In 1980, the Census indicated that 81% of all owner occupied households were paying 24% or less of their monthly gross income for selected housing costs, while the 1990 Census indicated that 77% of all owner occupied households had selected monthly owner costs of 0-24% of monthly gross income. It is also interesting to note that the median 1990 home value of $53,300 was 2.13 times larger than the annual median household income, while the 1980 home value was 1.68 times the annual median income. While these figures indicate a slight decrease in housing affordability in the non-cost burdened owner population, the good news is that a large segment of the owner population is not cost burdened.
All this seems to point to a fairly stable relationship between wages and housing costs in the City of Oshkosh from 1980 to 1990, with a slight increase in affordability for owner occupied households, and a definite affordability problem for roughly one-third of all renter households.
Based on 1990 Census information, it appears that overall, both rental and owner occupied housing in Oshkosh is affordable to a median income family.
The City considers areas of low income concentration to be all low to moderate income census tracts identified by HUD based on the 1990 Census and all low to moderate income block groups contained in non low- to moderate-income tracts. HUD defines a low to moderate income area as one where 51.00% of the population has a low to moderate level income (LMI).
| CENSUS TRACT | LMI% |
|---|---|
| 2 | 52.71 |
| 5 | 59.63 |
| 6 | 93.93 |
| 7 | 79.36 |
| 12 | 56.76 |
| CENSUS TRACT | BLOCK GROUP | LMI% |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 66.41 |
| 4 | 2 | 54.45 |
| 10 | 2 | 52.46 |
| 11 | 1 | 58.96 |
| 13 | 1 | 74.18 |
| 14 | 1 | 61.62 |
| 14 | 2 | 59.66 |
| 15 | 1 | 59.20 |
| 15 | 2 | 53.55 |
According to Census data, population in the 5 current LMI census tracts (2,5,6,7,12) grew by 7.6% from 1980 to 1990. This growth rate is slightly lower than the 11% overall growth rate for the City during the same time period. These LMI tracts are located in older established residential areas where there is really no bare land for new construction. Any additional population growth in these areas would primarily be due to an increase in density resulting from conversion of older single family homes to duplexes.
According to 1990 Census data, racial/ethnic minorities comprised 4.2% of the population of Oshkosh, or 2,361 persons. This small population is fairly well distributed through the community.
The largest segment of the minority population is made up of Asian and
Pacific Islanders, which is largely composed of the Hmong. The Hmong population
is also the fastest growing segment of the minority population. The 1980 Census
indicated that there were 221 total persons in the Asian and Pacific Islander
population (there was no data on Hmong). The 1990 Census indicated that there
were 524 Hmong in Oshkosh.
During the 1980's, the City of Oshkosh was one of the fastest growing communities in the State with an 11% increase in population during that 10 year period. That growth has continued into the 1990's.
Population composition remained fairly constant from 1980 to 1990. The notable exception to this was the 24-44 age group which comprised 24% of the population in 1980 and 30% of the population in 1990.
There was growth in all employment sectors in the City during the 1980s. The service sector provides the largest segment of employment, followed by manufacturing and retail.
The 1990 Census indicated that the City had a total population of 55,006. The 1994 final estimate of City population completed by the State of Wisconsin Demographic Services Center lists the City's population at 57,389. This increase of 2,383 persons constitutes a 4.3% population increase from 1990 through 1994. This growth rate exceeds the 3.8% rate experienced by the County as a whole during the same time period.
This population growth signals the need for additional housing units. Roughly half of these new units would need to be apartment units and the other half owner occupied.
There has been a tremendous growth in the number of housing units due to new construction since the 1990 Census. Between January 1990 and September 1994 an additional 2,031 units were constructed, of which 1,362 or 67% appear to be rental units.
From a market perspective, it appears that the production of new dwelling units is outstripping demand. This is especially true of rental units in multifamily structures.
1990 Census data indicates that 88% of large related family renters were paying more than 30% of their income for rent and utilities and 62% of this family type were paying more than 50% of their income for rent and utilities. The actual number of households burdened at the >30% level is 97, 70 of which are burdened at the >50% level. The incidence of overcrowding for large related renter families of all incomes was 29.7%.
The problem of rent affordability in terms of raw numbers is greatest for the small related (2-4 person) households who are paying>30% of their monthly income for rent and utilities. Eighty-four percent of all small related renter households (352 households) were rent burdened at the >30% level, while 70% of all small related renter households (293 households) were burdened at the >50% level.
According to the 1990 Census, 1,498 households with incomes of 0-30% of median income were cost burdened. This constitutes 75% of all renter households in this extremely low income category.
According to the 1990 Census 1,158 households with incomes of 0-30% of median income were severely cost burdened. This constitutes 58% of all renter households in this income category.
Extent to which the following are being experienced - Owners
At this income level equal percentages of owners and renters are housing cost burdened at the 30+% of income level. However, fewer owners at this income level are cost burdened at the 50+% level than renters.
The highest incidence (percentage) and largest actual raw number of owners who are cost burdened and severely cost burdened occurs in this extremely low income level.
Emergency shelters in the City of Oshkosh fall into two categories, shelters for victims of domestic violence and other emergency shelters. There is only one transitional housing facility for any population in the City.
There are two shelters for victims of domestic violence in the City, the Christine Anne Shelter which is operated by Regional Domestic Abuse Services, Inc., and one shelter operated by Father Carr's organization. The Christine Anne shelter has 19 beds and 4 cribs. Father Carr's shelters have an estimated capacity of a total of 12 beds.
The Salvation Army provides vouchers for temporary emergency shelter and transportation for the homeless. The Army can also provide vouchers for clothing from their own store, and access to financial assistance for limited medical and dental work from a private charity.
The Oshkosh Chapter of the American Red Cross provides vouchers to cover a portion of the cost of security deposit and first months rent for the homeless.
There are three public entities providing subsidized housing in the City of Oshkosh; the Oshkosh Housing Authority; the Winnebago County Housing Authority; and the Cumberland Court Housing Commission.
| TOTAL | ELDERLY | NON-ELDERLY | |
| Public Housing | 360 | 266 | 94 |
| Section 8 - New Construction | 121 | 121 | 0 |
| Section 8 - Existing Certificates | 132 | 36 | 96 |
| Section 8 - Vouchers | 63 | 25 | 38 |
| CBRFs | 28 | 0 | 28 |
In July 1993, the Cumberland Court Housing Commission purchased Cumberland Court Apartments, and expiring HUD 236 project. The complex consists of nine buildings containing 72 units of which 48 are two bedroom and 24 are three bedroom
Cumberland Court unit vacancies as of September 1, 1994 - 20
The reason for the large number of vacancies at Cumberland Court is the poor condition of the rental units. The Cumberland Court Housing Authority has secured funding as described in the following section to address the repair needs of the property in 1995.
The Oshkosh and Winnebago County Housing Authorities own three CBRFs in the City. These were financed from bond proceeds and contain a total of 28 beds.
LSS Philipp Pinel Group Home: A class A group home for men and women who are mentally handicapped. This facility has 8 beds.
LSS Toward Tomorrow Group Home: A class A group home for men and women who are mentally handicapped or developmentally disabled. This facility has 12 beds.
Summit House: A class A group home for men and women who are mentally handicapped. This facility has 8 beds.
The City does not feel that it has any public policies that constitute barriers to affordability. The City permits construction of manufactured housing meeting state codes, and construction of homes on infill lots of record that are substandard in terms of dimension and area. The minimum lot size requirement for lots in new subdivisions is not excessively large. The City has an adequate supply of land in various densities of residential zoning to meet demand.
The City is prepared to approve suitable planned unit housing developments locations with greater densities than outright permitted by the zoning ordinance. This would result in lower land costs and ultimately more affordable units.
The City has previously funded a community housing resource board which will increase the awareness of fair housing regulations by providing fair housing educational materials to the public.
The following table indicates how the City concludes that the total estimated number of dwelling units containing lead paint is 77% of the total number of dwelling units in the City.
| YEAR OF CONSTRUCTION | # OF DWELLING UNITS | ESTIMATED % | ESTIMATED# OF UNITS |
|---|---|---|---|
| PRE 1940 | 8,722 | 90% | 7,849 |
| 1940-1959 | 4,138 | 80% | 3,310 |
| 1960-1979 | 5,775 | 62% | 5,581 |
| TOTAL | 16,740 | ||
The primary weaknesses in service delivery are the lack of an extensive assessment of community needs and the lack of effective networking and coordination between existing agencies to maximize assistance to clients. During numerous interviews with providers and other agencies held in developing this strategy, the City discovered that many of these entities were unaware of the full spectrum of assistance available to their clients. This does not include the one provider who apparently chooses not to work with other agencies.
In an effort to get a better picture of the human service needs in Oshkosh, the Oshkosh Foundation and the United Way have coordinated a project, FOCUS, to survey the community. The project has received financial support from the Foundation, the United Way, Mercy Medical Center and Mercy Foundation, and other sources, including CDBG Funds proposed to be provided from the 1995 allocation.
The survey, which is based on an approach developed by the national United Way organization, began in late 1994 and is expected to be complete in 1995.
There are two groups of organizations meeting in an effort to better coordinate services currently available; the Collaborative Group and the Prevention Network.
The Collaborative Group started meeting in 1994 and was initially comprised of a broad base of public and private human service and related organizations (Oshkosh Foundation, Boys and Girls Club, Oshkosh Police Department, Oshkosh School District, County Department of Social Services, Salvation Army, City Health Department, YMCA, etc.). This group helped generate interest in the community needs survey previously described and continues to meet to address issues relating to service provision.
The Prevention Network is made up of largely the same agencies as the
Collaborative Group, but is oriented primarily to coordination of efforts to
prevent a number of human service related problems from developing and has a
County wide focus.
Analysis of census data indicates there are areas of the City in various stages of deterioration. The City will undertake several activities over the 5 year period covered by this Plan in an effort to address that situation.
The City recognizes the need to address the following issues which fall both into the housing and community development categories:
Seventy-one percent of CDBG funds will be used to benefit low to moderate income households. The largest segment of CDBG funds used to benefit low to moderate income households are through the owner occupied housing rehabilitation program. This program gives priority to applications received from those living in low to moderate income census tracts.
Income from the old Section 17 Federal Rental Rehabilitation will be use for additional rental rehabilitation projects. These funds are used to make matching loans on eligible properties throughout the City. Loan rates are more favorable for projects located within low to moderate income census tracts.
HOME Rental Rehabilitation funds will be available to eligible projects city wide, with priority given to projects involving reclamation of uninhabitable units, blighted properties, projects including a programmatic component benefitting special needs populations, and also to projects involving historic properties.
CDBG funds expended on LMI activities are allocated city-wide, but for those funds used for housing programs priority is given to applications received from LMI census tracts. CDBG funds allocated for slum and blight activities are in those areas of census tracts 5,6,12, and 15 that have been designated as being blighted. Relative to distribution of CDBG funds among activities, they expend about 15% of CDBG on public service programs, 50% for housing, 20% on slum and blight activities, and 15% on administration and planning.
In completing rehabilitation projects on properties owned by households below the poverty line, the City will be reducing the housing cost burden on these households to some extent. The reduction in housing cost burden would result from actions that would reduce energy costs and the cost of repairs needed to keep the home in habitable condition. The City recognizes that while this in itself will not increase the level of income of these households, it will make more household funds available to cover other expenses.
Rehabilitation
Homebuyer Assistance
Rental Assistance
Homeless Assistance
Rehabilitation/New Construction/Homebuyer Assistance
Rental Assistance
Homeless Assistance/Prevention
The City feels that between the current joint effort of the Oshkosh United Way and the Oshkosh Foundation, the Collaborative Group and the Prevention Network, there is sufficient existing basis for addressing gaps in the existing institutional structure without the City itself creating a new entity to address this issue.
The City will support the joint effort of the Oshkosh United Way and the Oshkosh Foundation to assess the human service needs of the community by providing CDBG funds to support the cost of completing the FOCUS survey and the analysis of the results.
In terms of carrying out activities to address identified housing and
community development needs, the City will continue to work directly with the
agencies providing these services and related services to better coordinate
efforts. In addition, the results of the FOCUS survey will be considered in
future allocations of CDBG Public Service and Housing programming related
funding decisions.
The One Year Action Plan is predicated upon receiving a 1995 CDBG of $1,115,000, $100,900 in program income for a total budget of $1,215,900. The plan also includes a separate carryover of $601,026 in previous years unexpended funds. Of the $1.2 million budget approximately $67,900 will be committed to central city rehabilitation and community facilities, $358,000 to homeowner rehabilitation, $325,000 to the development of new housing in the North Main redevelopment area, about $98,000 to street improvements, and approximately $184,000 to assorted public service providers.
Block grant funds for LMI activities are city-wide in nature, funds allocated for slum and blight activities are in areas of census tracts 5,6,12, and 15.
The City of Oshkosh Department of Community Development will coordinate the implementation of this Action Plan.
Projections are that 17 homeowners will be helped with rehabilitation loans, about 11 rental rehabilitation units assisted, 11 transitional housing units assisted, 20 households aided by the development of new housing, and 20 households assisted through a home handyman program.
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.
TABLE (without associated map) provides information about the project(s).
CITY OF OSHKOSH, WISCONSIN
Mr. John Bluemke
Principal Planner
PHONE: 414/236-5057
FAX: 414/236-5106
