Racine is an older industrial city located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, 20 miles south of the City of Milwaukee and 70 miles north of Chicago, Illinois. Its 1990 population was 84,298 down from 95,162 in 1970.
Racine's 1995 Action Plan called for spending as follows:
| Community Development Block Grant | $2,630,000 | ||
| HOME Investment Partnership Act | 738,000 | ||
| Emergency Shelter Grants Program | 88,000 | ||
| Estimated Program Income | 425,000 | ||
| Total Available: | $3,881,000 |
Building on its application for Enterprise Community Status, Racine invited
a wide range of citizens, community organizations and interest groups to
participate in the planning of its 1995-1999 5-year Consolidated Plan. As part
of that planning four Town Hall public meetings and work sessions were held in
May and June 1994. Separate hearings and meetings were held to discuss the 1995
Action Plan. The City also used surveys conducted by the Racine County Housing
Authority and City Health Department. Consultations were held with the County,
the Housing Authority and various City Departments involved in housing and
community development issues.
While Racine has lost population, the demographic mix has changed with
minorities rising to 23.6 percent of the total population in 1990 and persons
living below the poverty line increasing to 15.9 percent from 9.4 percent
between 1980 to 1990. Renter occupied housing rose slightly between 1980 and
1990 while owner occupied units slipped about 1,000. Of Racine's 33,945 housing
units, over 40 percent were built before 1940 and under 10 percent erected since
1970. The City lacks vacant land suitable for development and Wisconsin
annexation laws inhibit expansion into adjacent areas.
A shift to more lower paying jobs spurred pressure on affordability of housing with an indicated increase from approximately 33 percent of renters paying more than 30 percent of income for rent in 1980 to an estimated 55 percent. Those paying at least one-half of income for housing surged from 16 percent to 39 percent over the 10 year span.
Vacancy rates for both rental and owner-occupied units were tight in 1990 with only .7 percent of owner units vacant and 4.9 percent for apartments. An indicator of declining housing conditions is the number of persons residing in each unit which went from 1.83 to 2.45 for rentals and from 2.57 to 2.73 for owner units.
6.5 percent of rentals and 10.5 percent of owner units are substandard with 90 percent of the substandard units suitable for rehabilitation.
Data compiled by the City indicates that almost all extremely low, very low and low income households demonstrate the need for assistance. Small related renter households of 2-4 persons have the greatest numerical need, 1,357 units with elderly renters and owners exhibiting the smallest need at 95 and 84 units respectively.
There is critical need for affordable housing among Racine's black and Hispanic populations since their income levels are so low. The following information shows needs in 1990.
It is clear that the lowest income minority household renters in Racine have the most severe housing needs that must be addressed.
Data also show a need for assistance in rehabilitating owner-occupied housing, a need for construction of new owner housing and assistance for first time homebuyers, especially young families holding lower wage service jobs.
Racine's homeless population is small and its needs are well met. 69 percent of the homeless were non-Hispanic African Americans. A large proportion of these are families headed by unmarried black women. Single women with no children are a growing segment of the homeless in the City.
The waiting list for Section 8 existing units is almost as large as the total number of units available. If no additional units are made available it will take 10 years to meet the needs of those on the existing waiting list. Scattered sites, with far fewer units, has a similar slow turnover. Other assisted housing types and projects all have long waiting lists and relatively slow turnover which results in potentially long waits for assistance.
The most prominent barriers are lack of buildable land within the city and availability of funding to subsidize construction or rehabilitation. The cost of acquisition, relocation and clearance is an impediment to making vacant sites available. Project Pride which is developing new housing ownership opportunities on in-fill lots within the City cites the reluctance of prospective buyers to invest in some neighborhoods. Another problem is neighborhood resistance to new low income housing and the cost of new construction.
The City contracted with the Racine Fair Housing Office, Inc. to provide outreach, education and complaint handling during 1995. That office indicated it had received complaints from 46 African American female headed households with children, of which 27 were race based. Sixteen familial status linked cases and 11 based on income (some were from multiple causes) were reported.
The City is strengthening its lead paint inspection and mitigation program through a $190,000 grant from the State and federal governments. Inspection of 92 units from July 1993 to July 1994 resulted in 57 abatement actions. The City is revising its code to conform with the State's and will cut compliance time from 60 to 30 days. The increased funds will enable new staff to conduct door to door inspections and an intensified prevention campaign involving African-American churches.
Racine divided its non-housing needs into short term (1-2 years) and long term (5 year) needs.
The City lists maintenance of viable neighborhoods and upgrading of blighted areas as its top non-housing priority. Efforts to stabilize employment and expand economic opportunities is a high goal for the City. Increases in employment and tax base are part of this goal. Public facilities, public services, slum and blight elimination and parks, recreation and culture are lower priorities.
Additional goals are listed within each general priority. Specific areas of need are listed for both short and long term objectives.
The Department of City Development is the focal point for coordinating all
housing and community development programs under the plan. The City Council has
formed a Housing and Neighborhoods Committee to enhance its role in program
management and coordination.
Racine focuses on neighborhood revitalization in Census Tracts 1-5 which was described in its application for Enterprise Community designation. That application offers a vision of a city composed of viable and lively neighborhoods and seeks this goal through improved housing, accessibility to housing through increased ownership and housing rehabilitation along with improved neighborhood environments. Jobs are a key tool to revitalized neighborhoods as use of the State Enterprise Zones and redevelopment lead to this objective.
Over the 5 year period, Racine plans to rehabilitate 500 units for extremely low, very low, and low income owners and renters. Five hundred very low and extremely low income renters will be offered rental assistance and 225 homes will be available for owners through new construction and for first time buyers over the 5 year period. These homes and apartments will be developed through new and existing programs sponsored by the City and funded with federal, State, local and private funds.
Housing needs are the number one priority with neighborhood revitalization and economic development also key components of the City's strategy.
Racine's lowest income renters, mostly smaller families who are often minorities, have the highest priority for rental assistance or dwelling rehabilitation assistance based on analysis of the City's needs data. Other needs, while important, are not as critical but do require attention over the life of the Consolidated Plan. Ownership opportunities for first time buyers is such a priority which is featured in the 5 year plan.
Neighborhood revitalization is the top goal for the City of Racine. This will be done in conjunction with residential rehabilitation and new construction to create attractive livable communities within the City.
Revitalization ranges from street lighting to better policing to increasing the tax base among many objectives. After neighborhood renewal, increasing and expanding the City's job base to reduce un/under employment is a top goal.
Six issues have been selected for attention. They are development of additional jobs for residents of Census Tracts 1-5, retention of existing businesses, better delivery of job training and placement, enhancing job skills and improving people's ability to participate in the labor force and creation of new sites for businesses in the target area.
Racine uses and will continue to employ all available public and private resources to meet its plan objectives included are federal assistance from HUD including CDBG, HOME, ESG and the Supportive Housing Programs, Section 8 vouchers and certificates, and low rent public housing. Federal resources also include Department of Energy weatherization funds. State resources include the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority for loan for homebuyers and funds for rehabilitation, Housing Cost Reduction Initiative funds, State ESG from HUD and State emergency shelter subsidy grants. Among private resources are Habitat for Humanity, the Racine Area United Way and local utilities (weatherization funds). Other State and federal antipoverty programs, foundation assistance funds, local tax funds and other resources will be tapped to meet goals.
The Department of City Development as the City's planning and development
agency has for years been in charge of coordinating Racine's various federal
State and local housing and community development programs as well as all
planning, zoning, development and redevelopment functions. It will be in charge
of strategic plan coordination as well.
The 1995 Racine Action Plan calls for spending an estimated $3,881,000 from federal grants and expected program income on a wide range of housing, community development and homeless assistance activities. Among the major projects are the following:
| 1. | City Housing Program | $350,000 | ||
| Loans for rehabilitation of housing to be occupied by low and moderate income owners and tenants. | ||||
| 2. | State Street Redevelopment Project | $425,000 | ||
| Acquisition, relocation and demolition to provide redevelopment site. | ||||
| 3. | HOME Program | $419,200 | ||
| Housing Rehabilitation of single and multi-family housing for low and moderate income owners and tenants. | ||||
| 4. | Rainfair Site Remediation | $225,000 | ||
| Environmental clean-up of site for an industrial/commercial redevelopment site. | ||||
| 5. | Homeless Program | $68,000 | ||
| Services and operational costs of Emergency Shelters. |
Almost all of the activities will occur in Census Tracts 1-5, which are located in central Racine. Some activities will be conducted in other areas but are designed to benefit low and moderate income persons or persons who are presumed to be low and moderate income such as the disabled and the elderly.
The Department of City Development is the lead agency for all activities except Section 8 and Public Housing. Those two are administered by the Racine County Housing Authority. While the Racine Housing Department manages the day to day aspects of many of the housing programs such as rehabilitation, the DCD handles overall management.
Through use of its HUD programs, Racine expects its 1995 program to have produced 205 rehabilitated units and 10 newly constructed units. It will also have assisted in the acquisition of 31 units. Six hundred dwellings will have been inspected through the new code enforcement program. Additional units may be produced through State and local initiatives.
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; in addition, a table provides additional information about the project(s).
MAP 6 depicts Neighborhood Segments and proposed HUD funded projects.
