#5 CDBG and HOME Priorities
NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES MEMORANDUM
August 10, 2009
TO: Community Development Authority
FROM: Jennifer Petruzzello, Neighborhood Services Director
SUBJECT: Item #5 – Identification of priorities and criteria for CDBG and HOME funding
Executive Summary:
Development of the 5 Year Consolidated Plan is currently underway. A draft plan has been
created by MSA Professional Services (the consultant assisting the City with the preparation of
its Consolidated Housing and Community Development Plan), with input from the Steering
Committee. This draft was initially prepared without knowledge of the CDA’s priorities
because there was not a quorum at the Authority’s July meeting.
The planning process is at a point where it is necessary for the CDA to identify their top
priorities. More detailed information will be provided and more specific goals will be
identified for those items which are identified as priorities. In addition, the 2010 budget will
be prepared with those priorities in mind.
Staff recommends that the CDA identify three to four housing and public service activities to be
identified as funding priorities for 2010. These priorities are those that the CDA should
envision funding in the upcoming years.
Background:
MSA Professional Services has recently completed a series of 5 focus groups intended to garner
increased public participation for the City’s CDBG and HOME Consolidated Planning process.
The focus groups were conducted on June 23 and June 25. In total, there were 31 participants,
including 6 persons who identified themselves as consumers of one or more of the programs
funded through the CDBG and HOME programs.
During each focus group, participants were asked to define the Strengths, Weaknesses,
Opportunities, Threats, and Gaps in the housing and community development programs
offered within the City of Janesville and Rock County. At the culmination of each session,
participants were given three stickers that they placed next to the three things they felt were
the highest priorities.
On July 7, the Steering Committee heard a presentation from MSA on the results of these
th
focus groups. MSA defined the “top ten” priorities identified during the focus groups, and the
Steering Committee privately ranked their top five priorities. The following list displays the
priority objectives, in order of ranking:
-Create affordable, quality, housing stock for LMI
-Improve Existing housing stock
-Job Training
-Rent assistance
-Healthcare
-Increased Home-ownership Opportunities
-Transitional Housing for the general population
-Transportation
-Self-Sufficiency programs (responsible renting, etc.)
-Subsidized housing
-Education/training on HUD requirements
The goals of the CDBG program are to provide decent housing, a suitable living environment,
and expanded economic opportunities. The goal of the HOME program is to buy, build, or
rehabilitate affordable housing for rent or homeownership or to provide direct rental
assistance to low-income individuals.
Eligible activities include a wide variety of acquisition, rehabilitation, construction, and
demolition activities associated with residential building, low-income housing, urban
redevelopment, and public facilities. Only 15% of the CDBG funds may be used for public
services. Public services include, though are not limited to, those concerned with employment,
crime prevention, child care, health, drug abuse, education, fair housing counseling, energy
conservation, welfare, homebuyer down-payment assistance, or recreational needs.
Analysis:
The establishment of clear priorities is critical to developing a planning document that is
focused on housing and public service activities that will have the greatest impact in the
community.
Through the establishment of clear goals, the CDA will be positioned to evaluate funding
requests from non-profit organizations who provide valuable public services to the
community.
CDA members are encouraged to compare the eligible activities and program goals to the
priorities identified by the focus group and steering committee.
Recommendation:
Staff has compared the program goals with the priorities identified by the focus groups and
recommends the CDA select 3-4 housing priorities and 3-4 public service activities to be
identified as priorities:
Housing Priorities: Create affordable, quality, housing stock for LMI
Improve Existing housing stock
Increased home ownership opportunities
Transitional Housing for general population (infrastructure)
Subsidized Housing (infrastructure)
Public Service Priorities: Job Training or employment services
Rent assistance
Healthcare
Transitional Housing for the general population (services)
Transportation
Self-Sufficiency programs
Education / Training on HUD requirements