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HomeMy WebLinkAboutExhibit 7V. Activities to be Undertaken Housing During the next year, the City of Miami will focus on implementing policies that advance housing preservation and neighborhood revitalization, with the overall goal of improving the quality of life of the residents and preserving the social and historic character of low income neighborhoods threatened by gentrification. As such, the 2005-2006 Action Plan concentrates on the i wing activities: Affordable housing preservation and new construction Neighborhood revitalization through the creation of o ' ock concept Mixed use/income redevelopment Below is a detailed description of the housing police Matrix at the end of the document provides a 'nor agencies funded by the Community Developm Preserve Affordable. Rental Housing In order to preserve affordable rental ng specifically, within the Model Blocks a construction of new rental units. Throug rental housing available to low and moder Assessment in the Consolidated Plan, the fo assistance, namely s =4s _ ' 'es and single HIV/AIDS. Below d activities that the tailed ac s unt of the active ment be undertaking. Activities opportunities the City of Mi e, the City olds. of the prop Finance Rental U the Model Block e City rent The ass owne in return income rest tinue to Prov ' . e rental housi e consists o ings. Th curi ermanent e n househo d program '11 undertake. The HUD t e various the City of Miami, and more ill eek will encourage the rease the inventory of affordable ecommended in the Housing Needs hose that are most in need of rental , such as the elderly and persons with nit ' crease the inventory of affordable rental housing in of ami will continue to encourage the construction of new s for site development and will offer hard and soft ncing associated with the development of affordable housing ection ental Housing Assistance: The City of Miami will continue to ssista ce to very low income households through the Section 8 Program. This oject Based and Tenant Based vouchers. The Project Based units are privately wners of these rental structures were given moneys to rehabilitate the buildings 11 the units for very low income residents. Through this program, very low able to live in safe, decent, and affordable privately -owned rental housing. Preserve Existing Affordable Housing - Homeowner Retention Activities The City of Miami will focus on providing housing rehabilitation assistance to low and moderate income households in order to help them maintain and retain their homes and in order to prevent the existing housing stock from continuing to decline. This is important since there are a substantial number of the single family homes in the City that fall below minimum housing quality standards (disrepair) which are owned by low and moderate income homeowners who lack the financial capacity and/or credit history required to obtain home repair fmancing from private lenders. Special outreach will be done to target housing units in the Model Block areas. The goal will be to assist homeowners with deferred maintenance, emergency repairs, removal of code violations, and replacement of unsafe structures. Preference will be 2006-2007 Action Plan 17 given to the elderly, disabled and persons with HIVIAIDS. Below are the specific programs that will be used to implement this policy. Rehab Existing Homeowner Units and Correct Code Violations: The City of Miami will provide home improvement and rehabilitation assistance to homeowners throughout the City in order to improve the condition of existing housing stock. Under this rehab program, homeowner(s) that reside and maintain a property as their principal residence in the City of Miami will be able to obtain a deferred loan to bring their property to decent, safe and sanitary housing standard, or to correct existing code violations. Through this program, the City will be able to encourage low to moderate income owners that have illegal units to bring their properties up to code or to remove the illegal structures. To do this, the Community Development Department will work closely with Code Enforcement to target areas that have a high number of code violations. The intent is to ; ide incentives for homeowners to correct code violations. Emergency Grant Home Repair Assistance: The City w to an eligible homeowner to carry out limited repairs su immediately rectify life hazardous and potentially h health of the occupants of the home. Replace Unsafe Housing Structures: The occupied housing units which are not suita of temporary relocation expenses, demolition of t construction costs associated with the reconstruction Homeownership Activities The City of Miami will continue to assur working class and moderate income famili priced out of the market d . e to increasing re inventory of affords • nership units second mortgage, • n pay and closing help renters to • for hom nership by re following describes . .ecifi• ograms. Fi Mia eligibl available access to the assistance, b ► iIl prov' e abilita s roo conditi deferred payment loan assistance ectrical and plumbing to at threaten the safety and assistance to re Funds will be cture, and new home. e homeow hom pidated owner - to defray the cost and hard ip opportunities are available for wnership opportunities but may be is, the City will seek to increase the ugh new c ' truction. In addition, the City will provide t assistance to new homebuyers. Finally, the City will in_ them to Homebuyer Counseling Programs. The tructi ► ew ' . `° ship Units: The City of Miami will promote affordable for low an• moderate income families by financing new construction. oft onstruction financing and permanent financing for affordable Po e har e Homeowne .11 provide d ns and 0 ip Financing: To assist homebuyers in the purchase of a home, the City of n payment, closing cost and/or second mortgage financing assistance to seholds who are first time homebuyers. Although this assistance will be ho wants to purchase a home in the City of Miami, City residents will have um allowable subsidy. Residents who are moving into the City will be eligible for t a lower cap. Provide Homeownership Counseling: Homebuyer counseling is a vital component of any homeownership program. In the next year, the City of Miami will work closely with the Miami -Dade Housing Agency and Greater Miami LISC to assure that families who are interested in homeownership are referred to their Comprehensive Housing Counseling Program. The goal is to create a pipeline of qualified buyers who will be able to purchase a home. To achieve this goal, the City will conduct outreach in the Model Blocks, with the goal of referring residents to participate in the Comprehensive Housing Counseling Program. 2006-2007 Action Plan 18 de Furth extra Stimulate Housing Development — Other Non -HUD Activities In addition to the activities listed above, it is important for the City of Miami to provide incentives to stimulate housing development. Such incentives help to off -set the barriers that make it difficult to undertake affordable housing projects. The following is a list of the incentives that the City of Miami will provide in order to facilitate the development of affordable housing. Tax Credit Assistance/Housing Credit Match: Untapped resources such as the Low -Income Housing Tax Credit (LITHC) program will need to be creatively utilized and combined with private financing to create a viable housing production incentive. To this end, the City of Miami will assist developers by providing matching funds and by making sure that the items on the LITHC application checklist that apply to the jurisdiction are completed promptly. Affordable Housing Incentives: The City of Miami will conti through the Affordable Housing Incentive Plan. This plan pr projects with a number of local incentives that are intende and reduce certain cost(s) in connection with the produc of Miami. The incentives include: • Expedited Permitting for Affordable sing Projects • Review of Legislation, Policies a • Impact Fee Wavier / Exemption • Interim Proprietary and eneral Services Fee er / Exemption • Reduction of Parking an ' Requirements • Interim Proprietary and Ge ee Waiver emption o p . ide incentives to developers developers of affordable housing 'te the pre -development process le housing projects in the City The requirements Model Block Training Development De train' i '. t evelop Increase Capa sing providers, 'nations. Speci ent corpora e, the Ci ints cre an will be am eas. elopers on Cit rk with oth that Im • t Affordable Ho to limit t lives to projects that are located within the rams and Regulations: The Community ity departments and Miami -Dade County to provide ions that govern the development process. Such training rocess, zoning, and environmental clearances. Non- • using Providers: To help improve the capacity of non-profit ity of mi will provide various services intended to assist these lly, th City will provide local government matching for community s (CDCs) applying for tax credit financing for affordable housing projects. i11 encourage CDCs to partner with private developers by giving developers eir RFP applications if they have a 51 % partner that is a non-profit. Special Needs Affordable Housing Activities The City of Miami is committed to assisting persons with special needs and their families obtain affordable housing. Special needs populations include the elderly, individuals living with HIV/AIDS, and persons with disabilities who are within the very low to moderate income range. The programs for special needs populations are described below. Housing Opportunities for the Elderly: The City will provide funds for rehabilitation and new construction of residence projects that are Section 202 Support Housing. Housing Opportunities for Families with AIDS through HOPWA: Through HOPWA, the City of Miami will work to expand housing opportunities for county residents that are low to moderate income and have been diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. Programs include project -based rental subsidies, the 2006-2007 Action Plan 19 Emergency Rental, Mortgage and Utility Assistance Program, and the Housing Information, Referral & Advocacy Program. Preference will be given to units that have a mix of residents with various household incomes. Homeless Program: The Community Development Department will continue its efforts in the prevention of homelessness by supporting the City of Miami's Homeless Program and its outreach programs. The City's Homeless Office provides outreach services in the form of referrals for a myriad of social services, to include behavioral, mental, health, and supportive housing. Other Housing Activities Fair Housing: Fair housing practices are aimed at reducing pre discrimination. The City will ensure that fair housing laws are minorities, and special needs populations are protected aga Lead Based Paint Hazards: The City of Miami hazards and preventing childhood lead poisoning consulting firm specializing in the reduction an neighborhoods. In addition, the City will con all public housing residents informing the Public Services The main objective for addressing public being of low and moderate income residen established for disbursement of CDBG fun lderly servic r rehabilitati ssion District program. public hearings. Thes training, and progr be divided amo description of Eld mplementati enefits. In gene ices (medical), and health in ex-o Five Co c servi is co ding and housing orced and that low income groups, iminatory practices. ed to si , the Ci ilization of lead pal to prov' ' e educational azards ead base poisoni is to enhani h spec ntly reducing lead base paint ecure the services of a ds in lower income pa - s ; d guidelines to health, safety, and overall well needs. The public service priorities eds identified by the community at uth servic services for the disabled, childcare, job The distri ution of CDBG funds for these activities will ased on the HUD formula allocation. Below is a g segments of the City of Miami's population is ommunity wevelopment is responsible for the design and rogra t assist seniors and the frail elderly in providing a variety of rvice the elderly include adult nutritional services, home sportat , mental health, protective services, day care, basic needs life ation. Youth epartment of Community Development will secure special recognition to youth acti • ted on City Parks. Moreover, the department will provide funding to entities inclined tow th enrichment activities, such as; health and fitness programs; educational tutoring/couns i g; after -school activities; youth mentoring training; character development services; cultural and historical services; anti -gang outreach; advocacy for abuse; and neglected children; music and art education. Childcare/Head Start: Community Development is committed to providing financial backing to childcare service providers that provide quality childcare to low and moderate income families. Childcare subsidies will also be available to low income working groups so that the cost of day care does not serves as barrier in families striving to increase their earning potential through employment. The City will assist in meeting the demand for comprehensive programs that meet the educational, social, health, dental, nutritional, and psychological needs of children living in poverty. Head start programs target low-income preschool age children and their families. ices: Th co 2006-2007 Action Plan 20 Disabled Services: Community Development will continue to support and advocate on behalf of persons with disabilities through the provision of funding to programs that provide support services, nutritional meals, educational assistance, care giver support services, special transportation, in -home services, mental health, legal intervention/referrals, and outreach services. Furthermore, Community Development promotes and secures the rights of the disabled population by demanding compliance with the "Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990" (ADA) in all of its existing funded programs. Job Training: The City will support agencies that offer employment training and life skills to low to moderate income citizens. Organizations receiving CDBG dollars will be required to streamline services towards employability skills that expand and enhance employable proficiency. The challenge is to provide job training assistance to the underemployed subgroup of the local co r pity. Economic Development Economic development activities will target job creati Commercial/Industrial improvements and assistance Commercial Business Corridors (CRCs). The dis activities will be divided among the Five Com funding priority for economic development activities describes the various economic development programs. Job Creation and Retention: Jo small businesses in areas stricken by comply with the regulations set -forth b verify that at least 51% of the jobs ident ntation for each FR 570 Sec. people. Pertinent doe purposes, as iden Converse) income persons, CDBG funds. Prim to , people. at lea icro-enterpris or fewer emplo ment will ch neig assistan provide se mission is to public servic o�nterprise rivate for profit entiti BG funds for ec ed on the HUD to the CBCs. nce, technical assistance, hin the identified velopment la allocation. The e following provides ion and retention 'des the stabilization and expansion of isadvantages. claiming job creation must tity seeking it for job creation must be able to ill b= eld or made available to lower income cen - secured for compliance monitoring and 208. cures credit fo e evidence that quent 0 b retention proclaiming salvage of jobs held by lower s would have been lost without the assistance of w the assistance meets the national objective of benefiting ss must execute a written agreement that contains a promise of the retained jobs will be available to lower income citizens. sistanc icro-enterprise is defined in the regulations as a business that has and at : t one of those employees is the owner. The Department of Community funding to small businesses with the intent to restore economic soundness in ally distressed. The assistance provided can be in the form of credit, technical es, fmancial support, and general support. Under this category funds may be used to kind that are needed by the owner for the expansion of the business. The overall small businesses to grow. In addition, services provided do not count against the 15 % p. (24 CFR 570 Sec. 201) Technical Assistance: CDBG assistance can be used to pay for technical assistance to build the capacity of nonprofits to carry out eligible neighborhood revitalization or economic development projects. In order to make use of available funds under this category, the grantee must determine, prior to providing assistance the eligibility of the activity for which the capacity is to be built and that such activity meets a national objective. The subsequent factors must be evaluated to determine if a national objective will be met; the nature of the organization receiving the assistance; the type and eligibility of the activity to be carried out; the location of the activity; and clientele expected to be served. Forms of assistance could be training, loan underwriting, rehab loan program and capacity building. (24 CFR 570.201 (p)) Commercial or Industrial Improvements (Rehabilitation): Community Development provides funding under rehabilitation for a commercial facade treatment program. CDBG funds may be used to 2006-2007 Action Plan 21 such. whethe under his past; distinct' possessing hi (d)) Infrastructure: Community De livability of targeted revitalization ar-~> << replacing or developing necessary in neighborhood areas. The repairs further ne identified in the CBC he goal is Beare. s development are e improveme upgrades, flog • waste dispo facilities, s youth center wills rout quail cements throu p with the facilitation pi istoric Pres • to account the e 'on 106 (36 CF 'ble to be on t category al 'cly or p ains an enior ce ife e oder ds. finance the cost of rehabilitation for commercial and industrial improvements where such property is owned by a for profit entity. The facade treatment program deems the following as eligible projects; pressure cleaning, painting, awnings, doors, store showcase windows, signs and shutters, fences, resurfacing of parking lots and parking lot infrastructure. If a business is classified as for -profit, the facade is limited to the outside of the building. The primary objective of the program is to provide assistance to business owners attempting to rectify code compliance violations. (24 CFR 570.202 (a) (3)) Code Compliance: The Code Compliance program is designed to alleviate economic strain on low income business owners in violation of city codes. Without the implementation of this program small business owners may be severely impacted by the financial expenditures spent in correcting code violations. The commercial component is designed to provide financial assistance to eligible businesses in violation of codes. The business must have a violation notice as a pre -requisite for tance. The conditions that qualify for assistance are electrical, building, fire, plumbing, mechanical a ' ` r •mpliance. Special Economic Development Activities: CDBG assis businesses when the assistance is deemed appropriate or in 570.203 (a). The assistance must be classified as appro public benefits from the aid to a business. The assis guarantees, interest supplements, and technical a Other Community Development Activities nt allocates fund e economic s, in respo ervan order to b - in the fo e utilized to assist private for -profits the regulations under 24 CFR the degree to which the ts, loans, loan this category to improve the safety and t growth incentives by upgrading, o the priority needs of distinct of the economic development areas Latin investment in distressed economic renovatio streets, sidewalks, flood drains, water system sites. The assistance can be provided to community arks, and childcare facilities. Infrastructure improvements elimination of deteriorating conditions, in conjunction portunities. The funded projects or activities must take • Historic Preservation Act of 1966 directs federal agencies to take kings on historic properties. The regulations are mandated under rmore, this implies that public or private places can be rehabbed if they tional list of Historic Places or are officially recognized by state or local law, as uthorizes the costs of preserving or restoring properties of historic significance, ately owned. The following are potentially eligible categories for CDBG assistance ton: events significant in the broad patterns of our history; persons significant in our racteristics of type, period, method of construction, or the work of a master, or artistic values; yielding information important to history of prehistory. (24 CFR 570.202 n: of their ). F Administration and Planning: CDBG and HOME funds are allowed to cover general and reasonable costs related to the planning and execution of community development activities, assisted in whole or partially. These costs are not directly related to providing a specific activity. Program administration includes items such as overall management, coordination, monitoring, and evaluation of the jurisdictions programs. Some of the tasks affiliated with program administration are preparing budgets, performance reports, and staff salaries. The use of program administration has a monetary cap responsive to distinctive grants. The following are the cap limitations set -forth for the subsequent categories: the cap limitation for CDBG funds states that no more than 20% of grant funds plus program income may be used for planning and administration; the cap limitations for the HOME program funds states that no more than 10% of grant 2006-2007 Action Plan 22 funds plus program income may be used for administration costs. (24 CFR 570.206 (a) (1)) (24 CFR 92.207HOME) Section 108 Loan: Section 108 loan is an extension of the CDBG program. It involves the pledging up to five years of a community's entire CDBG entitlement as backup collateral for a loan. Section 108 loans serve as the following: a tool to accelerate current CDBG activities; an opportunity to match sources; a means of providing long-term fixed rate financing; and a tool to receive funds without obligating general tax funds. The loan terms may last up to twenty (20) years. Some of the eligible activities under a 108 loan include but not are limited to acquisition for economic development activities, acquisition, rehabilitation of real property owned or acquired by a public entity, clearance, demolition, site preparation for construction or reconstruction of public site improvements, and housing rehab and preservation. (24 CFR 570.703 & 705) As) 2006-2007 Action Plan 23