Community Housing Plans: An Opportunity for Advocacy

1
Community Housing Plans An Opportunity for
Advocacy

• Presented by
• Ann V. Denton
• The Enterprise Foundation
• 512.458.3200

2
The Consolidated Plan An Opportunity for
Advocacy

• The Consolidated Plan This is a strategic plan
  required by HUD of all communities that receive
  HOME, CDBG, Emergency Shelter Grants, and HOPWA.
  
• NOTE Most communities were required to write a
  NEW, five year plan in 2000. These communities
  are now submitting annual updates.

3
The Consolidated Plan An Opportunity for
Advocacy

• The Consolidated Plan is the communitys plan for
  affordable housing and community development
  activities.
• The Consolidated Plan is the communitys
  application for funds in these categories.
• The Consolidated Plan lays out performance
  measures for the community in these areas.

4
The Consolidated Plan An Opportunity for
Advocacy

• The Consolidated Plan is an application for the
  following funds
• Community Development Block Grants
• Emergency Shelter Grants
• HOME Program
• Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS

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The Consolidated Plan An Opportunity for
Advocacy

• HOME Investment Partnership Program
• Owner occupied housing assistance
• Rental project assistance
• Homebuyer assistance
• Tenant based rental assistance
• Note available from the state AND through units
  of local government

6
The Consolidated Plan An Opportunity for
Advocacy

• Emergency Shelter Grants
• Rehabilitation of shelter structures
• Essential services
• Operations and Maintenance
• Homelessness Prevention
• Note available from the state AND units of
  local government.

7
The Consolidated Plan An Opportunity for
Advocacy

• Community Development Block Grants
• frequently used for infrastructure
• can be used for housing assistance

8
The Consolidated Plan An Opportunity for
Advocacy

• Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS
• Provides rental assistance
• Usually awarded to non-profit service providers

9
The Consolidated Plan An Opportunity for
Advocacy

• The Consolidated Plan describes need, including
  an analysis of the housing market, describes the
  community strategy to meet need, and describes
  planned resource allocations.
• Millions of dollars are at stake!!

10
The Consolidated Plan An Opportunity for
Advocacy

• The Plan must
• estimate housing needs (for 3 or 5 years)
• describe priority housing needs
• estimate housing need by income category and
  family type
• distinguish between renters and owners
• describe housing needs of people with
  disabilities and HIV/AIDS
• describe homelessness and community strategy

11
The Consolidated Plan An Opportunity for
Advocacy

• Too often, communities overlook or deliberately
  ignore the neediest households.

12
The Consolidated Plan An Opportunity for
Advocacy

• Too often, communities target ALL of their
  resources to people just at or under the HUD
  definition of low income.
• Or, communities choose to assist people in
  obtaining home ownership rather than to assist
  renters.

13
The Consolidated Plan An Opportunity for
Advocacy

• Low Income households are defined by HUD as at or
  below 80 of median family income. This varies
  by community. In Austin, for a family of four,
  80 of median family income is about 44,000.
• In contrast, people on SSI (disability income)
  make less than 7,000 per year. People who are
  homeless may be making even less.

14
The Consolidated Plan An Opportunity for
Advocacy

• Home Ownership is a goal for all Americans, but
  the poorest among us may have to work towards
  this goal.
• When a community provides assistance ONLY towards
  homeownership, or ONLY for home owners, that
  community has abandoned households who are most
  in need.

15
The Consolidated Plan An Opportunity for
Advocacy

• Review the current Consolidated Plan for your
  community.
• Does the plan include targeted resources for
  those most in need?
• Does the plan discuss homelessness? Housing
  needs of people with disabilities?
• Does the plan share resources between renters and
  home owners?

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The Consolidated Plan An Opportunity for
Advocacy

• If you discover that your current Consolidated
  Plan does not meet the needs of the lowest income
  households in your community, here are some
  things you can do
• provide data on the housing needs of your group
• provide examples of successful housing projects
  that can be copied

17
The Consolidated Plan An Opportunity for
Advocacy

• Know what to ask for! Examples -
• A Fair Share of available resources for people
  who are most in need.
• Targeted resources to the lowest levels of income
  - No Household Left Behind!!
• Tenant based rental assistance.

18
The Continuum of Care An Opportunity for Advocacy

• The Continuum of Care is a locally based
• planning process designed to create a
• continuum of services, supports and housing
• that will enable homeless people in your
• community to exit homelessness.

19
The Continuum of Care An Opportunity for Advocacy

• The planning process should be inclusive of
• all stakeholders
• People who are or have been homeless
• City leaders, other decision makers
• Service providers
• Housing providers

20
The Continuum of Care An Opportunity for Advocacy

• Your community must have
• one, well-coordinated
• planning process.

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The Continuum of Care An Opportunity for Advocacy

• An effective Continuum of Care Planning
• Process is the basic minimum requirement
• for a competitive application to HUD for
• assistance under the McKinney/Vento Act.

22
The Continuum of Care An Opportunity for Advocacy

• What can you apply for?
• Supportive Housing
• Shelter Plus Care
• Single Room Occupancy

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The Continuum of Care An Opportunity for Advocacy

• Programs fundable under the Supportive
• Housing Program
• Transitional Housing
• Permanent Housing for People with Disabilities
• Safe Haven
• Supportive Services only
• Innovative Supportive Housing

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The Continuum of Care An Opportunity for Advocacy

• What is Shelter Plus Care?
• Shelter Plus Care provides rental
• assistance and requires a dollar for
• dollar match in services.
• Shelter Plus Care is targeted to people with
• disabilities.

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The Continuum of Care An Opportunity for Advocacy

• In order to participate, a person must be
• homeless AND have a disability. The
• disability can be physical, mental or
• emotional, and disability due solely to
• alcohol or drug abuse IS included.

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The Continuum of Care An Opportunity for Advocacy

• Single Room Occupancy Projects
• SRO housing contains units for occupancy by one
  person.
• The units may contain food preparation or
  sanitary facilities, or both (although they are
  not REQUIRED to contain either).

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The Continuum of Care An Opportunity for Advocacy

• Single Room Occupancy Projects
• This program provides rental assistance, NOT
  rehabilitation
• financing. However, rental assistance can pay
  operating
• expenses and debt service for rehabilitation
  financed by
• other sources. The calculation of rental
  subsidies in the
• budget includes an allowance for rehabilitation
  debt
• service.

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The Continuum of Care An Opportunity for Advocacy

• Each community is encouraged to have a
• Continuum of Care planning process. HUD
• has an organizational goal of 100 of
• affected communities will participate in this
• planning process.

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The Continuum of Care An Opportunity for Advocacy

• The planning process should be year round,
• with intense activity occurring in preparation
• for the SuperNOFA submission.

30
Public Housing Authority Plan An Opportunity for
Advocacy

• Public Housing Authorities (as of 2000) must
  submit a five year plan to administer public
  housing and the Section 8 program.
• Just like the ConPlan, the PHA Plan must be
  updated annually.

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Public Housing Authority Plan An Opportunity for
Advocacy

• The plan must include a description of housing
  needs in the community served by the PHA.
• The description must include the housing needs of
  people with disabilities, including people with
  mental illness.

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Public Housing Authority Plan An Opportunity for
Advocacy

• If they are doing this right,
• they will be coming to you
• for information!

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Public Housing Authority Plan An Opportunity for
Advocacy

• The PHA Plan will tell you
• whether or not the PHA has designated their
  public housing units elderly only or if people
  with disabilities are eligible for public housing.

34
Public Housing Authority Plan An Opportunity for
Advocacy

• The PHA plan will tell you
• if the PHA has designated public housing units
  as elderly only, the plan must tell you how the
  PHA plans to obtain additional Section 8 vouchers
  for people with disabilities.

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Public Housing Authority Plan An Opportunity for
Advocacy

• The PHA plan will tell you
• If people with disabilities are allowed in
  public housing units, the plan will describe
  eligibility, tenant selection and admission
  policies.

36
Public Housing Authority Plan An Opportunity for
Advocacy

• The PHA Plan must be developed with the input of
  a Resident Advisory Board.
• Membership on the Resident Advisory Board
  includes residents of public housing units and
  current Section 8 recipients.

37
Public Housing Authority Plan An Opportunity for
Advocacy

• In addition to the Resident Advisory Board,
• the PHA plan must also have at least one
• public hearing prior to submission to HUD.

38
Public Housing Authority Plan An Opportunity for
Advocacy

• Opportunities for advocacy include recruiting a
  sympathetic member of the Resident Advisory
  Board.
• Remember this can be a current recipient of
  Section 8.

39
Public Housing Authority Plan An Opportunity for
Advocacy

• Opportunities for advocacy include educating your
  group about the PHA plan and presenting
  information at the public hearing about the needs
  of people with disabilities.

40
Public Housing Authority Plan An Opportunity for
Advocacy

• What to ask for?
• A Fair Share of resources in this plan means a
  specific number of units or Section 8 vouchers
  designated for people with disabilities.

41
Public Housing Authority Plan An Opportunity for
Advocacy

• What to ask for?
• A Fair Share in this plan includes PHA
  participation in the Mainstream Housing resources
  annual competition.

42
Public Housing Authority Plan An Opportunity for
Advocacy

• What to ask for?
• A Fair Share here includes the planned use of
  Section 8 resources to help low income families
  achieve home ownership.

43
Public Housing Authority Plan An Opportunity for
Advocacy

• What to ask for?
• A Fair Share includes ensuring that PHA
  operations explicitly plan for the participation
  of people with disabilities.

44
Community Housing Plans An Opportunity for
Advocacy

• Provide Public Testimony
• The Consolidated Plan and the PHA Plan control
  the use of millions of dollars of resources.
• Communities and the PHAs are REQUIRED to hold
  public hearings on plan contents.

45
Community Housing Plans An Opportunity for
Advocacy

• Typical ConPlan Argument
• Argument The Bang for the Buck argument. Why
  should
• we try to help households that are at the lowest
  income
• levels? At those levels, it costs more per
  household. It is a
• better use funds to serve as many households as
  possible.

46
Community Housing Plans An Opportunity for
Advocacy

• Countering the Bang for the Buck
• argument
• These are public funds. Are we, as a community,
• prepared to abandon our citizens who are most in
• need? The most appropriate use of public funds
  is
• to assist households the private sector cannot
• reach - the poorest of the poor.

47
Community Housing Plans An Opportunity for
Advocacy

• Countering Typical ConPlan Arguments
• Argument Wed like to help more poor people,
• but the numbers just wont work.

48
Community Housing Plans An Opportunity for
Advocacy

• Countering the numbers just wont work argument
• Your development plan needs to include multiple
• funding sources, at least one of which is rental
  
• assistance. Rental assistance allows the
• development of mixed income projects.

49
Community Housing Plans An Opportunity for
Advocacy

• Typical PHA Argument
• HUD doesnt require us to designate people
• with disabilities as a special preference.
• (and you cant make us, is the usual
• unspoken message).

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Community Housing Plans An Opportunity for
Advocacy

• Countering the HUD doesnt require this
  argument
• HUD does require a public hearing and that the
  PHA
• plan be developed with consultation with
• affected groups. You must comply with this
• requirement. (Yes, we can make you!)

51
Community Housing Plans An Opportunity for
Advocacy

• A typical argument is
• Why should we give your group special
• treatment? Everybody needs housing. You
• need to get in line like everyone else.

52
Community Housing Plans An Opportunity for
Advocacy

• Countering the special treatment argument
• If your plan DOES NOT specifically include
  resource allocations for people who are most in
  need, you have deliberately abandoned this group!
  
• Were not asking for special treatment, but for a
  Fair Share of the resources at your disposal!!

53
Community Housing Plans An Opportunity for
Advocacy

• Find your friends
• Coalition for the Homeless
• Affordable Housing Task Force or similar group
• Consumers Union
• Local housing non-profits
• Friendly agency staff and/or key public officials
• Anti-poverty, anti-hunger organizations
• Service Providers

54
Community Housing Plans An Opportunity for
Advocacy

• Get involved
• Gather the information that will be needed in
  these processes - make friends with the planners!
  Form alliances with other like minded folk.

55
Community Housing Plans An Opportunity for
Advocacy

• Have accurate information on the need for
• affordable housing in your community.
• Good sources of information include
• www.nlihc.org
• www.tacinc.org
• www.c-c-d.org
• www.hud.gov

56
Community Housing Plans An Opportunity for
Advocacy

• Educate yourself about issues (poverty,
  disability, homelessness) and learn the housing
  language
• Attend public hearings, provide written comments,
  involve your friends.

57
Community Housing Plans An Opportunity for
Advocacy

• Dont ever
• take NO
• for an answer!!!!