City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: APRIL 3, 2019
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
FROM: MARK B. JINKS, CITY MANAGER /s/
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
Public Hearing and Consideration of Draft City Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 Action Plan for Housing and Community Development.
BODY
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ISSUE: Introduction of the Draft City Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 Action Plan for Housing and Community Development and Request for Public Hearing.
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council:
1. Receive the Draft FY 2020 Action Plan for Housing and Community Development, containing the City’s draft application for FY 2020 funding for an estimated $941,853 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) monies and $536,873 in Home Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) monies; and
2. Docket the Draft FY 2020 Action Plan for Public Hearing and consideration on Saturday, April 13.
DISCUSSION: The City of Alexandria’s Draft Consolidated Plan for Housing and Community Development has been prepared in accordance with regulations set forth by the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). These regulations require that participants in certain HUD programs including, but not limited to, the CDBG and HOME programs, submit an annual Action Plan to provide a concise summary of the actions, activities, and the specific federal and non-federal resources that will be used each year of its current five-year Consolidated Plan period, to address the priority needs and specific goals identified by the Consolidated Plan. A Draft Citizen Summary of the Action Plan is provided as an attachment.
The Draft Action Plan describes the City’s specific objectives to be undertaken or accomplished during FY 2020 to address the overall needs for affordable housing, shelters and services for the homeless, housing for persons with special needs, and community and economic development. The draft plan is the fifth Action Plan prepared for the FY 2016 to FY 2020 Consolidated Plan period and is consistent with ongoing program activities as well as core services included in the City Manager’s Proposed FY 2020 Budget.
BACKGROUND: The Office of Housing prepares the information included in the Action Plans in consultation with the City departments, such as the Department of Community and Human Services, the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority, the City of Alexandria Partnership to Prevent and End Homelessness, and numerous area agencies and nonprofit organizations that provide services for very low-, low- and moderate-income persons.
The Citizen Summary has been prepared to provide highlights of planned federally funded program activities, as well as to demonstrate the City’s anticipated initiatives to leverage local, state, federal and private resources to support programs that serve and empower the very low-, low-, and moderate-income targeted populations in the Alexandria community, as reported in the FY 2016 to FY 2020 Consolidated Plan that was submitted online to HUD in May 2015.
Several Plans adopted by City Council and other Boards and Commissions (e.g., Housing Master Plan, ARHA Strategic Plan, Aging Plan, Child and Youth Master Plan), provide an excellent roadmap of the activities, services and resources the City will be dedicating for various objectives of interest to HUD.
The Draft FY 2020 Action Plan was released on March 29 for the required 30-day public comment period, which will end on April 29th. The Draft Action Plan also contains the City’s applications for an estimated $941,853 in CDBG funds and $536,873 in HOME Program funds. The majority of CDBG funds ($705,425) are proposed for the use of the Home Rehabilitation Loan Program and the majority of HOME funds ($515,085) are proposed for the use of the Housing Opportunities Fund program. The remaining use of the CDBG and HOME funds is described on page 9 of the Citizen Summary.
The FY 2020 CDBG and HOME funding levels presented in the Draft FY 2020 Action Plan and Citizen Summary are estimates based on the Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2018 Approved Budget. As of the writing of this docket item HUD has not yet released the actual FFY 2019 allocations amounts for grantees to use for planning purposes in the development of their action plan. When the FFY 2019 Budget numbers are released the City’s Draft Action Plan funding will either be increased or decreased from the estimated funding levels. The funding numbers are anticipated to be announced soon. When the FFY 2019 Budget is approved, an increase or decrease in the CDBG and HOME programs would affect the Home Rehabilitation Loan Program and the Housing Opportunities Fund program respectively.
Release of Alexandria’s Draft Plan was announced by notices placed in local and national media. The Draft Citizen Summary of the Action Plan is being distributed to a host of interested parties on March 29 via email and mail. This document is a concise summary of the objectives and anticipated outcomes in the Draft FY 2020 Action Plan for Housing and Community Development. Both the Draft Citizen Summary and the complete Draft Action Plan are posted on the City’s website at www.alexandriva.gov/Housing, and hard copies are being distributed upon request by the Office of Housing. The Draft Citizen Summary was provided to the Alexandria Housing Affordability Advisory Committee at their April 4 meeting. A Draft plan public hearing is proposed to be held as part of City Council’s public hearing on April 13. Comments may also be submitted directly, or online, to the Office of Housing. The proposed Action Plan is also docketed for City Council’s action on April 13 following the public hearing and is required to be filed with HUD by May 15 (forty-five days before the beginning of the program year).
FISCAL IMPACT: Upon its approval of the FY 2020 Action Plan for Housing and Community Development, HUD will appropriate an estimated total of $1,478,726 in new federal funding to the City for FY 2020, including $941,853 in CDBG funds and $536,873 in HOME Program funds. The proposed uses are consistent with the City Manager’s FY 2020 proposed budget. The increase or decrease in the CDBG and HOME programs would affect the Home Rehabilitation Loan Program and the Housing Opportunities Fund program respectively.
ATTACHMENT: Citizen Summary of the Draft FY 2020 Action Plan for Housing and
Community Development
STAFF:
Emily A. Baker, Deputy City Manager
Helen S. McIlvaine, Director, Office of Housing
Eric Keeler, Deputy Director, Office of Housing
Lucinda Metcalf, Asset Manager, Office of Housing