DEPARTMENT: Department of Planning and Community Development (DPCD)
DEPARTMENT HEAD: John Dugan
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: City Wide
SUBJECT:
Affordable Housing Policy Changes
SUMMARY:
This item revises the City's Housing Policy for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and Home Investment Partnership Program (HOME) to allow the City's housing programs to be operated in an efficient and effective manner. In addition, the policy changes would allow allocated funds to be spent in a more expedient manner. These revisions serve to address some immediate changes that are needed to the policy. The Housing Policy will likely be further refined, and included as part of the update to the Strategic Plan for Community Development in the spring of 2014. Additionally, revisions were also based on technical assistance provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Community of Planning and Development via Cloudburst Consulting Group.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
The current Housing Policy for CDBG and HOME incorporates the City's goals and objectives and uses the following as a foundation:
(1) HUD regulations,
(2) The Five-Year Consolidated Plan;
(3) The City's Master Plan Policies;
(4) The City's Housing Master Plan;
(5) Mission Verde Sustainability Plan; and
(6) Neighborhood Community and Sector Plans.
Over the past years, several amendments have been made to the Housing Policy to improve the delivery of all CDBG and HOME funded programs. The need for additional changes to the Housing Policy has been identified by City staff and community stakeholders in response to changing market conditions and programmatic issues that have resulted in allocated funds not being spent during the term of funding contracts.
ISSUE:
Staff is recommending revisions to the City's current Housing Policy in three areas: (1) Clarifying language related to maximum assistance amounts; (2) removal of refe...
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