September 21, 2007 I want to thank you for your interest in the 2008 -2012 Consolidated Plan process. I especially want to thank you if you were able to attend one of the community and/or focus group meetings that were held in May and June 2006 where we discussed housing, infrastructure improvements, and social services that are needed for your neighborhood. I also wanted to thank you if you were one of the 2,488 people who responded to the Resident Survey. Once the 2008–2012 Consolidated Plans are approved, they will be utilized for five-years in guiding the City and County of Sacramento on the implementation of various projects, including affordable housing, streetscape and park improvement projects, as well as, public service programs, such as the Senior Nutrition Program and homeless programs. The draft City of Sacramento Consolidated Plan and the County of Sacramento Consolidated Plan (Plans) are ready for public comment. The 30-day public comment period is from September 24, 2007 to October 23, 2007. If you would like a copy of the draft, please call (916) 440-1322. Or, you may pick up a copy at SHRA’s main office at the address listed below. Office hours are 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM (the office is closed from Noon to 1:00 p.m.), Monday through Friday. There are two Plans. One is for the City of Sacramento and the other is for the County of Sacramento. Please indicate which Plan you would like to review. The Plans are also available on the following web site www.shra.org. Written public comments are due no later than October 23, 2007, and may be sent to the address below. Written public comments can also be turned in at the public hearing (please see below). Copy of the draft Plans are available at: Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency 630 I Street, 1st Floor - Reception Desk Sacramento, CA 95814 Please submit written comments to: Leslie Palmer SHRA-Housing and Community Development Department 630 I Street, 2nd Floor Sacramento, CA 95814 Public meeting information: You are invited to (but are not required to attend) the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Commission meeting on October 3, 2007 at 6:00 p.m. at 600 I Street, first floor Commission chamber, or the public hearings on October 23, 2007 at the Board of Supervisors (Time:TBD) and the City Council at 2:00 p.m. Thank you again for your interest in the Consolidated Plan process. Sincerely, Leslie Palmer Senior Redevelopment Planner Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency Housing and Community Development Department This page intentionally left blank. A Summary of the 2008-2012 Consolidated Plans The City and County of Sacramento receive funds each year from the federal government for housing and community development activities. These funds are intended to meet priority needs locally identified by the City and County. To receive these federal funds, the City and County must submit a strategic plan – the Consolidated Plan – every five years to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that identifies local needs and how these needs will be addressed. The Consolidated Plans must also demonstrate how the City and the County will meet national goals set by the U.S. Congress to develop viable communities by providing decent housing, a suitable living environment, and economic opportunities, principally for persons of low- and moderate-income. The Consolidated Plans focus on the proposed uses of five federal funding resources for the 2008-2012 planning period: o Community Development Block Grant (CDBG): The primary objective of this program is to develop viable urban communities by providing decent housing, a suitable living environment, and economic opportunities, principally for persons of low- and moderate-income. Examples of projects/programs that can be funded with CDBG include housing rehabilitation, homeownership assistance, construction or rehabilitation of community facilities, and public services such as the Senior Nutrition Program. o HOME Investment Partnership Program (HOME): The HOME program provides federal funds for the development and rehabilitation of affordable rental and ownership housing for low- and moderate-income households. o American Dream Downpayment Initiative (ADDI): The ADDI program provides downpayment and closing cost assistance to first-time homebuyers. o Emergency Shelter Grant (ESG): The ESG program provides homeless persons with basic shelter and closing cost assistance to first-time homebuyers. o Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA): The HOPWA program provides grant funds to design long-term, comprehensive strategies for meeting the housing needs for low- and moderate-income people living with HIV/AIDS. Citizen Participation for the development of the 2008-2012 Consolidated Plans utilized four primary methods to solicit public input: o Focus group meetings were held with City and County staff, the cities of Folsom, Isleton and Galt, social service providers, and economic development stakeholders. o Community meetings were held between May 2006 through August 2006. In order to broaden the public participation, SHRA contacted neighborhood associations, community groups, public housing resident committees, Housing Choice Voucher participants to publicize the community meetings and the availability of the Resident Survey. The community meetings were advertised at community and senior centers, public libraries, and on the City, County, and SHRA websites, as well as notices in the Sacramento Bee. o A Resident Survey was distributed at various community meetings and public locations; and was made available on the City, County, and SHRA’s websites. The survey was made available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Russian. . A total of 2,488 surveys were received (2,084 were completed and returned to SHRA, and 394 surveys were completed online. o A separate service provider survey was prepared and distributed to 119 service providers. A total of 13 surveys were returned to SHRA. Outreach Results Resident Survey results indicated that high priority community needs include crime awareness and prevention, homeownership programs, youth and senior programs, services for persons with disabilities, homeless programs, and public infrastructure/facilities improvements. Comments received from the community meetings included the need for infrastructure and public facility improvements, affordable housing, services for special needs groups such as youth at risk of becoming homeless, seniors, and persons with disabilities, and economic development. Outcome of the Analysis of the Priority Needs and Proposed Strategies to Address those Needs The overall priority is to increase self-sufficiency and economic opportunity for lower- income residents and individuals with special needs so that they can achieve a reasonable standard of living. This priority can be achieved through a combination of . Affordable housing; . Supportive services to maintain independence; . Investment in lower-income and deteriorating neighborhoods and in facilities that serve lower-income populations; and . Education and technical skills that allow individuals to obtain jobs. Housing Needs Given the high homeownership housing costs, and that HUD can only be used to assist households with incomes up to 80 percent of the County median income, deep subsidies are required to provide homeownership. The City and County will focus on using CDBG and HOME funds for increasing and improving multi-family housing stock, first-time homebuyer programs, housing rehabilitation programs, code enforcement, and fair housing programs. Homeless Needs The priorities for ending homelessness are based on the recognition that homelessness results from more than just a lack of affordable housing. The Sacramento Department of Human Assistance (DHA) will continue to utilize CDBG, ESG, and HOPWA to help fund programs to increase the capacity in emergency shelters, provide transitional housing, and provide permanent supportive housing. DHA has identified the following strategies for addressing homeless needs: . Create new permanent housing for chronically homeless persons; . Increase the percentage of homeless persons in permanent supportive housing; . Increase the percentage of persons moving from transitional housing to permanent housing; . Continue to help the homeless find employment; . Provide transition from the streets or shelters directly into permanent supportive housing; and . Provide treatment for individuals with chronic substance abuse problems preventing them from obtaining and maintaining permanent housing; Community Development Needs Based upon the Resident Survey, community and focus group meetings, and recommendations from City and County staff, the following community development needs were determined to have a high priority, and will be provided with CDBG funding: . Affordable housing; . Improvements to neighborhood facilities; . Improvements to parks and recreation facilities; . Youth, senior, and homeless services (funding cap: 15% of annual funding); . Fair housing activities; . Handicapped accessibility improvements; and . Homeownership assistance. Public meeting information: You are invited to (but are not required to attend) the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Commission meeting on October 3, 2007 at 6:00 PM at 600 I Street, first floor commission chamber, or the public hearings on October 23, 2007 at the Board of Supervisors (Time: TBD) and the City Council at 2:00 PM Thank you for taking the time to read the summary of the 2008-2012 Consolidated Plans.