2010-2014 Consolidated Plan - City of Champaign

improving their skills and career opportunities. Parkland also holds GED preparation classes that aredesigned to help individuals learn the reading, math, and other skills necessary to pass the GEDexamination. The classes are tailored to the individual's level of readiness and are offered free of charge.The anti-poverty approach must also include strategies to increase family incomes by increasing access tojobs and improving individuals’ skills and ability to gain living wage employment. The City is committedto job creation through the redevelopment of commercial districts and the development of newbusinesses.As noted in the Affordable Housing section of this Consolidated Plan, the City is dedicated to increasinghomeownership opportunities and providing affordable rental housing. Access to affordable housing alsopromotes financial self-sufficiency and improves economic growth potential. The City will continue to useits federal resources, such as CDBG and HOME, and will seek additional resources to provide affordablehousing programs for low- and extremely low-income persons. The City will also support outside agencyprograms that make self-sufficiency possible for low-income persons by linking housing and supportiveservices.Poverty among the elderly and disabled is a persistent problem and is expected to worsen as thepopulation ages. Persons living solely on Social Security or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) aregenerally receiving less than 30% of the median income. The monthly SSI payment in Illinois isequivalent to only 16% of median income. For families to live independently on this amount of income,housing subsidies or other housing assistance is often needed. Programs provided by agencies such asthe Developmental Services Center are aimed at increasing the wages of individuals with disabilities byproviding job training and employment opportunities. DSC also offers affordable housing in group homeand independent living settings for disabled individuals working in the community.The Housing Authority of Champaign County plan includes the goal of providing an improved livingenvironment along with the following objective: implement measures to deconcentrate poverty bybringing higher income public housing households into lower income developments. The goal of incomemixing is to reduce generational poverty by providing role models for children and exposure to otherlifestyles. The City supports this effort and assisted in redeveloping Burch Village family apartments, adensely populated public housing complex, into Douglass Square, mixed-income rental community. TheCity will support future endeavors by the HACC to convert other public housing units into mixed incomeneighborhoods, using the Burch Village model.Welfare reform has been successful in reducing the number of families receiving cash public assistance.However, this reduction in numbers does not necessarily indicate that families have reached selfsufficiencyand economic security. These families have moved from welfare to work, but many are stillstruggling to meet basic needs due to low wages high housing costs.SECTION 4F: PUBLIC SAFETYFamily Violence, Abuse, and DelinquencyThe issue of family violence was one of the topics explored through the Champaign County CommunityNeeds Assessment. Persons interviewed through the phone survey did not list this as a one of thegreatest concerns facing this community. However, when asked specific questions about services relatedto violence prevention, respondents indicated that these were very important. These services includedelinquency prevention and diversion (also discussed under Public Services: Youth Services above),family violence prevention services, and services for victims of rape and domestic assault.Participants in the family violence focus group felt very strongly that violence is an increasing problem inAmerican Society, including Champaign County. They expressed particular concern about the rise of64 Needs Assessment: Non-Housing Community Development