2010-2014 Consolidated Plan - City of Champaign

Chapter 5Strategic Plan: Affordable HousingThe following chapter provides a five-year plan for addressing the housing and homeless needs identifiedin Chapter 3. Also included in this chapter are strategies for addressing public housing needs, affordablehousing for persons with special needs, and residential lead-based paint concerns. Some of thesestrategies outlined below will be carried out by the City’s Neighborhood Services Department through theuse of federal Community Development Block Grant and HOME funds. However, both City staffing andfinancial resources are limited and therefore the City will rely on the following set of objectives to facilitatethe successful implementation of the goals in this plan and optimize the impact on neighborhoods.• Concentrate affordable housing and neighborhood improvement activities in areas identified as havingthe greatest needs. These areas include census tracts or Neighborhood Wellness Planning Areas withhigh concentrations of low- and moderate-income families, deteriorated and aging housing stock, anddeclining property values.• Employ proactive measures to reduce the decline of the City’s oldest neighborhoods throughrenovation of neighborhood housing infrastructure, construction of compatible in-fill housing, andacquisition/clearance of blighted land and dwellings.• Empower residents to continue to play a role in the preservation of neighborhoods through educationalefforts and the organization of neighborhood groups.• Create partnerships with non-profit developers, Community Housing Development Organizations(CHDOs), as well as other agencies and local units of government to expand the City’s ability to carryout the affordable housing and community development strategies identified in this plan.• Continue to seek additional grant funding through federal, state, local or private resources to expandservice delivery. Support projects that leverage additional resources to maximize the impact of theCity’s funding.Activities PlannedFollowing each of the goals and strategies is a listing of activities that will be undertaken in the upcomingyear to achieve the stated objectives. Some of the activities can be carried out within one year, othersmay take longer to complete. Where resources have been identified to carry out the activities, those areindicated in parentheses after each activity. For each activity that will be carried out with federal funds, acorresponding Project Table is provided in the Annual Action Plan.Goals and StrategiesGoal 1: Preserve the City’s housing infrastructure as a valuable community asset. TheNeighborhood Wellness Plan identifies several Planning Areas where the condition of the housing stock andthe value of property are not keeping pace with the rest of the City. Household incomes in theseneighborhoods are well below the area median. The inability to receive a reasonable return creates adisincentive for private investment. Private efforts must be supplemented with public investment if thehousing stock is going to remain a viable component of the neighborhood infrastructure.Strategies:a) Assist homeowner-occupants in the upkeep and rehabilitation of residential properties. Asnoted in the needs assessment, many low-income homeowners are seriously cost burdened andfinancially incapable of handling the rising cost of home repairs. Insufficient income prevents manyhomeowners from obtaining private home renovation financing.Strategic Plan: Affordable Housing 71