City of Great Falls 2010 – 2015 Consolidated Plan Prepared by: City of Great Falls Planning & Community Development Draft Released: March 18, 2010 Department Public Hearings: December 15, 2009, and #2 Park Drive April 20, 2010 Great Falls, MT 59401 Public Comments: April 1—April 30, 2010 406.455.8513 Final Approval: May 4, 2010 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Executive Summary ................................................................................................. 1 2. Planning Process Introduction ................................................................................................................ 4 Consultation and Coordination .................................................................................. 5 Citizen Participation .................................................................................................. 6 Changes to Grant Application Process ..................................................................... 8 Institutional Structure ................................................................................................ 8 Community Profile/Demographics .............................................................................. 9 3. Housing and Homeless Analysis Housing Market ....................................................................................................... 10 Assisted Housing Inventory .................................................................................... 17 Affordable Housing ................................................................................................. 20 Lead-Based Paint ................................................................................................... 22 Homeless Facilities and Services Inventory ............................................................ 23 Special Needs Populations Housing and Services ................................................. 25 Barriers to Affordable Housing ................................................................................ 27 Fair Housing ........................................................................................................... 29 4. Housing, Homeless and Community Development Needs Assessment Housing Needs ....................................................................................................... 30 Homeless People and People Threatened with Homelessness .............................. 34 Special Needs Populations ..................................................................................... 37 Infrastructure ........................................................................................................... 43 Removal of Slum and Blight .................................................................................... 44 Economic Development .......................................................................................... 45 Public Facility Improvements .................................................................................. 46 Public Services ....................................................................................................... 47 Obstacles to Meeting Underserved Needs ............................................................. 48 5. Five Year Strategic Plan: Housing, Homeless and Community Development Five Year Priorities and Objectives .......................................................................... 49 Strategic Plan Development Background ............................................................... 52 Housing ................................................................................................................... 54 Homeless ................................................................................................................ 56 Overcoming Gaps ................................................................................................... 57 Public Housing ........................................................................................................ 57 Barriers to Affordable Housing ................................................................................ 58 Fair Housing ........................................................................................................... 58 Lead-Based Paint and Asbestos Hazards .............................................................. 59 Economic Development .......................................................................................... 60 Infrastructure ........................................................................................................... 61 Removal of Slum and Blight ................................................................................... 62 Public Facilities ....................................................................................................... 63 Public Services ....................................................................................................... 63 Anti-poverty ............................................................................................................. 64 6. 2010/2011 Annual Action Plan Activities to be Undertaken ..................................................................................... 66 CDBG/HOME Program Specific Requirements and Resources ............................. 66 Other Resources ..................................................................................................... 67 Homeless and Special Needs Activities .................................................................. 67 Other Actions .......................................................................................................... 69 Home Guidelines for Resale and Recapture ........................................................... 74 Monitoring ............................................................................................................... 75 Performance Measurement .................................................................................... 76 Appendices A Consultation/Coordination/Needs Assessment Process Undertaken B Citizen Participation Plan C Public Hearing/Citizens Comments D Maps E Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice 2010—2015 F Great Falls and Cascade County Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy 2010—2019 G Table 1A, Table 1B, Table 1C, Table 2A, Table 2B, Table 2C H Table 3A, Table 3C for each Proposed Project, Listing of 2010/2011 Proposed Projects I Management Plan for Neighborhood Stabilization Program J 2010/2011 Annual Action Plan Planned Project Results Table K Application for Federal Assistance (SF424 CDBG and HOME) L Certifications 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The City of Great Falls Consolidated Plan (Consolidated Plan) for the five year period from 2010 through 2015 was approved by the Great Falls City Commission on May 6, 2010, following a 30 day comment period extending from April 1 through April 30. City Commission action on the Consolidated Plan followed a plan development process which included the development of the Great Falls and Cascade County Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy 2010–2019 (CHAS) undertaken by a diverse community group; input from local organizations; and input from a public hearing on housing and community development needs on December 15, 2009, and a public hearing on the proposed Consolidated Plan and 2010/2011 Action Plan on April 2. The purpose of the Consolidated Plan is to identify the housing and community development needs of low income people in the community and develop strategies for addressing those needs in a comprehensive, coordinated fashion using available federal and non-federal resources. The Consolidated Plan includes the one year Annual Action Plan for 2010/2011 which serves as the budget for the City of Great Falls 2010/2011 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program and Home Investment Partnership Program (HOME). Specific projects recommended for the upcoming year are described in detail in the Consolidated Plan. The Consolidated Plan is required for participation by the City of Great Falls in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) CDBG and HOME programs. The Consolidated Plan combines the planning and application requirements for the CDBG and HOME programs. Combining the submission requirements for these two programs allows program planning and citizen participation to take place in a comprehensive context. Seven priorities and related objectives are identified in the Consolidated Plan to meet the diverse needs of low income households in Great Falls. These needs were identified primarily through the process undertaken to develop the CHAS, including four separate community surveys, individual interviews, focus groups and working groups. Census data and other published data was also reviewed to assist in identifying needs. The following is a listing of the priorities and the related objectives to address the priorities. Priorities are listed in order of HUD matrix codes. All priorities were established based on high needs and none are higher than another. Priority: Provide public facility and infrastructure assistance including handicap accessibility and energy efficiency improvements to provide a suitable living environment (03) City of Great Falls 2010 – 2015 Consolidated Plan Page 1 Objective: The City of Great Falls will prioritize meeting handicap accessibility requirements in public facilities and infrastructure and will do 26 activities in the next five years using $1,162,623 in CDBG funds. Other activities that will be funded