Consolidated Plan TEXAS 1 OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 09/30/2021) Executive Summary ES-05 Executive Summary - 91.300(c), 91.320(b) 1. Introduction The 2020-2024 State of Texas Consolidated Plan (Plan) governs five programs funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG), the HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME) Program, the Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) Program, The Housing Trust Fund Program (referred to as the National Housing Trust Fund (NHTF) by the State), and the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) Program. If 2020 HUD funding levels remain consistent, the Plan will govern approximately $132,000,000 annually. This Plan determines which of HUD’s eligible activities have been identified to best serve the needs of Texas. HUD allows a broad range of activities for CDBG, HOME, ESG, NHTF, and HOPWA. CDBG provides resources for community development, which may include acquisition of real property; relocation and demolition; rehabilitation of residential and non-residential structures; construction of public facilities and improvements; public services; activities relating to energy conservation and renewable energy resources; and provision of assistance to profit-motivated businesses to carry out economic development and job creation/retention activities. HOME is used for single-family and multifamily housing activities, which may include providing home purchase or reconstruction financing assistance to eligible homeowners and new homebuyers; building or rehabilitating/reconstructing housing for rent or ownership for eligible households; and tenant-based rental assistance to subsidize rent for low-income persons. ESG funds projects, which may include supportive services to homeless individuals and households, emergency shelter/transitional housing, homelessness prevention assistance, and permanent housing for the homeless population. NHTF is used for the financing of new construction and rehabilitation of multifamily rental units for extremely low-income renters. HOPWA is dedicated to the housing and supportive service needs of persons living with HIV and their families, which may include the acquisition, rehabilitation, or new construction of housing units; facility operations; rental assistance; short-term payments to prevent homelessness; case management; substance abuse treatment; mental health treatment; nutritional services; job training and placement assistance; and assistance with daily living. The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) administers the HOME Program, Housing Trust Fund Program (NHTF) and ESG Program; the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) administers the CDBG Program; and the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) administers the HOPWA Program. All three State agencies collaborated to complete the Plan, along with garnering extensive input from other state agencies, stakeholders, advocates, and community members. TDHCA is the lead agency for the Plan’s development. The Plan consists of five main chapters. The Process Chapter, which describes the public input process. The Needs Assessment Chapter, which outlines levels of relative need in the areas of affordable housing, homelessness, special needs populations, and community development. Information was gathered through consultation with local agencies, public outreach, and demographic and economic datasets. The Market Analysis Chapter focuses on economic forces, as well as the current condition and availability of housing Consolidated Plan TEXAS 2 OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 09/30/2021) and community development resources. The research-heavy Needs Assessment and Market Analysis chapters form the basis of the Strategic Plan Chapter, which details how the State will address its priority needs with the five applicable HUD programs over the period covered by the Plan. The strategies reflect the condition of the market, expected availability of funds, and local capacity to administer the Plan. The Strategic Plan is used as a basis for the One-Year Action Plan, which will be updated annually. 2. Summary of the objectives and outcomes identified in the Plan Needs Assessment Overview The Needs Assessment Chapter shapes the policies throughout the Plan. The most common housing problem in Texas is households having a moderate to severe cost burden, especially for households with incomes between 0-30% of the area median income (AMI). In most cases, renters experience a higher rate of housing problems than homeowners. When comparing the Needs Assessment Chapter to the Market Analysis Chapter, the shortage of affordable housing becomes apparent. However, the State recognizes that housing costs are impacted by local economies, and common housing problems may vary by neighborhood. The Strategic Plan identifies Priority Needs for housing, such as rental assistance; production of new units; acquisition of existing units; and rehabilitation of housing. The Needs Assessment finds that people with special needs have specific barriers to housing. For example, persons with disabilities typically have lower incomes than other household types and require housing with certain specifications, such as physical accessibility features. Special needs populations include elderly and frail elderly; homeless populations and persons at risk of homelessness; persons living with HIV and their families; persons with alcohol and substance use disorders; persons with disabilities (mental, physical, intellectual, developmental); public housing residents; residents of colonias; and victims of domestic violence, all of which may have specific affordable housing needs. While not specifically designated as "special needs," the State is directed statutorily to gather data on farmworkers, youth aging out of foster care, and veterans. Each of these populations receive priority through incentives within at least one of the HUD programs covered by this Plan. ESG focuses on persons who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. Therefore, the Needs Assessment has one section dedicated to this population, including numbers of households experiencing sheltered and unsheltered homelessness, and a discussion on the greater likelihood that minorities are homeless. The Market Analysis lists the available resources for homeless populations, and the Strategic Plan identifies Priority Needs as homeless outreach; emergency shelter and transitional housing; rapid re-housing; and homelessness prevention. HOPWA focuses on persons living with HIV and their families, so the Needs Assessment includes an in- depth discussion about this population. Racial and ethnic minorities are disproportionately affected by HIV. In addition, persons with HIV are more vulnerable to becoming homeless. The Strategic Plan identifies priority needs to serve persons living with HIV, such as rental assistance; supportive services for persons living with HIV; rapid re-housing; and homelessness prevention. Needs Assessment Section 15 shows that housing problems occur disproportionately based on race, with a 10% greater occurrence than compared to the State as a whole. Colonias, which are unincorporated Consolidated Plan TEXAS 3 OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 09/30/2021) residential areas along the Texas-Mexico border that can lack some or all basic living necessities, such as potable water, electricity, paved roads, and safe and sanitary housing, showed very high rates of housing problems. The Strategic Plan and Action Plan lay out the programs the state provides to address needs identified in the Needs Assessment and Market Analysis. Finally, non-housing community needs focus on economic and community development. The Needs Assessment finds a large demand for community infrastructure, including water and wastewater systems, roads/ streets, and utilities, there is great emphasis to serve colonias with these types of services. The Strategic Plan identifies priority community development needs as public improvements and infrastructure; economic development; and public services. 3. Evaluation of past performance The information below is for HOME, ESG, HTF, CDBG, and HOPWA for Program Year (PY) 2018 (February 1, 2018 to January 31, 2019). During PY 2018, the Texas CDBG Program expended a total of $58,273,291 through 197-awarded contracts. For contracts that were awarded in PY 2018, 410,723 persons received service. The Colonia Self Help Centers awarded $1,700,000 in contracts in PY2018. Distribution of the funds by activity is described in the table below. In PY 2018, DSHS' HOPWA served 669 households with TBRA (122% of the One-Year Action Plan, or OYAP goal), 512 households with Short-Term Rent and Mortgage and Utility (STRMU) assistance (114% of the OYAP goal), 141 households with Permanent Housing Placement (PHP) assistance (174% of the OYAP goal), and 46 households with FBHA (97% of the OYAP goal) for a total of 1,255 unduplicated households. Of the total households served, 1,204 also received HOPWA-funded Supportive Services (123% of the OYAP goal). All HOPWA clients receive housing supportive services at some level, but some supportive services for clients were leveraged with other funding sources. ESG is reported on for expenditures by Federal Fiscal Year (10/1-9/30). The ESG reporting is cumulative of several years of program funds because of the timing of the release of funds by the federal government, and because of unexpended balances that are re-released to ESG subrecipients. The previous program