Executive Summary

2006-2010 Strategic Plan

BACKGROUND

The Pinellas County HOME Program Consortium is made up of the jurisdictions of Pinellas County (acting in its capacity as an Urban County) and the City of Largo. The Urban County consists of all the unincorporated area and the 20 municipalities participating in the County's Program. The cities of Clearwater and St. Petersburg have their own CDBG/HOME programs and are excluded from the Consortium.

As a recipient of federal funds from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Consortium is required to prepare an overall strategy every five years. This new strategy will be for the next five years (FY2006 - FY2010).

THE CONSORTIUM’S EXISTING STRATEGY

The Consortium’s FY2000 to FY2004 Strategy has four major areas of emphasis: (1) Affordable Housing, (2) Neighborhood Revitalization, (3) Commercial Revitalization; and (4) Support for Residents with Special Needs.

(1) Affordable Housing

Since 2000, the Consortium has developed and/or improved over 250 affordable rental units and 310 owner units. Over 1,250 households became first-time homeowners, 215 houses were rehabilitated and/or acquired for rehabilitation, and 4,750 households were assisted with mortgages, foreclosure prevention, and homeownership classes.

(2) Neighborhood Revitalization

During the past five years, Community Development has been working in three Neighborhood Revitalization Areas and initiated one new target area. Plans were developed for each of the areas – the Greater Ridgecrest, Dansville & Wind Tree Neighborhood Revitalization Areas; and Central Lealman Target Area. The City of Largo (who has its own program) has focused on the revitalization of its older neighborhoods.

Wind Tree was a deteriorating neighborhood with a burned out community center. A new community center was constructed in cooperation with the YMCA. The Consortium worked with a CHDO to acquire, rehabilitate, and manage over 130 units of rental housing. Street, sidewalk and drainage improvements were made, trees planted and landscaping added, further improving the appearance of the area.

Within Greater Ridgecrest road and sidewalk construction has improved traffic circulation and safety in the area, cleanup campaigns have improved community appearance (217.5 tons of debris and junk removed in last 2 years) and additions by the County at the facility leased and operated by the YMCA of the Suncoast, Ridgecrest Branch, has upgraded recreational facilities and opportunities. Owner and rental housing rehabilitation programs, combined with new housing construction on infill lots, continue to upgrade this neighborhood.

Work began in Dansville when a tornado in 1992 destroyed many homes and scattered the contents of three junk yards across the area. The first steps were replacement of housing lost to the tornado and cleanup of the junk and debris. A neighborhood development corporation was established and assisted to guide development in the area, property was acquired for housing development and roads, the platting irregularities were corrected (this took about 8 years), and subdivision plats were established for the area (2 of 5 plats have been completed). A retention pond was constructed and the pond became a focal point for the neighborhood. The final phase of the communitywide public infrastructure improvements will soon be underway. The final step in this revitalization process will be construction of over 55 single-family homes.

Central Lealman, just north of the City of St. Petersburg, is one of the earliest settled areas in unincorporated Pinellas County. A program of housing rehabilitation and construction is underway, and a neighborhood park was upgraded. Work started on another, larger park along Joe’s Creek to include a pedestrian bridge, observation towers, and parking. Several neighborhood cleanups have been conducted; fire hydrants and waterlines installed; and a Neighborhood Family Center provided. Work will continue in this area for several years. Economic development activity is also expected from a ‘Brownfield’ designation within the area.

(3) Commercial Revitalization.

The Consortium’s cooperating cities have been assisted with infrastructure planning and construction in their commercial redevelopment areas, which has included: streetscapes, upgraded utilities, public facilities, commercial façade improvements (11 areas), and demolition and clearance of unsafe structures.

(4) Residents with Special Needs

These residents have been provided primarily with capital projects to provide a safe and sound facility from which to operate. Funds have been provided for acquisition, rehabilitation, and construction. Some of the facilities assisted are: Family Resources Youth Crisis Shelter and Family Counseling Center construction; Personal Enrichment through Mental Health Services Crisis Stabilization Unit Building rehabilitation, Homeless Emergency Project Kitchen and Dining Facility construction; Van Gogh’s Pallette Vincent House acquisition; Watson Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired rehabilitation; Religious Community Services Food Pantry renovation; Mustard Seed Shelter rehabilitation; Ozona Village Hall restoration (historic preservation).

Support is also provided to agencies that assist with the County’s neighborhood revitalization efforts by owning and/or operating neighborhood facilities such as adult and child day care facilities, senior centers, recreational facilities, community centers, etc. or provide facilities or services that are part of the Continuum of Care for the homeless.

SIGNIFICANT CHARACTERISTICS OF THE HOUSING MARKET

(Note: This information describes the County’s Consortium, which makes up approximately 60% of the County’s population.)

1.   The HOME Consortium had 565,740 residents in 2000, up 51,518 people (+10%) since 1990. The Consortium is projected to continue growing. The estimated 2004 population is 575,527, and this is projected to grow to 578,130 by 2009.

2.   The Consortium’s age structure is growing younger, but one-third of the households are headed by someone over 65 and 20% by someone over 75.

3.   Because most of the County’s minorities are clustered in Clearwater and St. Petersburg, the Consortium is predominately white (93%).

4.   Household incomes are rising. The number of low-income households within the Consortium is not growing significantly. In 2000, only 8% of the Consortium’s population lived in poverty.

5.   The Consortium’s educational attainment levels are above state and national averages. This tends to translate into higher incomes.

6.   There were almost 48,000 low-income households in the Consortium. They subdivided into two distinct groups: 91% are low-income, aging in place elderly and 9% are younger working poor households.

7.   The Consortium’s low-income residents continue to cluster in and around the Consortium’s low-income neighborhoods.

8.   In 2000, there were 300,322 housing units within the Consortium. During the 1990s three-quarters of the new housing built in Pinellas County was built within the Consortium.

9.   Nine percent of the units were held for seasonal (snowbird) use, slightly higher then the statewide average (8%).

10.  While the majority of the housing stock is single-family, the Consortium has high concentrations of multifamily (condos) and 14% of the units are mobile homes.

11.  Three-quarters (76%) of the Consortium’s households are owners, well above state/national averages, although minority homeownership rates lag significantly behind those for white households.

12.  Although the County had reasonable housing prices in 2000, housing prices have skyrocketed (+60%) since then, and are expected to continue climbing much faster than incomes are growing.

13.  In 2000, 23% of the Consortium’s owners and 40% of all renters reported paying over 30% of their income on housing, the general benchmark for affordability.

HOW MARKET FORCES AFFECTED THE CONSORTIUM’S STRATEGY

1.   The number of low-income households within the Consortium is not growing significantly.

2.   The low-income population is still concentrated within the Consortium’s designated target neighborhoods and revitalization areas.

3.   The Consortium’s major community development and housing investments have dramatically improved the quality of life within these neighborhoods and spurred significant homeowner reinvestment and new construction.

4.   With very little vacant land available, most of the new growth within the County will occur through the revitalization/redevelopment of the County’s older areas.

5.   Rapidly rising housing values and escalating land values, coupled with the lack of land for new residential development are effectively pricing many households out of the ownership market. This may now help the County’s redevelopment efforts through increased demand for new mixed-use projects that combine commercial/retail/residential on site in ‘New Urbanism” designs.

6.   The conversion of many upscale apartment complexes into condominiums and the redevelopment of older mobile home parks will also tighten the demand for affordable rental housing. This will also increase the per-unit subsidy cost for the Consortium’s homebuyer programs. On a positive note, this may also increase the demand for infill housing within older residential areas.

7.   The PRIZM socioeconomic cluster information identified the Consortium’s younger ‘working poor’ households as those in most need of assistance within the marketplace. These households may also need educational/job training, counseling and child care in conjunction with affordable housing.

CONCLUSION

The Consortium’s existing strategy is still relevant and, with minor adjustments, should continue over the next five years.

Our Mission

The Consortium’s Mission is to help people achieve self-sufficiency through decent housing, a suitable living environment and expanded economic opportunities. The following goals establish how the Consortium will carry out its mission.

SPECIFIC GOALS: Community Development

ONE:       Community self-investment in revitalization/redevelopment areas.

TWO:       Facilities to address critical recreational and service needs.

THREE: Facilities for seniors, children, and persons with special needs.

FOUR:     Expanded economic opportunities.

FIVE:       Historic preservation

SPECIFIC GOALS: Housing and Homeless

SIX:          Revitalize older housing and demolish unsafe structures.

SEVEN:   Produce high-quality affordable housing in mixed-income settings.

EIGHT:   Provide homebuyer assistance.

NINE:      Services/housing for the homeless and special needs populations.

SPECIFIC GOALS: Emergencies

TEN:        Governmental response to emergency/life threatening situations.

BASIS FOR ALLOCATING INVESTMENTS

Geographically

The Consortium will allocate its housing funds throughout the Consortium. Emergency Shelter Grant funds will be allocated to projects located outside the City of St. Petersburg. Both the City of Largo and Pinellas County (Urban County) will allocate their Community Development Block Grant funds within their respective low-income/redevelopment areas.

Housing

Working-poor families continue to have the most trouble in the housing market. They will continue to receive priority from the Consortium’s affordable housing rental/owner programs. With its large stock of older housing, the Consortium will continue to give a priority to housing rehabilitation, especially in conjunction with its redevelopment activities.

Homeless

The Consortium’s priorities were developed by the Pinellas County Continuum of Care and its Homeless Coalition. These priorities will continue to be homelessness prevention, families with children, chronic homeless and the development of transitional housing. The City of Tampa serves as the regional HOPWA administrator. The Consortium supports and participates in their program.

Non-Homeless Special Needs

The Consortium will continue to support the provision of housing and facilities for persons with special needs.

Community Development

The County and City of Largo will continue to prioritize the use of these funds in support of the ongoing revitalization/redevelopment of their aging commercial areas and residential neighborhoods.

OBSTACLES TO MEETING UNDERSERVED NEEDS

The major obstacle to meeting the Consortium’s underserved needs will continue to be the lack of federal/state support, which has worsened over time as both levels of government continue to reduce local funding in these areas.

SPECIFIC FY2006 to FY2010 OBJECTIVES

HOUSING

One: Build 100 new mixed-income rental units in conjunction with Consortium mixed-use redevelopment/revitalization projects. Prioritize locations in the mid- and northern areas of the Consortium.

Two: Acquire and/or rehabilitate 200 units in rental complexes throughout the Consortium for mixed-income affordable rental housing.

Three:  Provide tenant-based renal assistance to 50 homeowners displaced by government action.  Assistance will be provided for one year.

Four: Preserve the existing housing stock by rehabilitating/modernizing/replacing 50 units owned by low-income owner households.

Five: Preserve the existing housing stock by funding the acquisition and rehabilitation/expansion of 50 existing units for new low-income owner households.

Six: Provide direct down payment/closing cost assistance and low-rate mortgages to 300 low and moderate-income homebuyers.

Seven: Construct 50 new affordable ‘for sale’ infill units in support of the Consortium’s ongoing revitalization/redevelopment activities.

Eight:  Provide credit counseling and homeowner training assistance to 1000 prospective low-income buyers.

HOMELESS

One: Construct 12 beds of permanent supportive housing in mid- to north county for homeless individuals.

Two: Provide 30 beds as a low-demand emergency shelter in mid to north county for the chemically dependent, mentally ill, or dual diagnosed chronic homeless.

Three:  Construct an 8 bed independent living facility for youth aging out of foster care.

Four:  Provide 10 new emergency shelter beds for homeless families with children.

Five:  Provide funding for operating expenses and facility rehabilitation to ensure the continued operation of five existing homeless facilities.

Six:  Support activities to fill gaps in the Continuum of Care for the homeless and to respond to urgent community needs identified by specialized service agencies.

PERSONS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS:

One:  Provide two new or expanded facilities to serve persons with special needs..

Two:  Rehabilitate/upgrade two facilities to serve persons with special needs.

Three: Provide heavy household cleaning and lawn maintenance services to 48 frail elderly clients annually.

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

One: Physical Improvements in Dansville and Greater Ridgecrest Revitalization Areas: Approximately 1.7 miles of comprehensive infrastructure improvements and acquisition of property.

Two: Physical improvements in the Central and East Lealman Target Areas: Approximately 3.6 miles of comprehensive infrastructure improvements and acquisition of property.

Three: Public facilities in revitalization areas.  Provide 3 public facilities in targeted areas and operating funding at the Ridgecrest YMCA.

Four: Neighborhood improvements:  Improve visual attractiveness and safety in targeted areas through 10 clean-up campaigns, incentive programs, establishing street lighting districts, litter control campaigns, underground utilities, signage and landscaping.

Five: Acquisition:  Acquire 3 acres of property for future development.

Six:  Historic preservation:  Restore and preserve two properties.

Seven:  Slums and blight:  Assist in restoring economic vitality in a minimum of 8 blighted special districts, upgrade 10 commercial facades, demolish 100 residential, commercial, or publicly owned substandard structures.

Eight:  Public Facilities:  Provide or upgrade six facilities for lower income residents, including special needs populations.

Nine:   Initiate comprehensive neighborhood planning for future target areas if adequate financial resources, including staff resources, are available.