Document Albany_doc_fb2fcdab23

3-5 Year Strategic Plan 1 Error! Not a valid link. 3-5 Year Strategic Plan This document includes Narrative Responses to specific questions that grantees of the Community Development Block Grant, HOME Investment Partnership, Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS and Emergency Shelter Grants Programs must respond to in order to be compliant with the Consolidated Planning Regulations. GENERAL Executive Summary The Executive Summary is required. Include the objectives and outcomes identified in the plan and an evaluation of past performance. 3-5 Year Strategic Plan Executive Summary: The Consolidated Plan is a document required to be submitted to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) by recipients of federal Community Planning and Development (CPD) funds including: • Community Development Block Grant (CDBG); • HOME Investment Partnership (HOME); • Emergency Shelter Grant (ESG) and; • Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) The City of Albany receives federal funding through the programs listed above and has prepared a Five Year Consolidated Plan covering fiscal years 2010-2015. The Consolidated Plan serves as a planning document for the City, an application for Federal funds under HUD’s CDBG, HOME, ESG, and HOPWA formula grant programs, and a five year strategy for addressing community needs. The purpose of the Consolidated Plan is to create a strategy to carry out activities consistent in meeting HUD national objectives, which are to: • Provide decent housing; • Provide a suitable living environment, and • Expand economic opportunities. The Consolidated Plan is a statement of how the City intends to spend its HUD Entitlement funding in the areas of housing and community development. The Five Year Consolidated Plan provides an assessment of housing, homeless, and community development needs, a strategic plan for addressing needs, and an Annual Action Plan outlining specific objectives and outcomes for the use of HUD funds for the for program year 36, beginning in June 2010. The Consolidated Plan will identify housing and community ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. development needs in the City of Albany and illustrate how the City will address these issues. Objectives and needs have been identified through needs assessments and include the following: Priority Housing Needs • Target available resources into Albany's neighborhoods to spur private investment • Increase quality homeownership and rental options • Rehabilitate existing rental and owner-occupied housing • Address the blighting influence of vacant properties • Increase cooperation between public and private sectors • Increase the number of minority homeowners • Provide expanded public improvements and facilities • Fund public services that support housing initiatives identified in this consolidated plan and other neighborhood planning initiatives Priority Homeless Needs • Emergency Shelter for: – Chronically homeless individuals who are not able to comply with admission requirements of the existing emergency shelters; – Emergency shelter for families; and – Supportive housing for populations with disabilities • Permanent supportive housing for chronically homeless persons Priority Special Needs • Additional housing and services for – persons with mental illness – persons with substance abuse problems – persons with HIV/AIDS – persons with developmental disabilities • Supportive services for elderly persons Priority Community and Economic Development Needs • Results driven community based planning initiatives • High impact neighborhood revitalization • Comprehensive economic development programming • Increased services to at risk populations (elderly, youth, etc.) Previous activities implemented met the goals established in the previous 2005-2010 Consolidated Plan. Overall the activities have been very successful and in many cases have exceeded expectations. Funds are being spent in a timely manner with most funds being spent prior to the end of each program year. Strategic Plan Due every three, four, or five years (length of period is at the grantee’s discretion) no less than 45 days prior to the start of the grantee’s program year start date. HUD does not accept plans between August 15 and November 15. 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 2 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. Mission: Capitalize Albany, the economic development strategy for the City of Albany, guides the development efforts throughout Albany with the goal of attracting investment, creating jobs and providing transformational change. Since its inception in 1994, Capitalize Albany has been instrumental in bringing nearly 300 development projects, totaling more than $6 Billion in new investment. Nearly $1 Billion more in economic and community development projects stand ready to move forward in the next two years. This aggressive and innovative plan has prepared New York’s Capital City for a successful future. From increasing employment downtown, to reconnecting the City’s stunning waterfront and renovating the historic Palace Theatre, to setting the stage for the growth at Albany NanoTech, the recommendations inspired from this strategy have assisted with important transformational projects in the City of Albany. This strategy was first released in 1996, and has been updated in 2001 and 2007 to respond to local and national changes in the economy. The most recent updates to the economic development strategy focused on development, neighborhood revitalization, and education. The committees have recognized that quality-of-life issues play a significant role in attracting high-tech industries and workers. In addition to prioritizing transformational development projects, the committees have worked to understand how to improve those quality-of-life issues that are vital to attracting the skilled, creative workforce needed to sustain the next level of revitalization. The focus still remains on leveraging local institutions of higher education, fostering high-tech business development and creating a more diversified downtown. The mission of the Development Committee was to: • Recommend actions and programs to effectively continue Albany’s revitalization • Identify and support projects key to the next phase of the city’s revitalization • Identify resources necessary to advance transformational projects The Development Committee made a number of recommendations. Top recommendations include: • Establishing a Development Authority to undertake large-scale, strategic development projects in Albany 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 3 Error! Not a valid link. • Developing and launching a comprehensive, world-class branding, ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. marketing and advertising campaign to best promote the City of Albany and all its amenities • Creating a Strategic Projects Loan Fund through Private and Public Partnerships to assist priority development projects move forward The mission of the Neighborhood Revitalization Committee was to: • Identify the critical issues, assets and challenges related to Albany's neighborhoods, and develop recommendations for programs, initiatives and partnerships that respond to these critical factors • Develop programming to make Albany's neighborhoods regionally competitive in the housing market in terms of value, safety and quality of life The Neighborhood Revitalization Committee made a number of recommendations. Top recommendations include: • Establishing a land banking program • Support existing efforts to create a Strategic Properties Acquisition Fund • Target City resources to correct systemic blighting influences found within the City's economically distressed neighborhoods The mission of the Education Committee was to: • Identify the role that the business community can play in improving the quality and perception of education in the City • Examine the role that public education plays in attracting businesses, investors and others to the City, and to explore how the business community can advocate for improvements to public education The Education Committee made a number of recommendations. Top recommendations include: • Creating a permanent mechanism for business and education leaders to address education issues • Encourage more direct partnership programs between Capital Region institutions of higher education and publicly funded schools in the City of Albany, with a special emphasis on the elementary school level, on schools in need of improvement, and the lowest performing K-12 schools • Further develop and extend to all publicly funded schools an incentive- based student performance system 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 4 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. As progress continues to be made and work is aggressively being completed to reach these goals, Albany will continue to see many more transformations that can all be attributed to the vision that has come from Capitalize Albany. While significant progress made in some strategy areas, others have been stymied by market uncertainties and constraints caused by the global recession that emerged in 2008. In 2009, ALDC Board of Directors re-focused organizational resources and efforts towards preparing Albany in the context of an eventual global economic recovery and positioning Albany to benefit from the growth of the technology sector in the region. This will be accomplished through implementation of a highly focused action plan designed to stabilize market forces and to capitalize on the growth of the technology sector in the Capital Region. A six-point action plan was produced as a result of an intensive strategic planning session held by the ALDC. The six points includes: Technology is the Growth Engine; accelerate, diversify and grown the City’s Commercial Tax Base; re-engage partnerships and leverage economic drivers; cultivate development projects; adapt the organization; and communicate and market. Capitalize Albany’s bold vision has prompted ALDC to take on challenging, project driven neighborhood revitalization and transformational commercial development projects throughout the years. ALDC continues to be a powerful economic force, meeting the City’s current development needs and creating an environment for a robust and vibrant economic future. After 30 years of adapting to changing economic trends and capitalizing on new opportunities to serve its mission, the Albany Local Development Corporation is about to embark on a new chapter of its legacy. By vote, the ALDC membership overwhelmingly approved a request by the Board of Directors to change the corporation’s name to the Capitalize Albany Corporation. The organization will continue to focus on the economic development needs in the City of Albany, and formulate action plans using the corporation’s resources to address them. HUD entitlement funding will continue to play a vital role in revitalizing the City of Albany. In light of diminishing federal assistance, the City will aggressively pursue grant funding from other sources, increased collaboration with all levels of government and build upon Mayor Jennings success in fostering collaboration among Albany residents, non-profit groups and private industry. The objectives and initiatives identified in this plan will guide entitlement spending in Albany over the next five years. General Questions 1. Describe the geographic areas of the jurisdiction (including areas of low income families and/or racial/minority concentration) in which assistance will be directed. 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 5 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. 2. Describe the basis for allocating investments geographically within the jurisdiction (or within the EMSA for HOPWA) (91.215(a)(1)) and the basis for assigning the priority (including the relative priority, where required) given to each category of priority needs (91.215(a)(2)). Where appropriate, the jurisdiction should estimate the percentage of funds the jurisdiction plans to dedicate to target areas. 3. Identify any obstacles to meeting underserved needs (91.215(a)(3)). 3-5 Year Strategic Plan General Questions response: The City of Albany, capital of New York State, is centrally located in New York State, only 2 to 3 hours from New York City, Boston, and Montreal. The City's population peaked in 1950 at 130,000 and since than has lost 37% of its population. The current population of the City is 95,658. Comprised of older neighborhoods and more traditional suburban type development heading west, major concentrations of low-income families exist in older neighborhoods in the eastern part of the City. The neighborhoods of Arbor Hill, North Albany, West Hill, Capitol Hill, and the South End are City defined Neighborhood Strategy Areas (NSA's). These contiguous, census tract based neighborhoods represent almost 40% of the City's population. 2000 Census data indicates that 65% of the NSA's population is composed of minority residents and over 75% of those residents have incomes less than 80% of the Albany-Schenectady-Troy MFI. Almost 85% of entitlement funding is invested in the NSA’s. The City, through the Albany Community Development Agency, awards roughly 40% of each program year’s entitlement award funding to non-profit service providers located in or serving the population of the NSA's. The City is planning on targeting greater amounts of funding towards public facility and improvement projects in these areas in the future. The City's homeownership programs are exclusively targeted towards the NSA’s, as they are the neighborhoods that would benefit most from increased levels of homeownership. The Arbor Hill, North Albany, and sections of West Hill neighborhoods are also HUD defined Neighborhood Strategy Revitalization Areas. In a given program year, over 65% of all rehabilitation funding and over 54% of all homeownership funding benefits low to moderate income minority residents. The largest obstacle towards meeting the needs of the City's low to moderate community is a lack of funding to create the value needed to stimulate private investment and still adequately address all other community needs. Cuts in funding at the federal level will continue to affect the City's ability to substantially address housing needs. The basis for assigning priority to HUD identified priority needs is discussed later in the Consolidated Plan. 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 6 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. Managing the Process (91.200 1. Lead Agency. Identify the lead agency or entity for overseeing the development of the plan and the major public and private agencies responsible for administering programs covered by the consolidated plan. 2. Identify the significant aspects of the process by which the plan was developed, and the agencies, groups, organizations, and others who participated in the process. 3. Describe the jurisdiction's consultations with housing, social service agencies, and other entities, including those focusing on services to children, elderly persons, persons with disabilities, persons with HIV/AIDS and their families, and homeless persons. *Note: HOPWA grantees must consult broadly to develop a metropolitan-wide strategy and other jurisdictions must assist in the preparation of the HOPWA submission. 3-5 Year Strategic Plan Managing the Process response: As designated by the Mayor and authorized by the Common Council of The City of Albany; the Albany Community Development Agency (ACDA) is the Lead Agency responsible for development of the Consolidated Plan. The Agency has administered the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) for the past 35 Years. The Agency is a public agency operating under the Department of Development and Planning. The governing board of the Agency consists of the Mayor, City Treasurer, City Clerk, President of the Common Council, the City’s Corporation Counsel and the Agency Director. Staffing of the ACDA is provided by the Department of Development and Planning (DDP). Through the Mayor’s leadership, the Department of Development and Planning was created to consolidate and more efficiently coordinate the Departments of Economic Development, Housing and Community Development, and City Planning. The Department of Development and Planning provides the staff for the Albany Local Development Corporation (ALDC) and the City of Albany Industrial Development Agency (AIDA). Through the not-for-profit ALDC and the public AIDA, the Department staff is responsible for a comprehensive program of redevelopment initiatives for the City of Albany. The Department of General Services (DGS) is responsible for an extensive range of public services, facilities and improvements. DGS consolidates and coordinates the Departments of Engineering, Sanitation, and Streets. An essential part of the City’s affordable housing efforts rests with The Albany Housing Authority (AHA). The Authority is responsible for the management of 2033 Federal and State assisted public housing units in Albany and the administration of Section 8 housing assistance, serving 1718 Albany households. In full cooperation with the City, the Mayor appoints five 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 7 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. of the seven board member’s of the Albany Housing Authority. The AHA continues to be an active partner in the Consolidated Plan process. By the Mayor’s initiative, the coordination of public services for the consolidated plan has been enhanced by the Department of Administrative Services and The Department of Youth and Work Force Services. The Department of Administrative Services consolidates the staff for Civil Service, Equal Employment Opportunity, Fair Housing, Human Resources, Personnel and Purchasing. The organizational changes initiated by the Mayor and approved by the Common Council will facilitate greater coordination of the consolidated plan and related programs, such as Capital Region Workforce Investment System. The plan was developed with full collaboration and input from all City departments listed above. Additionally, the Agency consulted with state and county agencies as well as non-profit groups. Over 65 non-profit service providers were encouraged to participate in the consolidated plan process. These groups are the "front-line" in many aspects of community development in the City. The City also consulted with the following groups in obtaining data to rate priority need for HUD's priority groups: • Albany Department of Youth and Workforce Services (Children) • CARES, Inc. for the homeless population. Please refer to the citizen participation process below for further description of the consultation process. Citizen Participation (91.200 1. Provide a summary of the citizen participation process. 2. Provide a summary of citizen comments or views on the plan. 3. Provide a summary of efforts made to broaden public participation in the development of the consolidated plan, including outreach to minorities and non- English speaking persons, as well as persons with disabilities. 4. Provide a written explanation of comments not accepted and the reasons why these comments were not accepted. *Please note that Citizen Comments and Responses may be included as additional files within the CPMP Tool. 3-5 Year Strategic Plan Citizen Participation response: The development of the Consolidated Plan included consultation with a wide array of both public and private sector groups, Consolidated Plan meetings, and review of a large amount of documentation. The following groups were consulted by staff completing the plan: 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 8 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. • Over 60 Non-Profit service providers • City of Albany Departments: • Youth and Workforce Development • Development and Planning • Department of Public Safety (Police, Fire, Buildings and Code Enforcement) • Administrative Services (Equal Employment and Opportunity, Fair Housing) • Department of General Services • Department of Parks and Recreation. • Albany Housing Authority • Affordable Housing Corporation • Albany County • U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development The following meetings were held to discuss priority need, solicit public and non-profit input, and discuss contents of the draft Consolidated Plan: October, 2009 City of Albany Planning Department and Community Development Staff March 8, 2010 Public Meeting: Discuss Consolidated Plan process and what it means. Discuss next steps, availability of draft plan on March 15, 2010 and deadlines concerning written/oral comment. The following documentation was reviewed by staff completing the plan: • U.S. Census Data • Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy Data (CHAS) • Neighborhood Plans and Plan Updates for the target areas (see Other Narrative) • Albany Housing Authority 5- YR plan • Capitalize Albany Update • HUD Consolidated Plan Guidance Meeting dates, time and location were announced in the Times Union, on the City’s website, in the Rotunda at City Hall, and to all the Neighborhood Improvement Corporations. Citizen comments on the Consolidated Plan Process are included in the Appendix of this Plan. The Draft Consolidated plan is available on the City of Albany’s website: www.albanyny.gov. 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 9 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. Institutional Structure (91.215 1. Explain the institutional structure through which the jurisdiction will carry out its consolidated plan, including private industry, non-profit organizations, and public institutions. 2. Assess the and gaps in the delivery system. 3. Assess the and gaps in the delivery system for public housing, including a description of the organizational relationship between the jurisdiction and the public housing agency, including the appointing authority for the commissioners or board of housing agency, relationship regarding hiring, contracting and procurement; provision of services funded by the jurisdiction; review by the jurisdiction of proposed capital improvements as well as proposed development, demolition or disposition of public housing developments. 3-5 Year Strategic Plan Institutional Structure response: The Albany Community Development Agency is the local administrator of CDBG, HOME and ESG entitlement grant funding. The agency contracts with CARES, Inc., to administer HOPWA funding. Each year, the ACDA awards entitlement grant funding to local non-profit service providers through a competitive request for proposals process. Applications are first reviewed by City staff for compliance with HUD regulations, then by City staff and citizen raters for consistency with needs identified in the Consolidated Plan, past performance with entitlement awards (if applicable), capacity and proposed performance goals. Remaining grant funding supports the Agency’s homeownership, rehabilitation and economic development funding, direct delivery of services and administration. The City will continue to pursue linkages with private industry and philanthropic groups to improve Albany's marginal neighborhoods. The Mayor's consolidation of certain City departments has greatly improved the relationship between departments involved with varying facets of community development. Growing collaboration with Albany County is evidenced by the county agreeing to sell foreclosed properties to the City to facilitate neighborhood planning efforts. The strength of the Albany Housing Authority rests in its being the largest provider of affordable housing in the City with 1674 units of Federally assisted housing, 158 units of NYS assisted low income housing (effective 3/17/10 will become federalized), and 382 units of market rate housing owned and operated by AHA subsidiary entities. The Authority also provides over 2231 tenant-based housing choice vouchers for use in the City by low income residents. 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 10 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. In spite of these numbers, the waiting list for both public housing and the voucher program exceeds 3000 applicants and there is a freeze on the voucher applications at this writing. Another gap would be the lack of qaulity affordable large family rental apartments. AHA provides a few four bedroom apartments in most of its 13 developments and in its most recent new construction project included 7 four-bedroom rental homes, the number of larger units is not enough to meet the needs of the 282+ families on the Authority's waiting lists. Appointing Authority - The Chief Executive Officer (Mayor) of the City of Albany, is the appointing authority for five of the seven member Albany Housing Authority Board of Commissioners. The remaining two Commissioners are elected by the Authority's residents. The Mayoral appointees serve a term of Five years and are usually reappointed and the tenant commissioners terms are for two years.. The tenant commissioners must run for reelection by the tenants. One Commissioner represents the families and the other represents elderly/disabled residents. The Commissioners elect the Chairperson. Relationship regarding hiring, contracting and procurement – Albany Housing Authority follows the requirements of the Municipal Civil Service Commission, which follows NYS Civil Service mandates. AHA’s position titles are approved by the MCSC and classified as either exempt or non-exempt. Most new hires must come from a certified Civil Service list of eligible candidates. Persons may be hired under a provisional status until taking & passing an examination for the position, being reachable on the Civil Service position eligibility list, interviewed and selected by the Authority. AHA operates under Federal and New York State procurement regulations and maintains a Procurement Policy for the purchase of goods and services, which includes contracting. This policy encourages interagency procurement & agreements where it is cost feasible and available. Review of proposed capital improvements and development plans of the Authority include major renovations to NY 9-13 Ezra Prentice Homes over the next two-three years, ongoing renovations to NY 9-7 Westview Homes that increase the number of available one-bedroom apartments and reduce the number of unmarketable studio units at the senior site. Capital improvements includes roofing, Highrise fire alarm systems and elevators. Modernization sprinkler installation in Townsend Park Homes. NY 9-3 Steamboat Highrise Kitchen renovations and handicap upgrades. Upcoming development in the Arbor Hill neighborhood will provide newly constructed and rehabilitated rentals as well as homeownership units. Additional new homes continue to be developed in Albany’s south end neighborhood for the Stephen Myers and Frederick Douglass homeownership programs. Improving the public housing stock as well as developing a variety of housing for Albany residents is consistent with the City’s goals for providing affordable housing opportunities. The Authority will investigate the possibility of selling several 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 11 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. of it scattered site buildings in the south end of the City and using the funds to develop additional new construction in the same neighborhood, including building on its own property at the former 4 Lincoln Square site. Monitoring (91.230) 1. Describe the standards and procedures the jurisdiction will use to monitor its housing and community development projects and ensure long-term compliance with program requirements and comprehensive planning requirements. 3-5 Year Strategic Plan Monitoring response: The Albany Community Development Agency continually monitors the performance of housing and community development activities to assure that they are carried out in accordance with applicable laws and regulations and to ensure that performance goals are achieved. Following is a description of standards and procedures that the Agency will use to ensure compliance. Request for Proposal Process The Request for Proposal process (RFP) ensures that all proposed activities support initiatives identified in the Consolidated Plan, as well as for compliance with all applicable HUD program regulations. Additionally, the process has been designed to ensure a great amount of information for the public and those groups wishing to participate in the CDBG/HOME/ESG/HOPWA process. The yearly RFP is a process whereby the subrecipients are both educated about the ACDA’s application process and HUD funding. Proposals are selected through a citizen and in-house review and rating system. Many of the subrecipients are “repeat customers” and are knowledgeable about the program. Those who are new to the process stop in or call Planning and Compliance for assistance with their proposals. The reviewers assess the subrecipients based on past performance (in-house reviewers) and/or community letters of recommendation, quality of program and submissions (including the budget of the entire program and other sources of funding). Upon award and HUD approval of entitlement funding, a public meeting is held to clarify ACDA expectations for the upcoming funding year as well as answer any questions pertaining to entitlement award funding. Contracts are written with performance goals based on the proposal submissions, budget sheets, and a summary sheet for activities and demographics. Subrecipient Monitoring Section 85.40(a) of the Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants and Cooperative Agreements to State and Local Governments requires the Agency to monitor the day-to-day operations of subrecipient activities to 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 12 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. assure compliance with applicable federal requirements and ensure that performance goals are being achieved. The goal of subrecipient monitoring is to identify any problems and to recommend corrections in order to reinforce and improve subrecipient performance. The Agency approaches monitoring program activities proposed in the Community Development as an ongoing process, involving continuous subrecipient communication and evaluation. The process involves frequent telephone contacts, written communications, analysis of reports and evaluations, periodic meetings and on-site visits. Voucher Review and Processing Payment request vouchers are submitted to the Fiscal Department and a budget sheet is attached which provides information concerning contract dates, award amount, amount expended, etc. The voucher is then reviewed by Compliance, Planning, the Chief Fiscal Officer or designee, the Deputy Director and the Director. When all sign-off, the voucher is returned to Fiscal for payment. During this process, Fiscal and/or Planning and Compliance review back-up documentation for any discrepancies and, if found, immediately contact the subrecipients. Additionally, Planning and Compliance is in daily contact with many subrecipients or potential subrecipients when vouchers are incomplete or incorrect, there is a need for budget/contract modification, or answering questions regarding awards, contracts, regulations, change in personnel (EEO), etc. The contact is through telephone, drop-in, and written communications. Additionally, meetings are scheduled on an as-needed basis. Subrecipients are in a constant state of review for timeliness, meeting their goals, allowable costs, personnel practices, and their compliance with every other federal regulation which may be applicable, including Davis-Bacon. The Compliance/Fiscal Departments compare reported accomplishments to contractual agreements. If a subrecipient fails to meet contractual benchmarks, their payment request is pro-rated so that the subrecipient is paid for actual accomplishments only. The Albany Community Development Agency makes annual on-site inspections of contracted programs that utilize CDBG, HOME, ESG, and HOPWA entitlement funds. Agency compliance staff monitors the condition of the facility for adequate operation, and assures the proper maintenance of files with information on clientele served during the program year. Other program items inspected include adequate signage that indicates the program is operating at the site, current insurance documents, and a drug- free workplace policy. Also, subrecipient program staff is reminded of EEO regulations regarding staffing. ACDA fiscal staff inspects for certain documents that must be kept on site. They include OMB Circular A-122 (Cost Principles for Non-profit Organizations), employee time sheets, payroll register/journal, annual 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 13 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. financial statement, receipts for supplies and equipment purchases, general ledger reports, bank reconciliations, and mileage records. Housing Compliance Housing compliance is responsible for monitoring all CDBG and HOME assisted housing cases. Housing compliance maintains a database tracking all in-house and non-profit housing programs. The database is updated with information on the prior months housing activities. Housing Quality Standards (HQS) inspections are conducted every three years. Period of affordability and rental unit compliance is monitored on an annual basis. Units found to be in violation of compliance requirements are referred to the legal department for further action. Recapture Policy: Except as provided below, payment of the Debt secured by this Note and Mortgage is deferred from 5 to 15 years based upon the amount of grant funding and then is forgiven unless during the ten years one of the following events listed in or occurs, at which time the remaining pro-rated amount of principal will become immediately due and payable: transfer of title to the property, by sale, devise, or otherwise; death of borrower(s); failure of the Borrower to occupy one dwelling unit of the Property as his/her principal place of residence. If a default of any of the commitments contained in Paragraph 6 of this Note occurs, upon notice from the Lender, payments of 4% interest on the full amount of the Debt shall be assessed, and such interest shall be payable in installments commencing on the first day of the month following the first calendar month after the mailing of notice. Repayment of the principal amount of the loan shall be made only when required by Paragraph 3(a), 3(b) or 3(c). This debt is non-assumable; that is borrower cannot pass the debt to a person willing to take over the obligations in this note. Priority Needs Analysis and Strategies (91.215 1. Describe the basis for assigning the priority given to each category of priority needs. 2. Identify any obstacles to meeting underserved needs. 3-5 Year Strategic Plan Priority Needs Analysis and Strategies response: 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 14 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. The general basis for assigning priority to each category of priority needs includes the analyses of: 1) Community and non-profit identified needs gathered through the Consolidated Plan public input process and analysis of non-profit priority needs evidenced by funding applications received since 2005. 2) Analysis of 2000 Census data, Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy (CHAS) data and data generated by other non-profit groups serving special needs communities, such as: Homeless and Travelers Aide Society (HATAS), CARES, INC, Senior Sevices of Albany and Equinox. 3) Annual public meetings associated with HUD funding and public comment hearings associated with neighborhood planning initiatives. 4) Needs identified in neighborhood planning studies conducted in low- income strategy areas since 2005. Examples include: The Arbor Hill Neighborhood Revitalization Plan, The South End Action Plan, The Park South Revitalization Plan, The Midtown Heights College and University Study (please refer to other narrative section for plan summaries). 5) City participation in and involvement with various homeless initiatives such as the Albany County Plan to End Homelessness Advisory Committee 6) Collaboration with the Albany Housing Authority, City of Albany Department of Youth and Workforce Development, the Department of Development and Planning, Department of Recreation, Department of General Services, Department of Engineering and the Department of Public Safety (Police and Buildings and Codes). 7) Major development initiatives identified in the Capitalize Albany strategy The analysis of the above resources was the basis for assigning priority for the following HUD identified priority areas: Affordable housing- Affordable housing needs are addressed in the Housing Section. Homelessness needs and priorities-Addressed in the Homeless Section. Other Special needs- Addressed in the Other Special Needs Section. Non-Housing community development needs- Addressed in the Non-Housing community Development needs section. The main obstacle to meeting underserved needs is a lack of funding. Lead-based Paint (91.215 1. Estimate the number of housing units that contain lead-based paint hazards, as defined in section 1004 of the Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act of 1992, and are occupied by extremely low-income, low-income, and 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 15 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. moderate-income families. 2. Outline actions proposed or being taken to evaluate and reduce lead-based paint hazards and describe how lead based paint hazards will be integrated into housing policies and programs, and how the plan for the reduction of lead-based hazards is related to the extent of lead poisoning and hazards. 3-5 Year Strategic Plan Lead-based Paint response: Under the administration of Mayor Gerald D. Jennings, the City of Albany Lead Abatement program has been nationally recognized as a model program that has been continually funded, renewed and approved. Since 1997, the Albany Community Development Agency’s LEAD Rehabilitation Program has received $25 million to make over 1700 units of Albany’s housing stock Lead Safe. The Agency has also recently been awarded an additional $3 million Lead grant which will run until October 2011 and will make at least 175 more units in the City of Albany lead safe. Lead abatement has been completed by certified Lead contractors. Furthermore, the ACDA has provides temporary relocation to families during Lead Abatement. The LEAD program is administered by City of Albany Community Development Agency (ACDA). According to the 2000 Census, over 90% of Albany’s housing stock (36,986 units) was built prior to 1978. Of this total, 4,080 units are occupied by extremely low-income families, 7,092 units are occupied by low-income families and 11,132 units are occupied by moderate income families. Each year, the ACDA contracts with three non-profit Neighborhood Improvement Corporations (NIC’s) to conduct LEAD Awareness home visits to at least 1200 target area property owners and tenants, primarily with children under age 6. The target areas are neighborhoods containing NY State Health Department identified zip codes with high incidences of children with elevated lead blood levels. During each visit an EPA pamphlet “Protect Your Family Against Lead Hazards” will be given. The ACDA strategy for identifying eligible privately-owned units in the City of Albany are prioritized as follows: • EBL Referrals: The Albany County Health Department (ACHD) refers all properties with EBLs to the Agency. ACHD continues to follow-up on EBL properties in cooperation with the ACDA Environmental Services. • Previous EBL Properties: A property noted having an EBL-history by ACHD is also prioritized to the top of the list of properties. • Primary Prevention: Over 200 applications are received each year for the Albany Rehabilitation Programs in accord with CDBG and/or Home Regulations. This includes any Lead Awareness referrals made by the NIC’s from the target areas of Arbor Hill, Capital Hill, North Albany, South End and West Hill which receive top priority. 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 16 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. The Agency will administer the LEAD financing program in conjunction with the Agency Rehabilitation Programs. The financing mechanism for the LEAD Hazard Control work is in the form of a deferred loan and mortgage. Entitlement funding is available for income-eligible new homebuyers (HOME), existing homeowners (CDBG) and landlords (HOME/CDBG) for acquisition and/or rehabilitation projects. Landlords are required to provide a match of one-third of the total rehabilitation cost. Income eligibility, period of affordability and other applicable HUD requirements are monitored by the agency’s compliance department. Entitlement funds are secured by loan and mortgage documents that provide for enforcement of these conditions for a term of 3 (LEAD only) to 15 years (LEAD and Rehabilitation funds). If a project is funded by the LEAD Grant with Rehabilitation funds, the LEAD Grant will fund the hazard control items such as the removal of LEAD hazard trim, paint stabilization, window removal and replacing windows, exterior doors and sheetrock. The Rehabilitation funds will fund replacement items including woodwork, interior doors, taping, painting and bringing the unit up to City Code and housing quality standards. In an effort to maximize grant dollars, ACDA has integrated the LEAD and Rehabilitation Funding. The average LEAD cost is $11,000 per dwelling unit for Hazard Control items. It is expected that the average City’s Rehabilitation cost will be an additional $10,000 per dwelling unit for replacement items and addressing housing quality standards and City code. Based on the availability of CDBG and HOME funding in the future, the ACDA expects to complete 175 units until the current Lead Hazard Control Grant expires in October 2011. The Agency will continue to apply for additional Lead Grant resources as they become available. HOUSING Housing Needs (91.205) *Please also refer to the Housing Needs Table in the Needs.xls workbook 1. Describe the estimated housing needs projected for the next five year period for the following categories of persons: extremely low-income, low-income, moderate-income, and middle-income families, renters and owners, elderly persons, persons with disabilities, including persons with HIV/AIDS and their families, single persons, large families, public housing residents, victims of domestic violence, families on the public housing and section 8 tenant-based waiting list, and discuss specific housing problems, including: cost-burden, severe cost- burden, substandard housing, and overcrowding (especially large families). 2. To the extent that any racial or ethnic group has a disproportionately greater need for any income category in comparison to the needs of that category as a whole, the jurisdiction must complete an assessment of that specific need. For this purpose, disproportionately greater need exists when the percentage of persons in a category of need who are members of a particular racial or ethnic 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 17 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. group is at least ten percentage points higher than the percentage of persons in the category as a whole. 3-5 Year Strategic Plan Housing Needs response: The following Affordable Housing Needs narrative details the needs of the City’s low and moderate-income households. The summary was prepared utilizing specially tabulated 2000 Census data provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy (CHAS). “Housing problems” are defined as: • Households having housing costs of more than 30% of their income. • “Overcrowding” conditions (over 1.01 persons per room). • Dwelling units lacking adequate kitchen/plumbing facilities. Needs of extremely low-income households: Extremely low-income households are defined as having incomes of less than 30% of the median family income (MFI) for the Albany-Schenectady-Troy Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). There are 9,244 extremely low-income households in the City of Albany in 2000, accounting for 22.7% of all City households. 74.5% of extremely low-income households reported housing costs in excess of 30% of income. Renter households: There were 8,271 extremely low-income renter households in the City of Albany, or 24.3% of all renter households. The renter population breakdown is: 18.4% elderly, 23.9% small-related households, 5.6% large related households, and 51.1% classified as other non-family and single person households). Almost 5,100 of the renter households in this income group had a cost burden of greater than 50% of their income. Owner households: Extremely low-income homeowners account for 10.5% of the 973 extremely low-income owner households in the City of Albany. Approximately 73% of these elderly homeowners are cost burdened, while 50.0% are paying more than 50% of their income toward housing. Non- elderly homeowners of extremely low-income category experience similar problems of affordability. Approximately 67% of these homeowners experience an excess cost burden, paying more than 30% of their income for housing. The needs of extremely low-income homeowners are likely to be addressed by efforts that reduce their overall housing expenses and improve housing conditions. There is a need to continue and expand assistance to extremely low-income homeowners, particularly the elderly, many of whom struggle to keep pace with emergency repairs and home improvements while living on a fixed income; the assistance includes energy conservation and weatherization. These households should be informed of eligible property tax 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 18 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. reductions to enable them to afford to maintain their homes. Elderly homeowners are extremely vulnerable to predatory lenders. Through the City’s Homeowner Assistance Program and Neighborhood Home Maintenance programs, efforts continue to address the needs of extremely low-income homeowners that reduce their overall housing expenses and improve housing conditions. There is a need to continue and expand assistance to extremely low-income homeowners, including energy conservation and weatherization. All households are informed of eligible property tax reductions to enable them to afford to maintain their homes. Needs of low-income households: Low-income households, those with incomes between 30% and 50% MFI, constitute 5,799 of Albany households, or 14.2% of all households in the City. Low-income households account for nearly three-quarters of all households who are cost burdened, paying more than 30% of their income for housing. Renter households: There were 4,453 low-income renter households in the City of Albany. Approximately 43.5% of these are non-family households; elderly households account for 20.7%, and small related households for 30.8%. Sixty seven percent of all low-income renters experience housing problems, and more than half pay more than 50% of their income for housing. The cost burden is particularly high among non-family households. The needs of low-income renter households should be addressed through rental assistance, the development of affordable rental housing and expanded economic opportunity efforts serving low-income residents of Albany. Owner households: Elderly homeowners account for 58.6% of the 1,346 low- income owner households in the City of Albany. Approximately 44.9% of these elderly homeowners experience housing cost burden. For non-elderly households more than 86.7% are cost burdened, paying more than 30% of their income toward housing. Continuing and increased efforts to reduce housing expenses, providing rehabilitation assistance and expanded economic opportunities should address the needs to low-income homeowners in the City of Albany. Needs of moderate income households: Moderate income is defined as having an income between 50% and 80% of the MSA median family income. Comprising 8,182 households, the moderate- income households compose the largest income segment eligible for HUD funding. This includes the working poor, households who are subject to high health care and childcare costs. These households are particularly susceptible to economic fluctuations, unemployment and under employment. Renter households: There are 5,622 renter households with incomes up to 80% MFI in Albany. That amounts to 22.1% of all renter households in the 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 19 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. City. Most of these households are non-family while the elderly accounts for 11.2% and small-related households each account for 26.7% of the total. Large related households comprise less than Nearly two out of three moderate-income renters are paying more than 30% of their income for housing. The incidence of housing problems among renters in this category is highest among the elderly 42.3%. Owner households: Elderly homeowners account for about 48.8% of the 2,506 owner households. In general, moderate-income homeowners are not as severely impacted by excessive cost burden than moderate-income renters, or low-income homeowners. Given the age and condition of the housing in Albany, efforts to promote neighborhood revitalization programs, assist existing homeowners, and encourage new homebuyers should be expanded. Small-related households comprise 26.1% of all moderate-income owners, while only 7.7% of large related families own their own home. Such incentives for moderate-income households will encourage a diversity of income and resources within Neighborhood Revitalization Areas. Needs of middle income households. CHAS data classifies those households above 80% as Middle-income households. This segment constitutes 17,473 of Albany households. As shown in the Housing Needs table, less than 10.0% of renters and homeowners in this income category are cost burdened. In order to increase homeownership and promote Neighborhood Revitalization, ACDA “Homestore” services and public private partnership initiatives should actively market homeownership opportunities for all income levels throughout the City of Albany. HIV/AIDS The AIDS housing system within the Albany EMSA has a full continuum of resources. There is a six-bed transitional housing program for men with HIV/AIDS and a newly opened five-bed permanent housing program for women operated by Support Ministries. Within the region, there is a fifteen- bed congregate permanent housing residence for individuals with HIV/AIDS who are in need of twenty-four hour support. In addition, there is a twenty- two unit scattered site permanent supportive housing program, operated by CARES, Inc. with fourteen units for families and eight units for individuals with HIV/AIDS. There are also a total of 133 tenant-based rental assistance subsidies that have been allocated specifically for persons with HIV/AIDS. The City of Albany's HOPWA funding allocation plan has taken into careful consideration of funding from other sources that has been dedicated to AIDS housing. For example, the New York State-funded Homeless Housing and Assistance Program (HHAP) has invested approximately $4 million in capital acquisition, rehabilitation and new construction costs for three AIDS housing programs (two congregate programs and one scattered-site program) in the region. The New York State Department of Health's AIDS Institute pays for housing-related case management costs for a substantial number of clients who receive HOPWA-funded tenant-based rental assistance subsidies. Under 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 20 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. HUD's Continuum of Care Homeless Assistance programs (both through the Shelter Plus Care Program and the Supportive Housing Program) in the region, 57 single beds are funded and 9 family units with 21 beds are dedicated to homeless with HIV/AIDS. There are also "mainstream" Section 8 vouchers for persons with disabilities that have been allocated to persons living with HIV/AIDS. The City of Albany has chosen to allocate its HOPWA funding so that the majority of funds go to tenant-based rental assistance subsidies (56 currently being served), and the balance be used for short- term mortgage, rent and utility assistance (73 currently being served), operating costs for existing facilities (12 persons served in the last year), and supportive services (to 39 households in the first year.) In addition, housing placement services for 60 people will be provided. Disabled The 2000 Census reported 5,746 City residents age 16-64, with a mobility or self-care limitation. For those over 65, there were 4,021 elderly City residents with mobility or self-care limitations; there is a continuing need to expand disability access to affordable housing, economic opportunities, health and supportive services, together with, transportation services. 2000 CHAS data indicates that 53.6% of all mobility and self-care limited renters experience some form of housing problem; 37% of all owners experience the same housing issues. Albany Community Development Agency housing programs are available to address the needs specific to this population. As a regional center serving the disabled, there is a need for increased assistance from New York State. Where the City of Albany will continue to support existing facilities and services for the disabled, there is a need for communities throughout the Capital Region to expand their facilities and services for the disabled Combined Public Housing – Section 8 Waiting list (this table is found in the Authority’s 5-Year Plan for 20010-2015) shows a majority of the persons on the waiting list (49%) are extremely low income (under 30% of the AMI). Additionally, the bulk of the applicants, 65% are families with children and 73% are African-American. Most of the public housing is located in impacted census tracts. The HOPE VI replacement housing planned for the Arbor Hill neighborhood, although impacted, can also be cited as an area in need of the stimulus of occupied apartments and homeowners. One of the largest needs that AHA can address on a limited basis is to provide apartments for the large family. AHA has 472 families on its waiting list who need a 4bedroom or larger apartment. Affordable large units that meet minimum inspection standards are not readily available. AHA wait list preferences persons who are employed in order to increase the average household income of its developments. HUD mandates that 40% of all vacant units must be assigned to extremely low income families and at the time encourages PHAs to establish a reasonable income mix in each of its developments (deconcentration). 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 21 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. Disproportionate Need According to the 2000 Census, 5.5% of Albany’s rental and owner community experience over crowded living conditions; roughly 4% of Albany’s housing stock lacks adequate kitchen or plumbing facilities. The primary issue facing Albany’s low to moderate income households is cost burden- paying more than 30% of their income on housing expenses. Rental Households: According to HUD Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy Data, the cost burden problem is spread equally (less than 10% difference) among all extremely-low and low income racial/ethnic households in similar income categories. The moderate income rental population does show slight evidence of disproportionately higher need among the Black, Hispanic and Asian communities. Owner Occupied Households: Evidence of disproportionately higher need exists among Black and Hispanic homeowners among all income categories. Low-income Hispanic owner occupants experience housing problems at rates 40% higher than the City as a whole. Low-income Black owner occupants experience housing problems at rates 12% higher than the City. The City is proud of the fact that in a given program year, over 65% of all rehabilitation funding and over 50% of all homeownership funding benefits low to moderate income minority residents. As discussed later in the Consolidated Plan, the City conducts targeted outreach in areas with high minority concentrations. The ACDA funds bi-lingual housing groups to inform non-english speaking residents about programming that may help reduce housing cost burden. Priority Housing Needs (91.215 1. Identify the priority housing needs and activities in accordance with the categories specified in the Housing Needs Table (formerly Table 2A). These categories correspond with special tabulations of U.S. census data provided by HUD for the preparation of the Consolidated Plan. 2. Provide an analysis of how the characteristics of the housing market and the severity of housing problems and needs of each category of residents provided the basis for determining the relative priority of each priority housing need category. Note: Family and income types may be grouped in the case of closely related categories of residents where the analysis would apply to more than one family or income type. 3. Describe the basis for assigning the priority given to each category of priority needs. 4. Identify any obstacles to meeting underserved needs. 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 22 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. 3-5 Year Strategic Plan Priority Housing Needs response: The chart below depicts the housing need priority levels identified by the City of Albany Community Development Agency for the upcoming five-year period. The need levels were based on public input and neighborhood planning efforts that identified both affordable housing options and the need to increase mixed income homeownership rates as key factors in fostering stability and growth in the NSA's. The City of Albany utilizes close to 40% of available Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME Investment Partnership Funding (HOME) to increase the supply of quality homeownership and rental units in the City. Major ACDA housing initiatives include the Home Acquisition Program (HAP), Homeowner Assistance Program (HOAP), and the Senior Rehabilitation program (SRP). The HOAP and SRP programs are available to income eligible residents Citywide. The HAP program is targeted to potential homebuyers interested in purchasing a home in the NSA's. The majority of the City's lows to moderate-income residents live in the older urban core areas of the City that have the oldest housing stock. These low/mod neighborhoods have the greatest concentration of cost burdened households and housing stock in greatest need of assistance. Additionally, the City funds NSA based Community Housing Development Organizations (CHDO's) and Neighborhood Improvement Incorporations, both working to increase homeownership and rehabilitation opportunities. Review of Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy (CHAS) data indicates a need for assistance among owners and renters of all income levels. The underlying need in the City is for a greater supply of affordable housing options and increased homeownership. Additional factors in assigning priority need are addressed in the Specific Housing Objectives Section and the general Priority Needs Analysis Section above. As previously mentioned, the housing stock in the City's core urban areas has high concentrations of low to moderate-income residents and higher concentrations of minority residents, these areas receive the bulk of housing program funding. Albany Community Development Agency rehabilitation programs improve housing to code, providing a safer living environment and extending the useful life of the NSA’s housing stock. ACDA housing programs lower inhabitants cost burden, reducing the risk of foreclosure and possible homelessness for Albany's low to moderate income homeowners by providing alternatives to high interest predatory lenders. The largest obstacle towards meeting the needs of the City's low to moderate income community is lack of funding to create the value needed to stimulate private investment and still adequately address all other community needs. Cuts in funding at the state and federal level will continue to affect the City's 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 23 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. ability to substantially address housing needs. Aside from funding issues, absentee landlords, speculation based on existing/expected City investment and the large number of abandoned buildings held in private ownership (94%) are considered obstacles. Priority Need Summary Extremely low 30%) Units w/ housing problems Priority Elderly 828 High Small Related 1744 High Large Related 434 High All other households 3284 High Renter Total 6290 Elderly 448 High Small Related 112 High Large Related 24 High All other households 145 High Owner Total 729 Low Income (30- 50%) Any housing problems Elderly 504 High Small Related 1044 Medium Large Related 120 High Renter All other households 1595 Medium Total 3263 Elderly 365 High Small Related 178 High Large Related 104 High All other households 215 High Owner Total 862 Mod Income (50- 80%) Any housing problems Elderly 268 Medium Small Related 444 Medium Large Related 150 Medium All other households 894 Medium Renter Total 1756 Elderly 244 High Small Related 414 High Large Related 84 High All other households 319 High Owner Total 1061 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 24 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. Housing Market Analysis (91.210) *Please also refer to the Housing Market Analysis Table in the Needs.xls workbook 1. Based on information available to the jurisdiction, describe the significant characteristics of the housing market in terms of supply, demand, condition, and the cost of housing; the housing stock available to serve persons with disabilities; and to serve persons with HIV/AIDS and their families. Data on the housing market should include, to the extent information is available, an estimate of the number of vacant or abandoned buildings and whether units in these buildings are suitable for rehabilitation. 2. Describe the number and targeting (income level and type of household served) of units currently assisted by local, state, or federally funded programs, and an assessment of whether any such units are expected to be lost from the assisted housing inventory for any reason, (i.e. expiration of Section 8 contracts). 3. Indicate how the characteristics of the housing market will influence the use of funds made available for rental assistance, production of new units, rehabilitation of old units, or acquisition of existing units. Please note, the goal of affordable housing is not met by beds in nursing homes. 3-5 Year Strategic Plan Housing Market Analysis responses: Albany’s residents occupy 40,709 housing units, for an average of 2.34 persons per unit. An additional 4,579 units were vacant at the time of the 2000 Census, bringing the total number of housing units in the City to 45,288. The majority of the housing units in Albany, 62.4%, are renter- occupied. Owner-occupied units comprise 37.6% of the City’s housing stock. Less than 10% of the remaining housing units in Albany were classified as vacant. The figures reflect significant housing unit losses in certain areas of the City, such as the South End, with housing growth in other areas of Albany. The owner occupancy rate decreased from 38.3% to 37.6%. The number of vacant units rose from 8.5% of the total housing stock in 1990 to 9.9% in 2000. In terms of the number of units per structure, Albany has a relatively diverse housing stock. Single-family detached or attached homes represent 33.4% of all housing units. Two family structures account for 27.1% of all residences, while three and four-unit structures account for 15.5%. Another 23.9% of the housing units in the City are in multi-family buildings with five or more units. Almost 50% of Albany’s housing units were constructed prior to 1940, evidence of a need for sustained maintenance, repair, and rehabilitation. Just over 90% of Albany’s housing stock was built prior to 1979, indicating the potential for a high incidence of housing units with lead based paint issues. The age of the housing and limited new construction shows a need for rehabilitation and new construction. 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 25 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. The vacancy rate for owner units in the City of Albany is 2.5%, according to 2000 Census data. This suggests that while there may be limitations in terms of affordability or the condition of housing, the City does have an adequate supply of housing available for homeownership. Owner-occupied units comprise 37.6% of the City of Albany’s housing stock. The majority of owner units (95%) in Albany are in single family or two family structures, and most have two, three, or four bedrooms. Larger housing units containing five or more bedrooms account for 6.5% of owner units in the City overall, but represent a greater proportion of the housing stock in Arbor Hill/North Albany and in several individual census tracts. Rental housing constitutes about 62.4% of all housing in the City of Albany. The national figure is approximately 36% rental and 64% owner occupied. Of the 25,397 renter occupied units in the City, over 66% (16,841) are one and two bedroom units; three bedroom units account for 22.4% of the rental stock. Only 3.7% of the rental stock consists of apartments suitable for large families (four or more persons). Most of the rental housing stock in Albany is in smaller buildings, with 32.1% in two-family structures, 22.8% in structures of 3 or 4 units, and 12.6% in structures of 5-9 units. The median gross rent, including utilities, increased from $456 to $570, or 25%, over the past decade. The rising cost of rental housing may limit the efforts of many Albany households, especially low and extremely low-income households, to find affordable housing in the City. Approximately 8% of the rental units in Albany are located in public housing projects and an estimated 15% of the units receive some form of rental subsidy. The number of vacant housing units in the City of Albany increased from 3,917units in 1990 to 4,579 in 2000. Of the 4,579 vacant units, 3,387 (73%) are located in Albany’s Neighborhood Strategy Neighborhoods, which account for 42.0% of all housing units in the City. According to the 2000 Census, 42% of the vacant units were available for rent and 12% were available for sale. Four percent were reported as being for seasonal, recreational, or occasional use, leaving a total of 1,481 units or 42% of all vacant units- as “other,” a category that includes housing units that have been boarded up. Estimated rehabilitation and construction costs per dwelling unit may vary from: • Moderate rehabilitation at $10-$20,000/unit; • Substantial rehabilitation from $50,000 to $100,000 in historic districts with lead and asbestos hazard control and brought up to new construction code standards; • New construction at $85,000/unit where land and site costs are minimal. Albany County, not the City, is responsible for the enforcement of tax liens and eventual foreclosure in the City of Albany. The county cannot foreclose on properties until the third year of delinquency as stated by NYS Property Tax Law. The Albany County Real Property Tax Service Agency reported that 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 26 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. 97 residential properties in the City’s NSA’s were tax delinquent and eligible for foreclosure unpaid taxes of more than two years) and eligible for auction in April of 2005. Of the 97 units, 53% are two family units and 12% are three family. The average amount owed on back taxes is $11,734. The City defines areas of low-income concentration as those where over 51% of the geographic areas (census tract and block boundaries) residents make less than 80% of the Albany-Schenectady-Troy Metropolitan Statistical Area’s Median Family Income. Areas of “minority concentration” are geographic areas where over 40% of the population consists of minority residents. HIV/AIDS and Disabled housing needs and assessments are discussed later in the plan. AHA’s housing stock is relatively good and sound. AHA’s waiting list shows that there is a need for larger sized units in the 4 and 5 bedroom categories. AHA has apartments that are accessible and can be reasonably accommodated if needed. AHA merged 39 studio units to 26 one-bedroom units at NY 9-7 Westview Homes to meet the demands of the senior market. Studio and efficiency apartments are highly unmarketable. AHA will continue merging the remaining studio apartments as fund become available If AHA is successful over the next five years to acquire sufficient funding for demolition of disposition of public housing units, it would have a replacement plan in progress at the same time. AHA is considering replacing two additional highrises in the south end and may also include additional obsolete public housing units in Arbor hill with new townhouses and scattered site units. The goal is to maintain or increase inventory while upgrading the affordable housing stock. This may or may not occur in the next five years as HUD has proposed to end the HOPE VI program, which funds removal and replacement of obsolete public housing units. Section 8/Housing Choice Vouchers numbers should remain consistent if not increased over the next five years. AHA will continue its efforts in revitalization consisting of approximately 30 rehabilitated apartments in the Arbor Hill neighborhood in conjunction with the City’s revitalization program. Additionally, homeownership opportunities will be created to provide a stabilizing base for the community. A combination of Federal, State and local funds, tax credits and affordable housing program loans and/or grants will be utilized. Apartments will be set aside for up to 80% income levels (AMI) to assure that a fair income mix of households is generated. 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 27 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. Housing Age and Tenure Jurisdiction Neighborhood Strategy Areas Year Built Number % of Total Owner Renter Year Built Number % of Total Owner Renter Pre-1940 19726 49% 7802 11924 Pre-1940 9710 57% 2552 7158 1940- 1949 5084 12.5% 1942 3142 1940-1949 1784 10% 389 1395 1950- 1959 4592 11% 1930 2662 1950-1959 1157 6.7% [PHONE REDACTED]- 1969 3795 9.3% 1368 2427 1960-1969 1611 9.3% 236 1375 1970- 1979 3789 9.2% 732 3057 1970-1979 1581 9.2% 51 1530 1980 or new 3723 9% 1538 2185 1980 or newe 1337 7.8% 323 1014 TOTAL 40709 100% 15312 25397 TOTAL 17810 100% 3709 13471 Pre-1980 36986 91% 13774 23212 TOTAL 15843 92% 3386 12457 Specific Housing Objectives (91.215 1. Describe the priorities and specific objectives the jurisdiction hopes to achieve over a specified time period. 2. Describe how Federal, State, and local public and private sector resources that are reasonably expected to be available will be used to address identified needs for the period covered by the strategic plan. 3-5 Year Strategic Plan Specific Housing Objectives response: Increased availability of affordable housing is a very important priority for the City of Albany. The City continues to address the challenge of developing affordable housing for all City residents through successful CDBG and HOME funded homeownership and rehabilitation programs offered by the Albany Community Development Agency. Additionally, the City is exploring development techniques that maximize the efficient use of existing funding and strengthens linkages with private housing developers, local financial institutions and the non-profit housing community. The City will continue to pursue code enforcement issues and the problem of vacant buildings. Lead based paint hazard control will remain a high priority in our efforts to produce lead safe housing for all City residents. 2000 data reported 7,559 households with a housing cost burden of 50% of their income. With over 6,450 income restricted and rent controlled housing units, the challenge to address affordable housing of 15,043 very low-income 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 28 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. households requires adequate provision of Federal and State assistance combined with an aggressive program of economic opportunity and workforce investment. A competitive program to promote diversity and attract private resources in Albany is essential to the revitalization strategy. Increasing homeownership is a key element of neighborhood stability and improving the quality of life for Albany residents. It is a substantial challenge to obtain financing where the cost of rehabilitation, including lead hazard control, historic preservation and disability access or demolition and new construction exceeds the market value of the property in Albany. Without financing, property owners and residents are faced with depressed values and further deterioration. To respond to these challenges, the City has identified the following priorities for the five year period covered by the Consolidated Plan: 1. Target available resources into Albany's neighborhoods to create critical mass necessary to spur private investment; 2. increase quality homeownership and rental options throughout the City of Albany; 3. rehabilitate existing rental and owner-occupied housing; 4. redevelop vacant buildings; 5. increase cooperation between public and private sectors; 6. increase the number of minority homeowners in the City; 7. provide expanded public improvements and facilities; 8. fund public services that support housing initiatives identified in this consolidated plan and other neighborhood planning initiatives. The City will continue to fund existing housing programs with federal and state grant funding over the next five years. The number of public service contracts may be reduced so that more funding will support "bricks and mortar" projects, providing proof of viable change within Albany's marginal neighborhoods. The City will also continue to evaluate programming and best practice techniques throughout the country to ensure that funding is invested in the most efficient and best use practicable. Block by Block Block by Block is an initiative designed to enhance the quality of life in Albany's neighborhoods. City staff is moving block by block, building by building and lot by lot through the City of Albany to strategically address code compliance, public safety, abandoned buildings, and community development. At the same time, the initiative is taking a hard look at the City's business model and information flow to create an updated and more efficient system for communication between City departments. 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 29 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. The foundation for this initiative began through the recommendations of Mayor Jennings’ Capitalize Albany committee in early 2007. This group called for enhanced coordination between City departments to combat blight and quality of life issues in the City's neighborhoods and targeted techniques for stabilizing and revitalizing these communities. Directed by the Mayor, various City agencies began developing programming to implement these recommendations. It became clear that issues surrounding abandoned properties and the effect they have on their neighborhoods needed to be a top priority. Block by Block now incorporates all City agencies, local elected officials, County and State authorities and impacted neighborhood associations. Block by Block uses the City code to look systematically at defined zones within the City of Albany. Starting with blocks that have the highest levels of crime and blight, representatives from all City departments review the code compliance of every building in these zones. Owners are cited for non- compliance and violations are rectified. The Block by Block team handles everything from litter and noise complaints to broken street lights and abandoned buildings. Department heads meet with Mayor Jennings every other Monday morning to report on the progress of Block by Block and to address inter-departmental issues. These meetings have been key to developing the program and revising it on an ongoing basis to ensure that all strategies make sense on the ground and are working to their full potential. The department head meetings have also helped to improve communication between departments and to coordinate more efficient information sharing and business practices. Block by Block's emphasis is on a cohesive, coordinated, concentrated effort to gather, analyze and disseminate information to tackle a wide range of issues from discovery, to investigation, to prosecution. The coordination is key, so that no issues go unnoticed, and efforts are not duplicated. Each department designated employees to represent them for the initiative's targeted efforts. These employees are Block by Block's on the ground team charged with implementing a multi-phase approach to crime suppression, building and code enforcement, neighborhood cleanup, and community development While addressing vacant and abandoned properties was the initial goal, several other areas of concern have been addressed by the initiative, including: residential occupancy permits (ROPs), hours of operation of commercial establishments, special use permits or conditions, sidewalk café permits, outdoor sales, maximum occupancy regulations, zoning violations, abandoned property board-ups, street and sidewalk repair, streetlight repair and illegal trash clean-ups. 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 30 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. Neighborhood Revitalization Program/Demolition- This new unit will be charged with the administration of the abandoned building initiative, which will utilize funding, programming and resources to reduce the number of buildings that side idle, or negatively impact neighborhood livability. Part of this program will address dangerous deteriorating and/or vacant buildings that pose a threat to neighborhood residents though demolition. Capital City Housing (CCH) CCH is a Community Housing Development Organization (CHDO) working in collaboration with the City, residents of target block/NSA’s and other non- profit groups to develop a vision on how to deal with abandoned properties. As a city wide CHDO, CCH will continue to assist in the development of low to moderate income housing. The mission will be implemented in several ways: continuing to assist low-income housing developers by assisting in site selection and assemblage, city owned lots in NSA’s available for redevelopment purposes; acting as a partner in low-income housing tax credits and bond issues. CCH is also hoping to implement a landbank to hold and maintain both lots and properties and to make them available to individuals or groups that are low-to-moderate income housing developers. Neighborhood Stabilization Project (NSP-1) ACDA received a $5.5 million to fund two proposed projects. The first is to acquire and redevelop foreclosed one and two family homes in targeted areas. And the second, to acquire and hold multi-family properties for rehabilitation and rental to the 50% and below AMI population. Both of these components are underway and on-track. The ACDA foresees no impediment to all the monies being obligated by Sept 30, 2010 and all projects being completed by April 15, 2013. This comprehensive approach to neighborhood revitalization will ensure that new housing investment does not occur in a vacuum. Some examples of other City housing programs and initiatives that will be used to facilitate neighborhood revitalization efforts within the City include: Home Acquisition Program: The Home Acquisition Program (HAP) assists low-income households to purchase, and occupy their first home in the City of Albany. Not-for-profit organizations, who assist low-income households in the City of Albany, may apply for HAP funds. Funds are provided toward the purchase and moderate rehabilitation of properties in the City of Albany for immediate or eventual home ownership. Assistance provided is up to $14,900 per property. The assistance is in the form of a second mortgage on the property, forgiven after 10 years of occupancy. Assistance provided to not-for-profit sponsors is dependent upon a commitment to transfer the property to a low-income household within five years from purchase under lease-to-own or similar models. Terms of assistance to the sponsor, including rents to be charged for 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 31 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. the interim period, will be determined by ACDA based on complete development and operating budgets. All buildings must be brought up to local code and HUD Housing Quality Standards. This program will produce 10-20 new homeownership units in a given year. Home Owner Assistance Program: The goal of the HomeOwner Assistance Program (HOAP) is to provide assistance to low-income homeowners for the moderate rehabilitation of their owner-occupied 1 to 4 unit buildings to meet local housing quality standards and codes. Eligible applicants are low-income homeowners residing in the City of Albany and residing in the property to rehabilitate. Low-income is total owner household income under 80% of the area median by household size as defined by HUD.Maximum assistance is calculated by adding a base of $5,000 for the building and up to a maximum of $20,000 in the building. In no event will the amount of assistance be more than the total cost of rehabilitation to meet local code.The first $5,000 in assistance shall be in the form of a grant. The owner must occupy a unit in the property for a period of 5 years. Assistance for the rental unit(s) is in the form of a deferred loan. All loans are for a maximum term of 15 years and will be forgiven at the end of the term as long as the owner has fully complied with all terms and condition for the entire period. The remaining assistance for the owner unit shall be in the form of a loan, tailored to the ability of each homeowner to pay. Loans shall be repayable upon sale of the property, death of the borrower, or failure of the borrower to maintain residence in the property.As a condition of receiving assistance under HOAP, owners with rental units (2-4 unit properties) must commit to renting to very low-income tenants for a period of 5-15 years. Owners must agree to rent units at affordable rents, defined as 30% of 50% of the median income. All buildings must be brought up to local code and HUD Housing Quality Standards. This program will rehabilitate 30-40 units in a given program year. Senior Rehabiliatation Program (SRP): This program was designed by the Albany Community Development Agency (ACDA) to provide substantial repair to housing units, owned by persons over the age of 62, to eliminate conditions that pose a threat to the health, safety and welfare of their occupants. SRP, provides financial assistance in the form of a grant. Grant recipients must be senior low income owner occupants living in the City of Albany. The maximum grant amount under the program is $5,000. Eligible applicants may only go through the program and receive the grant once. Eligible repairs include, but aren’t limited to: electrical system repair, heating system repair, roof repair, plumbing system repairs, and window repair or replacement. Capital District Habitat for Humanity: For more than 20 years, Habitat has been dedicated to building simple, decent and affordable housing for low-income families. During its early years, it worked to perfect the Habitat model involving volunteers in housing construction and renovation averaging about one house a year. Over the past 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 32 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. decade, with more than a thousand volunteers prepared to offer their time and talents, the building pace has accelerated. To date, Forty-four homes have been built by Habitat throughout the Capital Region. In partnership with the Albany Community Development Agency (ACDA) and Albany Housing Authority (AHA), the Capital District Habitat for Humanity is rehabilitating 19 Odell Street in the South End. Given the nature of this partnership, the project has been named “The City of Albany House.” If expectations are met with this rehabilitation, it is anticipated that Habitat will become a major player in the rehabilitation of existing properties throughout the City of Albany. In effort to assist with the implementation of the Capital South Plan – the City’s neighborhood plan for the South End – Habitat’s focus is on Albany’s historic South End. Habitat has built ten homes in the South End with two more currently under construction. For the past few years, Habitat has concentrated on Odell Street and over the next year, Habitat will be around the intersection of Stephen Street and Third Avenue. Capital District Habitat for Humanity remains committed to playing a central role in the renewal of the City of Albany and providing decent and affordable housing to Albany’s low-income families. Albany Community Land Trust: ACLT is a not-for-profit community-controlled corporation that creates opportunities for affordable homeownership and rental housing for low- income residents in the City of Albany. ACLT acquires distressed properties and develops them for sale to low-income households. ACLT holds the land permanently in trust for the community to ensure the permanent affordability to low-income families. ACLT also manages lease-purchase and rental properties and provides services to support homeownership and stable tenancy. Neighborhood Improvement Corporations: West Hill Improvement Corporation West Hill Improvement Corporation was established in 1976 by members of the West Hill Neighborhood Association. For over 30 years now, this Corporation has been working diligently to improve the quality of life in the West Hill neighborhood by providing safe, decent and affordable housing to low- and moderate-income families. West Hill uses city and State funds to operate the following programs: • Security and Home Improvement Program (SHIP), which awards grants up to $1,000 for home repairs per owner-occupied dwellings to low- and moderate-income homeowners; • The Neighborhood Small-Business Outreach Program (NSBO), which assists current and prospective small business owners to set up shop in the West Hill neighborhood; and, 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 33 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. • Home-ownership Education Program (HEP), which educates current homeowners and prospective home buyers on how to secure funds for acquisition and/or rehabilitation of homes, and referrals for grant programs and for rentals. The program consists of: assisting current owner-occupied homes to obtain funds for the rehabilitation of such dwellings; assisting prospective buyers with grant and Loan opportunities; referral services; Post Purchase Counseling; and home ownership training workshops or one-on-one counseling sessions dealing with: Credit & Budgeting Counseling, and Credit Report; Home Maintenance Training; and Mortgage Default and Foreclosure Counseling. Arbor Hill Development Corporation (AHDC) AHDC mission is to facilitate the stability and vitality of the Greater Arbor Hill community through outreach, direct services, education and advocacy. AHDC seeks to improve the quality of life in the neighborhoods through sustainable preservation and revitalization efforts. AHDC provides professional services to the neighborhoods of Arbor Hill, Sheridan Hollow and North Albany. AHDC’s service area extends roughly from the Hudson River on the east, to Limerick Drive on the north, to Henry Johnson Boulevard to the west, and then jobs from Central/Washington Ave down South Swan Street and west along Madison Avenues back to the river. Overview of Programs and Services: Community Engagements: • Greater Arbor Hill Neighborhood Associations and Residents • Arbor Hill businesses • Taskforce for Vacant and Abandoned Buildings • City of Albany Comprehensive Planning Board Home-Buyer Assistance: • Home-buyer education • Credit Counseling and grants towards down payments and closing costs for a new construction or an existing building • Post-purchase services Safe and Affordable Housing: • Grants for minor home repairs and referral assistance for more extensive work • Section 8 rent subsidy program • Apartment rentals and referral service South End Improvement Corporation (SEIC) The South End Improvement Corporation (SEIC) was formed in 1978 through the efforts of community activist, Elfrieda Textores, and her neighbors – members of the South End Concerned Citizens, to: 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 34 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. • Access federal funds for housing rehabilitation and public improvements made available through the Community Development Block Grant Program, • Focus the City of Albany’s attention on the needs of the South End • Voice South End residents’ concerns in City decisions and take a place at the table in decision-making affecting their neighborhood • The mission of the SEIC is to improve housing conditions and the quality of life in the South End of the City of Albany, thereby preserving the residential character of its unique neighborhoods and encouraging city living In its 31 years of operation, SEIC has been able to leverage small donations and grants to make a positive difference in lives of the people of the South End through its various grant programs and activities. SEIC was and continues to be a grassroots not-for profit advocacy group dedicated to housing and socioeconomic equity. SEIC has been working diligently to assist homeowners with all three of this grant programs. • Security Home Improvement Program (SHIP) This program allows up to $1,000 in grant assistance to modest means homeowners for emergency repairs to their owner occupied homes. • The RESTORE Program: This program provides senior citizens with up to $7,500 in grant assistance for emergency repairs to their homes. Types of repairs include, but are not limited to, safety and health hazards, such as furnace, roof, electrical, water, and sewage repairs, as well as accessibility repairs such as stairs, porches, doors, and windows. • Homeowner Rehabilitation Program (HARP): This grant provides funding to current income eligible homeowners who are in need of rehabilitation work to their homes. SEIC will be rehabbing at least 13 homes in the South End. The maximum HARP grant will be $19,000 per housing unit. Hispanic Outreach Services: The Hispanic Outreach Services provides a Hispanic Housing and Advocacy / Assistance Program which helps provide advocacy/housing assistance to low and moderate-income Hispanic individuals and families who have limited (if any) English-speaking skills. This program will meet with 65 eligible Hispanic households, informing them of City housing opportunites and other services that may help increase their qaulity of life. ACDA Home Owner Services: 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 35 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. One mission of the Albany Community Development Agency is to strengthen and stabilize Albany neighborhoods by increasing the rate of homeownership in the City. This will be accomplished by promoting Albany homeownership through a centralized location for counseling and services needed to become successful homebuyers and owners in the City of Albany. The primary objective of this service is to increase homeownership in Albany from 38% towards the national average of 64%. This service is a consumer-oriented service center designed to provide sufficient information in one visit to allow citizens to take advantage of the various City services and products. The ACDA offers a broad-range of City and community partners brochures, pamphlets and internet resources. The Financial Counselor provides information on homebuyer programs, refinancing and rehabilitation programs, rental housing resources and an inventory of real estate opportunities in each Albany neighborhood. The ACDA will meet with at least 100 clients offering the above services per year. The City of Albany will continue to pursue available grant resources to further neighborhood revitalization through increased homeownership and rehabilitation. The City received a $300,000 grant from the New York State Affordable Houising Corporation for the rehabilitation of 30 units in Neighborhood Strategy Areas. These initiatives show the creative use and application of community development funds in collaboration with other non-profit and private groups and agencies. The ACDA will support similar efforts in facilitating neighborhood activites as detailed in the planning summaries located in the Other Narrative Section. Needs of Public Housing (91.210 In cooperation with the public housing agency or agencies located within its boundaries, describe the needs of public housing, including the number of public housing units in the jurisdiction, the physical condition of such units, the restoration and revitalization needs of public housing projects within the jurisdiction, and other factors, including the number of families on public housing and tenant-based waiting lists and results from the Section 504 needs assessment of public housing projects located within its boundaries (i.e. assessment of needs of tenants and applicants on waiting list for accessible units as required by 24 CFR 8.25). The public housing agency and jurisdiction can use the optional Priority Public Housing Needs Table (formerly Table 4) of the Consolidated Plan to identify priority public housing needs to assist in this process. 3-5 Year Strategic Plan Needs of Public Housing response: Albany Housing Authority owns and operates 1761 units of Federal (ACC) public housing, , 160 Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) units in North Albany and 36 market rate units at Nutgrove Garden apartments. An AHA 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 36 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. subsidiary company owns and operates an additional 392 LIHTC units. AHA’s total apartments currently number 2214. All of the apartments in AHA’s inventory meet or exceed federal Uniform Physical Conditions Standards (UPCS) or Housing Quality Standard (HQS) depending on the program under which they are operated. Both sets of standards afford decent, safe and sanitary living conditions. In the next five years, the Authority’s capital improvements will target the newly redeveloped NY 9-13 Ezra Prentice Homes (169 LIHTC units and 7 Project based Section 8) located in the City’s south end community. Ezra Prentice will undergo major renovations that include new kitchens, electrical and plumbing upgrades, accessibility upgrades, sprinkler systems, exterior improvements, etc. The funding is coming come from Capital Fund borrowing and stimulus funds and loans. As previously stated, additional studio units at NY 9-7 Westview Homes will be merged into one-bedroom units to increase the marketability of the development. Other areas of capital improvement include roofs, replacing fire alarm systems in highrises, elevators, kitechen renovations, and handicap accessibility, targeted window replacements, signage exterior masonry repair, targeted boiler replacements, continued lead paint testing, etc. These are planned over a period of five years under the 2010 Capital Fund Program New construction of 40 townhouses in the footprint of the former 4 Lincoln Square site. Consisting of 2 and 3 bedroom units with 6 being fully accessible. AHA will be pursuing the development of a low and moderate income housing complex on the site once occupied by AHA’s 20 Warren Street highrise building, which was demolished in late 2004. The new complex will consist of 40 dwelling units built as two and three-story townhouses. The first floor units, subject to grade limitations, will all be handicapped adaptable and at least six of the first floor units will be fully accessible. AHA and its development partner will seek funding from the NYS Division of Housing and Community Renewal so as to keep the units affordable. (Capital improvement also includes other development, which is stated in the public housing needs section) Public Housing Strategy (91.210) 1. Describe the public housing agency's strategy to serve the needs of extremely low-income, low-income, and moderate-income families residing in the jurisdiction served by the public housing agency (including families on the public housing and section 8 tenant-based waiting list), the public housing agency’s strategy for addressing the revitalization and restoration needs of public housing projects within the jurisdiction and improving the management and operation of such public housing, and the public housing agency’s strategy for improving the living environment of extremely low-income, low-income, and moderate families residing in public housing. 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 37 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. 2. Describe the manner in which the plan of the jurisdiction will help address the needs of public housing and activities it will undertake to encourage public housing residents to become more involved in management and participate in homeownership. (NAHA Sec. 105 (b)(11) and (91.215 3. If the public housing agency is designated as "troubled" by HUD or otherwise is performing poorly, the jurisdiction shall describe the manner in which it will provide financial or other assistance in improving its operations to remove such designation. (NAHA Sec. 105 3-5 Year Strategic Plan Public Housing Strategy response: The Albany Housing Autority is not designated as a “Troubled” Housing Authority AHA public housing and Housing Choice provides affordable housing to persons under 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI). The Authority is mandated to offer 40% of its annual vacancies to extremely low income persons (under 30% of the AMI). Likewise, the Housing Choice Voucher (formerly Section 8) program must provide 75% of its annual vouchers to extremely lo- income persons. AHA’s wait list shows that 88% of its combined waiting list is under 50% AMI and of that, 53% are in the extremely low income category. HUD allows AHA to income-mix its developments to deconcentrate income levels, which allows wait list skipping. AHA is restructuring its operations to meet HUD mandates for project based asset management. Each development or group of smaller developments will operate as its own entity. The result will be a more business-like structure to the management structure of the site. Management staff will have full oversight of its maintenance operations including tenant relations, lease compliance, etc, while continuing to work with the central office staff for occupancy, rent collections and other essential centralized areas of administration. The purpose of the project based operations is HUD’s desire to change from a performance funding system based on an annual expense level (AEL) to a project expense level (PEL), where well-run developments are rewarded and poorly run or financially unsound developments will either be merged with successful ones or sold off. All of this is based on the Harvard Cost Study and continues to be subject to HUD revision at this time. Homeownership Opportunities AHA sponsors a number of homeownership programs, either solely or in conjunction with the City of Albany or other local housing providers. Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program participants may use their voucher to assist with the purchase of a home in the City of Albany. The Section 8 payments are made to the participant’s bank as mortgage loan payments, instead of rent is usually paid to the landlord. This program may be used along with another of AHA homeownership programs. 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 38 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. South End Homebuyer and Rehabilitation Program (SHARP) AHA provides grants to assist with the purchase and repair of one and two family homes in Albany’s South End neighborhood. Program funds may also assist current homeowners with repairs to their homes in order to bring the home up to HUD . Housing Needs of Families on the Waiting List Combined PH & S8 # of families % of total families Annual Turnover Waiting list total 4504 236 Extremely low income <=30% AMI 2220 49% Very low income (>30% but <=50% AMI) 1978 44% Low income (>50% but <80% AMI) 306 7% Families with children 2940 65% Elderly families 110 2% Families with Disabilities 1132 25% African-American 3274 73% Hispanic-Latino 788 17% Asian-Pacific 50 1% American Indian- Eskimo 40 Caucasian 1030 23% Other 0 0 Characteristics by Bedroom Size (Public Housing Only) Annual turnover average 1BR 1775 39% 2 BR 1432 32% 3 BR 825 18% 4 BR 348 8% 5 BR 124 3% 5+ BR N/A N/A 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 39 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. Homeownership Opportunities AHA sponsors a number of homeownership programs, either solely or in conjunction with the City of Albany or other local housing providers. Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program participants may use their voucher to assist with the purchase of a home in the City of Albany. The Section 8 payments are made to the participant’s bank as mortgage loan payments, instead of rent is usually paid to the landlord. This program may be used along with another of AHA homeownership programs. South End Homebuyer and Rehabilitation Program (SHARP) AHA provides grants to assist with the purchase and repair of one and two family homes in Albany’s South End neighborhood. Program funds may also assist current homeowners with repairs to their homes in order to bring the home up to HUD Housing Quality Standards. Frederick Douglass Affordable Housing Program AHA is building and selling new single family, 3-bedroom, one, and ½ bath homes for sale on Third Avenue and Osborne Street in Albany’s South End. Stephen Myers Affordable Housing Program (new in 2005) AHA is building and selling new single-family homes in various locations in Arbor Hill. These new homes offering 3- bedroom and 1 ½ baths are in addition to AHA’s new rental housing that will also be built in Arbor Hill in 2005. Barriers to Affordable Housing (91.210 and 91.215 1. Explain whether the cost of housing or the incentives to develop, maintain, or improve affordable housing are affected by public policies, particularly those of the local jurisdiction. Such policies include tax policy affecting land and other property, land use controls, zoning ordinances, building codes, fees and charges, growth limits, and policies that affect the return on residential investment. 2. Describe the strategy to remove or ameliorate negative effects of public policies that serve as barriers to affordable housing, except that, if a State requires a unit of general local government to submit a regulatory barrier assessment that is substantially equivalent to the information required under this part, as determined by HUD, the unit of general local government may submit that assessment to HUD and it shall be considered to have complied with this requirement. 3-5 Year Strategic Plan Barriers to Affordable Housing response: The primary barrier to affordable housing is a lack of income. With an increase of low-income households in Albany and limited public subsides, the production of affordable housing is directly related to expanded economic opportunity for low-income residents of Albany. As such, affordable housing initiatives must be combined with a coordinated workforce investment program that enables Albany residents to compete for living wage opportunities. In addition to the primary barrier of inadequate income, the following provides an analysis of institutional barriers to affordable housing. 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 40 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. Building Codes-Based on the experience of the municipal departments charged with economic development planning, housing, community development and the enforcement of building and zoning codes, there do not appear to be any building or zoning codes which are creating a barrier to affordable housing. Analysis of the impact of the New York State Multiple Residence Law on the cost of rehabilitating structures with three or more units is necessary insofar as the law sets new construction requirements for rehabilitation. Zoning Ordinance- The City of Albany is a very old American City, having been chartered more than 300 years ago. As such, large portions of the City were developed some time ago when lot sizes were smaller, residential densities were much greater and the automobile was not a factor of development. The residential zoning classifications in place in the City of Albany may allow fairly high density development. The City adopted two large lot classifications, R-1 LL and R-1A, in 1990. Because of the older traditional neighborhood with smaller lot sizes, which typify Albany, large lot or exclusionary zoning is not an issue. The zoning classifications in effect within the City of Albany do not present an obstacle to the provision of affordable housing. The traditional older urban neighborhoods, characterized by row houses and small lot detached homes, in fact facilitate affordable housing infill programs. Many of the City’s affordable housing programs involve sites that take full advantage of the higher density urban zoning classification. Zoning requirements in Albany are under constant review by the Board of Building and Zoning Appeals that makes every effort to address contemporary needs and assure a quality of life for all residents. Historic Preservation- Historic preservation requirements have been identified as a potential barrier to affordable housing. Preservation standards which require additional work, and the costs associated with regulatory compliance can cause delays, and affect financial feasibility. Many of Albany’s rehabilitation projects utilized historic preservation tax credits in conjunction with federal UDAG and CDBG funding and other state and private funding. The City’s 300 year history and number of historic districts can be considered an asset to encourage diversity, promote economic growth and enhance the quality of life for all residents and visitors. In evaluating development proposals, the quality of life within the City must be reconciled with the need for economic growth and financial feasibility. Most of the properties included in the historic districts are located within NSAs. The goal of preserving and enhancing the character of the districts is an integral part of the community development program. Improving the attractiveness of these areas for residents, businesses, and visitors contributes to the quality of life in the City. The aging of the existing building stock, changing economic and social factors, and evolving philosophies and technologies create the need for ongoing evaluation of the City’s historic resources and the policies for dealing 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 41 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. with them. In order to provide needed housing that meets applicable codes, while taking into account the historic character of the existing buildings and neighborhoods, deteriorated dwelling units must be rehabilitated or replaced. As programs are being created to deal with vacant buildings throughout the City, measures that balance history with safety are being developed to deal with those that are located in historic districts. Continued efforts need to be made to meet the need for high-quality, sensitively designed infill housing through the continued use of public-private partnerships such as those that have been formed successfully in Arbor Hill and the South End. In order to deal with these issues, additional resources must be devoted to projects relating to the City’s historic and aesthetic resources. With input from agencies at all levels of government and from the community at large, data must be collected and evaluated, policies must be developed, and new or revised programs must be implemented. Siting of Special Needs Housing and Facilities- Proposals to establish community residences have drawn opposition from neighborhood residents distressed over a real or perceived concentration of such facilities in their communities. The establishment of residential treatment facilities in residential neighborhoods continues to be an issue. Site selection is regulated for certain community residences funded by the state Offices of Mental Health (OMH) and Mental Retardation/Development Disabilities (OMRDD) and is governed by New York State legislation known as the Padavan Law, passed in 1978. It defines these homes as supportive living facilities serving from four to fourteen residents and subject to licensure by OMH or OMRDD. Under the terms of the Padavan Law, the agency seeking to establish a residential treatment facility must notify a municipality of its intentions. The municipality may object to the establishment of the facility on the grounds that to do so would result in such a concentration of these facilities in the vicinity of the site that the nature and character of the area would be substantially altered. In siting these facilities, a municipality and the State must balance the legitimate concerns and interests of private citizens with the rights of dependent persons who would benefit from the advantages that these facilities provide. The City will continue to support existing facilities serving City residents with special needs.There is a need for State Agencies to adopt a regional approach to provide special needs housing and facilities throughout the Capital Region. Efforts to further Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity practices in the upcoming program year include: • The City of Albany employs a MBE/WBE coordinator to aid ACDA staff with encouraging participation among women and minority owned businesses. • ACDA homestore staff educates residents on availability of ACDA rehabilitation programs. 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 42 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. • The ACDA advertises and has continual open enrollment for all contractors wishing to become certified by the Agency for rehabilitation projects. • The Capital District Women's Bar Association Legal Project, Inc. and the Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York, Inc. are HUD award recipients that offer reduced rate/pro-bono legal services to the City's low to moderate income and elderly residents. • Three Neighborhood Improvement Incorporations (NIC's) perform outreach in the Neighborhood Strategy Areas by informing the public of the dangers of Lead paint and the availability of City housing programs to remedy the hazard. HOMELESS Homeless Needs (91.205 and 91.215 *Please also refer to the Homeless Needs Table in the Needs.xls workbook Homeless Needs— The jurisdiction must provide a concise summary of the nature and extent of homelessness in the jurisdiction, (including rural homelessness and chronic homelessness where applicable), addressing separately the need for facilities and services for homeless persons and homeless families with children, both sheltered and unsheltered, and homeless subpopulations, in accordance with Table 1A. The summary must include the characteristics and needs of low-income individuals and children, (especially extremely low-income) who are currently housed but are at imminent risk of either residing in shelters or becoming unsheltered. In addition, to the extent information is available, the plan must include a description of the nature and extent of homelessness by racial and ethnic group. A quantitative analysis is not required. If a jurisdiction provides estimates of the at-risk population(s), it should also include a description of the operational definition of the at-risk group and the methodology used to generate the estimates. 3-5 Year Strategic Plan Homeless Needs response: The City of Albany has a full continuum of housing and services for homeless individuals and families. Over the past five years, the Albany County Continuum of Care (CoC) has made progress in addressing the unmet need of homeless persons within the City of Albany by providing additional services to assist persons who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. Since 2005, 13 additional programs were created using U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Continuum of Care (CoC) funding. A number of these programs were created to support specific subsets of the homeless population including; chronically homeless, families, those battling substance abuse, mental illness, HIV/AIDS, veterans, unaccompanied youth, and victims of domestic violence. It is required that communities applying to use HUD (CoC) funds to serve the homeless do a count of the sheltered and unsheltered homeless population 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 43 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. each year, Point-in-Time (PIT)Count in the last week of January. This count is a tally of who is homeless on a given night and provides a snapshot of who experiences homeless throughout the year. The PIT Count is a one-day, statistically reliable, unduplicated count of sheltered and unsheltered homeless individuals and families. The data from Albany County CoC 2009’s PIT Count estimates 497 households, comprised of 639 persons, were homeless at one point in time during 2009. Of these, 35 households with 35 persons (7 percent of households and 5 percent of persons) were unsheltered. The chronically homeless population was 13 percent of households documented, with 38 being sheltered and 36 unsheltered. Those battling severe mental illness were 24 percent (120 persons) of the documented homeless population, while those with substance abuse and victims of domestic violence comprised 43 percent (216 persons) and 8 percent (39 persons), respectively. Veterans were 13 percent of the population (65 persons) and unaccompanied youth were 5 percent (27 persons). As noted by the 2009 Point-in-Time data above, even with progress made within the past five years, there are unmet needs that must still be addressed. Table 1A indicates a need for an additional 118 emergency shelter beds (58 for individuals and 60 for families), 173 transitional housing beds (123 for individuals and 50 for families), and 575 permanent supportive housing beds (426 for individuals and 149 for families). Additional housing needs persist for those battling substance abuse, mental illness, HIV/AIDS, veterans, unaccompanied youth, and victims of domestic violence. There is also a significant need for additional rental subsidies for individuals and families who do not have a disability. There is a waiting list for Section 8 and Public Housing remains well over a year long, and for that fact both waiting lists remain closed for most of the year. The City of Albany participates in the Capital Region Homeless Management Information System (HMIS). The Albany City Portion of the HMIS collects universal and program level data from 19 agencies operating 67 programs within the City of Albany. HMIS provides a summary of the nature and extent of homelessness by documenting demographic information on individuals and families seeking homeless services within the City of Albany. According to the Capital Region HMIS, in 2009, Albany County’s homeless service providers served 3,966 unduplicated households, including 898 families with 1,750 children. Below are characteristics of the homeless population served: • 70 percent of households served were adult individuals, 3 percent of were unaccompanied youth, 1 percent were adult couples, 18 percent were single parent families, and 4 percent were two parent families (4 percent reported no data) • 10 percent of all households served were Hispanic/Latino 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 44 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. • 38 percent of all households served were Caucasian, 58 percent African-American, and 4 percent were other minority or mixed race • Approximately 320 households or 8 percent of households served were categorized as chronically homeless • Of the chronically homeless, 5 percent were Hispanic/Latino, 53 percent were African-American, 44 percent were Caucasian and 3 percent were other minority or mixed race • 42 percent of all households reported the head of household as having a disabling condition including but not limited to: Mental Illness (27 percent), Alcohol/Drug Abuse(48 percent) and HIV/AIDS (5 percent) • 7 percent were identified as victims of domestic violence • 9 percent of households served were veterans Data indicate homelessness is higher among African-Americans and Latinos than that of Caucasians. African-Americans are 12 percent of the total population of the City of Albany, but make up 58 percent of households facing homelessness. Hispanics/Latinos make up 4 percent of the total population within the City, but are 10 percent of the households served by homeless providers in 2009. The HMIS also allows the City to document the characteristics and needs of low-income individuals and children who are housed but are at imminent risk of homelessness. Through the new HUD sponsored American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funded Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP), homeless agencies can provide financial assistance and services to prevent individuals and families from becoming homeless. The HPRP is funded until 2012. Since the program began in December 2009, a total of 70 unduplicated households were assisted through the HPRP program in order to prevent homelessness by preventing evictions, including 41 families with 70 children. Below are characteristics of these households: • 40 percent of households served were adult individuals, 1 percent were adult couples, 49 percent were single parent families, and 10 percent were two parent families • 7 percent of households served were Hispanic/Latino, 26 percent were Caucasian, 70 percent were African-American, and 4 percent were other minority or mixed race • 3 percent of all households reported the head of household as having a disabling condition In addition to HPRP funds, which are time-limited, the Albany County Department of Social Services operates a full continuum of homelessness prevention, re-housing, and case management services targeted to at-risk and homeless individuals and families through the HIP/SHIP Homelessness 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 45 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. Intervention Program (HIP)and Supplemental Homelessness Intervention Program (SHIP) grants and HPRP Rehousing Program funded through a contract with the New York State Office of Temporary Disability Assistance. Those at risk of becoming homeless include those who have severe housing cost burdens due to the recent economic downturn, especially single Moms who have faced a reduction in work hours, a layoff, and lack of child support coming in, as well as those faced with life challenges such as mental illness, substance abuse, HIV/AIDS, domestic violence, being a veteran, or being a youth who cannot return home to live with his/her family. All of the above mentioned subsets are populations that are and will continue to be served by homeless service providers within the City of Albany. Priority Homeless Needs 1. Using the results of the Continuum of Care planning process, identify the jurisdiction's homeless and homeless prevention priorities specified in Table 1A, the Homeless and Special Needs Populations Chart. The description of the jurisdiction's choice of priority needs and allocation priorities must be based on reliable data meeting HUD standards and should reflect the required consultation with homeless assistance providers, homeless persons, and other concerned citizens regarding the needs of homeless families with children and individuals. The jurisdiction must provide an analysis of how the needs of each category of residents provided the basis for determining the relative priority of each priority homeless need category. A separate brief narrative should be directed to addressing gaps in services and housing for the sheltered and unsheltered chronic homeless. 2. A community should give a high priority to chronically homeless persons, where the jurisdiction identifies sheltered and unsheltered chronic homeless persons in its Homeless Needs Table - Homeless Populations and Subpopulations. 3-5 Year Strategic Plan Priority Homeless Needs response: Through consultation with the Albany County Coalition on Homelessness, the Albany County Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness, and other community stakeholders, including the faith community, the City of Albany has established the following homeless needs as its priorities: Addressing Family Homelessness, Homelessness Prevention, Homeless Veterans, and the Chronically Homeless. Addressing Family Homelessness Over the past several years, communities across New York’s Capital Region, including Albany, have seen a dramatic rise in the number of homeless families. Particularly striking has been the rise in two-parent families within the homeless service system; in 2005, this population was less than 1% of Albany’s total homeless population, while in 2008 and 2009 two parent households comprised 4% of the total homeless population. Some of this 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 46 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. rise can be attributed to the housing crisis and recession of 2008-09, other factors include the increasing cost of housing coupled with the relative stagnation in wages, continuing challenges related to mental illness, addictions and domestic violence, the effects of healthcare and other life crises, and the need for additional training on life skills, tenant responsibilities and budgeting. While for the past several years, family homelessness has been the priority for any new housing added through the Continuum of Care funding application, the need for family beds far exceeds their availability. Waiting lists for supported housing and for Section 8 vouchers and public housing remain years long. Finding housing that is safe and decent and affordable to those with low and extremely low incomes is a constant challenge, even for those families receiving housing location assistance from local agencies. Over the next five years, the City of Albany will remain committed to directing resources to combat the current rise in family homelessness. Homelessness Prevention It is well established that it is both cost-effective and far less disruptive to the individual or family if an episode of homelessness can be prevented, rather than responding the crisis after it has occurred. Albany currently has well-functioning prevention programs in its state-funded HIP/SHIP programs and the federally-funded Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Rehousing Program (HPRP) program. These programs assist those at high risk of becoming homeless through the provision of case management and supportive services, legal assistance, and financial assistance in the form of rental and utility arrears payments and short and medium-term rental and utility assistance. The need for prevention assistance, however, exceeds the current capacity of these programs. In addition, the HIP/SHIP program is highly vulnerable to funding cuts and possible elimination while the HPRP is set to expire in 2012. Both the City of Albany and its homeless service providers have placed a high priority on ensuring that these successful programs continue to operate and will work to expand their capacities as additional funding becomes available. Homeless Veterans The soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan face many difficulties as they make the transition back to civilian life. For some, these challenges are too great for them to be able to maintain their housing. In the recent years we have seen a steady rise in the number of homeless veterans; this is a trend that we expect to continue as more and more service members return to the City of Albany. At the writing of this document, Albany’s homeless service system is largely meeting the demand for veterans’ housing; these efforts have been greatly assisted through the awarding of 130 Veterans Administration Supported Housing (VASH) Section 8 vouchers to the Albany Office of Veterans Affairs. As more and more of our troops come home, we expect the need for housing and supportive services to increase to the point where the current capacity may not be sufficient to meet the need. The City of Albany and its homeless service providers will closely monitor this need in 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 47 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. the coming years and will be quick to allocate resources to this population if it becomes apparent that their needs are not being adequately met. Chronically Homeless As it was in 2005, ending chronic homelessness remains a high priority for the City of Albany. Despite the progress that has been made through the addition of 27 permanent housing beds for chronically homeless individuals in the past five years, there remains the need for additional resources targeted at this population. The City of Albany is committed to continuing to prioritize the needs of the chronically homeless when making funding decisions, and will work with the Albany City and County Continuum of Care to ensure funding for the creation of new chronically homeless beds are included in each year’s CoC application. Homeless Inventory (91.210 The jurisdiction shall provide a concise summary of the existing facilities and services (including a brief inventory) that assist homeless persons and families with children and subpopulations identified in Table 1A. These include outreach and assessment, emergency shelters and services, transitional housing, permanent supportive housing, access to permanent housing, and activities to prevent low-income individuals and families with children (especially extremely low-income) from becoming homeless. The jurisdiction can use the optional Continuum of Care Housing Activity Chart and Service Activity Chart to meet this requirement. 3-5 Year Strategic Plan Homeless Inventory response: COMPONENT: Homelessness Prevention The Albany County Department of Social Services operates a full continuum of homelessness prevention, re-housing , and case management programs and services targeted to at-risk populations and homeless individuals and families with funding from the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (NYS OTDA). NYS OTDA funds the Homelessness Intervention Program (HIP) and Supplemental Homelessness Intervention Program (SHIP) and Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Rehousing (HPRP) program. HIP and SHIP have been implemented through subcontracts with Homeless and Travelers Aid Society (HATAS), Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless, the Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York, and United Tenants of Albany. HIP/SHIP operates a fully collaborative team model providing assessment and stabilization of the household, eviction prevention and/or securing alternate, affordable permanent housing, and case management and other services that support permanent housing retention for a minimum period of 360 days. In addition to HIP/SHIP, households at imminent risk of homelessness may also be eligilble for assistance through HUD’s Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Rehousing Program (HPRP). Operated collabortively by HATAS, Interfaith Partnership, United Tenants Association, Albany Housing Coaltion, 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 48 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. and Catholic Charities, the Albany HPRP program provides rental and utility arrears and short-term rental and utility assistance to low-income households at risk of homelessness. The HPRP program was implemented in December of 2009 and is funded to run until July 2011. It is anticipated successful elements of this program will be sustained using funding from HUD’s Emergency Solutions Grant Program and the Continuum of Care Homeless Assistance Program. COMPONENT: Outreach and assessment Street/Chronically Homeless The Homeless Action Committee (HAC) provides street outreach in areas where chronically homeless persons, including veterans, persons with serious mental illness, persons with histories of chronic substance abuse, persons living with HIV/AIDS, victims of domestic violence, and youth congregate. These areas include parks, downtown streets, hallways of office and apartment buildings, bus stations, railroad tracks, abandoned buildings, and other places where homeless people seek refuge. With funding obtained through HUD’s Continuum of Care process, HAC provides van-based outreach, information and referral services, transportation, food, blankets and clothing to people hardest to reach. HAC operates seven days a week and is able to offer ongoing case management services for chronically homeless persons. The program serves approximately 250 persons on an annual basis. The program’s outreach staff work directly with persons living on the streets to assist them in obtaining housing, supportive services, and medical care. Additional outreach is conducted through Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless’ Sheridan Hollow Drop-In Center. Opened in November 2006, the Drop-In Center provides a broad range of services to approximately 75 individuals per day. Services to the street homeless include access to showers, lockers, mailboxes, clothing, laundry and a daily meal. In addition, the Drop-In Center works with a number of local providers to offer on-site services and linkages to mental health and substance abuse treatment, health care, education and vocational training, HIV-testing and food stamp enrollment. Veterans Outreach to veterans and agencies that serve veterans are provided by the VA Homeless Outreach Program sponsored by the Veterans Administration and by Albany Housing Coalition’s Case Management and Assessment Program. Specialized outreach services are provided to veterans re-entering the community from correctional facilities or who have current involvement with the criminal justice system. Veterans are also linked to housing through referrals from the Veterans Administration Medical Center, HATAS’ centralized emergency shelter intake system, a central point of intake for all Homeless Services in the City as well as County, and supportive service and housing providers serving homeless and disabled persons. In addition, the State Veterans Affairs Office and Albany County Department of Social Services link veterans with appropriate housing and supportive services. 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 49 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. Seriously Mentally Ill Albany County’s Department of Mental Health operates the Community Assessment, Referral and Treatment (CART) Team, a multidiciplinary team with the goal of providing outreach and treamtent to high need popopulations within Albany County. CART provides clinical case management, outpatient mental health services, and crisis reponse to individuals suffering from serious mental illness. The CART Team works closely with the Albany County Single Point of Access for Housing, Treatment and Case Management services to ensure individuals have access to the full range of services in Albany County. Many of those served by the CART Team are either homeless or chronically homeless. In addition to referrals from the CART Team, homeless persons with mental illness are linked to the Single Point of Access system through referrals from HATAS’ centralized emergency shelter intake system, service and housing providers, the Capital District Center, Albany Medical Center, and the Albany County Department of Social Services. HATAS, under contract with the Albany County Department of Mental Health, visits local emergency shelters to identify, engage, and refer for services homeless persons who are seriously mentally ill. Chemical Dependency Outreach to substance abusers is provided by Addictions Care Center of Albany’s Crisis Unit, which has 28 beds for homeless persons needing detoxification and for those who have completed detoxification but are awaiting placement in a more sustained substance abuse treatment program. In addition, Hospital Emergency Departments within the City of Albany routinely provide referrals to housing and emergency shelter to individuals with substance use disorders. The Needle Exchange Program operated by Catholic Charities also provides outreach services to inviduals who may be homeless, and nearly all of those served by HAC’s van-based outreach program are chronic substance abusers. Substance abusers are also linked to housing through referrals from HATAS’ centralized emergency shelter intake system, service providers, and the Albany County Department of Social Services. HIV/AIDS AIDS service providers such as Albany Medical Center, Whitney M. Young Jr. Medical Center, the AIDS Council of Northeastern New York, Catholic Charities Diocesan AIDS Services, and Support Ministries identify homeless persons with HIV/AIDS and refer them to housing programs. Whitney M. Young Jr. Medical Center operates a homelessness outreach program specifically targeted to persons living with HIV/AIDS. Housing referrals are also made by HATAS’ centralized emergency intake system, other service and housing providers, and the Albany County Department of Social Services. Domestic Violence 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 50 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. Homeless victims of domestic violence are identified and linked to housing through calls to local and state domestic violence hotlines as well as referrals from courts, police, hospital emergency rooms, clergy, private therapists, and the Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York. Equinox, Inc.’s domestic violence shelter provides outreach services, including those to Spanish- speaking residents, and conducts domestic violence outreach weekly at the Sheridan Hollow Drop-In Center. In addition, referrals are made through HATAS’ centralized emergency shelter intake system and the Albany County Department of Social Services. Through a voluntary screening process conducted with all applicants/recipients of temporary assistance, the Albany County Department of Social Services provides for domestic violence assessments, development of safety and service plans, and determination of need for temporary waivers of eligibility criteria, based on victims’ safety considerations. Youth Equinox, Inc. provides outreach to homeless youth. Youth are also linked to housing and services through referrals from schools, courts, police, service providers, HATAS’ centralized emergency shelter intake system, and Albany County Department of Social Services. Some youth access services through calls to runaway hotlines. COMPONENT: Emergency Shelter and Services In Albany, there are a total of 196 emergency beds for individuals operated by the Capital City Rescue Mission, Catholic Charities, Equinox, St. Peter’s Addiction Recovery Center and Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless. Of these, 14 beds are dedicated for victims of domestic violence, 11 are dedicated to homeless individuals with chemical dependency issues and 16 are dedicated for homeless youth. From November through April, the Capital Area Council of Churches provides an additional 16 beds of emergency shelter for men and transgendered individuals. The Capital City Rescue Mission will also expand its capacity by up to 30 beds during the coldest nights of the winter. Homeless families are served by a total of 85 emergency shelter beds contained within 31 units operated by Equinox, Inc. and St. Catherine’s Center for Children’s Marillac Family Shelter. In addition, the Albany County Department of Social Services routinely places homeless families and individuals in local motels when no shelter beds are available. In 2008, DSS provided approximately 530 motel vouchers for single individuals and 709 vouchers for families. In 2008, the average length of stay for singles utilizing emergency shelter was 30 days, while the average length of stay for families was 45 days. With funding from the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, the Albany County Department of Social Services is currently providing rapid re-housing assistance to homeless individuals and families throughout the county. Working through the subcontractors of Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York, Albany Housing Coalition, St. Peter’s Addiction Recovery Center and St. Catherine’s Center for Children, the 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 51 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. Albany County Rapid Re-Housing program works to quickly place homeless indivduals and families in permanent affordable housing through the provision of security deposits, short- to medium-term rental and utility assistance, housing location and landlord negotiation assistance, case management, and, if necessary, rental and utility arrears. The program is funded to run until July 2011, though it is expected that successful elements will be sustained with funding from HUD’s Emergency Solutions Grant Program and the Continuum of Care Homeless Assistance Program. COMPONENT: Supportive Services Case Management Case management is a means of identifying, coordinating, monitoring and delivering services that are integral to the achievement of housing stability. It is provided by HATAS’ centralized emergency intake system, HAC’s outreach case managers, emergency shelters, transitional housing programs, and permanent supportive housing programs. Case management is also offered by homelessness prevention programs and the other supportive service providers listed below. Case managers work with consumers to identify their needs and to develop a plan for collaboratively addressing these needs. Life Skills Training Life skills training is an important part of the supportive services provided by homeless prevention programs, emergency shelters, transitional housing programs, and permanent supportive housing programs. All of these agencies assist clients in acquiring critical life management skills such as budgeting of resources and money management, household management, conflict management, food shopping and preparation, use of public transportation, and parenting skills. Cornell Cooperative Extension provides cooking classes to residents of permanent supportive housing programs. HATAS offers a representative payeeship program. The Homelessness Intervention Program (HIP) collaborative (Albany County Department of Social Services, HATAS, Legal Aid Society, Interfaith Partnership and United Tenants of Albany) has begun a workshop series for homeless persons addressing life skills training, housing issues, and tenant-landlord rights and responsibilities. Life skills training is a particular emphasis of agencies serving chronically homeless persons, youth, and persons with disabilities such as mental illness, chemical dependency and/or HIV/AIDS. Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment Albany County is fortunate in having a number of residential and outpatient providers of alcohol and drug abuse treatment. Among them are the Addictions Care Center of Albany, the Albany County Department of Mental Health’s Substance Abuse Clinic, the Altamont Program, Equinox Inc., Hope House, Hospitality House, Next Step, Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center, St. Peter’s Addiction Recovery Center, Homer Perkins Center, Pearl Street Counseling, Treatment Alternatives for Safer Communities (TASC), Veterans Administration Medical Center, Eleanor Young Clinic, and Whitney 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 52 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. M. Young, Jr. Health Center. Relative to other areas of the state, treatment is accessible for those who meet the qualifications of the third-party payers for these services. These treatment providers offer the critical link to attaining and maintaining sobriety that is needed as a precondition of eligibility for housing and mainstream programs. Treatment providers are well networked with Continuum of Care housing providers. Mental Health Treatment Capital District Center provides inpatient and outpatient mental health treatment for Albany and the surrounding counties. The primary provider of outpatient mental health treatment in Albany County is the Albany County Department of Mental Health. Albany County Department of Mental Health provides outpatient mental health clinic services, intensive and supportive case management (ICM and SCM) for persons with mental illness, and case management for persons who are dually diagnosed with mental illness and chemical dependency. In addition, Albany County Mental Health currently serves mentally ill homeless persons through its Mobile Crisis Unit and Priority Case Management program. Other services, such as housing, case management, and vocational and peer support, are provided on a contractual basis. Albany County Department of Mental Health’s Assertive Community Treatment Team provides intensive case management and supportive services to vulnerable persons with mental illness, including those who are chronically homeless and who likely have not been successful in traditional services. DMH’s Single Point of Access system ensures that homeless persons with mental illness are linked to appropriate housing. Rehabilitation Support Services operates a Continuing Day Treatment Program, and the Clearview Center operates an Intensive Outpatient Program, for those who are homeless and seriously and persistently mentally ill. Albany Medical Center also provides inpatient and outpatient mental health treatment. Community Living Associates Program provides a drop in center, a chat line, and other peer support services to homeless persons with a mental illness. Pinnacle Place and the Patriot provide outpatient treatment. AIDS-Related Treatment HIV/AIDS medical care is provided by Albany Medical Center’s AIDS Treatment Program, Veterans Administration Medical Center and Whitney M. Young, Jr. Health Care Center. HIV/AIDS case management and other supportive services are provided by Albany Damien Center, Albany Medical Center, AIDS Council of Northeastern New York, Catholic Charities Diocesan AIDS Services, Support Ministries, and Whitney M. Young, Jr. Health Center. Education A number of local agencies sponsor General Equivalency Diploma (GED) programs for persons who did not have the opportunity to graduate from high school, including those who are homeless. These programs include the Adult Learning Center, Altamont Program, BOCES, and the Economic Opportunity Center. The Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York’s Children’s Law Project provides free legal services to low-income children and 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 53 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. youth in need of legal assistance to obtain the free and appropriate public education to which they are entitled. The Children’s Law Project focuses particularly on special education needs for children and youth with disabilities. Employment Assistance Programs Sponsored by Albany County Department of Social Services: In fulfillment of state and federal mandates that employable recipients of temporary assistance and Food Stamps participate in work activities designed to move them towards self-sufficiency, Albany County Department of Social Services operates a variety of employment and work preparation programs. In 2005, the Department established its own Employment Unit which provides a broad range of assistance to recipients of public assistance, including individuals and families who are homeless. Every client receives job search and orientation services, assessment and the development of an individualized service plan. Those who are employable are linked to job placement assistance; those deemed currently unemployable are linked to the treatment and supportive services that they require to stabilize their lives and move towards self-sufficiency. Those individuals who are working more than 20 hours a week are provided with support and technical assistance through the Transitional Opportunities Program (TOP), which is operated by DSS staff co-located at the Department of Labor. Clients with minimal work experience or education can be placed in the DSS’ Work Experience Program, which offers them the opportunity to build some work experience and gain references with which to secure competitive employment. Other clients can enroll in the Job Readiness Training program operated by DSS. DSS also contracts with several local agencies to provide job training and placement assistance, including Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless, America Works, Educational Opportunity Center, Mildred Elly School, and the Altamont Program. A specialized employment program, targeting individuals with alcohol/substance abuse, mental health or physical health barriers to achieving self-sufficiency, is offered on a case by case basis through Rehabilitation Support Services (RSS) and Northeast Career Planning. Other employment preparation and placement services have been delivered for a range of subgroups, including homeless individuals and families, at various locations in the community, such as the Albany Housing Authority’s WAGE Center. Additional services can be provided or purchased by the Department in support of employment-related activities, as needed to enable participants to meet their assigned responsibilities. Such payments may include child care subsidies, transportation (normally through tokens or bus passes), clothing and uniforms, books, tools, and other necessary supplies or equipment that cannot be obtained through other sources. Programs Provided by Not-for-Profit Agencies Specifically Targeted to Homeless Persons: 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 54 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. There are a variety of programs in Albany County that provide employment assistance specifically targeted to homeless persons. Homeless and Travelers Aid Society (HATAS) offers two programs providing employment assistance to homeless persons. The Continuum of Care-funded Pathways program links employment supports with a permanent supportive housing program. HATAS, under contract with the Albany County Department of Mental Health, also offers a MICA (Mentally Ill Chemically Addicted) Vocational Program. This program provides case management and employment placement assistance to homeless individuals with co-occurring mental illness and substance abuse disorders. Rehabilitation Support Services’ Personal Achievement toward Competitive Employment (PACE) Program, funded through the Continuum of Care process, works with residents of emergency shelters in Albany County to successfully engage them in competitive employment. Those served by the program have multiple functional impairments such as mental illness, histories of substance abuse and/or literacy problems, and may have physical disabilities as well. A job developer works closely with each homeless consumer, utilizing a blended model of case management, support and advocacy, job search, resume writing and follow-up. Additional programs receive direct funding from NYS Department of Labor with the support of Albany County. These programs include specialized training in the construction trades (Built on Pride – Abrookin Center) and educational programs (Edge Program – Adult Learning Center, BRIDGE Program – Educational Opportunity Center) targeting both TANF recipients and TANF-eligible non-custodial parents, as well as a work program for persons living with HIV (Maximus). Childcare Eligible homeless families may receive childcare subsidies through the Albany County Department of Social Services’ Child Care Subsidy Program, which provides subsidies to low-income families (defined as those below 200% of the poverty line), who are receiving TANF assistance or are transitioning off such assistance because of recently secured employment. Childcare is also provided on-site at the Marillac Residence, which is Albany County’s family emergency shelter. Transportation The Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA) provides public transportation. Door-to-door transportation services are also provided by a contractor, funded by DSS, for persons with physical disabilities. A CTDA Trip Planner is co-located at the Albany One Stop Center and the Albany County Department of Social Services to assist individuals in using the public transportation systems to get to work. Most service providers are able to provide CDTA bus passes for travel to essential appointments. Medicaid transportation services are provided to Medicaid recipients through an Albany County Department of Social Services contracted brokerage service or as a benefit under a Medicaid Managed Care Organization. Transportation services, generally in the form of bus passes, are provided to temporary assistance recipients who are engaged with employment programs and/or 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 55 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. work activities. Rehabilitation Support Services can provide transportation to day treatment and other services for persons with mental illness. The HAC van transports homeless and chronically homeless persons when needed. HATAS provides transportation to emergency shelter, treatment, and job interviews, when needed. Legal Services Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York administers two Continuum of Care-funded projects, the Legal Aid Society Homelessness (LASH) Unit, and the Domestic Violence Legal Assistance Project (DVLAP). LASH Unit staff provide telephone and on-site access to legal services for Albany’s homeless population. On-site intake is provided at the Sheridan Hollow Drop-In Center, at motels used for emergency shelter and at emergency shelters. LASH staff offer many services including legal aid from public assistance, advocacy to accessing mainstream resources, and assistance with obtaining and maintaining permanent housing. Legal Aid staff are particularly skilled at qualifying homeless clients for mainstream programs such as TANF, Medicaid, and Social Security benefits. The Legal Aid Society’s Continuum of Care funded Domestic Violence Legal Assistance Project (DVLAP) provides holistic civil legal services to victims of domestic violence. Services include counsel, brief legal services, representation, and community legal education. Continuum of Care funding for the DVLAP enables Legal Aid Society staff to interview clients at Equinox’s domestic violence shelter. The Capital District Women’s Bar Association provides free legal services to victims of domestic violence as does Albany Law School. Despite these resources, the need for legal services for victims of domestic violence far exceeds the current capacity. How Homeless Persons Access/Receive Assistance There is a two-way referral mechanism between supportive services and housing providers within the City of Albany. Agencies that provide supportive services to specific populations refer their clients to emergency shelters, transitional housing, and permanent supportive housing programs. Conversely, housing providers refer residents to local agencies that provide the type of supportive services needed by each population. Linkages to supportive services are the primary task of case managers employed by both supportive housing providers and housing agencies. There are both informal and formal linkages among housing and human services organizations that are facilitated by the Albany County Coalition on Homelessness. COMPONENT: Transitional housing There are a total of 86 transitional housing beds for individuals in Albany, operated by the Albany Housing Coalition, Capital City Rescue Mission, Catholic Charities, Equinox Inc., Support Ministries and the Addictions Care Center of Albany. These agencies also provide also 12 units containing 29 beds of transitional housing for families; an additional 5 transitional housing beds for singles and 16 beds in 5 families are currently being developed for those in need of substance abuse treatment. Of the current inventory, 33 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 56 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. individual beds are dedicated for veterans, 2 are dedicated to victims of domestic violence and 6 are dedicated to those living with HIV/AIDS. Eight of the family units (19 beds) are also dedicated to victims of domestic violence. An additional 6 single beds and 5 family units with 16 total beds of transitional housing for women with substance use disorders are currently under development by the Additions Care Center of Albany and are projected to open sometime in 2010. In 2008, the average length of stay in transitional housing for both individuals and families was 425 days. COMPONENT: Permanent supportive housing According to the 2009 Housing Inventory Chart, the Albany City and County Continuum of Care operates 360 beds of permanent supportive housing for individuals and 200 beds in 74 units for families. Of these, 76 beds are dedicated exclusively to those who meet HUD’s chronic homeless definition. In addition, 57 individual beds and 9 family units with 21 beds are dedicated to those living with HIV/AIDS, 36 single beds and 8 family units with 23 beds are dedicated to veterans, 21 single beds and 1 family unit with 2 beds are dedicated to those with serious mental illness, 34 single beds and 14 family units with 34 beds are dedicated to those with substance use disorders, and 6 individual beds and 1 family unit with 2 beds are dedicated to homeless and runaway youth. The remaining beds serve homeless individuals and families with disabilities, but are not dedicated to any single disability. In addition, the Albany Office of the Department of Veterans’ Affairs has been awarded 130 vouchers through the Veterans’ Assistance and Supported Housing Program. These vouchers are provided to homeless veterans with disabilities and can be used throughout the Capital Region. At least 25 of the vouchers will require residence in Albany County; currently, of the 86 vouchers that have been awarded, 38 recipients are residing in Albany, with additional voucher recipients still working to identify housing within the City. COMPONENT: Access to permanent housing The City of Albany works with its homeless service providers to ensure that all homeless individuals and families, including those who are chronically homeless, are provided access and assistance in obtaining and maintaining permanent housing. These efforts are frequently hampered by the lack of safe, decent and affordable housing in Albany, though the City and its partners are working hard to increase the number of affordable housing units within the City and to encourage landlords to improve properties that are at risk of closure due to code violations. In 2007, Albany County established the first Affordable Housing Trust Fund in the Capital Region, a key recommendation of the Albany County Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness. The City is also working with private housing developers to ensure that affordable units are created alongside market rate apartments. Local agencies have also taken advantage of New York State’s Homeless Housing Assistance Program to obtain the capital funding needed to create new homeless housing units. Most recently, Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless was able to create an additional 10 units of homeless housing, 8 of 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 57 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. which are dedicated to the chronically homeless, using a combination of state, federal and local funds. Albany’s homeless service providers are committee to not only helping homeless individuals and families to obtain housing, but also to remain in that housing and avoid a return to homelessness. Agencies provide assistance with locating housing, negotiating with landlords and utilities, and, when possible, provide financial assistance in the form of security deposits or rental subsidies. Once an individual or family is placed in housing, they continue to receive the case management and supportive services needed to maintain stability in their lives and housing. Homeless Strategic Plan (91.215 1. Homelessness— Describe the jurisdiction's strategy for developing a system to address homelessness and the priority needs of homeless persons and families (including the subpopulations identified in the needs section). The jurisdiction's strategy must consider the housing and supportive services needed in each stage of the process which includes preventing homelessness, outreach/assessment, emergency shelters and services, transitional housing, and helping homeless persons (especially any persons that are chronically homeless) make the transition to permanent housing and independent living. The jurisdiction must also describe its strategy for helping extremely low- and low-income individuals and families who are at imminent risk of becoming homeless. 2. Chronic homelessness—Describe the jurisdiction’s strategy for eliminating chronic homelessness by 2012. This should include the strategy for helping homeless persons make the transition to permanent housing and independent living. This strategy should, to the maximum extent feasible, be coordinated with the strategy presented Exhibit 1 of the Continuum of Care (CoC) application and any other strategy or plan to eliminate chronic homelessness. Also describe, in a narrative, relationships and efforts to coordinate the Conplan, CoC, and any other strategy or plan to address chronic homelessness. 3. Homelessness Prevention—Describe the jurisdiction’s strategy to help prevent homelessness for individuals and families with children who are at imminent risk of becoming homeless. 4. Institutional Structure—Briefly describe the institutional structure, including private industry, non-profit organizations, and public institutions, through which the jurisdiction will carry out its homelessness strategy. 5. Discharge Coordination Policy—Every jurisdiction receiving McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act Emergency Shelter Grant (ESG), Supportive Housing, Shelter Plus Care, or Section 8 SRO Program funds must develop and implement a Discharge Coordination Policy, to the maximum extent practicable. Such a policy should include “policies and protocols for the discharge of persons from publicly funded institutions or systems of care (such as health care facilities, foster care or other youth facilities, or correction programs and institutions) in order to prevent such discharge from immediately resulting in homelessness for such persons.” The jurisdiction should describe its planned activities to 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 58 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. implement a cohesive, community-wide Discharge Coordination Policy, and how the community will move toward such a policy. 3-5 Year Homeless Strategic Plan response: HOMELESSNESS The City of Albany, working in conjunction with the Albany County Coalition on Homelessness (ACCH) and the Albany County Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness, has developed a comprehensive continuum of housing and services for homeless individuals and families. Using Emergency Shelter Grant funding administered by the State of New York, funding from the New York State-funded Homelessness Intervention Program (HIP) and funding from HUD’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act-funded Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP), a very effective homelessness prevention strategy has been developed. These programs work to identify low and extremely low-income households at imminent risk of homelessness and then work to keep them in their housing through the provision of case management and supportive services, legal assistance, rental and utility assistance and payments for rental and utility arrears. The City of Albany and its homeless service providers employ a variety of outreach methods targeted to specific subpopulations, including homeless veterans, runaway and homeless youth, victims of domestic violence, persons with mental illness, persons with chronic substance abuse problems, and persons living with HIV/AIDS, have been employed. A van-based street outreach program operated to engage chronically homeless adults in services and housing. The City of Albany has worked closely with ACCH in order to create a homeless housing system that moves homeless individuals and families off the street and into permanent housing as rapidly as possible. As described earlier in this document, a continuum of housing programs, including emergency shelter, transitional housing, and permanent supportive housing, is already in place. The emergency shelter system consists of shelters for homeless single adults, many of whom are chronically homeless, as well as a large family shelter. Additional shelter beds are provided during the coldest months of the year through the operation of a seasonal shelter as well as the creation of overflow beds at the City’s year-round emergency shelters. When sufficient beds are not available for all those needing emergency shelter, the Albany County Department of Social Services places individuals and families in local motels and contracts with homeless service providers to conduct outreach and provide case management. The City of Albany also has the benefit of specialized shelters for victims of domestic violence as well as runaway and homeless youth. While the City of Albany believes strongly that homeless individuals and families should be placed in permanent housing as soon as possible, it 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 59 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. recognizes that for some populations, such as runaway and homeless youth, homeless veterans, persons with mental illness, persons with chronic substance abuse problems, and victims of domestic violence, there is sometimes a need for transitional housing. The purpose of the transitional housing is to provide the intensive support needed for a person to acquire the skills and resources necessary to live independently. For this reason, the City of Albany has a number of transitional housing programs that are targeted to specific populations whose primary purpose is preparation for permanent housing placement. Since its inception, ACCH has focused on the creation of permanent supportive housing as its major goal. Within the City of Albany, therefore, there is a range of permanent supportive housing programs, including a "low-demand" housing program for chronically homeless persons with histories of substance abuse. It should be noted that many of these programs provide tenant-based rental subsidies for privately owned- apartments within the City, facilitating community development by increasing the money available to private landlords to upgrade their properties and improve the overall quality of the City's housing stock. Each year funds obtained through the annual Continuum of Care application are used to expand the number of permanent housing beds for homeless and chronically homeless persons. In the past several years, these new beds have been targeted specifically at the subpopulations of homeless families and chronically homeless individuals. These populations, along with homeless veterans, are expected to remain the priority for any new funding obtained from Federal or State sources. In addition to providing a full continuum of housing services for homeless individuals and families, agencies within the City of Albany also provide essential supportive services, including, but not limited to: case management, life skills training, alcohol and substance abuse treatment, mental health treatment, HIV/AIDS related treatment and other health care, educational programming, job training and placement, childcare, transportation, legal services, emergency financial assistance, and linkage to mainstream programs such as Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), Supplemental Social Security (SSI), Medicaid, Food Stamps, Child Health Plus, Family Health Plus, the Veterans Health Care program, and programs funded under the Workforce Investment Act. CHRONIC HOMELESSNESS The City of Albany has made a concentrated effort to eliminate chronic homelessness. The Albany County Coalition on Homelessness has implemented a three-pronged strategy for ending chronic homelessness: 1) identification of the needs and characteristics of chronically homeless Albany residents; 2) coordination of efforts within the community to address the needs of persons who are chronically homeless; and 3) development of 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 60 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. housing and service resources to address the unique needs of this population. Using data submitted by local agencies into the Capital Region Homeless Management and Information System, as well as data collected annually through the Albany County Point in Time County, the City and its homeless services providers have developed their best understanding of the number and needs of Albany’s chronically homeless individuals. In 2009, the Point in Time Count identified 28 unsheltered chronically homeless individuals, with an additional 38 residing in emergency shelter or transitional housing programs. Over the course of 2009, Albany’s homeless service providers provided housing and supportive services to 320 chronically homeless individuals. Of these, 8% resided in emergency shelters, 4% in transitional housing programs, and 24% in permanent supportive housing. An additional 211 chronically homeless individuals were provided with supportive services, including outreach through the Homeless Action Committee’s Outreach Van. Of those served, 53% suffered from serious mental illness, 62% had chronic substance use disorders, 7% were living with HIV/AIDS, 15% had a physical disability (individuals can list more than one disability) and 25% were veterans. The Albany County Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness, released in November 2005, identifies the needs of the chronically homeless as a top priority. The Plan outlines several strategies to achieve the goal of ending chronic homelessness in the City of Albany, including increasing collaboration among service providers and government agencies, developing additional ‘low demand’ housing options for chronically homeless individuals and opening a Drop-In Center to provide outreach and supportive services to the street homeless population. Several of these goals have been acted on, including the opening of the Sheridan Hollow Drop-In Center in November of 2009, and the annual addition of new permanent housing beds for chronically homeless individuals. In 2009 alone, 14 new permanent housing beds were added for individuals meeting HUD’s chronic homeless definition, including 6 targeted specifically at chronically homeless veterans. The resources devoted to this population are frequent topics of discussion at the meetings of the Albany County Coalition on Homelessness. HOMELESSNESS PREVENTION As mentioned previously, with funding from both the federal and state government, the City of Albany has worked in partnership with Albany County Department of Social Services and ACCH to assist at-risk households avoid new or recidivistic episodes of homeless. Through the HIP, SHIP and HPRP programs the City provides legal assistance, landlord-tenant mediation, financial assistance, housing location assistance, and utility and arrears payments to those at risk of homelessness. Extremely low-income and low- income persons are referred for homelessness prevention services by the 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 61 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. Department of Social Services, feeding programs, and other agencies that serve impoverished individuals and families. Albany’s prevention efforts are guided by the goals established in the Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness. The Plan calls for the operation of a comprehensive system of homelessness prevention focused on: • Providing those at-risk of becoming homeless with access to services and support through community resource centers. • Preventing the discharge of persons living in institutions or residential programs into inappropriate housing or the street. • Preventing the deterioration of existing housing stock in order to keep those living in it from becoming homeless. • Providing tenants with the life skills training necessary to retain their housing. • Providing training and updates to service providers on landlord tenant law, housing rights, domestic violence laws, consumer rights, support and custody issues and public benefits. The City of Albany has been a key supporter of the Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness and continues to work with community stakeholders to ensure implementation of its recommendations. INSTITUTIONAL STRUCTURE The City of Albany has worked closely with the Albany County Coalition on Homelessness (ACCH). ACCH is comprised of homeless service providers, veterans’ organizations; providers representing persons living with disabilities such as mental illness, chronic substance abuse and/or HIV/AIDS; agencies serving victims of domestic violence; providers of services to homeless and runaway youth; emergency shelters; support service providers; faith-based organizations; City, county, and state governmental agencies; the Albany Housing Authority; housing developers; foundations; local businesses; law enforcement; and formerly homeless persons. The convener of the Albany County Coalition on Homelessness is CARES, Inc., an agency whose mission is fostering collaboration and coordination among not-for-profit organizations, local communities, state and local government, and the private sector. The Coalition is Co-Chaired by the Executive Director of Homeless and Travelers Aid Society, which coordinates a centralized intake system for emergency shelters in Albany County, and by the Director of Equinox, Inc.’s Domestic Violence Shelter. Both agencies play an integral role in the delivery and coordination of services to homeless individuals and families in Albany County. The City of Albany is engaged with ACCH in the implementation of a Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness, which was released in November of 2005. Implementation of the Ten Year Plan is guided by the Executive Committee which meets and is chaired by the Executive Director of the 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 62 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. Capital District Regional Planning Commission. Other Executive Committee members include a representative of the City's Office of Community Development, the ACCH Co-Chairs, a professor from the State University of New York at Albany's School of Social Welfare, a representative from Albany County Department of Social Services, a representative from Albany County Mental Health, a staff person from the Town of Colonie's Community Development Department, the Director of the Charitable Leadership Foundation, a representative of the United Way of the Greater Capital Region, and a representative from the Community Foundation for the Capital Region. In addition to the Executive Committee, the Ten Year Plan ‘s implementation is coordinated through several standing and ad hoc subcommittees, including the Housing First Committee, the Housing Development Committee, and the Capital Region-wide Coalition to End Homelessness, which coordinates Homeless Awareness Month and community engagement activities in Albany, Rensselaer, Schenectady and Saratoga Counties. DISCHARGE PLANNING POLICY The City of Albany has worked closely with Albany County, through its Departments of Social Services, Mental Health, Children, Youth and Families, and the Sheriff’s Office/County Correctional Facility, to establish effective procedures for discharge planning from publicly funded systems of care, in order to prevent such discharges from immediately resulting in homelessness. The following represent the major categories of institutions with which such protocols are operational. a. Facilities Albany County Department of Mental Health oversees the Community Transitions Team of Homeless and Travelers Aid Society (HATAS), housed at the Capital District Center, and the Discharge Facilitation Unit of Rehabilitation Support Services, Inc., housed on the acute inpatient unit of Albany Medical Center. These programs provide short term bridging case management services to those individuals transitioning from inpatient and institutional care to outpatient care, supporting individuals’ access to and follow-up with recommended and previously arranged treatment, benefits and housing opportunities. In developing and implementing individual discharge plans, these programs link with the Department’s Single Points Of Access (SPOA) that coordinate, facilitate and monitor access to the hundreds of structured opportunities for supervised mental health housing, mental health case management and urgent clinical care. In recent years, New York State legislation, including MHL 9.60 for “Assisted Outpatient Treatment”, commonly known as “Kendra’s Law”, has resulted in new initiatives committed to the support and management of individuals with significant histories of serious mental illness, violence, and past difficulties 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 63 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. accessing or maintaining connections to necessary mental health supports. Chronically homeless persons who are at risk of harm due to noncompliance with recommended treatment are amongst those targeted under this initiative. In addition to court-ordered treatment plans that include mandatory case management or “care coordination”, these plans routinely include specific recommendations for housing and treatment, to which targeted individuals receive priority access. In addition, through an agreement between the Albany County Departments of Mental Health and Social Services, a State-funded Medication Grant Program has been implemented, targeting individuals being discharged from inpatient and correctional facilities. Under this program, eligible individuals receive temporary access to medications in instances where they have initiated a Medicaid application, but eligibility is not yet established. Another major enhancement to the services available to those who have historically experienced treatment access barriers, including homelessness and co-occurring mental health disorders, has been the development of the Albany County Department of Mental Health’s comprehensive Community Assessment, Referral and Treatment (CART) Team, which works to provide outreach and treatment services to the high need behavioral health population of Albany County. This model provides mobile comprehensive care from social workers, nurses, Certified Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselors, and addressing housing, dual disorder treatment, wellness management, vocational planning and other needs. This intensive service is provided to individuals who have historically struggled with maintaining necessary connections to the traditional office-based or segregated systems of service, including individuals with past histories of homelessness. Access to this level of care is managed by the SPOA previously mentioned, with referrals frequently received on individuals being discharged from hospital inpatient and correctional facilities. b. Albany County Correctional Facility All inmates at the Albany County Correctional Facility are screened for homelessness, alcohol/substance abuse, mental illness and other special needs, and are provided information regarding services available both within the facility and upon release, through community agencies. Except for instances of court-ordered jail diversion, participation in discharge planning is voluntary on the part of the inmate. Assistance with discharge plans for the general inmate population is provided by the facility’s Inmate Services Unit. Inmates are contacted approximately 60 days in advance of their anticipated release date regarding concerns and referral needs related to discharge, including, but not limited to treatment linkages, housing, and transportation. Appropriate follow-up, including information, referral and linkage assistance, as well as inmate participation with transition programs, is provided related to those issues identified by the inmate. Inmates in need of temporary benefits upon release are assisted in 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 64 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. completing an application for temporary assistance, food stamps, and Medicaid. Applications are forwarded directly by the facility to Albany County Department of Social Services, where they are maintained, pending the individual’s release and the required face-to-face interview. The facility’s Health Services Unit assists with arrangements for discharge to hospitals, nursing homes, and community settings with home care services, for those individuals who exhibit continuing medical treatment needs, physical disability, or other health factors that interfere with performing functions of daily living. Albany County Mental Health Department assists with discharge planning and linkages for inmates housed on the Mental Health Tier through co-located staff designated to serve as “Transitions Managers”, aiding incarcerated individuals as they prepare to return to the community with connections to providers. The system and service resources described in the Facilities section above are also available to persons with mental illness who are being discharged from Albany County Correctional Facility. A facility-employed Certified Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor (CASAC) assists with discharge planning and linkages for inmates with alcohol/substance abuse treatment needs, including assessment and linkage to inpatient and residential programs, as appropriate. This CASAC coordinates routinely with staff of the Albany County Departments of Social Services and Mental Health regarding discharge plans for inmates requiring temporary assistance and/or Medicaid to support their transition to inpatient, residential and/or outpatient treatment involvements. In addition, the Homeless and Traveler’s Aid Society (HATAS) has implemented the HANDS program, which receives referrals from the Albany County Correctional Facility when it appears inmates are likely to be discharged to homelessness. HATAS works to ensure a smooth transition back to the community through the provision of case management and linkages to housing and supportive service programs. Albany HANDS also works with individuals who are being diverted from the criminal justice system in lieu of incarceration. c. New York State Correctional Facilities Albany County has recently implemented a Re-Entry Task Force to assist inmates leaving State Correctional Facilities with their reintegration into the community. This program is a collaboration between Albany County DSS and the Department of Mental Health, as well as a number of community based service providers. The program’s purpose is to prepare inmates for release, transition offenders from prison to the community, and supervise offenders after release. Its specific objectives are to: • Improve services, programs and supervision for inmates and parolees 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 65 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. • Increase the number of inmates released from prison with personal documentation • Reduce the number of offenders relying on public shelters • Increase the employment rate of supervised offenders, and • Reduce the number of offenders returned to prison for committing new crimes Within the State Correctional Facilities, Facility Parole staff initiates discharge planning with inmates approximately 45-60 days prior to their release date. Housing, specialized treatment needs and employment are the highest priority goals addressed in this process. Available housing options are explored, with emphasis placed upon the identification of relatives or other individuals who can provide suitable housing, or who can make housing arrangements on behalf of the inmate. Full consideration is also provided to any special treatment needs demonstrated by the inmate and the related availability at discharge of treatment and residential placement options. For inmates with mental health needs, NYS Office of Mental Health discharge facilitators placed within the facilities coordinate with Albany County Department of Mental Health in developing appropriate discharge plans. In addition, they assist the inmate in completion of applications for the Medication Grant Program and Medicaid, as described above, in order to ensure access to medications at discharge. Representatives of the Regional Parole Office and Albany County Mental Health Department meet every six weeks to develop and review discharge plans for those individuals who will require mental health services upon release. An increasing number of elderly are included amongst inmates being discharged from State correctional facilities. Discharge planning for these individuals frequently includes arrangements for placement in nursing homes, adult homes, senior housing sites, and/or community housing with home care services. d. Hospitals Hospital staff routinely screens individuals for their anticipated place of residence at discharge. Individuals who require placement directly from the hospital to other inpatient and/or residential settings, including but not limited to nursing homes, rehabilitation facilities, alcohol/substance abuse and mental health treatment programs, are assisted to make such linkages. Individuals who are uncooperative with such efforts and potentially at risk of harm are assessed for competency and considered for court interventions and/or referred to Protective Services for Adults. e. Foster Care Albany County Department for Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) provides discharge planning and after-care services to youth who are aging out of the foster care system. Under federal and State law, youth with a permanency planning goal of independent living are entitled to receive supervision 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 66 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. services until age 21, including referral assistance and follow-up to financial, housing, counseling, employment, education and other appropriate services that will enhance self-sufficiency. Ninety days prior to discharge, a plan is developed for each youth, including how the youth will support him/herself, where he/she will reside, and how he/she will obtain medical care. Youth are fully engaged in planning prior to actual discharge, in order to ensure their maximum benefit from offered services. Currently, an Albany County DCYF Caseworker provides support and supervision services to these youth. New State regulations have been proposed that, if implemented, will provide for enhanced service provision to aging-out youth. Under the proposed regulations, youth would be discharged on a trial basis. In the event a youth were to become homeless during the period of trial discharge, the youth could be placed in a suitable foster boarding home, agency boarding home, group home or institution, until safe and stable housing could be obtained. For youth no longer on trial discharge, preventive housing services could be used to prevent a youth from becoming homeless, including providing a youth up to $300 per month to assist with housing costs. Emergency Shelter Referral Protocols The above-described practices are effective, for the majority of individuals, in facilitating discharge to permanent housing and residential settings. However, lack of available housing and residential capacities and/or noncompliance with discharge planning are amongst the factors that may result in an individual experiencing discharge to homelessness. In such instances, well-established protocols for referral to Homeless and Travelers Aid Society (HATAS) allow for placement in an appropriate emergency shelter or motel, for the briefest period possible. Information is provided by the referral source, with the consent of the individual, related to physical limitations, medical, mental health and drug/alcohol treatment needs. Follow-up services to assist in accessing permanent housing and needed services are provided by both the emergency shelter facility and HATAS. . Emergency Shelter Grants (ESG) (States only) Describe the process for awarding grants to State recipients, and a description of how the allocation will be made available to units of local government. 3-5 Year Strategic Plan ESG response: COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 67 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. Community Development (91.215 *Please also refer to the Community Development Table in the Needs.xls workbook 1. Identify the jurisdiction's priority non-housing community development needs eligible for assistance by CDBG eligibility category specified in the Community Development Needs Table (formerly Table 2B), − i.e., public facilities, public improvements, public services and economic development. 2. Describe the basis for assigning the priority given to each category of priority needs. 3. Identify any obstacles to meeting underserved needs. 4. Identify specific long-term and short-term community development objectives (including economic development activities that create jobs), developed in accordance with the statutory goals described in section 24 CFR 91.1 and the primary objective of the CDBG program to provide decent housing and a suitable living environment and expand economic opportunities, principally for low- and moderate-income persons. NOTE: Each specific objective developed to address a priority need, must be identified by number and contain proposed accomplishments, the time period one, two, three, or more years), and annual program year numeric goals the jurisdiction hopes to achieve in quantitative terms, or in other measurable terms as identified and defined by the jurisdiction. 3-5 Year Strategic Plan Community Development response: The overall goal of HUD's community planning and development program is to develop viable urban neighborhoods through the provision of affordable housing, a suitable living environment and economic opportunity for the City's low to moderate income residents. A study of best practice techniques of other HUD recipeints shows that targeting housing and public facility funds is the best way to promote viable communities, which in turn promote and attract economic development activities. Commercial (job producing) activities follow stable housing markets. The City will support public facility improvements that add value to Albany's marginal neighborhoods. Public service contracts may decrease as more funding is directed toward activities that support community needs identified in the consolidated plan process and prior neighborhood based planning initiatives. Public Facility and Improvement spending will support initiatives identified in the assigning priority need section above. An example of such activity includes sidewalk, street and ADA improvements, street trees, playground equipment, the construction/rehabilitation of community centers and other such eligible amenties that further neighborhood revitalization efforts and benefit the low to moderate income residents of the NSA's. The chart below lists a general summary of community development priorities over the next five years. It is intended to offer an overview of priorties based on community identified needs as discussed in this report. 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 68 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. Summary Needs Table (Non-HOPWA) Community Development Needs Priority Need: H, M, L Fund Source 5-YR Goal 01 Acquisition of Real Property H C,H 20 units 02 Disposition M C 20 units 03 Public Facilities H C 9 units 04 Clearance and Demolition H C,H 20 units 04A Clean-up of Contaminated Sites M C,B 5 units 05 Public Services M/H C,H,E 25-50 contracts 06 Interim Assistance L 07 Urban Renewal Completion L 08 Relocation M L 100 households 09 Loss of Rental Income L 10 Removal of Architectural Barriers H C 12 ADA Ramps 11 Privately Owned Utilities L 12 Construction of Housing M H 10 units 13 Direct Homeownership Assistance H C,H 180 units 14A Rehab; Single-Unit Residential H C, N 280 units 14B Rehab; Multi-Unit Residential H C,H, N 300 units 14C Public Housing Modernization L 14D Rehab; Other Publicly-Owned Res. Build. L 14E Rehab; Publicly or Privately-Owned Comm L 14F Energy Efficiency Improvements L 14G Acquisition - for Rehabilitation H C,H 20 units 14H Rehabilitation Administration H C,H Admin. 14I Lead-Based/Lead Hazard Test/Abate H C,L 100 units 15 Code Enforcement M C 500 16A Residential Historic Preservation L 16B Non-Residential Historic Preservation L 18A ED Direct Financial Assistance to For-Profits H C 60 Business 18B ED Technical Assistance H C 60 Business 18C Micro-Enterprise Assistance M C 60 Business 19A HOME Admin/Planning Costs of PJ H H Admin. 20 Planning H C Admin. 21A General Program Administration H C,H,E Admin. 21B Indirect Costs H C Admin. 21D Fair Housing Activities H C Admin. 21E Submissions/Applications for Fed. Progs H C,H Admin. 21H HOME Admin/Planning Costs of PJ H H Admin. Funding codes are: C- CDBG, H- HOME, E-ESG, B-Brownfields (federal and state), N-New York State (AHC), L- Lead . Economic development activities will be primarily carried out City-wide by the Albany Local Development Corporation, the Albany Industrial Development Agency and the Department of Development and Planning Empire Zone Administrater (see below). The City Department of Youth and Workforce Development and the Albany Center for Ecoconomic Success (ACES) will 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 69 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. concentrate on job training and small business growth for Albany's low to moderate income population. Albany Local Development Corporation (ALDC) The ALDC is a Section 501-(c)-(3) not-for-profit corporation was formed in 1979 for the purpose of assisting in the creation and retention of employment opportunities and the attraction of businesses in the City of Albany, New York. Members of the Department of Development and Planning staff the ALDC. The ALDC also provides staff to the City of Albany Industrial Development Agency. The ALDC offers loans to qualified businesses at favorable rates for the acquisition of real estate, machinery and equipment. Terms are generally 20 years for real property acquisitions and 10 years for equipment acquisitions. Job creation or retention, or removal of blight is required for ALDC loans. Albany Industrial Development Agency AIDA is a public agency created in 1974 under State enabling legislation. The Agency has four main objectives: • Promote economic opportunity in the City of Albany • Partner with other economic development agencies to assist in the revitalization of the City of Albany. • Encourage new investment in private sector business activities in the City of Albany • Advance the economic well being of the City by assisting in the attraction and retention of employment opportunities. AIDA provides tax exempt financing through industrial or civic facility revenue bonds. AIDA has the authority to purchase land or improvements in a project using the proceeds of bonds authorized by AIDA. By separate agreement, the private firm leases the facilities from AIDA. Lease payments are then pledged to retire the bond obligations. Real property owned by AIDA is exempt from local property taxes. Payments in lieu of taxes (PILOTS) are negotiated with the private developer to provide full or partial remuneration to one or more of the taxing jurisdictions. Project beneficiaries can take advantage of the five-year declining exemption under Section 485-B of the Real Property Tax Law. Mortgages on AIDA projects are exempt from State mortgage taxes: Purchases of supplies and materials for AIDA projects are exempt from State and local sales taxes. The Urban Reinvestment Tax Incentive Program (URTIP)’s designed to encourage re-investment in Albany’s urban core by offering property tax abatements on the increased assessments stemming from property improvements. For projects that qualify for AIDA assistance and meet program criteria, a payment in lieu of taxes benefit is offered, modeled on 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 70 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. the Section 485-e EDZ abatement program. There is a seven-year, 100% abatement against the increase in assessed valuation resulting from the project. The abatement will be reduced by 25% in each of the next four years until taxes are paid on 100% of the assessed value. Eligible areas include Business Improvement Districts, the Albany Economic Development Zone, and sites that qualify for Community Development Block Grant assistance. Albany Empire Zone Program The City of Albany Empire Zone program (formerly Economic Development Zone) was established on July 27, 1994. This program is an important business retention and attraction tool. The Empire Zone Program has been extremely effective in attracting new businesses and compelling new development projects in the City of Albany for a number of years. It was created to stimulate economic growth through a variety of state and local tax incentives designed to attract new businesses to New York State and to enable existing businesses to expand and create more jobs. The City of Albany Empire Zone is located in two-square miles across four non-contiguous zones. The boundaries include the downtown Albany subzone that stretches from the Port of Albany north to the city line along Broadway. The City of Albany Empire Zone also covers targeted neighborhood areas including Park South, Arbor Hill and the South End, as well as portions of Central Avenue and Lark Street. The business attraction area of Karner Park is also included as well as the West Albany Industrial Park and some industrial and commercial districts adjacent to Washington Ave Extension. Albany’s zone is administered by the Albany Local Development Corporation (ALDC), a Section 501-(c)-(3) non-profit organization that is staffed by the City of Albany’s Department of Planning and Economic Development. The program is an economic development tool for retaining and attracting businesses which are creating new jobs and investments in the City of Albany. To be eligible for Empire Zone benefits, a business must be physically located within the zone and must show evidence of new investment or job creation. Once eligibility has been determined a business must become certified to access benefits. Certification applications are obtained and processed by the ALDC and forwarded to the state for approval and issuance of EZ certificates. The program currently has 205 certified businesses that have committed to creating new jobs and investment. These businesses employ over 5,000 people and have invested over $663 million in new equipment and new or expanded facilities since the zone was designated in 1994. 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 71 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. The City of Albany Empire Zone Board has approved over $2 million in small business loans through the Statewide Zone Capital Corporation program, which will leverage $5.8 million in expansion and improvements. Within the Empire Zone financial incentives include state and local tax benefits and low interest lending as listed below: • EZ Wage Tax Credit of $1,500 for new jobs created for up to five consecutive years for companies hiring full-time employees. For employees in special targeted groups, this credit equals $3,000 per year. • EZ Investment Tax and Employment Incentive Credits: Businesses that create new jobs and make new investments in manufacturing or research & development property and equipment can qualify for tax credits of up to 19% of the company's eligible investment. • New Business Refund: Businesses new to New York State are entitled to a 50% cash refund of unused EZ-Wage and Investment Tax Credits. • Sales Tax Refund or Credit: Purchases of building materials to be used for construction or rehabilitation of commercial or industrial real property located in an EZ are eligible for a refund or credit of NYS and local (8.25%) sales taxes. • Sales Tax Refund: Qualified businesses that maintain or increase employment are granted a 10-year refund period from State sales tax (4.25%) on purchases of goods and services, including utility services. • Real Property Tax Refund: Businesses that are located in the EZ and significantly increase employment can receive a NYS refund or credit of the property taxes paid to the municipality. • Tax Reduction Credit: Businesses that are located in the EZ and significantly increase employment can reduce their NYS taxes. • Utility Rate Savings: National Grid offers reduced electric and gas transmission rates for companies in the Empire Zone that are increasing their load increase by at least 25% due to start-up or expansion. The benefit is available for 10 years. • Linked Deposit Loans: Businesses in the Empire Zone can get a 3% interest-rate reduction on loans with participating commercial lenders. The reduction is on the prevailing interest rate for "Linked Loans," and makes borrowing less expensive for new and growing businesses. • Statewide Zone Capital Corporation (SZCC) Loans: Businesses can apply for below-market interest rate loans for working capital, equipment and real estate financing. Existing and new businesses can apply, even if they do not meet the requirements for traditional financing. The funding allocation must be approved by the Albany EZ Board. Technical assistance is also offered through the ALDC, which assists zone businesses in obtaining necessary state and local regulatory permits and locating suitable building and properties for lease or sale. Job- or skill- 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 72 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. specific training and employee recruitment assistance is available from local agencies for zone employers. New York State legislative expiration for this program is scheduled for June of 2010. Legislative leadership has publically announced their plans to research and development a new economic development program as a replacement for the Empire Zone program. Downtown Housing As part of the Capitalize Albany plan, a commitment has been made to a continued revitalization of downtown Albany. The area has experienced significant revitalization in the past 10 years and is at a turning point for attracting the next level of investment and activity. Despite the growing success of commercial expansion in downtown Albany, buildings still remain that are currently underutilized, especially upper floor elevations. Identifying and assessing these spaces for redevelopment is an opportunity to expand the population and activity in downtown. The City of Albany, in cooperation with partners like the Albany Local Development Corporation, Community Preservation and the Downtown Albany BID offer programs to encourage property owners to renovate vacant or underutilized upper floor elevations in downtown Albany. The results include new small and mid-scale rehab projects throughout downtown, adding to the cumulative number of downtown living opportunities. The 2007 update to Capitalize Albany addressed how the city must position itself to capitalize on the strong interest in investment in downtown Albany, an increased demand for living in downtown, more non-business hour activities and large catalytic projects. Encouraging a diverse downtown to include a more vibrant mix of businesses, residential, retail, cultural, and waterfront recreation. Adaptively reusing underutilized buildings to create more modern space is necessary to achieve this goal. Since 2007, the City of Albany has seen downtown residential in the following locations: • In the heart of the entertainment district, 23-25 North Pearl Street, above a Quizno’s Sub Shop and candy store, created seven new residential apartments. The 800-1000 square foot apartments feature brick exposure in every room, 1-2 bedrooms, and 1 bath, with everything brand new. The apartments include washers and dryers in each unit and rent from $1,100 to $1,400 per month. • Three buildings rehabbed at 109,111, 113 State Street offer more than 24 units ranging from studios to one and two bedrooms. These historic buildings offer residents and first floor commercial tenants direct access to the NYS Capitol building as well as parking in the rear of State Street. • A renovation of a four-story building at 370 Broadway is home to six new two-bedroom apartments in downtown Albany. The first floor is 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 73 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. commercial space that is 3,800 square feet and the upper three floors have been fully rehabbed for large loft style apartments over 1,400 square feet each with 2.5 bathrooms and modern amenities such as high end appliances and central air. The project sits in front of the future site of a new Albany Convention Center. • Conversions at 40 Sheridan, 33 N Pearl and 31 Maiden Lane have resulted in 10 additional units in downtown. • Other residential projects in the pipeline include 17 Chapel Street. Rosenblum Development plans to convert a four-story former warehouse and car dealership in to a, 22-unit, high-end condo redevelopment. This building has sat vacant for a number of years, and interior demolition is already underway. • A previously proposed condo project at 733 Broadway was negatively impacted by the housing crisis in 2009, and has been revived and recently proposed as a residential rehab rental project. The project proposes to convert the old warehouse space into 60-80 rental units in the north district of downtown Albany. • Also proposed is the rehabilitation and conversion of the Arcade Building at 488 Broadway. This 60,000 square foot building will be converted to 56 rental units. In order to assist with funding gaps for downtown residential rehab projects, the City of Albany and the ALDC have applied for state funding to support construction costs for property owners that pursue these projects. It is expected that once a critical mass is achieved, market rate rents will begin to fully support project development costs and demand will continue to increase in conjunction with markets rents. ACES Albany Center for Economic Success operates a small business incubator in the Arbor Hill NSA. They offer Technical Assistance Programs ranging from entrepreneurial training to assistance developing business plans, financial projections/statements, minority and women owned business certification and referrals to funding sources and ancillary services. ACES recently received a $1.8 mm grant form the U.S. Department of Commerce to construct a 26,000 sqaure feet addition to the existing facility. It is expected that ACES will offer technical services to over 100 L/M individuals and create 55 jobs for low to moderate income clientele in an average funding year. The City Department of Youth and Workforce Services Pursuing the HUD’s national goal to expand economic opportunities, particularly for low-income residents, depends upon the comprehensive employment programs available to unemployed and underemployed residents of Albany. To promote neighborhood revitalization, economic self- sufficiency of neighborhood residents is a primary objective. This objective can be achieved by providing expanded education, job training and placement services that enable City residents and businesses to compete for 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 74 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. living wage job opportunities being generated with the City and throughout the region. The City Department of Youth and Workforce Services will create 35 low/mod jobs in an average funding year. Employment Need: The entire country has experienced uprecidented unemployment levels over the past year. In January of 2010, the NYS Dept. of Labor reported that the unemployment rate for the City of Albany was 8.7%. The 2000 Census reported 12,052 City residents between the ages of 18 to 65 were below the poverty level income. In the neighborhood strategic area of Arbor Hill and West Hill more than 27% of household residents were below the poverty level income, while in the South End more than 34% were below the poverty level. In 2000, 3,903 City residents were reported as unemployed. Another 14,311 residents between the ages of 20-64 were shown as not in the workforce. Unemployment in the Arbor Hill and West Hill neighborhood strategic areas was over 6% and 29% of the residents of working age were shown as not in the workforce. In the South End, unemployment is over 10% and over 28% of the working age residents were not in the workforce. For minority City of Albany residents, unemployment was reported at 13.1% and 6,295 of the 20,845 minority residents of working age were shown as not in the workforce. Programs: There are two primary sources of public funding for employment programs that serve Albany residents: the Workforce Investment Act and the Albany county Department of Social Services. The combined efforts of these programs assist over 10,000 job seeking City residents each year. In partnership with the Capital Region Workforce Investment Board (CRWIB) that oversees the Workforce Investment Act programs in the counties of Albany, Rensselaer and Schenectady, the City of Albany Department of Youth and Workforce Services provides a variety of employment and training programs for adult and youth residents of the City and County of Albany. As outlines in the CRWIB’s Five Year Plan, the Department addresses the employment needs of job seeking residents including dislocated workers, out of work adults, displaced homemakers, welfare recipients, teenage parents, at-risk youth, minorities and high school dropouts. The programs also seek to meet the needs of area employers by increasing the skills of incumbent workers. The primary goal of the City of Albany’s Department of Youth and Workforce Services is to provide services that meet the needs of jobseekers and employers and supports economic growth. The Department works to identify the skills required by the largest and fastest growing industries in the region. Employer needs are compared to the skill sets of the City’s jobseekers, and training services are targeted to bridge the gap between labor market supply and demand. The goal is to develop educational plans and identify career pathways to high level employment. 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 75 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. The Federal Workforce Investment Act allocates funds to serve three primary target groups: Adults, Dislocated Workers and Youth. The Act also requires the establishment of a system of other Partners who receive federal funds related to employment and training services. These System Partners include: HUD programs, Adult Literacy programs, Aging program, Community Action programs, NYS Department of Labor Employment Services programs including Veteran’s programs, Post-Secondary education programs, Education Services for Individuals with Disabilities programs (VESID), the Job Corps programs, and others. Additionally, the private sector makes up more than 50% of the membership of the Workforce Investment Board that is appointed by the local chief-elected officials. This partnership of providers serves employers and jobseekers by providing their services through our local One Stop centers. These centers provide a single point of contract for the full range of employment services. Locally, the many local employment and training providers have been coordinating their program and services for several years. The One Stop Centers further assist this process by providing that single point of contact. In the Capital Region there is a One Stop Center in each county. The Albany One Stop Center, Career Central, is located at 175 Central Avenue and is jointly managed by the City of Albany Department of Workforce Services and the New York State Department of Labor’s Employment Service. In additional to job search resources, training and other assistance to jobseekers, the One Stop Centers provide services to employers including job listings, job fairs, incumbent worker training and access to grants available through the New York State Department of Labor to provide training to their incumbent workers. Core services are available in the One Stop Centers to all residents and include: assessment of skills, job search and placement assistance, career planning, labor market information, information on System Partners programs and access to their services, access to computers, the internet and other office products such as fax, copy machines and voice mailboxes. For those needing more intensive services, there is an eligibility criteria based on income. Intensive services include: comprehensive assessment, career planning literacy service, resume assistance, individual counseling, and other services. If necessary and funds are available, some job seekers will receive training tuition reimbursement or access to online e-learning. Career Central also provides the soft skills that employers are looking for in their new employees. These basis life skills and workplace skills such as working in teams, appropriate use of time, etc are conveyed in group sessions or through other methods such as e-learning. For persons with disabilities, the One Stop Centers offer a variety of services coordinated through a dedicated Disability Service Navigator, a staff person who is well-versed in disability services. A VESID counselor is also at the Center and the Center has an adaptive technology computer to assist with job search needs. The Anti-Truancy Abatement Program works in conjunction with school officials to make home visits during the school year. The program will 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 76 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. continue to emphasize visits to homes of children between the ages of seven and up to sixteen (16) years of age.The first service provided under this program is the truancy patrol where officers are specifically assigned to certain areas of the City to patrol for truant youth. The police patrols will utilize crime-mapping technologies to locate areas in the City where there are high incidences of daytime crime of a type associated with youth. The second service consists of the paring of a police officer or detective with a school social worker or probation officer to go out on a “home visit” to children who have been identified as having a severe truancy problem. The third service of this program is an evening visit by a police officer or probation officer to the home of a student who has been picked up by the truancy patrol. School Dismissal Program-The objective of this program is to ensure as orderly a dismissal as possible for the schools served. Disorder problems during school dismissal have long been a frequent complaint from citizens in those neighborhoods through which the high volumes of pedestrian traffic travel. The affected neighborhoods are not only those that border the school properties, but also those, which lie in the “school corridors” (those streets which serve as the main conduits of student foot traffic). Pavement Marking Program-Funds granted under this proposal will be utilized for the installation, replacement, and enhancement of pavement markings on City Streets. The work shall include the removal of the old worn or improper pavement markings, install new centerline and lane lines, and install/enhance crosswalks especially in school zones or other high pedestrian traffic areas. The various locations proposed for this project are within Neighborhood Strategy Areas (NSA’s). The objective of this reconstruction project is to provide safe and visible pavement markings for both vehicular and pedestrian traffic. This proposed project is an expanded project from the yearly effort put forth by our department. The City continues to work with all citizens to insure the safety of all. The City is committed to providing the highest quality of police protection, fire and emergency services, code enforcement and public services to every person in the City of Albany. Crime Prevention- Crime Prevention is a major concern in the City of Albany. Preventing crime, drug prevention, promoting safe neighborhoods, and building trust between police officers and residents are priorities of municipal officials, the Albany Police Department and residents.Statistics from the NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services indicate that Albany had a violent crime rate of 55.8 per 1,000 population in 2001. Department of General Services The City of Albany utilizes CDBG funds to stabilize and upgrade neighborhoods by providing public improvement projects such as the reconstruction of public sidewalks and construction of sidewalk ramps to provide accessibility for disabled people within low and moderate-income 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 77 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. neighborhoods. Other resources, such as operating funds, borrowings, and state and federal funds, are used by the City’s Department of General Services for street and sidewalk reconstruction, water and sewer improvements, ADA compliance, park repairs and improvements, and street lighting. The City has a five-year capital plan for public improvement projects, which identifies costs and sources of financing. One major need identified by the DGS is to improve the “synergy” between various funding sources to allow work on water and sewer lines, including replacement of the lead piping which runs from water mains to individual homes, to be integrated with street reconstruction projects. Ideally, surface reconstruction and replacement of water, sanitary sewer, and storm sewer lines, as well as replacement of combined sewer overflows, would occur at the same time. This is most efficient because several tasks that would normally be performed independently can be combined. Funding constraints often do not allow the City to replace municipal infrastructure when surface reconstruction is being done. Currently, the City has a five-year moratorium in place to prevent streets from being “cut up” for underground work once reconstruction is complete unless there is an emergency. The City notifies utility companies so that they can check on electric, gas, and telephone lines before work is begun. This allows the utilities to make repairs while reducing the need for cuts which decrease the life of the road over the long term. Street and Sidewalks Albany’s seasonal weather conditions and the age of many roadways wreak havoc on the City’s streets and sidewalks. DGS assesses need based on complaints from residents, requests from neighborhood associations, and visual inspections by staff. The information collected is entered into a database and staff prioritizes the work schedule based on greatest need. It is always difficult for the City to keep up with all necessary repairs, because the need far exceeds the available resources: Street reconstruction can be as much as $1 million per mile and more if underground work is involved. The majority of the streets in the City’s CDBG target areas, which are among the oldest neighborhoods in Albany, date from before 1900. Streets in the South End and Arbor Hill, in particular, are badly in need of repair and resurfacing. DGS has identified and prioritized future street reconstruction needs within the NSA’s, including Second Street from Ten Broeck Street to North Swan Street (Arbor Hill); North Pearl Street from Loundonville Road to First Street (North Albany); Dove Street from Washington Avenue to State Street (Capitol Hill). The cost of the reconstruction projects is currently estimated at $480,000. The New York State Department of Transportation has provided substantial funding for the reconstruction of Central Avenue from the City Line to Evertt 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 78 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. Road. The project 2009 and will bring new pavement, sidewalks, and streetlights to Central Avenue and improve the overall appearance of this key commercial corridor. Between 2005 and 2009, the City spent approximately $1,600,000 in CDBG funds on sidewalk reconstruction projects in the NSA’s. An estimated $3.3 million will be needed to address future needs in high priority sidewalk reconstruction locations. These locations include the both sides of Emmet from Broadway to North Pearl Street; Center Street from Broadway to Champlain Street (North Albany); the north side of Clinton Avenue from Manning Boulevard to Ontario Street (West Hill); the west side of Dove Street from Washington Avenue to Spring Street (Capitol Hill); and North Lake Avenue from Clinton Avenue to First Streets (West Hill). Water and Sewer Water Albany's infrastructure is old. Fifty-five miles of the 376 miles of water mains were installed in the 19th Century. So the Albany Water Department must continuously repair, replace and upgrade various parts of the system in order to meet current quality standards and ensure there is sufficient drinking water for homes, businesses, and New York State government. The Albany Water Department is on the cutting edge of technology, thanks to an aggressive program of modernization strongly supported and encouraged by Mayor Jennings. One of the most useful and efficient tools in our arsenal is the computerized leak detection equipment that uses sound waves to detect leaks. Albany has discovered 157 hidden underground leaks, which not only waste water, but also help to set the stage for future emergencies when voids are created by escaping water, eventually collapsing the ground above. Albany Water Department staff repaired all 157 of these wasteful and potentially dangerous leaks. The Water Department continues to survey all 376 miles of water mains every year, looking for hidden underground leaks, making repairs as needed. The National League of cities hailed the City's leak detection program as a model for communities all across the nation. Maintenance of a system as old as Albany's takes substantial investment of time, planning, and resources. But the rewards of an aggressive preventive maintenance are extraordinary. Over the past 13 years, the number of water main and service leaks has dropped from a high of 375 breaks a year in 1996 to an average of 60 to 70 breaks per year, an extraordinary accomplishment for the Albany system, many parts of which date to the 1800's. And we continue to work on reducing that number even further, which translates into a significant savings in manpower, supplies, and equipment. Sewer There are over 365 miles of sewer pipes. In fact, many sections date to 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 79 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. before the Civil War and are of brick and slate construction. Like many older Northeast cities, the population has expanded and the original pipe system- first constructed for a much less populated city-remains. As experienced by many other Capital District communities, combined sewer overflows during large storm events often result in basement, street, and backyard flooding. In an effort to reduce basement, street, and backyard flooding, which frequently occurs in older communities during extraordinary storm events, Mayor Jennings instituted a backwater grant program providing $1,500 grant towards the installation of a valve in qualified properties. The Department also has undertaken a number of capital projects to reduce neighborhood flooding. In 2008 The city of Albany Department of Water and Water Supply identified and planned construction for seven (7)major sewer projects to alleviate surcharged condition within the combined sewer (CSS) In 2009 three major sewer projects were completed. A total of nine storm water collection systems and several catch basins were installed in neighborhoods. In 2010 four major sewer collection system projects are planned for construction. These projects include, storm water collection systems, multiple new catch basins and pipe seperation. Since the Albanty Water Department started maintaining the sewer infrastructure in 2008. An aggressive maintenance and inspection program has been implimented to identify sewer infrustructure failures such as catch basin and pipe blockage.To date the department staff has cleaned and repaired over 230 catch basins. In 2009 A state of the art Multi Conductor TV Inspection system vehicle was specially designed and purchased for the department staff to video, inspect and survey the sewer system for possible hidden underground failures and I/I (Inflow and infiltration). The inspection vehicle will be delivered to the department by the end of March 2010 and will be in full operation. Antipoverty Strategy (91.215 1. Describe the jurisdiction's goals, programs, and policies for reducing the number of poverty level families (as defined by the Office of Management and Budget and revised annually). In consultation with other appropriate public and private agencies, (i.e. TANF agency) state how the jurisdiction's goals, programs, and policies for producing and preserving affordable housing set forth in the housing component of the consolidated plan will be coordinated with other programs and services for which the jurisdiction is responsible. 2. Identify the extent to which this strategy will reduce (or assist in reducing) the number of poverty level families, taking into consideration factors over which the 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 80 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. jurisdiction has control. 3-5 Year Strategic Plan Antipoverty Strategy response: Albany’s goal is the continued and substantial reduction of the rate and incidence of poverty and employment in the City through an expanded network of education, training, other supportive services, and economic opportunity initiatives. According to 2000 Census data the rate of poverty in Albany was 21 percent. The New York State Department of Labor notes that 7.8% of City residents were unemployed in 2009. Low education and skill levels among a range of ages of City residents, coupled with a high rate of school dropouts are principal factors of these poverty and unemployment rates. The dropout rate in the Albany City School District in 2003-2004 was 4.9 percent, according to the State Education Department. The City of Albany has a number of governmental and non-profit agencies operating programs to reduce dependency and poverty among Albany’s low- income community. These programs complement the City’s successful affordable housing programs, services, and initiatives described earlier in the Consolidated Plan. The City of Albany offers the following Anti-Poverty services: City of Albany Department of Youth and Workforce Development: Youth and Family: The mission of the City of Albany Department of Youth and Workforce Services, through the City’s Comprehensive Youth Plan, will be to expand, supplement, and when necessary, create and administer a system of coordinated youth development/delinquency prevention programs that will meet the needs of all youth residing in the City of Albany. Through the Comprehensive Youth Plan, the City will bring together all appropriate segments of the City to develop strategies that will meet the needs of the City’s youth in the most effective and efficient way; improve coordination, cooperation and networking among public and private youth serving agencies; and provide effective youth service programs that are strategically located and fall within the goals and objectives of the City Comprehensive Youth Plan. Implementation of the goals and objectives will be accomplished through planning, coordination, cooperation, linkage, with public and private agencies that provide services to the City of Albany and through yearly solicitation of program proposals for needed services projects that are approved by the Mayor’s Safe Communities Board. The following are seven goals, objectives and outcomes that the Department of Youth and Workforce Services hopes to achieve over the next three years: 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 81 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. GOAL 1: To develop and administer a comprehensive program that will provide coordinated services to youth in the City of Albany. OBJECTIVE: The Department of Youth and Workforce Services will develop, coordinate, monitor, and evaluate youth services in the City of Albany. OUTCOME: Services for City youth will be coordinated in a way that ensures effective and quality services are offered to youth most in need. GOAL 2: To support comprehensive community programs that provide our youth with the opportunity to develop life skills needed to become successful adults. OBJECTIVE: The Department of Youth and Workforce Services will work with local agencies to harness the resources located in communities so that children benefit from expanded services, mentoring relationships and safe havens to learn and grow. OUTCOME: Services will be coordinated in Albany whereby local residents are empowered to control their own communities and accept responsibility for the development of youth. GOAL 3: To provide family counseling to dysfunctional families that will strengthen their relationships and allow families to remain intact as a unit. OBJECTIVE: To provide individual and group counseling, referral and outreach services. OUTCOME: Approximately 50 families will be provided with Workforce Development. GOAL 5: To encourage programs that provide in-school employment and educational training to at-risk youth, ages 14-20. OBJECTIVE: To provide educational, informational and job enrichment services to youth seeking employment and training. OUTCOME: Provide employment education and work experience for high school youth. GOAL 6: To develop a community response to preventing the development of structured at-risk youth groups (gangs). OBJECTIVE: To deter gang membership for youth by building community awareness of at-risk youth groups, provide peer mentoring and encourage job preparedness and employment. OUTCOME: The Department of Youth and Workforce Services will work with the police, the school district, and local community agencies to collaborate on a gang prevention plan for the City of Albany. GOAL 7: To develop a community response increasing school attendance and reducing chronic truancy among the City’s youth population. OBJECTIVE: To create an effective response to truancy to assist juveniles found off school grounds during the school day. 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 82 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. OUTCOME: The Department of Youth and Workforce Services will work with the police, the school district, the probation department and local community agencies to collaborate on a program that reduce truant behavior and reduce daytime juvenile crime. Additional Initiatives include: • Albany Mentors AmeriCorps: (pending) AmeriCorps will provide 30 adult mentors to City School District of Albany students who are located in the district’s poor performing schools. Full time members will provide 1700 hours of service and will receive a stipend and education award upon completing their year of service. • Truancy Abatement Program: in cooperation with the City School District of Albany, City of Albany Police Department, Albany County Probation, and Children and Family Services of the Capital Region, Inc., the Department provides truancy reduction services to truant youth in the City of Albany. • Albany YouthBuild: The Youthbuild program is a comprehensive community development program. The mission of YouthBuild is to provide young people with the opportunity to rebuild their communities and their own lives through a commitment to work education, and individual and community leadership. Albany YouthBuild is a community service program in which young people get to build housing for homeless and or other low income people, providing the most valuable and visible commodity for their hard pressed communities; is an alternative to school where members spend 50% of their program time pursuing academic goals, which may include vocational and remedial education, high school diploma or GED diploma and preparation for higher education; is a job training and pre-apprenticeship program, in which young people receive on-site training in construction skills and then get placed in a construction-related job; is a leadership development program, in which young people share the governance of their own program and participate actively in local community affairs; is a youth development program, in which young people participate in counseling, peer support groups and life-planning process that assist them in healing past hurts, overcoming negative habits and attitudes and pursing achievable goals that will establish a productive life; is a long-term mini-community, in which young people make new friends, committed to a positive lifestyle; is a community development program, in which community organizations obtain the resources to tackle several community issues at once, strengthening their capacity to build and manage housing for their residents, educate and inspire their youth, create leadership for the future and generally take responsibility for their neighborhoods. • Gang Prevention Program: The goal of the Gang Prevention Program is the development and implementation of a coordinated community response to youth gangs in the City of Albany. This approach involves four main strategies: community building, education, peer mentoring and 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 83 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. employment preparedness. The model supports community based youth- serving agencies in developing Albany's young people, preventing youth gangs and fostering partnerships with schools, youth serving agencies and neighborhood crime prevention efforts. The Gang Prevention Program targets youths between the ages of 9 to 15 years who meet at least three of the following six conditions: associate regularly with acknowledged gang youth; have family members who are or were gang members; occasionally wear gang colors, use gang symbols or flash gang signs; are performing symbols, of flash gang signs; have one or more arrests; and use drugs. • Family Resource Center: The Center, a collaboration with City’s Department of Youth and Family Services, SUNYA and the United Way of Northeastern New York, was created as a way to support families in their efforts to deal with the numerous stresses relative to one parent households, like child care, unemployment, food and basic necessities, welfare reform, and issues of physical, mental, and emotional health. The services that are provided at the Center focus on meeting the highest priority needs of families, as identified in United Way’s most recent needs assessment. In its first year of operation, over 150 families and their children were served by the Center. In addition, and in response to the changing legislation from the Job Training Partnership Act to the Workforce Investment Act, the department has created an effective one-stop system designed to respond to any and all youth who are in need of services. The one-stop system has the capacity to provide case management, GED education, job development and placement, counseling, and referrals to both in-house as well as outside programs: • Service Navigator: The Service Navigation Unit of the Department of Youth and Family Services evaluates and assesses youth and verifies income levels and academic standing. Based on that analysis, the youth are referred for services. The actual operation of the Unit requires informed compassion. This program is funded annually by a combination of WIA funds and applicant provided matching funds. Performance outcomes/success indicators are linked to SCANS and include appropriate milestones for: tutoring; study skills; alternative school settings; summer employment; paid and unpaid work experiences; occupational skill training; leadership development opportunities; supportive services; adult mentoring; guidance/counseling; and, twelve month follow-up. • Out of School Services: Ten organizations in Albany have joined to address the multi-faceted problems of disadvantaged youth. In addition, the collaborative is growing. Spearheaded by the Albany Department of Youth and Workforce Services, this collaborative coordinates a plethora of services delivered at a myriad of sites to the youth of Albany County who, for whatever reason, have left school and not yet located alternative education, training, or employment. Services available to youth include tutoring; study skills; alternative school settings; summer employment; paid and unpaid work experiences; occupational skill training; leadership 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 84 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. development opportunities; supportive services; adult mentoring; guidance; counseling; and, twelve month follow-up. • In-School Youth: This grant funds services for students who are still in school but at risk of dropping out. The Service Navigation Unit evaluates and assesses the youth and verifies income levels and academic standing. Based on that analysis, the youth is referred for services to any number of appropriate services in the City and County of Albany. Performance outcomes/success indicators are linked to SCANS and include appropriate milestones for: tutoring; study skills; alternative school settings; summer employment; paid and unpaid work experiences; occupational skill training; leadership development opportunities; supportive services; adult mentoring; guidance; counseling; and, twelve month follow-up. • Summer Youth Employment Program: Each year close to 1500 youth are employed in the City’s summer youth employment program. This program is open to all youth who reside in the City and each youth will work for 20 hours for the six week time period. During a time when unemployment is soaring, this program has become increasingly valuable to youth and their families. Youth are given positive alternatives to spending time on the streets during the summer months, and some of the financial burden on families is relieved, as youth can purchase clothing, school supplies, etc with the money they earned during the summer months. Workforce Development: The 2000 Census reported 12,052 City residents between the ages of 18 to 65 were below the poverty level income. In the neighborhood strategic area of Arbor Hill and West Hill, more than 27% of household residents were below the poverty level income, while in the South End more than 34% were below the poverty level. In 2000, 3,903 City residents were reported as unemployed. Another 14,311 residents between the ages of 20-64 were shown as not in the workforce. Unemployment in the Arbor Hill and West Hill neighborhood strategic areas was over 6% and 29% of the residents of working age were shown as not in the workforce. In the South End, unemployment is over 10% and over 28% of the working age residents were not in the workforce. For Minority City of Albany residents, unemployment was reported at 13.1% and 6,295 of the 20,845 minority residents of working age were shown as not in the workforce. Programs: There are two primary sources of public funding for employment programs that serve Albany residents: the Workforce Investment Act and the Albany county Department of Social Services. The combined efforts of these programs assist over 10,000 job seeking City residents each year. In partnership with the Capital Region Workforce Investment Board (CRWIB) that oversees the Workforce Investment Act programs in the counties of Albany, Rensselaer and Schenectady, the City of Albany Department of Youth and Workforce Services provides a variety of employment and training 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 85 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. programs for adult and youth residents of the City and County of Albany. As outlines in the CRWIB’s Five Year Plan, the Department addresses the employment needs of job seeking residents including dislocated workers, out of work adults, displaced homemakers, welfare recipients, teenage parents, at-risk youth, minorities, and high school dropouts. The programs also seek to meet the needs of area employers by increasing the skills of incumbent workers. The primary goal of the City of Albany’s Department of Youth and Workforce Services is to provide services that meet the needs of jobseekers and employers and supports economic growth. The Department works to identify the skills required by the largest and fastest growing industries in the region. Employer needs are compared to the skill sets of the City’s jobseekers, and training services are targeted to bridge the gap between labor market supply and demand. The goal is to develop educational plans and identify career pathways to high-level employment. The Federal Workforce Investment Act allocates funds to serve three primary target groups: Adults, Dislocated Workers, and Youth. The Act also requires the establishment of a system of other Partners who receive federal funds related to employment and training services. These System Partners include: HUD programs, Adult Literacy programs, Aging program, Community Action programs, NYS Department of Labor Employment Services programs including Veteran’s programs, Post-Secondary education programs, Education Services for Individuals with Disabilities programs (VESID), the Job Corps programs, and others. Additionally, the private sector makes up more than 50% of the membership of the Workforce Investment Board that is appointed by the local chief-elected officials. This partnership of providers serves employers and jobseekers by providing their services through our local One Stop centers. These centers provide a single point of contract for the full range of employment services. Locally, the many local employment and training providers have been coordinating their program and services for several years. The One Stop Centers further assist this process by providing that single point of contact. In the Capital Region, there is a One Stop Center in each county. The Albany One Stop Center, Career Central, is located at 175 Central Avenue and is jointly managed by the City of Albany Department of Workforce Services and the New York State Department of Labor’s Employment Service. In additional to job search resources, training and other assistance to jobseekers, the One Stop Centers provide services to employers including job listings, job fairs, incumbent worker training, and access to grants available through the New York State Department of Labor to provide training to their incumbent workers. Core services are available in the One Stop Centers to all residents and include: assessment of skills, job search and placement assistance, career planning, labor market information, information on System Partners programs and access to their services, access to computers, the internet and other office products such as fax, copy machines and voice mailboxes. 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 86 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. For those needing more intensive services, there is an eligibility criteria based on income. Intensive services include: comprehensive assessment, career planning literacy service, resume assistance, individual counseling, and other services. If necessary and funds are available, some job seekers will receive training tuition reimbursement or access to online e-learning. Career Central also provides the soft skills that employers are looking for in their new employees. These basis life skills and workplace skills such as working in teams, appropriate use of time, etc are conveyed in group sessions or through other methods such as e-learning. For persons with disabilities, the One Stop Centers offer a variety of services coordinated through a dedicated Disability Service Navigator, a staff person who is well-versed in disability services. A VESID counselor is also at the Center and the Center has an adaptive technology computer to assist with job search needs. Albany Housing Authority The Albany Housing Authority offers the following self-sufficiency programming: Services and Programs Program Name & Description (including location, if appropriate) Estimate d Size Allocation Method (waiting list/rando m selection/s pecific criteria/oth er) Access (development office / PHA main office / other provider name) Eligibility (public housing or section 8 participants or both) ROSS –RSDM Programs WAGE Center- 200 Green St. Albany, NY 12202 *job search, employment training, resume writing, GED, basic computer & word processing 300 annually TANF, in need of self sufficiency assistance AHA WAGE Center at 200 So. Pearl St., other referrals of p.h. residents Public Housing Computer Technology Classes (via Federal Neighborhood Networks grants) Community Classrooms 220 Green St., Albany, 12+ per session 60+ annually Registered residents from a waiting list AHA Center at 200 Green Street., other referrals of p.h. residents. Public Housing. 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 87 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. 12202 Family Self Sufficiency Program 200 South Pearl Street., Albany, 12202 125+ annually FSS contracted participant s only Main Office 200 So. Pearl St Section 8 Homeownership Programs 25 annually Income eligible ACDA, Main Office 200 So. Pearl Street Both Elderly Service Coordinator 300+ annually Federal residents who are elderly and/or disabled and in need of assistance Westview, Ida Yarbrough Public Housing Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) Coordination (91.315 1. (States only) Describe the strategy to coordinate the Low-income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) with the development of housing that is affordable to low- and moderate-income families. 3-5 Year Strategic Plan LIHTC Coordination response: NON-HOMELESS SPECIAL NEEDS Specific Special Needs Objectives (91.215) 1. Describe the priorities and specific objectives the jurisdiction hopes to achieve over a specified time period. 2. Describe how Federal, State, and local public and private sector resources that are reasonably expected to be available will be used to address identified needs for the period covered by the strategic plan. 3-5 Year Non-homeless Special Needs Analysis response: Priorities and specific objective needs analysis is described in detail in Non- Homeless special needs analysis below. 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 88 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. Non-homeless Special Needs (91.205 and 91.210 Analysis (including HOPWA) *Please also refer to the Non-homeless Special Needs Table in the Needs.xls workbook. 1. Estimate, to the extent practicable, the number of persons in various subpopulations that are not homeless but may require housing or supportive services, including the elderly, frail elderly, persons with disabilities (mental, physical, developmental, persons with HIV/AIDS and their families), persons with alcohol or other drug addiction, victims of domestic violence, and any other categories the jurisdiction may specify and describe their supportive housing needs. The jurisdiction can use the Non-Homeless Special Needs Table (formerly Table 1B) of their Consolidated Plan to help identify these needs. *Note: HOPWA recipients must identify the size and characteristics of the population with HIV/AIDS and their families that will be served in the metropolitan area. 2. Identify the priority housing and supportive service needs of persons who are not homeless but may or may not require supportive housing, i.e., elderly, frail elderly, persons with disabilities (mental, physical, developmental, persons with HIV/AIDS and their families), persons with alcohol or other drug addiction by using the Non-homeless Special Needs Table. 3. Describe the basis for assigning the priority given to each category of priority needs. 4. Identify any obstacles to meeting underserved needs. 5. To the extent information is available, describe the facilities and services that assist persons who are not homeless but require supportive housing, and programs for ensuring that persons returning from mental and physical health institutions receive appropriate supportive housing. 6. If the jurisdiction plans to use HOME or other tenant based rental assistance to assist one or more of these subpopulations, it must justify the need for such assistance in the plan. 3-5 Year Non-homeless Special Needs Analysis response: Non-Homeless Analysis The City of Albany has numerous programs that serve the elderly, frail elderly, persons with disabilities, and persons with histories of chemical dependency. There are a number of treatment facilities, such as Albany Medical Center (HIV/AIDS and mental health treatment, as well as chronic and acute medical care), the Veterans Administration Medical Center (mental health and substance abuse services as well as chronic and acute care) and the Capital District Center (mental health in-patient and outpatient services), that draw residents of surrounding counties for treatment. In order to remain in close proximity to these treatment facilities, many persons with special needs choose to relocate their housing to the City of Albany. 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 89 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. The City of Albany has a wealth of housing and services for special needs populations as indicated below: Persons with Mental Illness Albany County Department of Mental Health uses a Single Point of Access (SPOA) system to link persons with mental illness to housing programs. The SPOA system allows each individual's housing needs to be carefully considered in order to make the best possible housing referral. While the SPOA system has done much to coordinate housing services in Albany County, there is still insufficient capacity to meet the demand. The mental health housing system includes community residences, supportive housing programs with intensive supports, and "supported" housing, which is a model of permanent housing that has a less intensive level of supportive services. Additional housing for persons with mental illness is a high priority need. Agencies that provide mental health services include Capital District Center, Albany County Mental Health Department, Albany Medical Center, Clearview Center, Rehabilitation Support Services, Community Living Associates, Pinnacle Place, and the Patriot program. The Veterans Administration also providers mental health services. Even though there is a wide range of mental health services available, there is insufficient capacity to meet the need, especially among persons who have not had prior histories of hospitalization. Persons with Substance Abuse Problems The City of Albany has a number of residential and non-residential substance abuse treatment programs, including Albany Citizens Council on Alcoholism and Chemical Dependencies, Albany County Substance Abuse Clinic, the Altamont Program, Equinox, Hope House, Hospitality House, Next Step, Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center, St. Peter's Addiction Recovery Center, TASC, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Eleanor Young Clinic, and Whitney M. Young, Jr. Health Center. Relative to other areas of the state of New York, treatment is accessible to those who meet the qualifications of the third-party payers for these services. Additional transitional and permanent housing programs are needed for those who complete substance abuse treatment programs. Many persons in recovery do not have prior positive work histories or the job skills needed to obtain the level of employment needed to pay unsubsidized housing costs. In addition, some people in recovery need the supports offered by transitional housing before they feel ready for independent living. Additional housing for persons with substance abuse problems is a "medium" priority need. Persons with HIV/AIDS (Please see HOPWA section.) 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 90 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. Additional housing for persons with HIV/AIDS is a "medium" priority need. Persons with Developmental Disabilities The State of New York has a very extensive housing and service system for persons with developmental disabilities. Under the New York CARES initiative, there has been a commitment made by the State of New York to provide housing for all persons with developmental disabilities. This system seems to work best for those with the most severe disabilities who do not have dual diagnoses of mental illness and/or substance abuse. Additional housing for persons with developmental disabilities is a "low" priority need. Elderly The City of Albany has a large population of people over the age of 60. There is a wide array of supportive services available to them, including home health care programs, day treatment programs, home-delivered meals, transportation, and recreational services. Many of these are offered by Senior Services of Albany. There are a number of senior housing programs in the City of Albany. ACDA runs the Senior Rehabilitation Program (SRP). Income eligible seniors residing in the City of Albany can receive up to a $5,000 grant for repairs to their home. Albany Housing Authority has a public housing program for the elderly and there are several HUD Section 811 projects as well as some Section 8 project-based programs. As people in these housing programs live longer, their need for home-based medical care, assistance with daily living activities, financial assistance, and case management services continues to increase at a time when funding for these essential activities has decreased. Therefore, supportive services for elderly persons are a "high" priority need. AHA provides an Elderly Service Coordinator for elderly and disabled residents living in NY 9-7 Westview homes, NY 9-5 Ida Yarbrough apartments and any other elderly/disabled person living in its federal developments. AHA also contracts with Senior Services of Albany for a portion of this service. The service coordinators work with frail elderly and disabled residents to assist them with referrals and advocacy on their behalf. This allows the residents to retain their independent living style with AHA for as long as possible and affords the residents their dignity. 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 91 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS (HOPWA) *Please also refer to the HOPWA Table in the Needs.xls workbook. 1. The Plan includes a description of the activities to be undertaken with its HOPWA Program funds to address priority unmet housing needs for the eligible population. Activities will assist persons who are not homeless but require supportive housing, such as efforts to prevent low-income individuals and families from becoming homeless and may address the housing needs of persons who are homeless in order to help homeless persons make the transition to permanent housing and independent living. The plan would identify any obstacles to meeting underserved needs and summarize the priorities and specific objectives, describing how funds made available will be used to address identified needs. 2. The Plan must establish annual HOPWA output goals for the planned number of households to be assisted during the year in: short-term rent, mortgage and utility payments to avoid homelessness; rental assistance programs; and in housing facilities, such as community residences and SRO dwellings, where funds are used to develop and/or operate these facilities. The plan can also describe the special features or needs being addressed, such as support for persons who are homeless or chronically homeless. These outputs are to be used in connection with an assessment of client outcomes for achieving housing stability, reduced risks of homelessness and improved access to care. 3. For housing facility projects being developed, a target date for the completion of each development activity must be included and information on the continued use of these units for the eligible population based on their stewardship requirements (e.g. within the ten-year use periods for projects involving acquisition, new construction or substantial rehabilitation). 4. The Plan includes an explanation of how the funds will be allocated including a description of the geographic area in which assistance will be directed and the rationale for these geographic allocations and priorities. Include the name of each project sponsor, the zip code for the primary area(s) of planned activities, amounts committed to that sponsor, and whether the sponsor is a faith-based and/or grassroots organization. 5. The Plan describes the role of the lead jurisdiction in the eligible metropolitan statistical area (EMSA), involving consultation to develop a metropolitan-wide strategy for addressing the needs of persons with HIV/AIDS and their families living throughout the EMSA with the other jurisdictions within the EMSA; the standards and procedures to be used to monitor HOPWA Program activities in order to ensure compliance by project sponsors of the requirements of the program. 6. The Plan includes the certifications relevant to the HOPWA Program. 3-5 Year Strategic Plan HOPWA response: The City of Albany is responsible for administering the HOPWA program for Albany, Rensselaer, Saratoga, and Schenectady counties. Therefore, the information provided in this section addresses the housing needs and 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 92 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. inventories in the five-county Eligible Metropolitan Statistical Area (EMSA), rather than being confined solely to the City of Albany. The AIDS housing system within the Albany EMSA has a full continuum of resources. Homelessness prevention services are available through funding from the New York State Department of Health's AIDS Institute, as well as through programs that serve the larger population of persons who are at-risk of homelessness, including those funded by the Emergency Shelter Grant program and the New York State-funded Homelessness Intervention Program. There are thirty AIDS service organizations within the region that provide outreach and screening services; many of these also provide case management. Although there are no emergency shelters that exclusively serve persons living with HIV/AIDS and their families, arrangements have been made with local Departments of Social Services to provide motel vouchers for HIV-infected indiviudals and their families in situations where a congregate arrangement would negatively affect the persons health. There is a six-bed transitional housing program for men with HIV/AIDS, and a newly-opened five-bed permanent housing program for women. Within the region, there is a fifteen-bed congregate permanent housing residence for individuals with HIV/AIDS who are in need of twenty-four hour support. In addition, there is a twenty-two unit scattered site permanent supportive housing program, with fourteen units for families and eight units for individuals with HIV/AIDS. There are also a total of 133 tenant-based rental assistance subsidies which have been allocated specifically for persons with HIV/AIDS. The City of Albany's HOPWA funding allocation plan has taken into careful consideration funding from other sources that has been dedicated to AIDS housing. For example, the New York State-funded Homeless Housing and Assistance Program (HHAP) has invested approximately $4 million in capital acquisition, rehabilitation and new construction costs for three AIDS housing programs (two congregate programs and one scattered-site program) in the region. The New York State Department of Health's AIDS Institute has funded a program that provides emergency rent and mortgage assistance. It also pays for housing-related case management costs for a substantial number of clients who receive HOPWA-funded tenant-based rental assistance subsidies. In addition, there are 80 tenant-based rental assistance subsidies funded under HUD's Continuum of Care Homeless Assistance programs (both through the Shelter Plus Care Program and the Supportive Housing Program) in the region. There are also "mainstream" Section 8 vouchers for persons with disabilitiesthat have been allocated to persons living with HIV/AIDS. Given the existence of these other housing resources for persons with HIV/AIDS and their families, the City of Albany has strategically used its HOPWA money to address unmet needs. Because of the availability of State HHAP funding for capital costs, the City of Albany has chosen not to allocate any funding for capital expenditures. Based on a housing needs assessment conducted by the New York State Health Department of Health's AIDS 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 93 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. Institute, the greatest needs in the area are for 1) tenant-based rental assistance; 2) short-term mortgage, rent, and utility assistance; 3) operating costs for AIDS housing programs constructed by HHAP funding; and 4) supportive services not paid for by the AIDS Institute. This is exactly how the City of Albany has chosen to allocate its HOPWA funding, with the majority of it going to tenant-based rental assistance subsidies , and the balance be used for short-term mortgage, rent and utility assistance , operating costs for existing facilities , and supportive services (to 39 households in the first year. In addition, housing placement services for 60 people will be provided.) Although the HOPWA funding allocation has increased by 8% from 2006 to 2009, it needs to be noted the City of Albany’s ever increasing Fair Market Rent and stagnation of SSI benefits, presents housing challenges to the HIV/AIDS community. The City of Albany performance measures for the HOPWA program are as follows: 1. At least seventy-five percent of program participants will obtain/remain in appropriate housing for at least one year, and 2. At least eighty percent of program participants will end each program year with incomes equal to or greater than their incomes at the point of entry into the program. The geographic distribution of the funding is dependent both of the extent of the need and on the existence of other resources. Of the five counties in the EMSA, Albany County has greatest number of persons living with HIV/AIDS. This is due to two factors: 1) it has the largest population overall and 2) Albany County is home to Albany Medical Center, which is the New York State-Designated AIDS Care Center for a twenty-two county area. Many persons living with HIV/AIDS in outlying counties move to the City of Albany in order to be in closer proximity to medical care and other HIV-related services. While Albany County has the greatest need, it also has the largest amount of AIDS housing resources. For example, there are 57 Shelter Plus Care tenant-based rental assistance subsidies that are available only to those living in the City of Albany. Therefore, providers have been asked to provide HOPWA subsidies in the City of Albany only to those persons who are unable meet the homeless eligibility criteria for the Shelter Plus Care program. However, due to the large number of persons living with HIV/AIDS in Albany County, more of the short-term funding is utilized in Albany County. In addition, the one HOPWA-funded transitional housing residence is located within the City of Albany, in close proximity to Albany Medical Center. Rensselaer County and Schenectady County both have high numbers of persons living with HIV/AIDS. Tenant-based rental assistance subsidies have been allocated to Unity House in Troy, which is in Rensselaer County, while 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 94 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. eleven tenant-based rental assistance subsidies have been allocated to Mohawk Opportunities in Schenectady County. Saratoga and Schoharie counties both have lower numbers of persons with HIV/AIDS. There is no county-specific programs funded in these two counties, rather, they are served by the AIDS Council of Northeastern New York, expected to serve 168 households (336 individuals) with rental assistance subsidies and supportive services in the entire five-county EMSA. The City of Albany partners with CARES, Inc., a local organization with twenty plus years of working with the HIV/AIDS community, to adminster its contracts and provide technical assistance to the below listed funded organizations. CARES’ role is to ensure program sponsors adhere to the standards and procedures for the HOPWA program. CARES holds trainings for HOPWA program sponsors, and provides on-site monitoring at least once a year for all program sponsors. In addition, CARES carefully reviews and quarterly fiscal and program reports from grantees and provides technical assistance as questions arise from the agencies. Annually,the City requests budgets and service plans from each contracted agency. The following program sponsors provide services with funding from HUD: AIDS Council of Northeastern New York (community-based organization) Albany, 12207 Mohawk Opportunities (community-based organization) Schenectady, New York 12307 Support Ministries (faith-based organization) Albany, New York 12209 Unity House (community-based organization, but founded as a faith-based organization) Troy, New York 12180 Specific HOPWA Objectives 1. Describe how Federal, State, and local public and private sector resources that are reasonably expected to be available will be used to address identified needs for the period covered by the strategic plan. 3-5 Year Specific HOPWA Objectives response: All of these issues are covered in the responses to the above section as well as in the attached HOPWA tables. 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 95 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. OTHER NARRATIVE Include any Strategic Plan information that was not covered by a narrative in any other section. Arbor Hill Neighborhood Plan The Arbor Hill Neighborhood Plan, completed in July 2003, involved extensive public meetings, community meetings and work with specialists. A 23- member Neighborhood Advisory Committee, representing various neighborhood stakeholders, guided City staff and consultants in the development of the plan. Broad public involvement was afforded through an initial public meeting and a hands-on design workshop. Members of the public also participated by commenting at the Advisory Committee’s meetings, and later, by serving on the plan’s implementation committees. A final public meeting to approve the plan was held with over 100 people in attendance. As a result of the planning process, a strategy was developed to respond to neighborhood problems such as the blighting influence of abandoned properties, the need to revitalize the commercial areas and to create a vibrant and healthy mixed-use and mixed-income urban neighborhood that seeks to reinforce the existing infrastructure while enabling new opportunities. The plan also identified a housing strategy and recommended leveraging the community’s and attributes, including quality, solid building stock, an entrepreneurial local business base, and a highly involved community participation. In addition, the Plan identified four areas of focus outlining the priorities of the neighborhood: homeownership and rental housing; arts, culture and heritage; business and job development; and quality of life. The principles developed in each area provide a basis for evaluating new initiatives and development proposals in the neighborhood. To date, the Arbor Hill Neighborhood Plan has helped secure over $41 million for revitalization the Arbor Hill neighborhood. Capital South Plan In July 2007, City of Albany and SEAC finalized a plan for the South End called the Capital South Plan: SEGway to the Future. The purpose of the plan was to develop a consensus on strategic actions to revitalize the neighborhood. The triangular shaped primary focus area of this Plan is bounded by Morton Avenue and Lincoln Square on the north, South Pearl Street on the east, connected by a hypotenuse formed by Third Avenue. 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 96 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. This Plan focuses on the South End core and embraces the Mansion and Historic Pastures neighborhoods, recognizing the need to enhance the entire area and build upon its location within the Capital City. Thus this plan is entitled “Capital South” in order emphasize the interdependence of these three neighborhoods, indicates their common interests, link them to the assets of New York State’s Capital City and the larger Capital Region. This plan is intended to be holistic, tackling difficult challenges and identifying a set of realistic recommendations. The plan was divided into three phases: stabilize (short term), energize (mid term) and grow (long term): • Stabilize the neighborhood, to provide the foundation for business and real estate market renewal. The estimated timeline for these actions is within the first five years. • Energize the neighborhood, while ensuring resident participation and equity in market renewal. The estimated timeline for these actions is from year five to year ten. • Grow the neighborhood, for the benefit of current and future residents, enhance South End’s links with the entire Capital South area and the City as a whole. The estimated timeline for these actions is between years seven and twenty, overlapping in part with the Energize phase. Each of the plan’s recommendations build upon each other, with the foundation being what can be done within the next two years to benefit the current residents of the South End. The action items are organized into four primary focus areas, which are described below: • Community Capacity: community organizing, public/private partnerships, and citizen/ government task forces. • Quality of Life: crime prevention, alternatives to crime, code enforcement, cleanliness, community amenities. • Physical Planning: housing investment, historic preservation and rehabilitation, homesteading, new development, and transportation improvements. • Workforce and Business Development: access to jobs, transit to employment centers, and business development. Improving the South End is important for government, private investor’s businesses, and residents. Implementation is complex and requires multiple funding sources and a lot of collaboration. The South End Action Committee (SEAC) is active committee that works on the neighborhood improvement projects for the South End. SEAC meets regularly to coordinate revitalization projects in the South End. To date, the Capital South Plan has helped secure or committed approximately $19 million for revitalization the South End neighborhood. 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 97 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. Park South Revitalization Plan The Park South Urban Renewal Plan (URP) was developed through several years of extensive public meetings, market studies, surveys, community meetings and work with specialists. It covers the nine contiguous City blocks between Madison and Avenues to the north and south and Lark and Robin Streets to the west and east. The area was designated as an Urban Renewal Area by the City of Albany Common Council due to its high vacancy rates, the deterioration of the housing stock, elevated crime statistics and concentration of low-income tenants. The Park South neighborhood is well situated between educational institutions known as University Heights, employers, and other assets. The neighborhood is situated between Albany's beautiful Washington Park on the north and Albany Medical Center and the University Heights campus on the southern and northern boarders. These institutions serve as major employers for the city and capital region. Lark Street, a vibrant, eclectic commercial and neighborhood district, is the eastern boundary of Park South. The Pine Hills neighborhood is to the West. Park South covers approximately 25.8 acres of land within 9 city blocks and has a population of approximately 1,828. The general intention of the URP is to create a vibrant and healthy mixed-use and mixed-income urban neighborhood that seeks to reinforce the existing and historical fabric, density and diversity of the neighborhood while enabling new mixed-use development opportunities. The major projects are outlined in detail and explicit design standards are set for each project within the plan. The URP carefully defines priorities and improvements needed to revitalize the area, which include the elimination of urban blight and the prevention of blighting influences and the deterioration of property through rehabilitation, redevelopment and the establishment of conditions that will prevent the recurrence of such conditions, and an increase in the sense of community and place through the improvement of the visual image and character of the area. The reduction of the isolation of income groups and the promotion of an increase in the diversity and vitality of the neighborhood to stabilize and increase property values is also considered necessary. Because the New Scotland Avenue is the main commercial corridor for the neighborhood and links the City’s urban core with its less dense residential neighborhoods and the outlying southern suburbs, its portion of the plan is seen as integral to the success of the neighborhood. The URP calls for New Scotland to act as a “vibrant neighborhood connector” constructed as a mixed-use commercial and residential corridor with street level retail and several upper stories of office and residential space. To date, the URP has helped secure over $40 million for revitalization the Park South neighborhood. 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 98 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. Midtown Colleges and University Study One of the many of the City of Albany is the number of fine institutions of higher education. It is recognized that the colleges and university located in the City are major centers of activity and stability in City neighborhoods. It is further recognized that there is significant benefit to the City and the institutions if there is coordination in and among the institutions forming Community– University partnerships. The NYS Quality Communities Program has provided the City of Albany with funding to undertake a planning process that will result in a strategic plan to leverage the investment opportunities and programming needs of the institutions of higher education. The targeted institutions are those located in the central portion of the City of Albany including: SUNY - downtown campus, the College of St. Rose, the University Heights partners which include the Albany College of Pharmacy, Albany College of Law, Albany Medical College, Albany Medical Center, and The Sage Colleges. The City of Albany began seeking proposals for the preparation of a revitalization and investment strategy for the Midtown Colleges and University study area in February of 2004. In March of 2004, URS Corporation, a strategic planning firm, and Institutional Project Management, a facilities development and operations firm, were hired to do a plan and market analysis for the study area. The proposed area of focus is generally bounded by Central Avenue to the north, Lark Street to the east, West Lawrence Street to the west, and the UHA campus to the south. The proposed boundaries are only general parameters identified to guide the effort, and all opportunities to leverage investment decisions among the partners for the benefit of community will be sought. A primary focus of the Quality Communities Initiative in the City of Albany is to develop an implementation strategy for a portion of the City directly impacted by investment activities of SUNY (downtown campus), the College of Saint Rose, the University Heights partners, and the Park South Redevelopment Plan. It is recognized that the coordination of development activities of the partners (the City of Albany, SUNY, CSR, and UHA) will benefit the individual institutions as well as the various neighborhoods in and around the targeted area of the City. Further, the evaluation of needs based on that of the various partners related to student housing, employee housing, commercial services, and programming/educational space is key to accomplishing this coordination. To that end, this study will take account of studies that have already been completed like the strategic revitalization plan for Central Avenue, Avenue 2000, and those like Park South that are currently underway to facilitate this planning process. Comprehensive Plan: 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 99 Error! Not a valid link. ---PAGE BREAK--- Error! Not a valid link. Throughout the years, Albany has partnered with the residents and stakeholders to develop and implement neighborhood revitalization plans, with many major developments and quality of life successes. Now, for the first time, the City of Albany is tackling the entire city, addressing citywide issues like sustainability, transportation, economic systems, housing, and community development in its first-ever comprehensive plan. Called Albany 2030: Your City Your Future, this comprehensive plan is a written document that will identify the goals, objectives, principles, guidelines, policies, standards, and strategies for the growth and (re)development of that community and which is regularly updated in order to evaluate ongoing successes, as well as define new priorities. In April 2008, The City of Albany Common Council appointed a 30-member Comprehensive Plan Board to oversee the development of Albany 2030. This Board will oversee the planning process and will be guided by City Planning staff through setting the scope of the Plan and selecting a consultant team to facilitate the project. The Board is comprised of 18 men and 12 women. Twenty percent of the Board is African American and twenty-seven board members are City residents scattered across Albany’s neighborhoods. The Board includes business owners, historic preservationists, environmentalists, school administrators, arts and entertainment directors, engineers, architects, environmentalists, social workers, and a list of other members with extensive resumes and experience. The Board’s first major undertaking will be to establish the scope of the comprehensive plan and approve a consultant. Comprehensive plans generally include a focus on land-use issues, but can also include plans for transportation, sustainability or other issues of concern to the community. In September 2009, Albany 2030 got kicked off with a three-day visit from the selected consultant team. The team, led by the nationally recognized firm of Wallace, Roberts & Todd, LLC (WRT), spent its time in Albany with the City of Albany Planning Department and municipal leaders and received a first- hand glimpse of Albany’s assets and challenges. The final product will be a plan that shapes the look, feel and fabric of the City for the next 20 years providing short-term, mid-term, long-term, and ongoing goals for the City. Accordingly, the Common Council will be asked to ratify the plan, and the implementation teams will be asked to administer various zoning changes, code amendments and design standards that will stem from the plan. Having these groups on board at the outset is a must, and after the initial three-day visit from the consultants in September, the Common Council and the Comprehensive Plan Board exhibited a strong vibe of readiness and willingness to engage in the process. 3-5 Year Strategic Plan 100 Error! Not a valid link.