6986-94 Submit 1995 Consolidation Plan

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Five-Year Plan Due to the broad range of needs within Lakewood, the City plans to undertake a broad range of strategies for extremely Iow income households (0%-30% MFI), very low income housel~olds (31%-50% of MFI), and low income households (51%-80% of MFI). These priorities and strategies were identified in the FY 1994 CHAS with the assistance of the Lakewood CHAS Task Force. HUD has divided renter households into four categories: elderly one- and two-member households, small families (two to four persons), large families (five or more persons), and "all other households" (primarily nonelderly one-person households). Lakewood considers all four of these categories of renters important, however the most attention will be directed toward the 2,400 low-income elderly households and 2,000 low-income small family households. Large families and "all other households" will not be excluded from housing strategies, however large families are numerically a much smaller group of residents (300 Iow- income households). "All other households," although totalling 3,150 low-income households, do not have the same constraints as persons who are elderly or households with cBildren. The strategies planned by Lakewood for renter households include rehabilitation of units and support services. Rehabilitation is important in order to provide housing that meets health and safety codes. It should be noted that older housing stock can be expensive to rehabilitate. Support services include thorough marketing of weatherization progratns and programs that pay a portion of winter heating bills, in order to reduce the housing costs of renters. Lakewood considers existing homeowners, which total 3,200 low-income households, to be one of the highest priorities. Strategies planned by Lakewood for existing homeowners include rehabilitation and support services. Rehabilitation ensures that housing meets health and safety codes, as well as extends the useful life of a structure. Support services include thorough marketing of weatherization programs and programs that pay a portion of winter heating bills; mortgage refinancing to take advantage of lower interest rates (when applicable); and homestead property tax exemptions and homestead water exemptions for the elderly, all in order to reduce the housing costs of owners. Sn:ategies planned by Lakewood for first-time homebuyers consist primarily of financial assistance for purchases, as well as a limited amount of acquisition/rehabilitation/resale of foreclosed properties. For first-time homebuyers, Lakewood has made two distinctions. First, efforts will be concentrated in the 51%-80% MFI category, meaning an annual income range of $18,551 to $29,700 for a family of four. Lakewood wants these first-time homebuyer efforts to be long-term successes, and as annual income for a family moves downward from the $18,500 level, it becomes increasingly difficult to achieve that goal. The second distinction made by Lakewood is a willingness to place a higher priority on first-time homebuyer applicants who have children. HUD has divided homeless persons into three categories: individuals~ families, and persons with special needs, such as persons with mental illness, substance abuse problems, AIDS, or victims of domestic violence. Lakewood plans to address this issue by supporting existing programs and searching for additional mechanisms to strengthen services by working cooperatively with nonprofit organizations such as the Lakewood Christian Service Center and public agencies such as the Cleveland/Cuyahoga County Office of Homeless Services. The City of Lakewood intends to continue to focus attention on homele~sness prevention activitie~ and supp°rt services. FY 1995 HUD Con*olidated Plan 9 DRAFT City of Lakewood, Ohio