THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AND GROWTH MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT AND THE HOUSING FINANCE AND COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT DIVISION RECOMMEND APPROVAL OF THE ABOVE MOTION.
This item supports the Board’s vision of offering sustainable, compatible, innovative housing options for all income-levels, including integrated, permanent supportive housing: and the corresponding goal of increasing the availability of affordable housing of all types, countywide in every community using effective, uniform criteria, policies and strategies.
CDBG Program: Broward County will receive CDBG funding in the amount of $2,728,858 on behalf of the Broward Municipal Service District (BMSD) and the 15 non-entitlement municipalities with populations less than 50,000: Cooper City, Dania Beach, Hallandale Beach, Lauderdale-By-The-Sea, Lauderdale Lakes, Lazy Lake, Lighthouse Point, North Lauderdale, Oakland Park, Parkland, Pembroke Park, Sea Ranch Lakes, Southwest Ranches, West Park, and Wilton Manors.
Grant funds are received by the County and are reallocated and distributed back to the participating municipalities to address their respective priorities. Additionally, the County will receive approximately $135,000 in program income derived from the CDBG Program for reallocation to other eligible activities under the CDBG Program grant. The total CDBG funding including program income is $2,863,858. The entitlement municipalities with populations in excess of 50,000, Coconut Creek, Coral Springs, Davie, Deerfield Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Lauderhill, Margate, Miramar, Pembroke Pines, Plantation, Pompano Beach, Sunrise, and Tamarac, receive their own direct funding allocations from HUD. The County will also be administering and implementing, through interlocal agreements, the City of Margate's and the City of Weston's Fiscal Year 2018-2019 CDBG allocations of $352,928 and $314,743 respectively.
HOME Program: Broward County will receive HOME funding in the amount of $3,657,388, plus approximately $230,000 in program income on behalf of the HOME Consortium, which includes the Broward Municipal Services District (BMSD), non-entitlement and the entitlement municipalities listed above. Forming a consortium is a way for local governments that would not otherwise qualify for funding to join with other contiguous units of local government to directly participate in the HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) program. The creation of a HOME Consortium is required by HUD for the County and the municipalities to receive HOME funding. The County is the lead agency of the HOME Consortium.
The County will be administering and implementing the municipalities of Margate, Davie and Plantation HOME allocation for Fiscal Year 2018 of $98,148, $165,664 and $160,166 respectively. The total HOME funding including the estimated program income is $3,887,388. The HOME Program grant requires 15% of the HOME funding allocation be set-aside for Community Housing Development Organizations (CHDOs). A CHDO is a private nonprofit, community-based organization that has staff with the capacity to develop affordable housing for the community it serves. There was one CHDO application during the October 29, 2017 to January 5, 2018 RFP cycle which requested $385,629. As the funds do not need to be allocated for two years, the County will solicit for another CHDO for the remaining $162,979. The cities of Fort Lauderdale, Pompano Beach, and Hollywood receive their own HOME funding allocations directly from HUD.
ESG Program: Broward County will receive $217,454 on behalf of the entire County to address homeless issues, and a Request for Proposals (RFP) process is used to distribute the grant funding.
The Housing Finance and Community Redevelopment Division (HF&CRD) held a Pre-Development public hearing for the Annual Action Plan (AAP) on November 16, 2017. A Pre-Adoption public hearing was held on July 17, 2018, with a public comment period from June 18, 2018 to July 20, 2018.
The RFP cycle for CDBG, HOME, and ESG funds was initiated through an advertisement published in the Sun-Sentinel on October 29, 2017. The public was advised that applications were available and could be obtained from the HF&CRD. A RFP Workshop, Fair Housing Workshop, and a Public Hearing, were held on November 16, 2017. Technical assistance was available throughout the application cycle. The municipalities were advised of their allocations for CDBG and HOME funds; and those municipalities, in turn, selected projects to be funded for Fiscal Year 2018-2019. The public had the opportunity to comment during the pre-development phase, during the 30-day public comment period and again at the Pre-Adoption Public Hearing.
The organizations recommended for funding under the CDBG, HOME, and ESG Programs were part of the RFP process. Their applications were evaluated by committees consisting of HF&CRD staff and municipal staff who are practitioners in the planning, housing, and the community development field. Individual projects, with the exception of Public Service projects, were recommended for full funding based on their evaluation scores, and/or until the available funds were exhausted. CDBG funding for Public Services cannot exceed 15% of the County’s total CDBG funding allocation; therefore, only the two highest rated competitive nonprofit Public Service projects were recommended for funding. Funding recommendations under the ESG Program are done according to HUD eligibility requirements. ESG funding for the emergency shelter and street outreach categories are limited to 60% of the grant. Funding priorities set by the Broward County Continuum of Care (CoC) Advisory Committee are also taken into consideration when funding recommendations are made.
The projects in the AAP provide for rehabilitation of a minimum of 31 single family homes; provision of purchase assistance to a minimum of 45 first time home buyers, and assistance to two homeless residents with rapid re-housing services; provision of public services including, but not limited to, housing counseling, elderly transportation, youth leadership, and providing homeless emergency shelter to approximately 1,043 low/moderate income clients; and construction of various infrastructure improvements to benefit approximately 19,740 residents including but not limited to, installation of solar lighting, street resurfacing, and drainage in low or moderate income neighborhoods.
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