Introduction

The U.S. Department of housing and Urban Development uses a consolidated process to apply for four HUD Community Planning and Development Programs: Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), HOME Investment Partnership Program, Emergency Shelter Grant (ESG), and Housing Opportunities for Persons With Aids (HOPWA).

The Consolidated Plan is a five-year strategy and one-year action plan for the use of these federal funds. In PY 2000, the City expects to receive $5,000,000 in CDBG, $1,200,000 in HOME and $179,000 in ESG funds. The City does not receive HOPWA entitlement funds.

In addition the City will utilize approximately $3 million in program income and funds carried over from previous years.

The statutes for the grant programs set forth three basic goals that must primarily benefit low and very low income persons: provide decent housing, provide a suitable living environment, and expand economic opportunities.

The Consolidated Plan analyzes local housing and community development needs conditions and resources. It brings needs and resources together in a coordinated housing and community development strategy. It lists the activities the City will undertake to address priority needs and meet housing and community development objectives.

The consolidated planning process involves citizens, public agencies and the private sector in all phases of planning and implementation. A formal Citizen Participation Process lays out the schedule and procedures for development of the plan.

Community Profile

Des Moines was incorporated in 1847 and is the capital city of Iowa. Government, insurance, finance, printing, and service industries dominate the local economy. Des Moines' location at the crossroads of Interstates 80 and 35 provides easy access to the City as a center for employment, housing and retail trade. The convenience of transportation has also encouraged development in surrounding communities, attracting young families and upper income residents to the housing tracts, office parks, and shopping centers in newer and more prosperous suburbs.

The population of the City of Des Moines Des Moines at the 1990 census was 193,187 persons. Suburban development has resulted in a Des Moines population decline totaling 7.6 percent over the past three decades. The City's peak population of approximately 209,000 in 1960 fell to 191,000 in 1980, and then stabilized during the 1980s due to annexation of southern sectors of the metropolitan area.

In 1960, 5 percent of the City's population was non-white. By 1990, the non-white population had grown to 11 percent, including 7 percent Black (non-Hispanic), 2 percent Hispanic (all races), 1 percent Asian and Pacific Islander, and less than 1 percent Native American individuals.

The 1990 census reports 78,587 households in the City with 2.38 persons per household. Approximately one-third of Des Moines children are residing with only one parent, and 83 percent of the City's single-parent families are female-headed.

According to the 1990 census, the median household income for the City of Des Moines was $26,703. Sixteen percent of households earned an annual income under $10,000, while approximately the same number (17 percent) had earnings of $50,000 and over. Not surprisingly, owner-occupied households had average incomes nearly twice those of renter-occupied households in 1990. Twelve percent of all Des Moines households had incomes below the poverty level, calculated as $12,674 for a family of four in 1989. Female-headed households were twice as likely as male-headed households to have incomes below the poverty level.

Housing Needs

The housing analysis performed early in 1999 shows a need for over 3,400 affordable rental units for low and very low-income families. Like the rest of the country, Des Moines has experienced a rise in rental rates, which are increasing faster than salaries and wages.

There is also a need for affordable owner-occupied housing for low and moderate-income households.

Community Development Needs

While Des Moines has needs across the full spectrum of community development activities, the adopted five-year strategy for the period from 2000 - 2004 allocates limited federal funding to community development activities that directly assist low- and very low-income households to acquire and retain decent, safe affordable housing and promote neighborhood revitalization.

The plan calls for funding economic development activities which will increase the availability of jobs that pay living wages, child care which assists parents to work or train for work, transportation which will assist people get to their jobs, and support services which will help low-income households purchase or rent affordable housing.

Coordination

The strategies for both housing, homeless and community development activities recognizes that CDBG, HOME, and ESG funds are only a small part of the resources needed to serve low- and moderate-income residents. It is important that the federal funding address gaps in service, acts as a catalyst for other funding, and has a recognizable impact on needs.

The City will coordinate funding with other federal, state, county, and local programs to maximize resources, avoid duplication, and utilize appropriate funding sources based on the nature of the problems addressed.

Housing and Community Development Strategic Plan

The overall goal for the five-year strategy (2000 -2004) is to increase the availability of affordable rental and owner-occupied housing for low and very low-income households. There is a significant gap in affordable rental units and the first housing priority will be to increase the number of rental units affordable to low and very low-income households by 3,400 units over the next five years. This effort will require the coordination of CDBG, HOME, Housing Trust Fund, Federal Home Loan Bank, Low-income Housing Tax Credits, Public Housing and private sector funding.

The City also intends to allocate consolidated plan funding for job development and training which will increase economic opportunities for 500 households during the next five years. Increasing household income will allow low-income families to rent or purchase affordable housing. Providing quality childcare will help these families work or train for work. Transportation to good paying jobs will help insure that they obtain and retain these jobs.

The City will also fund home-buyer clubs, home maintenance and chore services, infrastructure improvements and homeless programs that will assist residents to obtain and maintain decent and affordable housing.

Agencies operating programs will be monitored for compliance with federal requirements and to assess progress toward goals, objectives and outcomes. The common outcome for all programs and projects is to determine if the program resulted in low-income families and individuals obtaining decent, safe, and affordable housing.