City Council
MEETING DATE: 9/28/2016
TITLE:
Title
Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Assessment of Fair Housing (AFH)
End
FROM:
John A. Corella, P.E., City Engineer
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
Staff recommends the City Council approve the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Assessment of Fair Housing (AFH) for submittal to HUD.
Body
BACKGROUND:
The Assessment of Fair Housing (AFH) outlines the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) proposed strategy to refine and improve the process currently known as the Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice (AI). As a HUD grantee, Cathedral City must prepare an AFH in order to keep their obligation to ‘affirmatively further fair housing’ (AFFH).
The AFH is required every five years prior to preparing the Consolidated Plan. The City’s first AFH will be due 270 days prior to the program year that begins on or after July 1, 2017. The City of Cathedral City is one of sixteen jurisdictions across the United States to be a first submitter of the AFH, and the due date for AFH to be submitted to HUD is October 4, 2016. This schedule will allow the City to consider any fair housing issues when developing the Five-Year Consolidated Plan.
DISCUSSION:
The AFH is a comprehensive planning tool used to address any housing discrimination, the operation of housing markets, investment choices by holders of capital, the history and geography of regions, and patterns of development and the built environment in Cathedral City. The AFH also provides recommendations used to formulate some of the goals, programs, and services of the Consolidated Plan.
In addition to preparing an AFH, HUD required substantial public participation and input from the community for the preparation of this assessment. HUD hopes that a broader audience of civil rights advocates, affordable housing developers, community development organizations, academics, housing development agencies, and other members of the public interested in fair housing in their communities would provide valuable input.
The City hosted three (3) community participation meetings at three different locations in anticipation of reaching a broad range of participation:
• The first community meeting was held on June 30th at the Cathedral City Branch Library. The City did not receive much participation for this meeting. A contributing factor may have been due to the holiday weekend.
• The second meeting was held on July 7th in the Study Session room located in the Cathedral City Civic Center. This meeting was for stakeholders aimed at gathering valuable input from many community agencies that provide programs and services to Cathedral City residents. City staff from the Building and Code Compliance Divisions also attended the meeting.
• The third and final community meeting was held on August 11th and hosted by the Boys and Girls Club of Cathedral City. Only five people of the community attended the meeting. These residents only raised issues about their neighborhood unrelated to the AFH.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
This assessment is Exempt under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) 24 CFR 58.34(a)(1).
FISCAL IMPACT:
Approval of the recommended action will have no adverse impact on the City.
ATTACHMENTS:
Assessment of Fair Housing (AFH)