Use of CDBG funding to create affordable housing for seniors is an important application utilized by smaller communities in the United States. This report describes the method employed in Pomfret, Connecticut. (Library-derived description)Huckins, P. (1992). Implementation of Community Development Block Grant Small Cities Program for 32 unit congregate elderly housing complex for the Town of Pomfret. Retrieved from http://academicarchive.snhu.eduMaster of Science (M.S.)School of Community Economic Developmen

Huckins, Peter

SNHU Academic Archive

IMPLEMENTATION OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMEN T BLOCK GRAN T SMALL CITIE S PROGRA M FOR 32 UNIT CONGREGATE ELDERL Y HOUSING COMLPEX FOR THE TOWN OF POMFRET PETER HUCKINS INTRODUCTION The Tow n o f P o m f r et h a s a p o p u l a t i o n o f a b o ut 3,00 0 p e o p l e , w i t h a b o u t on e t h i r d o f t h a t p o p u l a t i o n b e i n g o v e r 6 2 y e a r s o f age, In 198 9 a g r o u p o f s e n i or c i t i z e n s a p p r o a c h e d t h e Town g o v e r n m e n t e x p r e s s i n g t h e i r c o n c e r n o v e r t h e l a ck o f e l d e r l y h o u s i n g i n P o m f r e t , S h o w i n g a  s t r o n g d e s i r e t o r e m a in i n t he Town o f P o m f r e t and t h e r e a l i z a t i on t h a t t h e r e i s a two to t h r ee y e a r w a i t i n g p e r i o d o f a c c e p t a n c e t o p u b l ic a s s i s t e d e l d e r l y h o u s i n g i n s u r r o u n d i n g t o w n s , t h e y a s k e d t h e Town's F i r s t S e l e c t m a n t o h e lp the m w i t h t h e s i t u a t i o n . The Tow n d i d some r e s e a r c h t o di s c o v e r , t h r o u g h p r o p e r t y t ax r e c o r d s , t h a t i n d e e d o v e r t h i r t y p e r c e n t o f t he co m m u n it y wa s o v e r 62 y e a r s o f a g e. They p r o c e e d e d t o c o n d u ct a  rando m s u r v e y o f sen i or c i t i z e n s t o f i nd o u t if t h e re wa s enough i n t e r e s t i n an e l d e r l y h o u s i n g c o m p l e x an d s e ni o r c e n t e r . Th e r e s u l t s o f t h e s u r v e y showe d a n e n t h u s i a s t i c r e s p o n s e i n t he a f f i r m a t i ve f o r b o th p r o j e c t s . Th e Town a p p r o a c h e d N o r t h e a s t C o n n e c t i c u t Commun ity D e v e l o p m e n t C o r p o r a t i o n (NCCDC ) , a CDC t h a t s e r v e s t h e i r Tow n a l o n g w i t h n i n e t e e n o t h e r s i n t he a r e a, t o e x p l o re t h e p o s s i b i l i ty o f a p p l y i n g f o r S t a te an d F e d e r al a i d to make s u c h a  p r o j e c t a  r e a l i t y . P o m f r e t w i t h p r o f e s s i o n a l a nd t e c h n i c al s u p p o r t f r o m NCCD C a p p l i e d f o r and was a w a r d ed a  two y e ar g r a n t f r o m t h e S m a ll C i t i e s Communit y D e v e l o p m e n t B l o c k G r a n t P r o g r a m -  F Y 9 0 / 9 1 , NCCDC i s a d m i n i s t e r i ng t h e Town o f P o m f r e t 's S m a l l C i t i e s Community D e v e l o p m e n t B l o c k G r a n t t h a t h a s been a w a r d e d f o r t h e a c q u i s i t i o n o f a s i t e t h a t i s s u i t a b le f o r t he c o n s t r u c t i on of a t h i r t y - t w o u n i t e l d e r l y c o n g r e g a t e h o u s i n g c o m p l e x a s w e l l a s s e n i o r c e n t e r . Th e B l o c k G r a n t f u n d s w i l l a l s o b e u s e d t o f a c i l i t a t e t h e c r e a t i o n o f a s c a t t e r e d - s i t e c o m m u n i t y l a n d t r u s t o f f i v e t o t en s i n g l e f a m i l y h o u s e s a c q u i r e d f r o m t h e h o u s i ng v a c a t e d b y e l d e r l y p e r s o n s wh o mov e i n t o t h e new e l d e r l y h o u s i n g c o m p l e x . T h e s e l a n d t r u s t home s w i l l b e made a v a i l a b l e a s r e n t a l an d o w n e r s h i p o p p o r t u n i t i e s f o r low to m o d e r a te incom e f a m i l i e s . The tw o y e a r g r a n t w i l l t o t a l $880,00 0 o f w h i c h i n y e ar on e $320,000 w i l l b e a l l o c a t e d t o w a r d s a c q u i s i t i o n o f a 21. 3 a c r e s i t e o n w h i c h t h e h o u si n g c o m p l e x an d s e n i o r c e n t e r w i l l b e b u i l t . A l s o p a r t o f t he f i r s t y e a r a w a r d w i l l b e a l l o c a t e d t o o b t a i n t h e s e r v i c e s o f p r o f e s s i o n a l e n g i n e e r s an d a r c h i t e c t s d u r i n g t h e p r e d e v e l o p m e n t s t a g e o f t he p r o j e c t. Th e r e m a i n i n g f u n d s f r o m t h e f i r s t y e a r w i l l go t o w ri t e - d o w n t h e c o st o f t he f i v e t o t en s c a t t e r e d - s i t e c o m m u n i t y l a n d t r u s t . I j o i n e d t h e s t a f f a t NCCDC ( i n t e r n s h i p ) t h a t p r o v i d e d t e c h n i c a l a s s i s t a n c e t o t he P o m f r et Communit y H o u s i n g C o r p o r a t i o n (PCHC) o n B o a r d D e v e l o p m e n t an d a d m i n i s t r a t i v e p r o c e s s f or d e v e l o p i n g a  3 2 u n i t E l d e r l y C o n g r e g a t e H o u s i n g F a c i l i t y . M y d u t i e s i n c l u d e d ; a s s i s t i n g i n e st a b l i s h i n g t h e PCHC b y h e l p i n g w i t h t h e C e r t i f i c a t i o n o f I n c o r p o r a t i o n , p r e p a r i n g a p p l i c a t i o n f o r 501 ( c ) ( 3 ) s t a t u s an d a d o p t i n g By-Laws ; CDB G p r o j e c t i m p l e m e n t a t i o n i n c l u d i n g p r e p a r a t i o n o f E n v i r o n m e n t a l R e v i e w an d A s s e s s m e n t , p ro f o r m a de ve1opment an d o p e r a t i n g b u d g e t s , m a r k e t r e s e a r c h , a r c h i t e c t u r a l RF P and s e l e c t i o n p r o c e s s a s well  a s commu n i t y ou t r e a c h . I t wa s q u i t e c l e a r a f t e r b e i n g i n v o l v e d s i x month s w i t h t h i s p r o j e c t t h a t t h i n g s wer e n o t g o i ng t o move smoot h 1 y a s I  had a n t i c i p a t e d . W e ha d hope d t o c lo s e o n t h e l a n d b y A p r i l , 199 1 b e c a u s e PCH C ha d p u r c h a s e d a  s i x mont h o p t i o n o n t h e p r o p o s e d s i t e i n November, 1990 . B u t t he C o n n e c t i c ut D e p a r t m e n t o f H o u s i n g w o u l d n o t r e l e a s e t h e a c q u is i t i o n f u n d s u n t i l c o n s t r u c t i o n f i n a n c i n g f o r t h e p r o j e ct wa s s e c u r e d . A t t h i s p o i n t i n ti m e c o n s t r u c t i o n f i n a n c i n g i s s t i l l n o t s e c u r e d an d a c q u i s i t i o n f u n d s h a v e n o t bee n r e l e a s e d . Thu s f a r a b o ut t h i r t y t h o u s a n d d o l l a r s h a s bee n s p e n t o n p r e d e v e l o p m e n t s e r v i c e s s u c h a s a r c h i t e c t u r a l an d e n g i n e e r i n g . PCHC ha s a r e a l c h a n c e o f l o s i n g t h e p r o p e r ty t o a n o t h e r d e v e l o p e r an d w i l l c o n s e q u e n t l y l o s e t h o s e f u n d s . T h e r e a r e s e v e r al r e a s o n s wh y c o n s t r u c t i o n f i n a n c i n g h as bee n c o n t i n u a l l y d e l a y e d . A l l a p p l i c a t i o n s f or g r a n ts h a v e bee n d e l a y e d i n C o n n e c t i c u t d u r i n g 199 1 b e c a u s e o f t he f i s c a l p r o b l e m s o f t he S t a t e o f C o n n e c t i c u t . Th e S t a t e r e a l i z i n g a n a c u t e s h o r t a g e o f r e v e n u e , due t o t he e c o n o m ic s i t u a t i o n , d e l a y e d b o n d i n g f o r t he f i r s t s ix months o f t he y e a r. T h i s p u s h e d b a c k a l l p r o j e c ts f o r at l e a s t t h a t amount o f t i m e . O n t o p of t h a t , t h e S t a te o f C o n n e c t i c u t c o u l d n o t r e a c h a n a g r e e m e n t o n t h e b u d g et b y J u n e 199 1 and t he S t a te wen t w i t h o u t on e u n t i l S e p t e m b e r . Th e D e p a r t m e n t o f H o u s i n g , u n c e r t a i n a b o u t t h e i r j o b s an d t h e i r f u t u r e , d i d v e ry l i t t l e t o p r o c e s s t h i n g s a l o n g d u r i n g t h i s p e r i o d . T h i s l a c k o f a c t i o n f u r t h e r d e l a y e d f u n d i n g f o r h o u si n g d e v e l o p m e n t . E v e n w i t h o u t t h e S t a t e 's f i s c a l p r o b l e m s , t r y i n g t o g et f u n d i n g f r o m DO H i s a s l o w p a i n s t a k i n g p r o c e s s . Th e r e v i e w i n g p r o c e s s f or H o u s i n g p r o j e c t s i s i n e f f i c i e n t a t b e s t . The y ha d one d i v i s i o n o f A r c h i t e c t u r a l r e v i e w e r s t h a t w o u l d h a n d l e a l l t he p l a ns s u b m i t t e d t o t h e D e p a r t m e n t . A  r e v i e w e r wou1 d s e e p l a n s f o r an e l d e r l y h o u s i n g p r o j e c t o n on e da y an d a  s i n g l e f a m i l y d e v e l o p m e n t o n t h e n e x t , T h e r e wa s n o s e n s e o f c o n s i s t e n c y w i t h t h i s s y s t e m . A r c h i t e c t u r a l F i r m s h i r e d b y t h e Towns w o u l d g e t d i f f e r e n t t y p e s o f comment s i n r e s p e c t t o t h e i r s u b m i t t e d p l a n s , d e p e n d i n g o n w h i c h r e v i e w e r wa s a s s i g n e d t o them . E a c h r e v i e w e r w o u l d s c r u t i n i z e t h e a r c h i t e c t u r a l p l a n s i n a d i f f e r e n t manner . T h i s i n c o n s i s t e n c y c a u s e d man y d e l a y s and f r u s t r a t i o n b e t w e e n Town s an d t h e D e p a r t m e n t o f H o u s i n g . The D e p a r t m e n t o f H o u s i n g h a s r e a l i z e d t h e i n e f f i c i e n c y an d ha s b e g u n , a t t h i s p o i n t i n t i m e, t o c h a n ge i t s ways. The y no w have s e v e r a l d i f f e r e n t d i v i s i o n s f o r r e v i e w i ng p l a n s , w i t h e a c h d i v i s i o n c o n c e n t r a t i n g o n on e t y p e o f h o u s i n g d e v e l o p m e n t . The y have a  e l d e r l y d i v i s i o n , da y c a r e d i v i s i o n , s i n g l e f a m i l y h o u s i n g d i v i s i o n , e t c . The ne w s y s t e m s h o u l d h e l p r e d u c e p r o b l e m s w h i c h i n t u r n w i l l h o p e f u 1 1 y r e d u c e d e l a y s . B e c a u s e o f s u c h d e l a y s an d t h e u n c e r t a i n t y o f g e t t i n g an y f u n d i n g a t a l l , t h e c r e a t i o n o f t h e comm u ni t y l a n d t r u s t wa s p u t o n t h e b a c k b u r n e r . I  r e g r e t n o t h a v i n g a  c h a n c e t o work o n t h i s p h a s e o f t h e p r o j e c t , b u t du e t o t h e c i r c u m s t a n c e s it was o u t of my c o n t r o l . A t t h i s p o i n t i n ti m e w e a r e s t i l l w a i t i n g f o r t he a c c e p t a n c e o f t h e p r e 1 i mi n a ry a r c h i t e c t u r a l p l a n s f o r t he p r o j e c t . Upo n a c c e p t a n c e t h e A r c h i t e c t s w i l l s u b m i t b a s i c d r a w i n g s t o DOH. I f t he b a s i c d r a w i n g s p a s s t h i s p h a s e t h e p r o j e c t i s a s s u r ed f u n d i n g an d t h e p r o j e c t w i l l t a k e a  s i g n i f i c a n t s t e p f o r w a r d t o b e c o m i n g r e a l i t y . 

Implementation of Community Development Block Grant Small Cities Program for 32 unit congregate elderly housing complex for the Town of Pomfret

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