City clears most federal housing hoops

Deirdre Newman

The city met 91% of its housing goals for the past fiscal year,

according to a report issued in September by the city’s Housing and

Community Development Division.

The report was prepared to help residents and the U.S. Department

of Housing and Urban Development assess the city’s use of federal

grant funds to meet specific needs the city identified as priorities

between 2000 and 2005.

The city’s success in 2002-03 is especially commendable

considering the exorbitant price of land, City Manager Allan Roeder

said.

“It’s a very difficult task, even under normal circumstances,”

Roeder said. “Then, when you’re trying to do that in a very hot real

estate market, it can be even more daunting, because funding has not

grown proportionately.”

Top successes include rehabilitating 12 housing units using mostly

donated labor and materials as part of the Neighbors for Neighbors

program and providing eight loans to lower-income households to bring

buildings up to code, remove lead hazards and provide general

rehabilitation, said Muriel Ullman, the city’s neighborhood

improvement manager.

Code Enforcement also gave out 277 violations for things such as

inoperative vehicles, trash and substandard property maintenance,

Ullman added.

Goals the city is still trying to achieve include rehabilitating

eight multifamily rental units at the Civic Center Barrio Project on

James Street and restoring six units at the Habitat for Humanity

Project on Pomona Avenue, Ullman added.

It is also in the process of analyzing the First-time Home Buyer

Program to determine how to counter reduced participation because of

dramatic increases in local housing prices.

Analysis is crucial to keep programs like this viable, Roeder

said.

“[Ullman] and her staff have been coming back and making

recommendations and adapting ad modifying programs to the changing

environment, particularly with the First-time Home Buyer Program and

some of our rental rehabilitation programs,” Roeder said. “We have to

be continually reassessing what’s going on out there in the real

world and making changes to the programs, unless they’re going to be

unsuccessful.”

Mayor Gary Monahan also lauded the achievements of Ullman and her

staff.

“It’s just a testament to a very active and efficient effort,”

Monahan said. “They take their housing goals and requirements very

seriously.”