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Home My WebLink About08. 13-111 MARCH 12, 2013 13-111 RESOLUTION (CARRIED__7-0____LOST______LAID OVER______WITHDRAWN______) PURPOSE: ACCEPT & APPROVE 2012 ANALYSIS OF IMPEDIMENTS TO FAIR HOUSING CHOICE AS AN ELEMENT OF THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT PROGRAM INITIATED BY: COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT WHEREAS, as a community development block grant entitlement community, the City of Oshkosh is required to certify to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that it will affirmatively further fair housing; and WHEREAS, MSA Professional Services Inc. was hired to complete an Analysis of Impediments (AI) to Fair Housing Choice and said AI identifies fair housing concerns and impediments, and recommends planning strategies that the City can undertake to further fair housing within the community. NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED by the Common Council of the City of Oshkosh that the City hereby accepts the 2012 Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice, as prepared by MSA Professional Services Inc. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Common Council affirmatively furthers fair housing opportunities within the City by approving the 2012 Analysis of Impediments, on file at the City Clerk’s Office, as an element of the Community Development Block Grant Program, and authorizes the proper City officials to notify HUD of its acceptance and approval. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the proper City officials are authorized to take necessary steps to implement the recommendations to address impediments to fair housing in Oshkosh as identified in the 2012 Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice. OJHKOJH ON THE WATER TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the Common Council FROM: Darryn Burich, Director of Planning Services Division DATE: February 26, 2013 RE: Accept and Approve the 2012 Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice as an Element of the Community Development Block Grant Program BACKGROUND/SUBJECT PROPERTY As a condition of the Community Development Block Program (CDBG), the City is required to certify to HUD that it will affirmatively further fair housing. This certification is included in the City's CDBG Consolidated Plan's Annual Action Plan submission to HUD each March. One way of affirmatively furthering fair housing is to prepare an Analysis of Impediments (AI) to Fair Housing and to maintain records on actions taken to overcome impediments to fair housing choices. The last time the analysis was completed was in 2005. The City sought professional services from qualified consultant firms to conduct a citywide study on this HUD mandated analysis and selected MSA Professional Services, Inc. The purpose of the completed Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing was to: • Serve as the substantive, logical basis for Fair Housing Planning; • Provide essential and detailed information to policy makers, administrative staff, housing providers, lenders and fair housing advocates; • Provide a comprehensive review of the City's regulations and administrative policies, procedures, and practices; • Assess how those regulations affect the location, availability and accessibility of housing; review conditions, both public and private, affecting fair housing choice; and identify any impediments to fair housing because of race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status or national origin which restrict or have the effect of restricting housing choices or availability of housing choices. ANALYSIS The following impediments were identified in the study: Administrative Impediments (Public and Private) • The public's poor understanding of fair housing rights and complaint procedures • Inadequate support for non-English speaking residents Regulatory Impediments (Public) • Misleading fair housing ordinance Quality Impediments (Private) • Poor condition of housing stock Supply Impediments (Private) • Inadequate supply of appropriate housing for residents with disabilities Transportation Impediments (Public) • Lack of adequate transportation options in some parts of the city Financial Impediments (Private) • Lack of loans to minorities The study also summarizes actions to be taken to address the impediments identified. These actions can be found on the following page. FISCAL IMPACT None anticipated. RECOMMENDATION I recommend approval as requested. Approved, City Manager Responsible Party Timeline Actions - -'-- �� '=`��c�~� Increase knowledge and awareness of fair hOirsing Offer more outreach education on fair housing rights and complaints Community Development Dept Continual Revise the City website to make fair housing info easier to find City IT Department Immediate Revise outreach materials u,include local examp|esofiUega|disoiminaoon Community Development Dept Short-Term I sh~~~�~ Identify and fund translation services for use by City staf and landlords,etc.Community Development Dept Immediate Include information about translation services in all outreach efforts and Community Development Dept Immediate materials Actions tnalleviat= / Update the City'S Fair HOUSing Ordinance Add to City Ordinance section 16 all protected classes identified by the State of Wisconsin,and definitions of each;remove the exemption for City Council Short-Term owner-occupied buildings;consider eliminating the Commission on Equal Opportunities in Housing Actions to alleviate Quauy|mpe�mmn�| Improve the quality of rental housing In the City Create a rental registry program tha ensures proactive inspections of units Community Development Dept Short-Term for safety and code compliance Enhance landlord and renter education materials and training to Community Development Dept Short-Term incorporate information about mold Actions to alleviate Supply Improve the supply of housing forresidents with disabilities Continue to offer home improvement loans to income-qualified residents Community Development Dept Continual to assist with the cos of accessibility retrofits,and emphasize"visitability Encourage the development of more units in the City that incorporate [ommunitvDevelopment oep� univeoa|design pnnup|e,. Create a pamphlet th��descnbe,vniveca| Continual Plan Commission,City Council design and identifies design support resources. Offer builderand developertraining in universal design techniques and Community Development Dept Annual encourage their application in all new development. Actions to alleviate Financi ity Impediments Improve transportation options in growth areas Community Development Dept, wm�withsoTmnmtu,ncduoeheadwavono,r�cctnuac�zoandz/ Short-Term GO Transit Ensure all new streets are complete streets,and improve pedestrain Community Development Dept, Short-Term connectivityto the north side Engineering Actions to alleviate Financial Impediments Improve residents Provide Community Development Dept Continual minority residents Provide education and information for local lenders on predatory lending Community Development Dept Continual practices