CLEARFIELD – The Clearfield County Commissioners approved the submission of several grant applications that were presented during Tuesday’s regular board meeting.
Jodi Brennan and Lisa Kovalick of the Clearfield County Planning and Community Development Office presented two grant applications for the Pennsylvania Housing and Finance Agency’s PHARE funding. The two grant applications combined for a total of $250,000. Brennan said in 2010, the state created the fund as a mechanism to assist with the creation, rehabilitation and support of affordable housing throughout Pennsylvania.
However, she said there wasn’t any funding attached to the fund until the Marcellus Shale Impact Fee legislation in 2012. She said the impact fee legislation specifically allocated funds to address housing needs in counties affected by unconventional gas wells and that had adopted the local impact fee.
According to Brennan, the PHARE grant application’s priorities mirror those outlined in the county’s recently adopted housing needs assessment. She said these included increasing safe and affordable housing opportunities; using funds to address the most significant and persistent housing needs in the most effective and efficient manner; and leveraging resources and fostering partnerships.
From the county’s housing needs study, she said they’ve determined there’s an aging housing stock; a growing elderly population and need for specialized housing; a shortage of available and affordable rental units for moderate to low income renters; and more than 300 blighted or abandoned properties. She said several municipalities have approached the commissioners for assistance in mitigating their blighted structures to allow redevelopment to take place within the county.
Kovalick said the first PHARE grant initiative was for housing rehabilitation and the elimination of slum and blight across the county. The county’s application was in the amount of $125,000 for this initiative.
Kovalick said the Residential Owner Occupied Rehabilitation Program would be set up as a grant program designed to assist residents who fall below 50 percent of the median area income and who need improvements to address the safety of their homes. She said eligible homeowners would be able to apply for up to $3,000 projects, and they anticipate assisting a minimum of 10 homeowners with $35,000 in grant funding.
Kovalick said the Rental Housing Rehabilitation Program would be set up as a matching grant program to assist landlords in bringing their rental units into compliance with safety and accessibility. She said it would also be requiring rental units to be made available at fair market rental value for households that are below 50 percent of the median area income for a term of seven years.
Kovalick said this program would require the landlord to invest $1 in private funds for every $1 provided in PHARE funds. She said eligible landlords may apply for up to $3,000 in grant funds, with the required match, and the rental housing may have $6,000 of repairs for affordable rental units. Kovalick said they would serve approximately 10 rental units with $33,750 in grant funding.
She said the Blight Mitigation Program would provide funding to municipalities for the demolition of blighted structures unfit for habitation and that are a public nuisance, structurally unsound or in danger of collapse, lack utility services, have vermin or are housing vagrants. She said the municipalities would be required to acquire site control or may partner with another entity that has site control, such as a redeveloper or qualifying conservator.
Kovalick said all requests for funding must include a match of at least 50 percent of the total costs for demolition. She said the match could be met with either public or private funds, and the cost cap would be $10,000 per property. Kovalick said this grant would assist approximately five properties with a total of $50,000 in grant funding.
She said the Moshannon Valley Council of Governments (MVCOG) would administer the program on behalf of the county. She said the rehabilitation of units would be completed using the state’s Department of Community & Economic Development housing rehabilitation guidelines. She said the types of repairs and improvements that would be addressed include: foundations and basement hatchways, roofing, flooring, grading, drainage, sidewalks, rodent infestation, proper ventilation and exhaust, exterior conditions, structural members, roof and wall anchors, doors, windows, porches, stairs, hand railings, chimneys, lighting, plumbing, mechanical units, electrical and fire safety requirements.
Kovalick said every attempt would be made to preserve the character and historical value of each structure by repairing or replacing in kind certain architectural amenities if possible. She said that PHARE funding would not be used for fireplaces, landscaping, lawn ornaments, swimming pools and detached buildings, such as sheds and garages. She said it also would not be used for the repair or demolition of industrial properties.
Kovalick said the second PHARE initiative would provide additional affordable housing options for seniors in Clearfield County. On behalf of the Northern Cambria Community Development Corp., the county will apply for $125,000 in PHARE funds to assist in developing affordable housing for seniors who are 62 years or older. Kovalick said this would consist of a new, 30-unit, one- and two-bedroom, mid-rise apartment building with ancillary parking and a common space for residents. Kovalick said the units would be targeted to local seniors who are making 60 percent or less than the area median income with 51 percent of the units being targeted to senior households that are making 50 percent or less than the area median income.
According to a recent Housing Market Analysis conducted on behalf of the Leonard Street Gardens Project, in January by Real Property Research Group (RPRG), senior households ages 62 and older will increase at a rate of 1.4 percent or 57 households annually from 2013 through 2018. In addition, approximately 31 percent of senior renter households have incomes from $15,000 – $24,999, the approximate target range for 50 percent and 60 percent units proposed at the property. Approximately one-third of senior renter households have annual incomes of less than $15,000, a portion of which would be eligible for the 20 percent units.
Kovalick said the 30 units of proposed senior housing would alleviate the county’s shortfall of affordable housing while beginning to proactively position it to mitigate impacts that will be felt by the Marcellus Shale drilling activities. She said the $125,000 would be used for the construction associated with the development of the Leonard Street Gardens. She said the following matching funds have been proposed: PHFA Low Income Housing Tax Credit Equity – $6,908,050; PennHOME Funds – $499,692; and General Partner Contribution – $151,244, which combine for a total of $7,683,986.
Brennan said both grant applications were presented for public input. First, she said they were presented to the county’s Housing Taskforce and received its full endorsement. Brennan said they also conducted a public hearing May 20, at which time both grant applications were “positively received.”
She said the county could use its Affordable Housing Trust Funds as leverage, and it would not have to come up with any other funding. She said it could use the funds it’s already obligated in 2012 and 2013 as a match for these grant applications. She said the grant applications are due next Friday and an announcement is expected in September.
Rex Lettie of Cen-Clear Child Care Services presented grant applications for its Family Centers, Promoting Responsible Fatherhood and Time-Limited Family Reunification (TLFR) programs. He said this is the final year of the three-year grant cycle, and the funding levels and match requirements are the same for all three years.
The applications requested a total of $448,818 from the state’s Department of Public Welfare/Office of Children, Youth and Family Services. The individual application totals were $303,218 for the county’s Family Centers, $30,600 for Promoting Responsible Fatherhood and $115,000 for TLFR, said Lettie.
According to him, there continues to be a 10 percent cash match requirement for Family Centers and for Promoting Responsible Fatherhood. He said there isn’t any match requirement for the TLFR program. He said also included in its request was $10,500 to be used to support system reform activities, county needs assessment activities and promotion of service coordination and collaboration under the county’s Collaboration and Prevention Board.
Lettie said Family Centers Services are provided from locations in West Branch, Harmony, Clearfield, Philipsburg and DuBois. He said outcomes are to enhance economic self-sufficiency for families, to ensure positive and healthy development for children, to strengthen families and to provide coordinated and collaborative services.
He said their strategies include home visits that use Parents as Teachers curriculum, providing adult education and training, providing health screenings for children and health training programs for parents, encouraging greater parent involvement and working collaboratively with county and human service agencies to cost-effectively coordinate services and programs. He said their Young Parents Program, which targets pregnant teens and teen parents, would continue.
Lettie anticipated that 125 families and 175 children would be served in this program.
He said that the Promoting Responsible Fatherhood services would be provided from Family Center sites and other community locations with the goal of promoting positive involvement of fathers in the lives of their children. He said their strategies include outreach, individual and group support services and activities for fathers, education and skills training opportunities and adult education, pre-employment and job skills training. He anticipated that 80 fathers would be served in this program.
Lettie said that the TLFR program is specifically designed to provide services to youth who have been in placement for less than 15 months with the goal of family reunification. He said outcomes to be achieved include reducing the number of children with more than two placement moves, reducing the re-entry rate for children returning to county custody and reducing the average length of time before reunification occurs.
Lettie said a key strategy in TLFR continues to be family group decision-making. He said Cen-Clear has also worked with CYFS to provide hands-on training to parents in basic living and parenting skills, using extended home visits. Lettie said this has shown positive results in preparing for reunification.
Lettie said the TLFR program would serve 40 children in placement and their families.
Victim/Witness Coordinator Margie Rosselli presented the state’s Victims of Juvenile Offenders (VOJO) grant application. She said the grant application was in the amount of $9,421 and would run from July 1, 2013 through June 30, 2014.
Rosselli said the “mini-grant” would help her keep her part-time advocate. She said she’s budgeted for the grant to cover the wages and a few supplies that are associated with the position. Rosselli said the benefits for the part-time advocate could come out of another state grant.