Agency: Workforce Services

Line Item: Housing and Community Development

Function

The Division of Housing and Community Development enhances quality of life for Utah citizens through community infrastructure, affordable housing and development programs.

The Division manages a capital budget and provides administrative support and programmatic oversight to many boards and committees.

Statutory Authority

Statutory authority for the Division of Housing and Community Development is provided in UCA 9-4. The Division's responsibilities are to:

• Assist local government and citizens develop and maintain community infrastructure;
• Cooperate with and provide technical assistance to groups related to housing and community development;
• Coordinate development projects with the Governor and state agencies;
• Serve as a clearinghouse for data needed for state, local and federal development projects;
• Study and make recommendations related to community development projects;
• Assist in developing affordable housing and help in addressing the problems of homelessness;
• Provide grants, loans and other forms of public assistance;
• Assist local efforts related to community action programs, planning, development, home weatherization, energy efficiency and anti-poverty projects;
• Support volunteer efforts in the state.

Special Funds

The Division of Housing and Community Development Administers the following special revenue funds:

The Pamela Atkinson Homeless Trust Fund (PAHTF) is funded by an appropriation from the General Fund and by contributions made by individuals on their Utah Individual Income Tax Form. The PAHTF is a competitive grant program to supplement various agencies statewide in moving people out of homelessness.

The Methamphetamine Housing Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Account is funded through contributions made by individuals on their Utah Individual Income Tax Form. Funds are used to rehabilitate home that have been impacted by methamphetamine production.

Funding Detail

Most of the funding for Housing and Community Development is from federal funds. The General Fund is the second largest funding source. A history of the program is presented below. For analysis of current budget requests and discussion of issues related to this budget click here.

Program: Community Development Administration

Function

Administration provides leadership, financial management, and data management to Division programs.

Performance

The Division of Housing and Community Development uses as a performance measure the number of division programs that are honored for best practices. Results are shown below.

A key division goal is to eliminate chronic homelessness throughout the state. The chart below shows the progress they have made towards this goal.

The Division measures success through a customer service index. The results of this index are shown below.

Funding Detail

Funding for the Administration Program is mainly from General Fund and the Permanent Community Impact Fund.

Program: Community Development

Function

The Community Development program administers the federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP). It also provides staff leadership for and financial management of the Permanent Community Impact Fund and the Uintah Basin Revitalization Fund.

The Community Development Block Grant

The Community Development Block Grant program provides funds to cities or counties with populations of less than 50,000 or 200,000 people respectively. Funds are used for public facilities, infrastructure housing and economic development opportunities. Larger communities get CDBG funds directly from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The Community Development Block Grant Policy Committee is made up of elected officials from each of the seven Association of Government offices and provides oversight of the program.

The Community Development Block Grant program and Neighborhood Stabilization Programs are funded through the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The programs are primarily tools for community development to create and maintain a suitable living environment. The programs also have significant economic development components.

CDBG has capitalized six regional revolving loan funds in the state and also offers interim loans to eligible businesses.

NSP is a federal program designed for emergency assistance to purchase and/or redevelop abandoned, foreclosed, or residential properties. State grantees act directly to implement this program.

The Permanent Community Impact Fund

The Permanent Community Impact Fund is defined in the Community Development Capital Program. The program includes administrative funding and costs for staff support and board expenses as well as staff time spent on Federal Mineral Lease and Exchanged Land Mineral Lease receipt analysis.

Funding Detail

Most of the funding for the Community Assistance comes from the federal government. The resources are then used to pass on to local communities to support infrastructure type projects.

Program: Housing Development

Function

The Olene Walker Housing Loan Fund (OWHLF) provides funding for acquisition, rehabilitation, or new construction of the highest quality housing possible at a reasonable cost to insure that low and moderate income residents of the state have access to affordable, safe, decent and sanitary housing. Loans and other financial assistance are made for multiple family rental properties, single family rehabilitation and home ownership assistance and for special needs housing for the homeless. These and other activities assist in improving the availability and quality of housing for low income persons statewide.

Statutory Authority

Statutory Authority for the Olene Walker Housing Loan Fund (OWHLF) is found in UCA 35A-8-503 to 508. The statute sets up the requirements for distribution of state and federal funds. Funding is utilized for loans, grants, and education as provided in statute.

Funding Detail

Funding for housing development is from the federal government and the General Fund.

Program: Special Housing

Function

The Special Housing program pays for utilities, building renovations, and leased space for the homeless and those with low incomes. It also provides housing for the chronically mentally ill, disabled homeless, and AIDS victims. All resources are federal funds but only one program, Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA), is a formula grant. All other funding, including the Shelter Plus Care Program and Rural Development, are competitive grants.

Funding Detail

Funding for Special Housing comes from federal funds and is passed through to eligible entities.

Program: Homeless Committee

Function

The Pamela Atkinson Homeless Trust Fund was created in 1983. It is administered by the State Community Services Office under the direction of the State Homeless Coordinating Committee (SHCC). Programs include Critical Needs Housing, Emergency Shelter Grants, the Pamela Atkinson Homeless Trust Fund, the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and the Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-housing Program (HPRP), an ARRA funded program. Programs provide statewide funding to social service agencies for homeless services.

The SHCC was established to facilitate a better understanding of the concept of homelessness in the community and to assist in the allocation of homeless funds received from the state and federal governments. Funds are disbursed in a competitive and/or formula-driven process to private and public non-profit providers of homeless services, local housing authorities, and associations of governments to support efforts to create affordable housing, shelter and support services for homeless individuals and families, and victims of domestic violence. In addition, the SHCC is responsible for compiling data and reporting on homeless and poverty trends in Utah, as required by the federal government.

The SHCC provides funds through the Pamela Atkinson Homeless Trust Fund and other programs to public and non-profit entities that provide services to the homeless, low income, and victims of domestic violence across the state. More than 80 agencies provide services that assist these families and individuals to become self-sufficient. Methods used include, but are not limited to, rental assistance, temporary shelter, transitional housing, case management, and mental health services.

The SHCC also coordinates the State's 10-Year Plan to end chronic homelessness. In concert with the Housing First model, the program coordinates permanent supportive housing with comprehensive integrated services such as mental health counseling, substance abuse counseling, social security issues, veteran's issues, etc. The 10-Year Plan was drafted in 2004 and local implementation continues.

Funding Detail

Funding from the Homeless Committee comes from the General Fund, federal funds, donations from the Utah State Individual Income Tax form and other revenues. Most of the funding is passed through to providers in the state to provide services to the homeless.

Program: HEAT

Function

The federal Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which also operates under the state title of Home Energy Assistance Target (HEAT) Program, is a 100 percent federally-funded block grant program used to provide utility assistance to low-income households during the winter months. This program is administered in partnership with local agencies such as the Associations of Government (AOGs) and non-profit agencies.

The Home Energy Assistance Target (HEAT) program provides the following services:

1. home heating assistance during the winter to low-income, elderly, and disabled households;
2. home weatherization to improve energy efficiency and decrease utility costs for low-income, elderly, and disabled households;
3. utility crisis intervention assistance to low-income, elderly and disabled households to prevent utility services from being disconnected;
4. administration and coordination of the utility moratorium program;
5. certification of eligibility for the Home Electric Lifeline Program (HELP) and the Energy Assistance Program (EAP).

Benefit funds that are unused at the end of the heat season (typically, November through March) can be sub-awarded for home weatherization activity (between 15-25 percent of the total original award).

The Utah Telephone Assistance Program (UTAP) provides low-income families (below 150 percent of the federal poverty guidelines and/or families receiving public assistance) with a discount on their monthly telephone bill and/or an installation rebate.

Funding Detail

Funding for the HEAT program is federal funds; funding for UTAP and HELP is provided through dedicated credit revenues.

Program: Weatherization Assistance

Function

The Weatherization Assistance program helps reduce energy consumption and utility bills for low-income households. Priority is given to the elderly, disabled, families with pre-school age children, those with very high heating bills, and other at-risk households. Utah residents who are below 150 percent of the federal poverty guidelines are eligible for a one-time non-cash grant to make energy efficient improvements to their homes. In addition to energy efficiency, the program seeks to increase health and safety through heating system improvements and to increase the overall comfort of the occupants.

The Division administers the program through local government and non-profit agencies. Primary funding is made available through the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Local agencies conduct a computerized energy audit on each home to identify the most cost effective improvements to make. They then implement a wide variety of improvements including: insulation air leakage testing and sealing, comprehensive heating system evaluations and tune-ups, client education, and electrical base load reduction measures. As a result of weatherization, participating households realize an average annual savings in excess of 30 percent. The Utah Weatherization Program has been very successful in leveraging its appropriation of State funding to gain large amounts of federal, private, and utility funding. Utah Power, Questar Gas, and the Utah Public Service Commission are contributing financial partners in funding the Weatherization Program.

The Weatherization Program received a substantial increase in one-time funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), which was spent by the end of FY 2012.

To meet the demand for energy auditors and weatherization contractors, the program has developed a permanent training center in Clearfield, Utah and has expanded its role as a trainer in weatherization activity.

Funding Detail

Most of the funding for Weatherization is allocated from federal funds and dedicated credit revenues, including significant funding from local utilities. The appropriation is passed through to eligible entities.

Program: Community Services

Function

The Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) is a federal formula-based appropriations administered by the State Community Services Office for community action programs (CAPs) across the state. The community action programs provide local leadership and support to combat the causes, as well as the effects, of poverty. Statutory authority for the program is provided in UCA 35-8-1001 to 1009.

There are nine community action programs serving all 29 counties in Utah. Community action programs implement a self-help philosophy through a process of innovative, practical, and timely programs and services that emphasize self-sufficiency while addressing the immediate financial crisis needs of low-income people. Community action programs serve as a catalyst to coordinate efforts, to mobilize resources, and to encourage other organizations to deliver needed services.

Funding Detail

Community Services primarily uses federal funds and some state revenues to provide services to eligible populations.

Program: Emergency Food Network

Function

Funding provided to the Emergency Food Network (EFN) is administered by the State Community Services Office for distribution to emergency food pantries statewide. The funds assist local food banks and other providers with the storage and distribution of emergency and supplemental nutrition to households in poverty. Emergency food pantries utilize a variety of resources. These are mostly state and local funds leveraged with in-kind resources that include food and volunteer support.

Funding Detail

Funding for the program is from the General Fund with resources being passed through to eligible entities.