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IV. AFFORDABLE HOUSING, SPECIAL NEEDS AND HOMELESS INVENTORIESThis section of the Con Plan describes what currently exists in Burlington to help meet the housing needs of lower-income residents, of the homeless and of people with special needs. Inventory of Affordable HousingAround 25% of Burlington’s rental housing, and around 4% of the city’s owner housing, is made affordable – meaning that the occupants do not pay more than 30% of their income for housing – through public subsidies, regulation and/or property deed restrictions. (These affordability mechanisms often overlap.) Affordable housing may be publicly- or privately-owned, or ownership may lie in the nonprofit sector. Assistance may be tied to a specific property or it may be portable, moving with the person. Housing may be perpetually affordable, or it may have a limited period of affordability. It may be available to all lower-income residents, or it may be targeted to a specific group (such as the homeless or those with disabilities).
The chart below summarizes different forms of assistance that support affordable housing in Burlington. These various forms of assistance are explained below. It is not unusual for them to overlap. For example, households receiving Section 8 vouchers occupy some, if not most, of the rental units assisted through the Low Income Housing Tax Credit and the city’s inclusionary zoning ordinance. The chart identifies the number of units which a limited period of affordability that expires in the next five years. Units which are privately-owned and have Section 8 project-based or substantial rehab contracts are either at high risk of loss or will definitely be lost as affordable units. Units which are owned by nonprofits – or by Low Income Housing Tax Credit partnerships, and that will presumably be sold to nonprofits – are assumed to be at low risk of loss.
*Includes 93 vouchers from the Winooski Housing Authority and 177 vouchers from the Vermont State Housing Authority used in the City of Burlington. Public housing is publicly-owned, and is specifically available to identified groups of residents such as seniors, persons with disabilities, and families. Section 8 tenant-based vouchers and certificates pay a private landlord the difference between the amount that a low-income tenant household can afford to pay (i.e., no more than 30% of their income) and the Fair Market Rent for the unit as determined by HUD. The tenants keep the assistance as long as they are income-eligible and meet other HUD requirements. Generally, the Section 8 subsidy isn’t tied to any specific apartment; it moves with the tenant. Up to 20 percent of a housing authority’s Section 8 vouchers and certificates can, however, be tied to specific properties, for a specific term. The Burlington Housing Authority (BHA) intends to project base up to the 20% cap of its Section 8 vouchers in order to support the construction of new housing opportunities in the community and to provide Section 8 program participants with a broader range of housing opportunities. The City encourages BHA to fully utilize its ability to project-based Section 8 vouchers in support of new affordable housing development. Some property-specific assistance is dedicated to certain groups of residents with special needs. The Section 202 Elderly Housing and Section 811 Housing for Persons With Disabilities are housing construction programs that provide a capital advance to assist with the cost of developing a housing project and a renewable 5-year Project Rental Assistance Contract to assist with the project’s operating costs. Funds are made available through a national competition and only non-profits are eligible to apply. The New Construction and Substantial Rehabilitation Programs provide rental assistance for up to 20 years in connection with the development of newly constructed or substantially rehabilitated privately-owned rental housing. The Section 8 Mod Rehab SRO program helps homeless individuals find affordable Single Room Occupancy (SRO) housing. Landlords who complete moderate rehabilitation of their properties and then rent them to homeless individuals receive payments which cover the difference between a portion of the tenant’s income (normally 30 percent), and the unit’s “eligible rent.” Rental assistance contracts for the SROs are provided for ten years, with the option to renew the contract through the Section 8 program. The Shelter Plus Care Program provides rental assistance for hard-to-serve homeless persons with disabilities in connection with supportive services funded from sources outside the program. The Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program makes tax credits available to owners of rental housing who make that housing available to low-income residents. The federal LIHTC program provides an annual allocation of tax credit authority to each state, which then makes these credits available to support affordable housing projects in accordance with each state’s Qualified Allocation Plan (pdf). In Vermont, the LIHTC is administered by the Vermont Housing Finance Agency. Vermont has a matching state Low Income Housing Tax Credit. The Housing Development Grant Program (HoDAG), a HUD program in the 1980’s, no longer exists. As the HoDAG loan period expires at city housing projects, the city will reinvest these funds to keep those housing units affordable. The city’s inclusionary zoning ordinance applies to all new market-rate developments of five or more homes and to any converted non-residential structures that result in at least ten homes. The affordable housing set aside is 15 to 25% of the units, depending on the average price of the market-rate homes – with the higher percentage placed on the most expensive developments. The ordinance does not allow fee in-lieu payments or land donations, but will allow developers to provide the affordable housing off-site at 125% of the on-site obligation. The ordinance provides a range of incentives including fee waivers and a 15 to 25% density and lot coverage bonus. Affordable homes are targeted to homebuyer households earning 75% or less area median income and rental households earning 65% or less of median. Affordable homes are price controlled for 99 years. Section 8 vouchers can also be used to move tenants into homeownership. The Burlington Housing Authority was one of the first in the nation to adopt the Section 8 homeownership program. BHA’s Section 8 Mortgage Assistance Program has been in operation since 1999 with over 80 households successfully transitioning from renting to homeownership. The Burlington Community Land Trust started up in 1984 with municipal assistance through the city’s general fund and through a line of credit from the city municipal retirement fund. (In October 2006, the Land Trust merged into the Champlain Housing Trust.) Today, it is the largest community land trust (CLT) in the country, both in terms of membership and in terms of number of community land trust units. When CLT homeowners sell their homes, the Land Trust generally rebuys it, with the homeowner and the Land Trust sharing the appreciation so as to keep the home affordable to the next buyer. A study of CLT resales (pdf) between 1988 and 2002 showed that the CLT model does contribute to wealth-building (the average period of occupancy for a CLT owner was just over 5 years and upon resale, the average annualized rate of return to the homeowner on appreciated value was 17%); housing mobility (74% of CLT owners moved into market rate homeownership); and preservation of affordability (on resale, homes were affordable to buyers at 57% of median family income). Habitat for Humanity builds and rehabilitates houses with the help of the homeowner (partner) families, volunteer labor and donations of money and materials. Habitat houses are sold to partner families at no profit and financed with affordable loans. The homeowners’ monthly mortgage payments are used to build still more Habitat houses. The Vermont Housing Finance Agency (VHFA) makes low-rate mortgages available to income-eligible borrowers through participating lenders located throughout the state. VHFA offers a variety of programs, including fixed-rate products, down payment assistance and limited refinancing. VHFA mortgages often overlap with other forms of affordable homeownership.
Inventory of Homeless and Special Needs Housing, Facilities and Services The facilities and housing available to the homeless and to those with special needs are listed in the chart on the following pages. Some of the inventory was described in the previous section on assisted housing, but appears again here. Permanent supportive housing is community-based housing that has associated services which enable special needs populations to live as independently as possible in a permanent setting. The supportive services may be provided by the organization managing the housing or by other public or private service agencies. The chart also includes affordable permanent housing alternatives specifically for elders and people with disabilities. This is different from “permanent supportive housing” in that associated services may be, but are not necessarily, available to residents. Discharge for residents leaving the hospital with ongoing medical needs is sometimes delayed because of a lack of appropriate housing situations. Last year at Fletcher Allen – the largest hospital in Vermont and the only provider serving Burlington – 163 patients experienced a delay in release because of a lack of appropriate housing. The Continuum of Care is currently working with the state to develop a medical respite program to help alleviate this problem. Discharge planning for residents leaving the Vermont State Hospital (the state’s mental health institute) is a partnership between local communities and the State Hospital. Under a protocol developed by the State Hospital and the Vermont Department of Mental Health, the State Hospital and other designated hospitals serving this population have the primary responsibility for developing a comprehensive discharge plan for exiting patients, including a housing plan. Designated community mental health agencies and institutions have the responsibility of communicating and following through on the plans to ensure that the consumer is offered all the services and supports necessary to live as independently and self-sufficiently as possible in the community. The goal of the discharge-planning process is to provide individuals the opportunity for full access to available mainstream resources that will support their continued mental health in their community. Delays in discharge do occur because of limited beds at appropriate community facilities. Inventory of Homeless and Special Needs Housing and Facilities
Homeless ServicesThe following chart, taken from the 2007 Continuum of Care application, provides an overview of homeless services in the city. There is a narrative description of homeless services in Chapter 3, Section I.
Non-Homeless Supportive ServicesThe state Departments of Health and of Disabilities, Aging and Independent Living oversee and fund supportive services for special needs populations throughout Vermont, including Burlington. The state contracts with private, nonprofit community-based agencies to provide publicly-funded services for people with mental health and substance abuse disorders and with developmental disabilities. In Burlington, those nonprofit agencies are the Howard Center (mental health, substance abuse and developmental disabilities), Champlain Community Services, Inc. (developmental disabilities), Transition II, Inc. (developmental disabilities) and North American Family Institute (adolescent substance abuse). As the chart above shows, the Howard Center is a primary manager of special needs housing for adults with mental illness and co-occurring disorders and for residents with developmental delays. Vermont CARES is the AIDS Service Organization serving Burlington residents. Publicly-funded supports for those with developmental disabilities and for those with mental illness include service coordination/case management, home supports, employment services, community supports, family and respite supports, clinical interventions and crisis services. There is a continuum of services around substance abuse which include education, prevention, intervention, treatment and recovery. The Vermont Department of Disabilities, Aging and Independent Living implemented a new long-term care system for elders and adults with physical disabilities in October 2005 through the Choices for Care 1115 Medicaid Waiver. Through this program, residents now have an entitlement to home- and community-based services. Choices for Care is now serving over 300 new participants in home- and community-based care and 200 fewer Medicaid nursing home residents. People who might otherwise have been served in a nursing facility are now choosing to receive their care at home, which theoretically allows the state to serve more individuals for the same amount of money because home- and community-based care generally costs less than institutional care. More information is available from Shaping the Future of Long-Term Care and Independent Living (pdf), a report published annually by the Vermont Department of Disabilities, Aging, & Independent Living. Supports available to those with long-term care needs include (in addition to nursing facilities) residential care, enhanced residential care, assisted living, personal care, respite/companion services, case management, attendant services, adult day care, homemaker services, home-delivered meals, and mental health and aging services. Cathedral Square Corporation (a nonprofit organization) and the Burlington Housing Authority (BHA) are the principal developers and managers of special needs housing, with other housing providers identified in the chart above. Both Cathedral Square and BHA also provide supportive services for the elderly. For public housing residents, BHA employs a Resident Services Coordinator and a part time Activities Coordinator for the three public housing high rises (Decker Towers, South Square and Champlain Apartments) in the city, and supports part-time nursing staff to assist residents with their health care needs. The Champlain Valley Agency on Aging, the Visiting Nurse Association of Chittenden and Grand Isle Counties, and HomeShare Vermont also play major roles in delivering services to senior residents. Many of the city’s refugee and immigrant populations brought with them a culture of care and respect for elders. A number of these new residents are contributing significantly to the elder care workforce. Homesharing plays a key role in allowing residents to continue to live at home, reducing both costs and isolation for the homeowner while providing housing opportunities for the homesharer. The city’s senior centers also play a key role in helping the city’s elders to continue to live independently. The centers are the source of community-based services for older adults, including access to nutritious meals; health promotion and disease prevention programs; services that promote successful aging and independent living; opportunities for socialization; and information and referrals about community resources. Both of the city’s senior centers faced crises this past year, precipitated in large part by lack of sustainable funding sources. Municipal funding will have to play a larger role in ensuring the continued existence of the centers, unless and until other sustainable public funding becomes available. Special Services Transportation Agency (SSTA) provides demand-responsive public transportation services for residents with special mobility needs as well as coordinated transportation service to many area human service agencies including the Visiting Nurse Association’s Adult Day Programs, Champlain Senior Center, Howard Community Health Services, Champlain Vocational Services, and Champlain Valley Agency on Aging. SSTA is funded through a combination of fares, state subsidies, and contracts with the Chittenden County Transportation Authority and other human service agencies. Home ModificationsThe city has long operated an access modification grant program, funded with CDBG. However, the combination of declining CDBG funds and rising costs has substantially affected the city’s ability to provide help to its residents. The average cost of an access modification project from 1994 to 2002 was $3,719. From 2003 to 2007, the average cost rose to $8,713 – an increase of 103%. Residents with more extensive needs can face costs of up to $35,000. The city can now do access modifications projects only in conjunction with funding from the Vermont Center for Independent Living (VCIL), which operates a statewide accessibility modification program, or when property triggers housing quality standards compliance, when the modifications may be part of a larger HOME-funded project. Fletcher Allen Health Care operates a small home modification program for Chittenden County residents who are Medicaid eligible, with a maximum grant amount of $700 per person. Opportunities Credit Union offers loans for access modifications and assistance equipment. 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