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FY 2020 Year 37 CAPER CAPER 1 OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 09/30/2021) CR-05 - Goals and Outcomes Progress the jurisdiction has made in carrying out its strategic plan and its action plan. 91.520(a) This could be an overview that includes major initiatives and highlights that were proposed and executed throughout the program year. The City of Northampton's CDBG Program carried out its 37th year of operation from July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021. The City is pleased to submit this Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER). Through several sub-recipient grantee activities, Northampton residents with low- and moderate-incomes benefited from services that contributed to their health and wellbeing. The Valley Community Development Corporation (CDC) and Way Finders had their newly renovated Sergeant House open in July 2020 and was fully leased by Aug. 2020. This project was from the previous program year, but his being reported on this year. The Community Builders are also 35% complete on their 53-unit, Passive House certified affordable housing development known as North Commons. It is expected to be complete by the end of 2021. Two houses from the Housing Rehabilitation program were completed and those projects are closed, one house has begun its rehabilitation, and the remaining money for that program is expected to be expended during this program year. The Burts Pit Road Demolition did not move forward during the program year, due to the timing of the transfer of ownership, but it will move forward this upcoming program year, using additional funding from CDBG. The Rental & Utility Assistance Program administered by Community Action Pioneer Valley assisted 29 residents in 10 households, which was lower than our goals. This was due in part because of the amount of other money available elsewhere and the delays in how renters perceive their need because of federal and state eviction moratoriums. Valley CDC helped Northampton households purchase homes in Northampton’s very difficult market, two of which used down payment assistance and four without it. The City completed 16 curb cuts throughout the downtown area in continuation of its efforts to make the downtown more accessible. The Northampton Community Arts Trust was funded to create an accessible entrance and parking area for their multi-use arts facility and has completed its construction work. The project Northampton Housing Authority (NHA) Cahill Ramps and Accessibility project was put on hold due to the prohibition of inside work during the pandemic, but it is expected to proceed this program year, having secured a contractor through a bidding process. The two emergency shelters: Grove Street Inn and the Interfaith Winter Shelter. had their funding increased due to the pandemic. MANNA community kitchen and the Northampton Survival Center, both of which have seen a dramatic increase in the people CAPER 2 OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 09/30/2021) needing their services. Between the increased funding for MANNA and the Northampton Survival Center, and the funding dispersed to the shelters, the City did go over its 15% public services cap, which is allowed under the CARES Act. The City also gave out six micro-enterprise grants for businesses looking to retain/create jobs by pivoting their business during the pandemic. Comparison of the proposed versus actual outcomes for each outcome measure submitted with the consolidated plan and explain, if applicable, why progress was not made toward meeting goals and objectives. 91.520(g) Categories, priority levels, funding sources and amounts, outcomes/objectives, goal outcome indicators, units of measure, targets, actual outcomes/outputs, and percentage completed for each of the grantee’s program year goals. Goal Category Source / Amount Indicator Unit of Measure Expected – Strategic Plan Actual – Strategic Plan Percent Complete Expected – Program Year Actual – Program Year Percent Complete Economic Development & Income Maximization Non-Housing Community Development CDBG: $ Facade treatment/business building rehabilitation Business 0 0 0 0 Economic Development & Income Maximization Non-Housing Community Development CDBG: $ Jobs created/retained Jobs 50 31 62.00% 35 31 88.57% Economic Development & Income Maximization Non-Housing Community Development CDBG: $ Businesses assisted Businesses Assisted 50 34 68.00% 45 36 80.00% Improve Public Facilities & Infrastructure Non-Homeless Special Needs Public Facilities and Infrastructure CDBG: $ Public Facility or Infrastructure Activities other than Low/Moderate Income Housing Benefit Persons Assisted 6450 6528 101.21% 3000 6528 217.60% CAPER 3 OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 09/30/2021) Improve Public Facilities & Infrastructure Non-Homeless Special Needs Public Facilities and Infrastructure CDBG: $ Public Facility or Infrastructure Activities for Low/Moderate Income Housing Benefit Households Assisted 48 0 0.00% Preserve Affordable Housing, Tenancy Help & Rehab Affordable Housing Non-Homeless Special Needs CDBG: $ Rental units constructed Household Housing Unit 25 0 0.00% Preserve Affordable Housing, Tenancy Help & Rehab Affordable Housing Non-Homeless Special Needs CDBG: $ Rental units rehabilitated Household Housing Unit 35 31 88.57% 18 31 172.22% Preserve Affordable Housing, Tenancy Help & Rehab Affordable Housing Non-Homeless Special Needs CDBG: $ Homeowner Housing Added Household Housing Unit 12 0 0.00% Preserve Affordable Housing, Tenancy Help & Rehab Affordable Housing Non-Homeless Special Needs CDBG: $ Homeowner Housing Rehabilitated Household Housing Unit 15 2 13.33% Preserve Affordable Housing, Tenancy Help & Rehab Affordable Housing Non-Homeless Special Needs CDBG: $ Direct Financial Assistance to Homebuyers Households Assisted 15 2 13.33% 3 2 66.67% CAPER 4 OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 09/30/2021) Preserve Affordable Housing, Tenancy Help & Rehab Affordable Housing Non-Homeless Special Needs CDBG: $ Buildings Demolished Buildings 1 0 0.00% 1 0 0.00% Public Services Affordable Housing Homeless Non-Homeless Special Needs Non-Housing Community Development CDBG: $ Public service activities other than Low/Moderate Income Housing Benefit Persons Assisted 1900 3925 206.58% 596 2549 427.68% Public Services Affordable Housing Homeless Non-Homeless Special Needs Non-Housing Community Development CDBG: $ Public service activities for Low/Moderate Income Housing Benefit Households Assisted 75 14 18.67% 32 14 43.75% Public Services Affordable Housing Homeless Non-Homeless Special Needs Non-Housing Community Development CDBG: $ Homeless Person Overnight Shelter Persons Assisted 1000 180 18.00% 310 180 58.06% CAPER 5 OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 09/30/2021) Public Services Affordable Housing Homeless Non-Homeless Special Needs Non-Housing Community Development CDBG: $ Overnight/Emergency Shelter/Transitional Housing Beds added Beds 25 25 100.00% 10 25 250.00% Public Services Affordable Housing Homeless Non-Homeless Special Needs Non-Housing Community Development CDBG: $ Homelessness Prevention Persons Assisted 500 44 8.80% 20 44 220.00% Public Services Affordable Housing Homeless Non-Homeless Special Needs Non-Housing Community Development CDBG: $ Jobs created/retained Jobs 150 18 12.00% 20 18 90.00% Table 1 - Accomplishments – Program Year & Strategic Plan to Date Assess how the jurisdiction’s use of funds, particularly CDBG, addresses the priorities and specific objectives identified in the plan, CAPER 6 OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 09/30/2021) giving special attention to the highest priority activities identified. The City's goal for Economic Development/Income Maximization on Job Creation/Retention and Businesses Assisted reached 88% and 80% towards each goal respectively. This could have been due, at least in part, to the slower than expected request for small business grant funding. The Improvement of Public Facilities & Infrastructure reached 217% of its goal due to the breadth of curb cuts throughout the City, the increased number of people using public infrastructure outside during the pandemic, and that some of these accomplishments are being reported on from the previous ConPlan, including the Arts Trust accessibility project. Many of those affected the greatest from the pandemic, can benefit the most from the investment in public infrastructure. The rental units rehabilitated goal reached 172% of its goal, which again is because this project is reporting on the previous ConPlan. Direct financial assistance to first-time homebuyers reached 66% of its goal due to a surge in housing prices in Northampton that priced out many first-time homebuyers. The building to be demolished did not transfer to the City's ownership until later than expected to complete the work. The City exceeded many of its public services goals, but did not make others. The homeless person overnight shelter may have been due to an over count in the number of people that needed that service towards the beginning of the pandemic. State and federal eviction moratoriums and available rental/utility programs have kept many people in their homes. The public service activities for low- and moderate-income housing benefit reached 43% of its goal. The public service activities other than Low/Moderate Income Housing Benefit exceeeded its goals at 427%. The number of jobs Created/Retained reached 88% of its goal, which could be due to small size of the City’s loans compared to others that were available. Building affordable homes takes a long time and there is a backlog of parcels that the city has provided that are able to be developed by our partners such as Habitat for Humanity. The City met 220% towards it’s Homeless Prevention indicator. The renovation of Sergeant House, finished this program year and added 15 SRO units. The project brought an elevator for access for people with disabilities and making for a much more desirable living space. CAPER 7 OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 09/30/2021) CR-10 - Racial and Ethnic composition of families assisted Describe the families assisted (including the racial and ethnic status of families assisted). 91.520(a) CDBG White 8,741 Black or African American 812 Asian 265 American Indian or American Native 75 Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 1 Total 9,894 Hispanic 1,403 Not Hispanic 8,491 Table 2 – Table of assistance to racial and ethnic populations by source of funds Narrative The largest ethnic minority in the City is Hispanic/Latino, followed by Black/African American, so the number of families assisted tracks with those families that were actually served by CDBG funded activities. The above table does not include the following multi-racial categories: American Indian or Alaskan Native/White; Asian/White; Black African-American/White; American Indian/Alaskan Native/ Black African-American; Asian/Pacific Islander; and other multi-racial categories. The number of people served increased 3.1 times from the previous program year, but those numbers did not increase equally across racial groups. White increased 3.3 times, Asian 5.1 times, while Black/African American share of those helped only increased by 1.7 times. Additionally, non-Hispanic/Latino increased by 3.5 times, while Hispanic/Latino only increased by 1.6 times. CAPER 8 OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 09/30/2021) CR-15 - Resources and Investments 91.520(a) Identify the resources made available Source of Funds Source Resources Made Available Amount Expended During Program Year CDBG public - federal 791,034 Table 3 - Resources Made Available Narrative The "other" category is composed of several other sources. Community Preservation Act (CPA) funding for the program year was $811,425. Of that, $220,000 was awarded to housing projects around the City. From the previous ConPlan, the City used $250,000 in CPA money to help build the North Commons, which will have 39 affordable units when it is complete. That $250,000 is not included in the total for the "other" category. The City has expended $1 million of its $1.2 Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) Improvement Program grant for the regional expansion of ValleyBike in Northampton and the region to provide equitable transportation access, with a priority on serving low- and moderate-income populations. The CDBG funds for affordable housing has helped leverage the transfer of two parcels at the old state hospital (Laurel Street and Burts Pit Road) in early 2021 for affordable housing. A $250,000 housing choice grant, which has allowed the City to add a new parcel (Chapel Street) to City’s surplus city sites for affordable housing. In addition, the Housing Choice Grant helped leverage $100,000 in a Community Preservation Affordable Housing grant, which has allowed the City to add an additional two sites (Leeds and Oak Street) to the surplus city sites inventory for affordable housing programs. The City has worked with the Pioneer Valley Habitat for Humanity for many years to develop housing for low- income homebuyers. There are four housing programs that support chronically homeless people in Northampton ("A Positive Place" through Cooley Dickinson Hospital, "Three County PSH" through CHD, "Paradise Ponds" through Wayfinders, and "Shelter Plus Care" through Service Net) and between them there are 17 beds. The funding breakdown for Northampton Beds is $201,939 based on the total of these project's budgets and the cost per unit. Additionally, the CoC has funding for Coordinated Entry, Planning, and the data collection and reporting. It’s more difficult to determine a town allocation of these funds because of the number of towns in our geographic location. However, the total of the internal CoC administration funding is $244,303. The CoC breakdown of what is allocated to Northampton is difficult to parse, because they run the CoC for Hampshire, Franklin, and Berkshire Counties. Their programs include the HMIS lead project, coordinated entry funding, planning funds and housing and supportive-services projects. CAPER 9 OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 09/30/2021) Identify the geographic distribution and location of investments Target Area Planned Percentage of Allocation Actual Percentage of Allocation Narrative Description Table 4 – Identify the geographic distribution and location of investments Narrative The City has not designated any HUD defined target areas. All public service activities, as well as the Housing Rehab program, First Time Homebuyer program and Micro-Business assistance programs are available to all income eligible Northampton residents across the City. As mentioned in the 2020 CAPER, small business grants may be skewed towards the City center as COVID-19 seems to be hurting them more than other commercial corridors that have more space to enable COVID-19 safety protocols. The City has no plans to prioritize one group over the other. CAPER 10 OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 09/30/2021) Leveraging Explain how federal funds leveraged additional resources (private, state and local funds), including a description of how matching requirements were satisfied, as well as how any publicly owned land or property located within the jurisdiction that were used to address the needs identified in the plan. CDBG allocations for public service agencies are very small amounts compared to their overall budgets. The awards range from $3,000 - $13,000, which has been a consistent theme. The City’s support with CDBG funds is to leverage other funding awards such as Community Preservation Act funding and other grants from the state and private organizations. The City leveraged $63,000 from the Massachusetts Office on Disability grant that the City received, to make the Council Chambers, Senior Center, and Hearing Room more accessible to people with hearing disabilities and challenges, who trend older and of low-to-moderate income. A few of the most important public services during the pandemic that the City leveraged where the MANNA soup kitchen, Northampton Survival Center, and the two homeless shelters. The North Commons (53 units) at Village Hill leveraged $150,000 in federal CDBG funds, along with $250,000 in local CPA funds. The renovation and expansion of Sergeant House by Valley CDC (82 Bridge Street) was a $7 million project where a $150,000 in CDBG commitments leveraged over $6 million, comprised of Low Income Housing Tax Credit equity, MA Affordable Housing Trust fund, MA Housing Innovations Fund, MA HIF 1 and HIF 111 Subordinate debt programs, Consolidated Facilities Fund for the Department of Mental Health units, Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston, Community Preservation Committee and a Kuehn Grant funding. This project closed up early in the program year. Other housing projects in the City, will use a combination of Community Preservation Act, MassWorks (state), Housing Choice Grant (state), and fees from short-term rentals (local) to acquire, install infrastructure (e.g., water, stormwater, sewer, electrical), cover soft costs (e.g., engineering, surveys), and prepare the land ahead of disposition to an affordable housing developer. The City does not build housing. CAPER 11 OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 09/30/2021) CR-20 - Affordable Housing 91.520(b) Evaluation of the jurisdiction's progress in providing affordable housing, including the number and types of families served, the number of extremely low-income, low-income, moderate-income, and middle-income persons served. One-Year Goal Actual Number of Homeless households to be provided affordable housing units 337 180 Number of Non-Homeless households to be provided affordable housing units 410 3,984 Number of Special-Needs households to be provided affordable housing units 20 20 Total 767 4,184 Table 5 – Number of Households One-Year Goal Actual Number of households supported through Rental Assistance 110 78 Number of households supported through The Production of New Units 0 15 Number of households supported through Rehab of Existing Units 18 2 Number of households supported through Acquisition of Existing Units 0 0 Total 128 95 Table 6 – Number of Households Supported Discuss the difference between goals and outcomes and problems encountered in meeting these goals. During the pandemic, there has been an increase in the safety-net programs such as the food pantry and soup kitchen. The number of people experiencing homelessness includes people served at the year- round Grove Street Inn and the Inter-Faith Winter Shelter but does not include the unsheltered population or those served by Safe Passage. Some of those clients are not considered homeless. There is no data available for the 17 emergency shelter beds operated by Soldier On at the Veterans Administration campus. The number of non-homeless households being supported is the tally of the CAPER 12 OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 09/30/2021) total number served by CDBG subrecipient public services programs, minus the two shelter programs, but is not a total of all those served in the community by other programs. The number of households with special needs is an estimate, as the State does not release information on residential programming through either the Department of Development Services or the Department of Mental Health (DMH). The number of households being supported with rental assistance is the total number of Housing Choice Vouchers, Mass Rental Vouchers, and Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) vouchers administered by the Northampton Housing Authority. The total number of VASH vouchers issued was 58 and 54 leased up, there were seven Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers issued and seven leased up, and there were three mainstream vouchers issued and none have leased up. For the vouchers that did not lease up, it is a combination of being unable to find a suitable unit in time and the housing authority being unable to contact the vouchers holders. The rehab of existing units is the South Street Apartment building project, which was unable to move forward due to prohibition from DHCD to do indoor work during the pandemic. The number of units acquired is zero because the land that the City plans to develop has not been built on yet. The residents at Sergeant House should all be clients of the Department of Mental Health (DMH), so the number of special needs households has increased by 15. However, these cannot be verified by DMH. The Sergeant House expansion and renovation is being reported on this year due to its completion, but it was a previous Con Plan project, therefore we are now reporting on 15 new units. The Housing Rehabilitation program completed two housing rehab projects, which is lower than the City's goal. This was due in part because of people taking precautions during the pandemic and the increased cost of building materials. The Burts Pit Road demolition project was planned to demolish the house there, but the transfer of ownership to City did not occur until later than expected. The Community Action Rental & Utility Assistance program did not meet its goals due in part because of the eviction moratoriums and the vast amount of financial resources available to people in need. The delay in meeting these "worst case needs" in housing for these people with disabilities was a serious health risk, as they were housing insecure, severely rent burdened, or homeless during the first and second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Way Finders Residential Service Coordinator reported 268 residents served out of a goal of 241 residents, which is being reported from another ConPlan. Discuss how these outcomes will impact future annual action plans. The pandemic has shown how easily some work can be delayed and that outcomes need to be tampered (e.g. housing projects) or that needs are multiplied (e.g. food pantry), so that the original goal numbers for the program year not accurate. The City may consider creating an amendment to the Action Plan if needs change dramatically to better serve those in need, provided all the requirements are met. The City will also consider dropping its outcomes in the CR-20 regarding Soldier On and DMH housing because the counts cannot be accurately determined. There are many reports, data sets, and events that the City will pull together to create future action plans for CDBG funds. The first, is the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that has clearly demonstrated the needed for increased shelter capacity, including non-congregate shelters like hotels, and new protocols CAPER 13 OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 09/30/2021) and staffing levels. This increases the City’s awareness for Housing First housing units and Safe Haven residences for those who are homeless or experiencing mental illness. Similarly, there is also a need for more low- and moderate-income housing and creating housing stabilization programs. COVID-19 has also exposed how precarious some small businesses are when economic downturns happen. The City has implemented a small business grant program due to the pandemic and will continue to evaluate the business climate as things progress Other needs have been articulated in recent planning documents that have been adopted: the Impediments to Fair Housing (2019), the Mayor’s Working Group on Panhandling (2019), and the ADA Self Evaluation and Transition Plan (2020). These documents have informed the current Consolidated Plan and subsequent Action Plans. Eligible projects that are supported from these documents could include: public services to help renter or homeowners, creating affordable housing, shelters, and the removal of architectural barriers in houses, public infrastructure, or public buildings. The building for the resiliency hub is in the process of being acquired, so funding the staff or other programmatic costs may happen with CDBG funds. Include the number of extremely low-income, low-income, and moderate-income persons served by each activity where information on income by family size is required to determine the eligibility of the activity. Number of Households Served CDBG Actual HOME Actual Extremely Low-income 1 0 Low-income 3 0 Moderate-income 7 0 Total 11 0 Table 7 – Number of Households Served Narrative Information In total 11 households benefited from CDBG project funding this past year. CAPER 14 OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 09/30/2021) CR-25 - Homeless and Other Special Needs 91.220(d, e); 91.320(d, e); 91.520(c) Evaluate the jurisdiction’s progress in meeting its specific objectives for reducing and ending homelessness through: Reaching out to homeless persons (especially unsheltered persons) and assessing their individual needs The City continued to work closely with Eliot Community Homeless Services. Their Outreach Coordinator and Street Outreach Clinician attended monthly meetings of the Next Step Collaborative and regularly reported on the needs and numbers of people living outside. The City also works with the outreach worker from MANNA soup kitchen to engage with homeless persons. The City used its homeless encampment notification protocol for addressing encampments, either through cleanup measures or warning people camped in flood zones. The City’s plan to create a community resiliency hub in downtown that houses several public services, is a perfect fit for assessing and serving the needs of the unhoused. It will be close to public transportation, shelters, and will be co-located with other services. This ‘living room’ model may prove exceptionally beneficial to homeless persons. These have both become essential as the COVID-19 pandemic forced more people onto the streets. The encampment protocol was to identify, notify, assess, and take the appropriate action (services, post notice, etc.). The Health Dept., Eliot, ServiceNet, Tapestry Health, and other partners can join the outreach effort as the inhabitants' needs are identified. People are directed towards services where possible. They were also given ample warning if they needed to relocate for safety reasons (e.g., camping in a flood plain) to avoid loss of personal items. The number of people living outside has increased dramatically in the last program year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Several unhoused people have moved in from other communities and almost certainly there has been an increase in unhoused people locally or people who pre-pandemic were able to couch surf and are now without a roof. Successful models operating in other parts of the country are when outreach workers can immediately house homeless people into houses. This is made difficult during the pandemic, from the increased need and from shelters being at less than full capacity. Street outreach is hugely successful when units are immediately available. The City will continue to advocate regionally to create a robust homeless shelter network, share best practices, and build suitable housing arrangements for those who are homeless. Throughout the pandemic, the Mayor has advocated for dynamic housing options at the state level. In Northampton, ServiceNet’s Hampshire County Resource Center continued to provide case management services, laundry, shower facilities, emergency food and shelter services - despite the COVID-19 pandemic Addressing the emergency shelter and transitional housing needs of homeless persons Relevant service providers throughout the City met weekly to discuss Coordinated Entry and periodically identify the most vulnerable of their clients and worked hard to find housing placements for them. The CAPER 15 OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 09/30/2021) Community Development Planner has sat in on some of these meetings to understand where the City’s role was in the process. The City continued to support both shelters for individuals with CDBG funding and other public services that help those that are homeless. The Community Development Planner facilitated the Next Step Collaborative, a monthly gathering of housing and shelter service providers and regularly attends the Western Mass. Network to End Homelessness monthly meetings. At these meetings, local leaders and service providers discussed policies that needed supporting and how to best utilize new sizable federal money available. The Three County CoC is composed of Berkshire, Franklin, and Hampshire Counties and is primarily rural in nature. The Three County CoC administers the Coordinated Entry system. However, there is often not enough housing to get people into a unit. The City will continue to investigate creating housing first units, continue it’s funding for SRO support and shelter, fund the building of more affordable rental units, and maintain a healthy housing stock through housing rehab. The need has been exacerbated by the flight to more rural areas like Northampton during the pandemic. The Annex in Easthampton, which had provided six overflow beds to Northampton, did not operate this year for the second year in a row due to COVID-19 and staffing levels. This affected the regional shelter efforts. It is truly a regional collaboration with people from ServiceNet, Friends of Hampshire Homeless, Our Lady of the Valley parish, and Soldier On when it is operational. Many shelter providers must apply for multiple funding applications, soliciting private donations, and securing volunteer support in order to provide their services. This creates extra overhead for the staff that is not directly helping their clients. Tapestry Health Systems, Eliot Homeless Services, ServiceNet, Inc., the Northampton Police Department, Forbes Library, Friends of Hampshire County Homeless, and MANNA have all worked together for several years to identify, engage, and serve those people most at risk in Northampton. The City has voted to create a ‘community care’ department that would take away some of the current emergency calls to the police department and respond in a trauma informed way. MANNA, who is CDBG funded, has expanded their scope this year by giving out many more meals, providing showers for unhoused people, and lockers in a downtown location. Helping low-income individuals and families avoid becoming homeless, especially extremely low-income individuals and families and those who are: likely to become homeless after being discharged from publicly funded institutions and systems of care (such as health care facilities, mental health facilities, foster care and other youth facilities, and corrections programs and institutions); and, receiving assistance from public or private agencies that address housing, health, social services, employment, education, or youth needs Social workers from the local hospital attend Next Step Collaborative meetings to network with housing and shelter providers to avoid discharging patients into homelessness. The Department of Mental Health (DMH) increased their capacity to house clients with the expansion of Sergeant Housing SRO. Soldier On continued to pick up and transport veterans being discharged from the Hampshire County House of Corrections who chose to go and did not have other housing options. Access to an affordable CAPER 16 OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 09/30/2021) housing opportunity in Northampton is life changing for those that do get the chance. Safe, decent, and affordable housing is an intervention in and of itself. Individuals who are stably housed have better outcomes over time, i.e. reduction in inpatient hospitalizations, reduction in the use of crisis services, and forensics engagements as compared to those experiencing housing instability. Secondly, the affordable housing providers are more sensitive to the needs and challenges of DMH’s housing participants which are not often found in the general landlord community. These housing providers are willing to work with Service Providers around the shared goal of maintaining the housing while at the same time holding people accountable for their behavior and expecting them to abide by the normal tenancy requirements. Since the vast majority of DMH clients cannot afford to own and maintain a car, the proximity to transit, services, shopping and recreation are important for them so it is a real bonus having these housing units located right in the heart of the downtown corridor. One of the challenges with some DMH clients in Northampton is the use of the Small Area FMR, which ties vouchers to the Springfield Metropolitan area, which has a lower average rent than Northampton. This means a voucher that cannot quite lease up in Northampton. This causes people to move out of the City and farther from their support services. The Northampton Police Department started work on intervention strategies and identifying clients at risk on the streets. The Hampshire County Resource Center did shut down of the last program year due to the pandemic and only opened back up in July 2021. It normally provides office space for the Benefits Analyst, a medical exam room for Health Care for the Homeless doctors and nurses, and case management staff to link people with housing and services. Helping homeless persons (especially chronically homeless individuals and families, families with children, veterans and their families, and unaccompanied youth) make the transition to permanent housing and independent living, including shortening the period of time that individuals and families experience homelessness, facilitating access for homeless individuals and families to affordable housing units, and preventing individuals and families who were recently homeless from becoming homeless again The Hampshire County Resource Center, located downtown shut down due to the pandemic, so access to case management was severely limited this program year. Two street outreach teams in the City, the Northampton Police Department, and other providers regularly refer people to assistance at the various locations and time in the City that services are provided. The search for a resiliency hub location has begun in earnest, but no site has been secured at this point. In lieu of the Resource Center, many people have been going to MANNA for showers, laundry, and food. Healthcare is not provided at MANNA. Providing these resources can dramatically improve the quality of life for people who are homeless. The Center for Human Development (CHD) operates Jessie's House in Amherst, where six families at a time are served, which is the only family emergency shelter in Hampshire County. Soldier On has case management and a service delivery system to serve men and women Veterans. They operate emergency shelter beds, transitional housing, permanent supported housing, and homeownership opportunities. They are located at the Northampton VA Medical Campus, where residents can access mental health and general healthcare. Dial/Self serves unaccompanied homeless youth in the CAPER 17 OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 09/30/2021) Franklin/Hampshire county region. These are the first units for youth in Hampshire County. It addresses a high priority need, as assistance for this age group (18-24) is imperative to reduce adult homelessness episodes. Shortening lengths of stay in the shelter is dependent on the availability of housing units for people to access. The City continued to support the Community Legal Aid Homelessness Prevention Program, the Community Housing Support Services Program, and the SRO Outreach Project to keep people sustainably housed. Homelessness prevention is a high priority activity area for the City, especially in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Once a household loses a rental subsidy, it is very difficult for them to re-secure housing stability. Impacting homelessness "upstream" is a goal of the Continuum of Care and the Western Mass Network to End Homelessness. The State's RAFT and ERMA programs, and along with the other resources provided for under the Governor’s Eviction Diversion Initiative, are critical for keeping people housed or getting them rehoused as quickly as possible. The Office of Planning & Sustainability has handed out hundreds of wallet sized resource cards to service providers and advocated throughout the City. The City continued to support prevention activities by providing CDBG funding to the Community Legal Aid Program. CLA provides free legal assistance to families and individuals with low incomes facing eviction in Housing Court. With mediation efforts, the majority of tenancies are preserved. With more than half of the households presenting in Court already residing in rent assisted units, the issues revolve around life skills, financial literacy, and increasing their wages. CAPER 18 OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 09/30/2021) CR-30 - Public Housing 91.220(h); 91.320(j) Actions taken to address the needs of public housing This previous program year, money was set aside for accessibility improvements at three Northampton Housing Authority (NHA) properties and to create an outdoor playground at their Hampshire Heights apartment complex. These were both put on hold due to constraints brought by the pandemic. However, both projects are slated to move forward in the new program year. At NHA, the Resident Services Coordinator continued to oversee family developments. This work grew out of tenants' involvement with the Hampshire Heights Healthy Hampshire and GrowFood Northampton programs to bring fresh produce to the site by using a grant to install raised community garden beds for the residents to grow their own food. A member of the Northampton Housing Partnership and former resident at the NHA has worked to get more interaction with tenants and the leadership at NHA and that person is also now on the board of directors for the NHA. The NHA received HUD 811 Mainstream Vouchers and additional Emergency Housing Vouchers (EHV) this year, which can be used by non-elderly disabled people, including chronically homeless people. These vouchers will help people to leave the emergency shelter system or get off of the streets. The NHA will utilize the Coordinated Entry list, and preference will be given to those highest on the list. NHA leadership regularly meets with the Three Country Continuum of Care, other Housing Agencies to discuss the Coordinated Entry list. While the NHA has many ways to help people get housed, all of the programs have seen more difficulty housing people due to COVID-19. The waiting list for getting into housing could be years. The NHA leadership team has also started working with the Northampton Housing Partnership to understand if switching away from the Small Area Fair Market, which prohibits many from using the vouchers in Northampton due to the higher rents compared to the Springfield metropolitan area to which the voucher is tied, and instead choose a different FMR. This switch may help more voucher holders to lease up in Northampton. Actions taken to encourage public housing residents to become more involved in management and participate in homeownership The Northampton Housing Authority's Board of Directors has always had tenant representation. The NHA has worked hard to involve more of its residents in planning projects and keeping a resident as a member of the board. For instance, the CDBG funded Hampshire Heights Playground was a community- inspired project designed to coordinate with the community. Additionally, the NHA has accepted one of its residents' to serve as a 3-5 year term on the NHA Board of Directors. The diversity of the board should only increase as more residents realize that they can represent their community. A former NHA tenant, who is Latinx is now a member of the board. CAPER 19 OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 09/30/2021) Actions taken to provide assistance to troubled PHAs The Northampton Housing Authority is not designated as troubled. The Analysis of Impediments (AI) to Fair Housing did conclude that the Housing Authority's local preference (for tenant selection) is a deterrent to housing mobility from other parts of the region into Northampton. The NHA Director has met with the Northampton Housing Partnership to discuss this and are actively looking for ways to address this but no consensus on changes to this policy have emerged. CAPER 20 OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 09/30/2021) CR-35 - Other Actions 91.220(j)-(k); 91.320(i)-(j) Actions taken to remove or ameliorate the negative effects of public policies that serve as barriers to affordable housing such as land use controls, tax policies affecting land, zoning ordinances, building codes, fees and charges, growth limitations, and policies affecting the return on residential investment. 91.220 (j); 91.320 (i) The Analysis of Impediments (AI) Report from 2019 identified several policies that are affecting the ability of people to find suitable housing in Northampton. One item was the private sector application fees that are borne by people applying for market-rate rental housing. This is allowed under current regulations, but the Northampton Housing Partnership is in discussion on how to ameliorate the high cost bore by applicants. They are also in deep conversations with the NHA regarding the Small Area FMR that ties rents in Northampton to Springfield, which tend to be lower in Springfield. This means that the vouchers are often not enough to lease up in Northampton, so people move outside of the City once they get a voucher. The AI did note that the City is doing everything it should to promote mixed-use, affordable housing and increase housing choice. The City is encouraging higher density development by promoting infill, permitting small lot residential development, encouraging mixed-use developments by allowing housing in all districts and industrial districts, permitting live/work units. It is working to increase housing diversity and affordability by allowing accessory dwelling units in all zones and providing density incentives for affordability. The City passed a two-family by right zoning amendment that streamlined the process and decreased the cost for creating two-family houses anywhere in the City as well as zoning that more than doubled the allowable density for affordable housing in all residential zoning districts. The City had previously established two Smart Growth Overlay districts in Massachusetts called 40R districts, which require an affordability component, and expanded one of those districts this year. Following recommendations made in earlier AI's, the City now permits up to six units by right with the site-plan review, has simple standards for larger multi-family structures, requires no traffic mitigation or parking for residential construction downtown, allows mixed-use housing by right with site plan review and doubled and in some cases tripled the density allowed in some zones within the urban core. By reducing lot size throughout the City, to better reflect existing development patterns, possibilities for 2- 3 unit dwellings is increased. The City is also an eligible community for Opportunity Zones created by the federal government. The City's Office of Planning and Sustainability and Habitat Humanity previously had successful design competitions previously to create affordable and sustainable single-family homes. These have culminated in several limited development projects, where people now live. Northampton also instituted a Senior Citizen and Veteran Tax Work-Off Program to increase the chances that participants can afford to remain in their homes. Actions taken to address obstacles to meeting underserved needs. 91.220(k); 91.320(j) The AI Report has provided the City with several years of work, such as policies to change and complete projects. The Community Development Planner has monthly meetings with the Housing Partnership, CAPER 21 OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 09/30/2021) where they have prioritized the AI Report's action steps and have begun to take steps towards meeting those needs. For instance, addressing the Small Area FMR that the NHA uses and investigating broker fees by private rental agencies. This is a barrier keeping people out of the City with its heavy upfront costs of moving, so a Housing Partnership subcommittee has been meeting to make recommendations to address it. The Community Development Planner continued with the City’s involvement in the Western Massachusetts Network to End Homelessness, Three County Continuum of Care meetings, staff support to the Northampton Housing Partnership, and the Next Step Collaborative. All of these meetings work towards meeting the needs of underrepresented and underserved people in our community. Additionally, the ADA Self-Evaluation and Transition Plan identified several barriers to people with disabilities in their access to City buildings, sidewalks, and programs. The ADA/Section 504 Coordinator also serves as the staff person for the Disability Commission and have together identified action steps towards addressing issues from the report. For example, the City applied for a planning grant to study how to make City buildings more accessible to people with disabilities. The City used CDBG funds to create ADA accessible wheelchair ramps in downtown sidewalks and various locations in Florence village. Additional Florence center ramps are planned. These sidewalk ramps were previously identified and prioritized in a 2018 study by Alta Planning + Design. For this program year, the City was awarded a Massachusetts Office on Disability grant for purchasing assisted listening devices for people who are hard of hearing to attend City meetings. Some of the action steps identified in the Mayor's Work Group on Panhandling Report have begun to be addressed, such as the lockers for homeless people in downtown run by MANNA and the beginning stages of creating a resiliency hub / day center for cooling, food distribution, and other essential serves for the underserved. Actions taken to reduce lead-based paint hazards. 91.220(k); 91.320(j) The rates of lead paint poisoning among children remain low locally, but this can be deceiving. The presence of lead paint is a silent discriminator when landlords refuse to rent to families with young children because they are unwilling to certify that there is no lead paint or are unable to abate their units in compliance with the Massachusetts Lead Paint Notification law. The presence of lead paint can be assumed for every home built before the lead paint ban in 1978, which for Northampton is about 50% of the total housing stock. Once again, this was identified in the AI Report and is considered a barrier to family housing in Northampton. Lead paint abatement information will soon be made available on the City’s website, and the City will consider disseminating the information at a landlord workshop in the future. The City's Housing Rehabilitation Program conducted lead paint testing at every home that participated in the program, regardless of the current household composition. A single-family homeowner can participate in a 15-year deferred payment 0% interest loan program in which lead paint can be abated if necessary. The upward project cost limit of $45,000 was set high to permit abatement activities if needed. The Northampton Board of Health continued to keep up the database of units that have been abated and so certified as such. When funds were available, the Valley CDC's Homeownership Center continued to refer people to the State's “Get the Lead Out Program. CAPER 22 OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 09/30/2021) Actions taken to reduce the number of poverty-level families. 91.220(k); 91.320(j) The City increased its funding to the Northampton Survival Center and the MANNA Soup Kitchen this second year of the pandemic. The provision of healthy food and community meals helps people avoid the choice they sometimes have to make between eating and paying housing or other costs. The Valley CDC Micro-Business Assistance program provided technical support to people thinking of starting or operating a small business for job creation, retention, and income maximization. The Literacy Project, the Center for New Americans, and Community Action's Youth Employment Readiness Program helped individuals and families gain education and employment skills to increase economic empowerment and self-sufficiency. These programs are all CDBG subrecipients. CDBG funds continued to support local small businesses that employ low-income people through micro-enterprise grants. The Northampton Housing Partnership met several times with members of the Northampton Housing Authority and other area stakeholders this year concerning participation in HUD's Small Area Fair Market Rent program. A subcommittee of the Housing Partnership is investigating how to remove Northampton from the SAFMR and what that means for the number of available vouchers at NHA. This would likely increase the ability of people with low incomes to use HUD Housing Choice Vouchers in Northampton. Because Northampton is included in the Springfield SMSA, fair market rents have been much lower than market-rate rents for decades. Actions taken to develop institutional structure. 91.220(k); 91.320(j) The Office of Planning & Sustainability was involved throughout the year with the Western Massachusetts Network to End Homelessness, the Three County Continuum of Care, the Next Step Collaborative, the Cot Management Committee, the Northampton Housing Partnership, the Disability Commission, and was one of the lead agencies planning the Resiliency Hub, along with Community Action Pioneer Valley. The action steps and directives from recent studies like the Mayor's Work Group on Panhandling, the Analysis of Impediments and the ADA Self-Evaluation/Transition Plan gave the City a renewed focus on the issue that the City faces. Available trainings for federal grants such as CDBG and state specific planning were taken regularly by members of the Office of Planning & Sustainability. Feedback on the operations and gaps in the system were discussed at various meetings throughout the year by the Community Development Planner, the Economic Development Coordinator, the Community Preservation Committee, the Office of Planning and Sustainability, the Human Rights Commission, the Disability Commission, the Police Department, the Health Department, the Building Department, the Public Works Department, all of whom work together to identify and address community issues. The Mayor, the Mayor's Chief of Staff, Director of Planning & Sustainability, and the Economic Development Coordinator met monthly to ensure a coordinated community development strategy. The municipal structure that exists is collaborative and effective. The Action Plans formulated by the Analysis of Impediments Update and the Mayor's Work Group on Panhandling call for collaboration between the various entities responsible for implementing a myriad of recommendations to ensure our community is welcoming and accessible to all. The Northampton Housing Partnership has worked strategically with CAPER 23 OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 09/30/2021) members of the City Council, the Human Rights Commission, and the Northampton Housing Authority to work on the issues identified in the recent studies mentioned. Actions taken to enhance coordination between public and private housing and social service agencies. 91.220(k); 91.320(j) The Next Step Collaborative meetings are City-sponsored gatherings of local housing and homeless service providers meeting monthly since 1994. Guest who attend these meetings are those who were people previously living outside, living in emergency shelters, advocates for the homeless, people serving Veterans, people living with HIV/Aids, people in recovery, people living in subsidized housing, people managing subsidized housing, and people providing housing stabilization support services. This group has continued to advocate for getting Housing First units, expanded shelter capacity, and a resiliency hub (day shelter) to get out of the elements and provide services such as storage lockers or consultations with service agencies. While the need for more shelter space has been a consistent theme throughout the years, the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the need for shelters and laid bare the need for more public and private housing as well. The Community Development Planner and the Northampton Housing Partnership have met with the Northampton Housing Authority members to understand their processes better and look for solutions to the barriers identified in the AI. These meetings were just as much a meeting getting to know each other as they were information sharing. The Housing Partnership has expressed appreciation for NHA members talking with them, and NHA has expressed interest in having further discussions. Identify actions taken to overcome the effects of any impediments identified in the jurisdictions analysis of impediments to fair housing choice. 91.520(a) This last program year was spent diving deeper into the recommendations and action steps given by the various studies that came out in 2019 and 2020. The Housing Partnership and Disability Commission worked with the Community Development Planner on the action steps, prioritizing the issues and choosing those they are most implementable The Housing Partnership and the Disability Commission works as an advisory board to the Mayor. Still, they are also instrumental in influencing public opinion on issues and starting conversations with stakeholders. The Housing Partnership has taken on private rental fees and the Small Area FMR as their biggest task for the preceding year. CAPER 24 OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 09/30/2021) CR-40 - Monitoring 91.220 and 91.230 Describe the standards and procedures used to monitor activities carried out in furtherance of the plan and used to ensure long-term compliance with requirements of the programs involved, including minority business outreach and the comprehensive planning requirements Quarterly reports are required from all sub-recipients through the Neighborly software system. The data in those reports is used to input into IDIS and is closely reviewed for progress and compliance with all applicable laws and regulations by both the Grants Administrator and the Community Development Planner. Performance outcomes are outlined in the Scope of Services at the beginning of each program year in the CDBG Agreement or Contract before the issuance of funds. When applicable, contracts also include requirements for submissions of other HUD reports such as Section 3, FFATA information, Department of Labor MBE/WBE reports, and Davis Bacon wage rate compliance certifications, payroll records, and on-site interviews conducted by the Community Development Planner. Desk Monitoring of several public service recipients were carried out throughout this last program year by the Grants Administrator: the shelters run by ServiceNet (Grove Street Inn and Interfaith Shelter), the Center for New Americans, Way Finders (Residential Service Coordinator), and Community Action (Community Resource & Advocacy and Youth Employment & Readiness programs). During these monitoring visits, the Grants Administrator verified income levels and that the reports on file were complete. The day-to-day operations of the programs were discussed to ensure that they align with national objectives and eligibility requirements, as well as the description provided in the original application. Project directors and financial staff were asked to be present during the meetings to provide information pertinent to CDBG funds and associated activities. During the CDBG planning phase, Public Service applicants are interviewed during a competitive application cycle by a Review Committee composed of community members, City councilors, and City staff. Organizational capacity and past performance are evaluated. Quarterly reports are entered into a third party database by grantees and data is entered into IDIS from those reports. Contractors are informed about the above-mentioned reports and affirmative action hiring goals during meetings and in the contract document. Most smaller projects, such as housing rehab, are completed by sole owner businesses. Larger projects can do the outreach but often do not need to expand their workforce to complete a project. The housing rehab program requires solicitation for contractors, including the statements and actions that women/minority-owned businesses or Section 3 businesses are encouraged to apply CAPER 25 OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 09/30/2021) Citizen Participation Plan 91.105(d); 91.115(d) Describe the efforts to provide citizens with reasonable notice and an opportunity to comment on performance reports. A legal ads were published in the Daily Hampshire Gazette, the local newspaper for all public hearings and publication of the Draft Plan, Action Plan, and CAPER documents giving the dates of meetings and times available for review in the office. All documents were also uploaded to the City's website for each access for public review. Residents were encouraged to call or email with comments. Physical meeting is allowed during this current phase of the pandemic. For this CAPER, an ad was published in the Daily Hampshire Gazette on September 10th, 2021, with a link to the CAPER and instructions on commenting or receiving a paper copy. The public comment period was open till September 24th, 2021. The Community Development Planner discussed program goals, objectives, and outcomes with the Next Step Collaborative participants monthly and provided notice to an extensive email listserv about all public hearings, publication of documents, and applicable comment periods. The discussions at the various public hearings and meetings yielded valuable input. Linkages were made during public sessions about work plans incorporated into CDBG Action Plans and CAPER reports and the opportunities to comment throughout the year. CR-45 - CDBG 91.520(c) Specify the nature of, and reasons for, any changes in the jurisdiction’s program objectives and indications of how the jurisdiction would change its programs as a result of its experiences. The majority of activities outlined in the Action Plan for the Program Year now being reported on proceeded without any issues. The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed some of the construction projects into the next program year, due to prohibitions on indoor work and supply chain issues causing rising costs. Most public services moved their operations online for a time or are now doing a hybrid version of their services. The need for MANNA Soup Kitchen and the Northampton Survival Center increased dramatically during the pandemic. No changes in program objectives were identified for this program year, but the Consolidated Plan for 2020-2024 was edited to reflect the appropriate goal outcome indicators in the SP-45 section. Does this Jurisdiction have any open Brownfields Economic Development Initiative (BEDI) grants? No [BEDI grantees] Describe accomplishments and program outcomes during the last year. CAPER 26 OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 09/30/2021) CAPER 27 OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 09/30/2021) CR-45 - CDBG 91.520(c) Specify the nature of, and reasons for, any changes in the jurisdiction’s program objectives and indications of how the jurisdiction would change its programs as a result of its experiences. The majority of activities outlined in the Action Plan for the Program Year now being reported on proceeded without any issues. The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed some of the construction projects into the next program year, due to prohibitions on indoor work and supply chain issues causing rising costs. Most public services moved their operations online for a time or are now doing a hybrid version of their services. The need for MANNA Soup Kitchen and the Northampton Survival Center increased dramatically during the pandemic. No changes in program objectives were identified for this program year, but the Consolidated Plan for 2020-2024 was edited to reflect the appropriate goal outcome indicators in the SP-45 section. Does this Jurisdiction have any open Brownfields Economic Development Initiative (BEDI) grants? No [BEDI grantees] Describe accomplishments and program outcomes during the last year. CAPER 28 OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 09/30/2021) Attachment 2020 PR 26 Financial Summary Report CAPER 29 OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 09/30/2021) CAPER 30 OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 09/30/2021) CAPER 31 OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 09/30/2021) CAPER 32 OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 09/30/2021) CAPER 33 OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 09/30/2021) CAPER 34 OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 09/30/2021) 2020 CAPER Legal Ad