FY 2021 Year 38 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 38th year of operation from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022. The City is pleased to submit
this Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER). Through several subrecipient grantee activities, Northampton residents
with low- and moderate-incomes benefited from services that contributed to their health and wellbeing. The Northampton Housing Authority
completed three projects that benefited residents in three of their properties: the installation of a new playground at Hampshire Heights, two
wheelchair ramps for two buildings at Cahill Apartments, and bathroom ADA improvement at two units at Salvo House Apartments. These
accessibility upgrades will allow residents to confidently move about their apartments and better access daily activities. The Community
Builders, 53-unit affordable-housing development called North Commons is also 100% complete and 100% occupied. This is a passive house
certified development on the previous state hospital land. The 18-unit rehabilitation of South Street Apartments was completed, which
increased the accessibility of a few apartments, but also made the remaining apartments more suitable and livable. Only 16 units were occupied
by the end of the program year. Also, seven of the units were put aside for people who are homeless. The City is reporting five homeless housing
units added during this year because only five were occupied by the end of the program year.
One home from the Housing Rehabilitation program was fully completed at the end of the program year and three more houses are in progress.
It was expected that the funding for this program would be fully used by the end of the program year. This did not happen for a variety of
factors: Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, the subrecipient for the program, had unresponsive applicants and contractors being inundated
with work. The Burts Pit Road Demolition was completed this program year and the parcel was sold to Pioneer Valley Habitat for Humanity. They
will begin construction on three single-family homes for first-time homebuyers as soon as possible. Valley CDC helped two Northampton
households with household counseling and downpayment assistance in Northampton’s very difficult market. ServiceNet’s two emergency
shelters, Grove Street Inn and the Interfaith Winter Shelter, continued to house people, many of whom are experiencing homelessness due to
the pandemic. MANNA Community Kitchen and the Northampton Survival Center, have both done amazing work feeding people in need despite
a dramatic increase in demand. CDBG-CV funded their efforts that provided food to more than 3,700 people in total, counting both organizations
The City also gave out one microenterprise grant for a small businesses looking to retain/create jobs by pivoting its operations during the
pandemic. [Nathan: There were seven total SBGs. Six were were given out in PY 2020. The reporting for them was not complete until PY 2021
since businesses received the grants near the end of PY 2020.] The Community Action Pioneer Valley Rental Assistance program was reporting
CAPER 2
OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 09/30/2021)
low numbers each quarter, including only one person helped during one quarter. This may have been due to the availability of other funding
programs with higher limits. The City has since approved to an increase in the per-person limit to incentivize the use of the funding. The City of
Northampton completed a total of 22 curb cuts at 11 intersections through its Citywide Curb Cuts activity. It is working on 12 more curb cuts in
the center of Florence, a village of Northampton.
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:
$
Public Facility or
Infrastructure Activities
other than
Low/Moderate Income
Housing Benefit
Persons
Assisted 0 0 0 0
Economic
Development
& Income
Maximization
Non-Housing
Community
Development
CDBG:
$
Public service activities
other than
Low/Moderate Income
Housing Benefit
Persons
Assisted 0 98 75 98
130.67%
Economic
Development
& Income
Maximization
Non-Housing
Community
Development
CDBG:
$
Facade
treatment/business
building rehabilitation
Business 0 0 0 0
CAPER 3
OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 09/30/2021)
Economic
Development
& Income
Maximization
Non-Housing
Community
Development
CDBG:
$
Homeless Person
Overnight Shelter
Persons
Assisted 0 0 0 0
Economic
Development
& Income
Maximization
Non-Housing
Community
Development
CDBG:
$ Jobs created/retained Jobs 50 0
0.00%
Economic
Development
& Income
Maximization
Non-Housing
Community
Development
CDBG:
$ Businesses assisted Businesses
Assisted 50 70
140.00% 40 70
175.00%
Economic
Development
& Income
Maximization
Non-Housing
Community
Development
CDBG:
$ Other Other 0 0 0 0
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 3114
48.28% 4946 3114
62.96%
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% 18 18
100.00%
CAPER 4
OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 09/30/2021)
Improve Public
Facilities &
Infrastructure
Non-Homeless
Special Needs
Public
Facilities and
Infrastructure
CDBG:
$ Other Other 0 0 13 12
92.31%
Preserve
Affordable
Housing,
Tenancy Help
& Rehab
Affordable
Housing
Non-Homeless
Special Needs
CDBG:
$
Public Facility or
Infrastructure Activities
for Low/Moderate
Income Housing Benefit
Households
Assisted 0 0 20 0
0.00%
Preserve
Affordable
Housing,
Tenancy Help
& Rehab
Affordable
Housing
Non-Homeless
Special Needs
CDBG:
$
Public service activities
other than
Low/Moderate Income
Housing Benefit
Persons
Assisted 0 22 0 22
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 18
51.43% 18 18
100.00%
Preserve
Affordable
Housing,
Tenancy Help
& Rehab
Affordable
Housing
Non-Homeless
Special Needs
CDBG:
$
Homeowner Housing
Added
Household
Housing
Unit
12 0
0.00%
CAPER 5
OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 09/30/2021)
Preserve
Affordable
Housing,
Tenancy Help
& Rehab
Affordable
Housing
Non-Homeless
Special Needs
CDBG:
$
Homeowner Housing
Rehabilitated
Household
Housing
Unit
15 1
6.67% 3 1
33.33%
Preserve
Affordable
Housing,
Tenancy Help
& Rehab
Affordable
Housing
Non-Homeless
Special Needs
CDBG:
$
Direct Financial
Assistance to
Homebuyers
Households
Assisted 15 2
13.33%
Preserve
Affordable
Housing,
Tenancy Help
& Rehab
Affordable
Housing
Non-Homeless
Special Needs
CDBG:
$
Housing for Homeless
added
Household
Housing
Unit
0 5 0 5
Preserve
Affordable
Housing,
Tenancy Help
& Rehab
Affordable
Housing
Non-Homeless
Special Needs
CDBG:
$
Housing for People with
HIV/AIDS added
Household
Housing
Unit
0 0 0 0
Preserve
Affordable
Housing,
Tenancy Help
& Rehab
Affordable
Housing
Non-Homeless
Special Needs
CDBG:
$ Buildings Demolished Buildings 1 1
100.00% 1 1
100.00%
CAPER 6
OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 09/30/2021)
Public Services
Affordable
Housing
Homeless
Non-Homeless
Special Needs
Non-Housing
Community
Development
CDBG:
$
Public Facility or
Infrastructure Activities
other than
Low/Moderate Income
Housing Benefit
Persons
Assisted 0 0 137 0
0.00%
Public Services
Affordable
Housing
Homeless
Non-Homeless
Special Needs
Non-Housing
Community
Development
CDBG:
$
Public Facility or
Infrastructure Activities
for Low/Moderate
Income Housing Benefit
Households
Assisted 0 0 0 0
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 150
7.89% 0 150
CAPER 7
OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 09/30/2021)
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 0
0.00%
Public Services
Affordable
Housing
Homeless
Non-Homeless
Special Needs
Non-Housing
Community
Development
CDBG:
$
Homeless Person
Overnight Shelter
Persons
Assisted 1000 56
5.60% 230 56
24.35%
Public Services
Affordable
Housing
Homeless
Non-Homeless
Special Needs
Non-Housing
Community
Development
CDBG:
$
Overnight/Emergency
Shelter/Transitional
Housing Beds added
Beds 25 0
0.00% 0 0
CAPER 8
OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 09/30/2021)
Public Services
Affordable
Housing
Homeless
Non-Homeless
Special Needs
Non-Housing
Community
Development
CDBG:
$
Homelessness
Prevention
Persons
Assisted 500 21
4.20%
Public Services
Affordable
Housing
Homeless
Non-Homeless
Special Needs
Non-Housing
Community
Development
CDBG:
$ Jobs created/retained Jobs 150 0
0.00%
Removal of
Slums and
Blight
Affordable
Housing
Non-Housing
Community
Development
Public
Facilities
CDBG:
$ Buildings Demolished Buildings 1 0
0.00%
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 9
OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 09/30/2021)
giving special attention to the highest priority activities identified.
The $60,000 for the removal of slums and blight is for the 2022 program year and will not be reported on in this 2021 CAPER. As to the
Accomplishments for the 2021 Program Year (Table 1), five of the City's actual accomplishment indicators exceeded or met the expected goal
numbers in the Action Plan , six actual indicators fell short of the goal numbers , and four actual indicators do not have corresponding goals that
were programmed into the Action Plan. The Housing Rehab program completed one out of four housing units. There has been difficulty with
getting contractors and finding qualified candidates in the City. The three remaining housing projects are in process. The homeless and overnight
shelter experiend COVID restrictions that have limited the amount of people allowed into the congregate shelter.
The City had activities whose goals it did not enter in the Strategic or Action Plans, showing zero in some of the Expected columns while the
Actual columns have positive numbers in them. The causes were subrecipients performing additional unexpected benefits and the
accomplishment reporting not exactly matching the plan goals. One surprise benefit was from the South Street Apartment rehabilitation activity
where the apartment owning-entity dedicated five of the rehabilitated units to formerly homeless households in PY 2021. Home City
Development received $83,175 in CDBG to rehabilitate 18 units in South Street Apartments. It rehabilitated all 18, but the apartment had 2
vacancies by the end of PY 2021. In early PY 2022 at the time of this report, the owner dedicated the 2 vacant units to formerly homeless
household.
In the row “Preserve Affordable Housing, Tenancy Help & Rehab, Affordable Housing > Non-Homeless Special Needs > Public service activities
other than Low/Moderate Income Housing Benefit”, the City did not enter any expected numbers in the Strategic Plan or the Action Plan
because it was only planning on homebuyer downpayment assistance through the subrecipient with the First Time Homebuyer Counseling &
Downpayment Assistance Administration activity. The activity ended up providing counseling to 22 prospective homebuyers, adding 22 people
to the Actual columns. In the row “Public Services > Affordable Housing, Homeless, Non-Homeless Special Needs, Non-Housing Community
Development > Public service activities other than Low/Moderate Income Housing Benefit”, it reported 150 people actually assisted from a
combination of three public service activitie that all provide Employment Training.
There is additional text in below text box discusing the stategic plan.
Table 2 Narrative
In Table 2, the row â¿¿Improve Public Facilities & Infrastructure > Non-Homeless Special Needs, Public Facilities and Infrastructure > Public
CAPER 10
OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 09/30/2021)
Facility or Infrastructure Activities for Low/Moderate Income Housing Benefit listed 48 households in the Strategic Expected column. This was for
the River Run Condominium project that did not move forward. The actual number of jobs created/retained under the Economic Development
accomplishments was zero when our expected stratetic goal was 50. due to the City configuring national objective for Economic Development
activities as LMC, which does not ask for jobs retained or created. We later updated the National Objective for microenterprise assistance
activity to LMCMC and saw new fields for job creation/retention. The direct financial downpayment assistance for first-time homebuyers had an
expected strategic outcome of 15, which we do not expect to fulfill since the subrecipient moved to a much larger funding source. For our
activitywe allocated 3 grants for $4,000 each and only two households qualified in PY 2021. Buyers could not compete with wealthier
homebuyers paying thousands of dollars over asking price in cash. Many potential applicants dropped out of the grant process or did not
succeed in securing a home. The Strategic Plan lists 500 expected for the Homelessness Prevention indicator under the Public Services , but the
Program Year Expected goal and Actual number show zero. However, Community Legal Aid helped 21 households with their homelessness
prevention program and this number would have reflected in that outcome. This is because the outcome was not identified in this Action Plan
and we likely have a misconfiguration in the activity setup. CDBG planning staff will correct this error in next program year. The expected goal for
jobs created/retained in Public Services was set up as 150 in the Con Plan, but it is likely not an appropriate indicator since public services focus
on providing essential needs and helping secure employment, not create new jobs or retain existing jobs.
CAPER 11
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 72
Black or African American 9
Asian 2
American Indian or American Native 1
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 1
Total 85
Hispanic 22
Not Hispanic 86
Table 2 – Table of assistance to racial and ethnic populations by source of funds
Narrative
Hispanic households comprise about 25% of Northampton’s 114 total households that benefitted from
CDBG. White is the majority Race category. Other multi-racial is the second largest category, but much
smaller at 18 households. The high price of housing in Northampton, is one barrier to people to move
here. The analysis of impediments to fair housing looked at other factors, such as local choice at the
housing authority, which further excludes people who do not already live in Northampton.
CAPER 12
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 1,629,975 723,992
Table 3 - Resources Made Available
Narrative
The resources made available column includes 2021 CDBG allocation at $693,839.00, carryover from the
previous year was $324,256.53, program income at $41,298.57, and CDBG-CV at $570,580.61 (leftover
from 2020). The City has a significant amount of funding obligated to activities via formal contracts, but
the City have not completed expending the funds due to the slow speed of construction. One example is
the Florence Curb Cut Activity (IDIS 997) which has $175,000 committed to two different contractors,
but only $1,900 expended as of August, 2022.
Of the CDBG-CV money that has been made available, $416,824.00 has been committedbut unspent.
The majority of this unspent funding is for the purchase of the property for the Community Resilience
Hub. We also have $10,000 remaining in public services towards responding to COVID. It was going to be
spent on programs and lockers for homeless people, but another funding source was found. This funding
will likely go toward another public service agency.
The "other" category for available resources is composed of several other sources. For the 2021-2022
Program year, Community Preservation Act (CPA) funding at $1,528,068 for the program year put
towards affordable housing, housing for the homeless, and down-payments assistance funds. Another
$621,422 of CPA funds was used for historic preservation, open-space, and recreation. The affordable
housing project was also leveraged with $50,000 in short-term rental fees, e.g. AirBnB.
The City received a $10,000 grant to create an accessible soft-surface trail at the Pine Grove section of
the Rocky Hill Greenway near an environmental justice community. Another $15,000 grant was used to
study the accessibility to the Connecticut River Greenway. Over the last program year, the City has
expended the last $200,000 of the $1.2 million Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) grant for
the regional expansion of ValleyBike in Northampton and the region to provide equitable transportation
access, with a priority on serving environmental justice.
The City expended $682,693.88 in 2021 CDBG (not including CDBG-CV) and $41,298.57 in program
income. The City spent $46,960.58 of its CDBG-CV allocation in the PY 2021Of the $76,206.92 available
for rental assistance in PY 2021, the subrecipient disbursed only $10,628.01. The State of MA is offering
a more flexible and generous program for rental assistance, possibly diverting people away from
applying for the Rental and Utility Assistance program. The Planning staff did a retroactive salary draw
adjustment for PY 2020 under its Admin Activity 952, which shows as a negative $3,587.64 adjustment
CAPER 13
OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 09/30/2021)
in Line 14 and Line 39 of PR-26 for PY 2021. The Program Year 2020 PR-26 has the corresponding
updates, showing as positive $3,587.64 in the equivalent lines
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. The City will target CDBG funds
toward LMI households and individuals.
CAPER 14
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 $7,000 - $20,000. 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 North Commons (53 units) at Village Hill leveraged $150,000 in federal CDBG funds, along
with $250,000 in local CPA funds. This project should have been finished the prior program
year, but due to the pandemic, it was delayed. South St Apartments used $83,175 of CDBG
funds and $639,173.31 of state and local funds to rehabilitate 18 affordable rental units. By the
end of the 2021 program year, 16 units were occupied. The last two remaining units were filled
in August of 2022.
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, storm water, sewer, electrical), cover soft costs (e.g.,
engineering, surveys), and prepare the land ahead of disposition to an affordable housing
developer.
CAPER 15
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 0 5
Number of Non-Homeless households to be
provided affordable housing units 83 3
Number of Special-Needs households to be
provided affordable housing units 0 0
Total 83 8
Table 5 – Number of Households
One-Year Goal Actual
Number of households supported through
Rental Assistance 48 1
Number of households supported through
The Production of New Units 23 0
Number of households supported through
Rehab of Existing Units 18 18
Number of households supported through
Acquisition of Existing Units 0 53
Total 89 72
Table 6 – Number of Households Supported
Discuss the difference between goals and outcomes and problems encountered in meeting these goals.
The five affordable housing units for for homeless households at South Street Apartments was not
planned by the City of Northampton staff. There are seven units in total, but two were vacant until
August 2022, which is after PY 2021
The Community Action Rental & Utility Assistance program only supported 14 people out of its stated
goal of 40, in part due to the availability of other rental assistance programs that provide more funding
CAPER 16
OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 09/30/2021)
over a longer period. 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 pandemic.
The Laurel Street infrastructure project was expected to generate 20 affordable housing units, but due
to transfer of the land taking longer than anticipated and other infrastructure projects taking
presecdence, it was not completed. The Burts Pit Road demolition project was completed and the City
has transferred ownership to City the Pioneer Valley Habitat for Humanity. The City has applied to make
the property a part of the Chapter 40R district. There are three units that are expected in next 2-3 years.
The South Street Rehab project completed its 18 units and had 2 vacancies by the end of PY 2021.
They The 53 units at Village Hill were completed this program year and are fully occupied.
The Housing Rehabilitation program completed one housing rehab project, which is lower than the City's
goal. This was due in part because of people taking precautions during the pandemic, the increased cost
of building materials and construction, and contractors with backed-up work schedules. However, four
projects are in process. The Burts Pit Road demolition project was completed and the City has
transferred ownership to the Pioneer Valley Habitat for Humanity.
Since some people may utilize more than one public service program, they may get counted multiple
times across different activities. For example, someone living in a shelter is probably attending the
MANNA meals. Or someone using the tenancy protection program may also be attending the Literacy
Project classes. This may be especially true during the pandemic, which has seen an increase in safety-
net programs such as the emergency 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.
Discuss how these outcomes will impact future annual action plans.
City will reconsider having more conservative goal outcome indicators for some of its projects as several
did not meet its expectations. Due partly to the direct effects of the pandemic and indirect effects, such
as more funding available from alternate sources.
The ongoing pandemic that has demonstrated the needed for increased shelter capacity and the need
for rental assistance. However, other programs such as the Residential Assistance for Families in
Transition (RAFT) program offers much more more rental assistance that CDBG rental assistance, making
CDBG rental assistance less attractive. The shelter capacity has increased in the region overall, but at the
same time, each shelter had to house less people due to pandemic restrictions.
The City saw one of its first Housing First units on Franklin Street funded and created in a long time and
this has created a lot of excitement. This was not funded by CDBG. There are also several affordable
CAPER 17
OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 09/30/2021)
housing projects in the development pipeline with the affordable housing developers that the City uses.
The property for the Community Resilience Hub is still in the process of being acquired, so staff is
devoting some of its time to it and other associated costs.
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 0 0
Low-income 2 0
Moderate-income 16 0
Total 18 0
Table 7 – Number of Households Served
Narrative Information
In total 18 households benefited from CDBG project funding this past year.
CAPER 18
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 camping in flood zones.
The City’s plan to create a Community Resilience Hub in downtown that houses several public service
agencies 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 pandemic forced
more people onto the streets. As of this CAPER, the search for the building is still under moving forward.
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 stayed steady from the last program year. Although several
unhoused people have moved in from other communities, there has not been as dramatic an increase in
local evictions as predicted. 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 required to operate at reduced 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 pandemic
Addressing the emergency shelter and transitional housing needs of homeless persons
The City has created a Department of Community Care (DCC) that will take away some of the current
CAPER 19
OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 09/30/2021)
emergency calls to the police department and respond in a trauma informed way. Many of the people
who will be using those services are unhoused and this will keep them out of the police records, just for
having a bad day. The DCC has been a part of the ongoing Community Resilience Hub conversation.
MANNA, who is CDBG-CV funded, has expanded their scope last year by giving out many more meals,
providing showers for unhoused people, and lockers in a downtown location.
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
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 Massachusetts 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 its 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 the pandemic 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.
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
CAPER 20
OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 09/30/2021)
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 to Soldier On and did not have other housing options.
Access to an affordable 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 Metro Fair Market Rent,
which ties vouchers to the Springfield Metropolitan area, which has a lower average rent than
Northampton. This means a voucher that cannot fully support leases 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 has opened back up at a limited capacity and
they provide 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
During this program year, the South Street apartment complex that was being rehabbed with CDBG
funds, put aside seven units for people that were homeless. The City reported on five of those units that
were filled at the end of the 2021 program year.
The Hampshire County Resource Center has opened back up, but at a limited capacity. 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 Community Resilience Hub location has begun in earnest, but no site has been secured at this
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OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 09/30/2021)
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 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 pandemic. Once a household loses its 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 22
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
The accessibility improvements at two Northampton Housing Authority (NHA) properties and the
outdoor playground at their Hampshire Heights apartment complex were finally complete this program
year. These were both put on hold due to constraints brought by the pandemic. The Resident Services
Coordinator at NHA continued to oversee family developments. 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),
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 the pandemic. The waiting list for getting into
housing could be years.
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. Two tenants at NHA properties are on the Northampton Housing Partnership,
which advocates for affordable and fair housing in the City.
One CDBG funded project, 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 a 3-5
year term on the NHA Board of Directors. A former Latinx NHA tenant is now a member of the board.
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 in 2021 and are actively looking for ways
to address this but no consensus on changes to this policy have emerged.
CAPER 23
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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 broker fees that are borne
by people applying for market-rate rental housing. This is allowed under current regulations, but the
Northampton Housing Partnership has advocated with the City Council to make this practices illegal.
That will require a home-rule petition to the state, which was introduced to the state government. The
City is awaiting the state’s approval.
While the Housing Partnership had previous conversations with the NHA regarding the Metro FMR, that
conversation has not progressed in a meaningful way. This still means that the vouchers that are given
out are often not enough to fully support leases in Northampton, so people move outside of the City
once they get a voucher. The Housing Partnership would like to reengage with the NHA at some point.
The high cost of housing was also identified as a barrier to housing while the Housing Partnership does
not create affordable housing, they can and have done meaningful advocacy work towards that goal.
They have advocated for and done the initial analysis for the City to adopt the real-estate transfer fee
law that once passed, would generate income from the sale of real-estate for the production of
affordable housing.
The AI Report 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 called Massachusetts Chapter
40R districts, which require an affordability component, and expanded one of those districts last year to
include a parcel that we have sold to an affordable housing developer. That site could potentially have
up to 23 affordable units, which would likely use a combination of CDBG and CPA funds.
Following recommendations made in earlier AI reports, 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
CAPER 24
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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 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)
Housing-first units, or units that are meant for people coming directly from homelessness were created
during the last program year. Although not funded by CDBG, this older nursing home at 5 Franklin Street
was transformed into a 16-unit home for people who are homeless and have critical medical needs. The
project has been called transformative. It took collaboration between the neighbors, the funders,
medical staff, the City, and even the state government to create this project. The City is investigating
how CDBG funds may be used to support this project in the future.
The AI Report has provided the City with several years of work, such as policies that need to change and
new projects . The Community Development Planner has monthly meetings with the Housing
Partnership, 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.
Another act of legislation that is being moved through the state is a ‘real-estate transfer fee’, which
would be levied on the sellers/buyer of residential real estate transactions over a certain amount. The
details, such as who pays, at what percentage of the sale price, and what home price is eligible is still
being investigated by the Housing Partnership. Each city would be able to set their own terms if this
policy passes.
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.
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OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 09/30/2021)
The City received a $10,000 Community Health Inclusion Index (CHII) grant from the Massachusetts
Department of Public Health in December 2021. This grant helped create an accessible soft-surface trail
at Rocky Hill Greenway, Pine Grove section which the City purchased in 2020.
Actions taken to reduce lead-based paint hazards. 91.220(k); 91.320(j)
While lead-based paint abatement did not progress in a substantial way, the Community Development
Planner attended a workshop at a NCDA conference on lead-paint abatement and has established
meaningful connections to other municipal employees that have volunteered their experienced to help
create a leadbased paint abatement program in Northampton and apply for HUD’s lead-based paint
remediation grant. The City would like to explore how a lead program would interact with the current
housing rehab program and the Massachusetts “Get the Lead Out” program. The Community
Development Planner has started to gather data for the application for HUD’s “Lead Based Paint Hazard
Reduction Program Grant”, which the City will likely apply in the next one or two funding cycles.
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.
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 with 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.”
Actions taken to reduce the number of poverty-level families. 91.220(k); 91.320(j)
The City funds several public services that can help reduce poverty, such as the Literacy Project and
Center for New Americans. Both program teach valuable information and increase the skill level of their
students, giving them the confidence to secure better employment. Community Action's Youth
Employment Readiness Program helped young 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.
CAPER 26
OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 09/30/2021)
The Valley CDC First Time homebuyer program provides counseling and downpayment assistance to
prospective first-time homebuyers. Homeownership can often have a lower monthly cost than renting
and enables homeowners to build equity.
The Northampton Housing Partnership had a few more conversation internally about the Northampton
Housing Authority and its participation in HUD's Small Area Fair Market Rent. When the Community
Development Planner brought up this idea to the Partnership the prior year, there did not seem to be
too much support for it. The NHA participating in the SAFMR 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 MSA, 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 City continued to have regular monthly meetings of the Northampton Housing Partnership, the Next
Step Collaborative, and the Disability Commission. These have helped create that institutional
framework of collaboration, but also help implement the action items from the AI and support CDBG
funded efforts. Other meetings, such as the Coordinated Entry meetings for the Three County
Continuum of Care and the Western Mass Network to End Homelessness have helped the Community
Development Planner stay current on issues.
The action steps and directives from recent studies like the Mayor's Work Group on Panhandling (2019),
the Analysis of Impediments (2019) and the ADA Self-Evaluation/Transition Plan (2020) have kept the
City busy with identified tasks to ameliorate some of the issues that residents are facing. 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 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 other department had met monthly to ensure a coordinated
community development strategy. The municipal structure that exists is quite collaborative.
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 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.
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Actions taken to enhance coordination between public and private housing and social service
agencies. 91.220(k); 91.320(j)
The City has continued to look for a building to purchase / rent for the Community Resilience Hub.
While that search has been underway, the organizational structure, governances, and support services
that would be housed have progressed in a measurable way. Community Action Pioneer Valley will be
sponsoring the hub and have been having monthly meetings for over a year. Many of the same
organizations that attend that meeting have worked alongside each other because of their work
providing social services or their involvement with the Next Step Collaborative.
The Next Step Collaborative meetings are monthly gatherings of local housing and homeless service
providers started in 1994. One or two City staff members regularly attend it. Guests are those who have
lived experience, 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 Resilience Hub (day shelter) to get out of the
elements and provide services such as storage lockers or consultations with service agencies.
The 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 for getting to know
each other as they were for 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 the most implementable steps. 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 the real
estate transfer fees, rental fees, and adopting the Small Area FMR as their priority.
CAPER 28
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 subrecipients and are submitted through the Neighborly
software system. The data in those reports is used for IDIS accomplishment reports 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 monitoring interviews conducted by
the Community Development Planner.
Desk Monitoring were carried out throughout this program year by the Community Development Planer
and the Grants Administrator for several public service and housing subrecipients: the Center for New
Americans, the Literacy Project, Northampton Housing Authority, MANNA Community Kitchen, and
Valley CDC. At the end of the 2021-2021 program year, City staff created a risk based assessment tool
that will be used prior to the creation of a scope of services and the signing of contracts. This has helped
create a more data-focused monitoring schedule and has informed the City’s pre-award orientation
meetings with the grantees.
During these monitoring visits, the City staff verified client income levels and completeness of the
submitted reports. 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. If an audit was conducted since
the last monitoring visit, that was also reviewed for issues.
During the CDBG planning phase, Public Service applicants are interviewed during a competitive
application cycle by the City’s Public Services Advisory Committee composed of community members,
City councilors, and City staff. Purpose, organizational capacity and past performance are evaluated.
Contractors are informed about the above-mentioned reports and affirmative action hiring goals during
the pre-award orientation session and in the sub-recipient agreement. 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 29
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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.
For the 2021-2022 program year, legal ads were published in the local newspaper for all public hearings
and publication of the Draft Plan and Action Plan giving the dates of meetings and times available for
review in the office. All documents were also uploaded to the City's website. Residents were encouraged
to call or email with comments. Physical meeting is allowed during this current phase of the pandemic,
but an online version was also available to allow for hybrid public participation. For this CAPER, the City
will publish an ad in the Daily Hampshire Gazette on September 1st, 2022, with a link to the CAPER and
instructions on commenting or receiving a paper copy. The public comment period will be open until
September 16, 2022.
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. This program year, the construction projects that were delayed from the
previous program year due to indoor work prohibitions and supply chain issues, finally moved forward
and were completed.
Most of the public services continued their operations that were moved to either hybrid format or fully
online format since the beginning of the pandemic. This has increased some of the administrative
burden to the public service agencies, but also increased the number and distance of people they reach.
The City made one amendment to the goals of the Consolidated Plan, adding “Slums and Blight on a
Spot Basis” for one property over the remainder of the Con Plan. The City had one property that needed
to be demolished, but it was not certain what the site would be used for. During the next Con Plan
planning process, the City will likely maintain the slums and blight goals as these parcels may
occasionally come up. The Con Plan for 2020-2024 was edited to reflect the appropriate goal outcome
indicators in the SP-45 section.
For the next program year, the City will adjust the goals and outcome indicators to ensure that they are
CAPER 30
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reflective of actual activities. There were a few instances during this CAPER where the goals and
outcome indicators did not pull through the system properly and they had to be manually adjusted.
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 31
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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. This program year, the construction projects that were delayed from the
previous program year due to indoor work prohibitions and supply chain issues, finally moved forward
and were completed.
Most of the public services continued their operations that were moved to either hybrid format or fully
online format since the beginning of the pandemic. This has increased some of the administrative
burden to the public service agencies, but also increased the number and distance of people they reach.
The City made one amendment to the goals of the Consolidated Plan, adding “Slums and Blight on a
Spot Basis” for one property over the remainder of the Con Plan. The City had one property that needed
to be demolished, but it was not certain what the site would be used for. During the next Con Plan
planning process, the City will likely maintain the slums and blight goals as these parcels may
occasionally come up. The Con Plan for 2020-2024 was edited to reflect the appropriate goal outcome
indicators in the SP-45 section.
For the next program year, the City will adjust the goals and outcome indicators to ensure that they are
reflective of actual activities. There were a few instances during this CAPER where the goals and
outcome indicators did not pull through the system properly and they had to be manually adjusted.
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 32
OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 09/30/2021)
CR-58 – Section 3
Identify the number of individuals assisted and the types of assistance provided
Total Labor Hours CDBG HOME ESG HOPWA HTF
Total Number of Activities 0 0 0 0 0
Total Labor Hours 0
Total Section 3 Worker Hours 0
Total Targeted Section 3 Worker Hours 0
Table 8 – Total Labor Hours
Qualitative Efforts - Number of Activities by Program CDBG HOME ESG HOPWA HTF
Outreach efforts to generate job applicants who are Public Housing
Targeted Workers 0
Outreach efforts to generate job applicants who are Other Funding
Targeted Workers. 0
Direct, on-the job training (including apprenticeships). 0
Indirect training such as arranging for, contracting for, or paying tuition
for, off-site training. 0
Technical assistance to help Section 3 workers compete for jobs (e.g.,
resume assistance, coaching). 0
Outreach efforts to identify and secure bids from Section 3 business
concerns. 0
Technical assistance to help Section 3 business concerns understand
and bid on contracts. 0
Division of contracts into smaller jobs to facilitate participation by
Section 3 business concerns. 0
Provided or connected residents with assistance in seeking employment
including: drafting resumes,preparing for interviews, finding job
opportunities, connecting residents to job placement services. 0
Held one or more job fairs. 0
Provided or connected residents with supportive services that can
provide direct services or referrals. 0
Provided or connected residents with supportive services that provide
one or more of the following: work readiness health screenings,
interview clothing, uniforms, test fees, transportation. 0
Assisted residents with finding child care. 0
Assisted residents to apply for, or attend community college or a four
year educational institution. 0
Assisted residents to apply for, or attend vocational/technical training. 0
Assisted residents to obtain financial literacy training and/or coaching. 0
Bonding assistance, guaranties, or other efforts to support viable bids
from Section 3 business concerns. 0
Provided or connected residents with training on computer use or online
technologies. 0
Promoting the use of a business registry designed to create
opportunities for disadvantaged and small businesses. 0
Outreach, engagement, or referrals with the state one-stop system, as
designed in Section 121(e)(2) of the Workforce Innovation and
Opportunity Act. 0
CAPER 33
OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 09/30/2021)
Other. 0
Table 9 – Qualitative Efforts - Number of Activities by Program
Narrative
For the 2021-2022 program year, there were no Section 3 activities.