2023-2024 Y40 AAP
Annual Action Plan
2023
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Executive Summary
AP-05 Executive Summary - 24 CFR 91.200(c), 91.220(b)
1. Introduction
The City of Northampton is pleased to submit to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development (HUD) this Year 4 Action Plan for the City's Five-Year Consolidated Plan 2020-2024. The
program year runs from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024. The City of Northampton (City) will receive
approximately $630,060 from the 2023 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) grant. This
document outlines how the City will allocate and expend these funds to accommodate low- and
moderate-income (LMI) residents.
2. Summarize the objectives and outcomes identified in the Plan
This could be a restatement of items or a table listed elsewhere in the plan or a reference to
another location. It may also contain any essential items from the housing and homeless needs
assessment, the housing market analysis or the strategic plan.
Public Facilities / Access $266,560
Community Resiliency Hub Improvements: $266,560 ($7,000 from prior years’ funds)
Public Services $94,500
Social Service Programs seven providers totaled at $94,500
Housing $100,000
Housing Rehabilitation indirect and direct costs: $100,000
Economic Development $50,000
Micro-enterprise technical assistance at $50,000
Administration and Planning $126,000
Administration of the CDBG Program and Housing and Community Development activities: $126,000
Total Program Year Budget
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CDBG 2023 Award: $636,060
Estimated Carry-Over Funds: $7,000
Total: $637,060
3. Evaluation of past performance
This is an evaluation of past performance that helped lead the grantee to choose its goals or
projects.
The 2022-2023 CDBG Program Year was successful in addressing the City’s community development
goals. The City’s Housing Rehabilitation program vendor was changed and they have a long wait list of
people waiting to get their projects started. It has completed all of its ramp up activities as a new
program and has several rehab projects in process. The former Moose Lodge on Cooke Ave. that was
abandoned was demolished and the City is planning to transfer the land to an affordable housing
partner. Infrastructure and facility projects are moving faster than they were in 2020, but there are still
material price hikes that are increasing the costs. Public Services are moving along without any issues
except for one subrecipient who is struggling to submit quarterly reports on time.
4. Summary of Citizen Participation Process and consultation process
Summary from citizen participation section of plan.
The first CDBG Action Plan meeting for 2023-2024 Program Year was held on December 2, 2022 in
person and via Zoom to discuss the priorities from the City’s 5-Year Consolidated Plan and solicit
feedback from the community. The meeting was led by the Community Development Planner and the
Grants Administrator. The Community Development Planner, coordinates directly with the Executive
Director of Planning & Sustainability and the Grants Administrator. The Community Development
Planner regularly attends the monthly meetings of the Northampton Housing Partnership, the
Disabilities Commission, and an informal working group called the Next Step Collaborative. These groups
are solicited for their feedback on community goals and aspirations. These collaborative meetings
inform the CDBG planning projects and goals. The draft action plan public hearing was held on March
15, 2023.
All meetings were advertised per open meeting laws and CDBG guidelines and are open to the public.
Speech-to-text software was made available for those with hearing impairments. All meeting rooms are
accessible for people with mobility impairments.
The Public Services Advisory Committee had several meetings throughout the year to create an RFP and
selection process that more closely fit the aspirations of Northampton. After the applications process,
they reviewed all of the public services applications and made recommendations for funding to the
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Mayor. The Grants Administrator and the Community Development Planner facilitated discussion at
these meetings, took notes, and answered questions on the CDBG program and budget. Members of the
Public Service Advisory Committee were made up from the Disability Commission, Human Rights
Commission, City Council, and residents who work in the social services and homeless advocacy fields.
The committee was initially considering interviewing the candidates, but considering the burden of the
interviews and the thoroughness of the applications, it decided interviews would not be necessary.
5. Summary of public comments
This could be a brief narrative summary or reference an attached document from the Citizen
Participation section of the Con Plan.
See attached public participation documents for a full transcript of the meetings.
6. Summary of comments or views not accepted and the reasons for not accepting them
All public input received through the Citizen Participation process of this Action Plan were taken into
consideration. No comments were ignored.
7. Summary
The City of Northampton is committed to helping its low- and moderate-income people and other
vulnerable populations such as those with disabilities or those most affected by the impacts of climate
change.
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PR-05 Lead & Responsible Agencies – 91.200(b)
1. Agency/entity responsible for preparing/administering the Consolidated Plan
Describe the agency/entity responsible for preparing the Consolidated Plan and those responsible for administration of each grant
program and funding source.
Agency Role Name Department/Agency
Lead Agency NORTHAMPTON
CDBG Administrator NORTHAMPTON Planning & Sustainability
HOPWA Administrator
HOME Administrator
HOPWA-C Administrator
Table 1 – Responsible Agencies
Narrative (optional)
The City of Northampton administers the Community Development Block Grant Program through the Office of Planning & Sustainability. Staffing
consists of the Community Development Planner and the Grants Administrator, who manages the fiscal responsibilities of the program. The
entire process is overseen by the Director of Planning & Sustainability who reports directly to the Mayor.
Consolidated Plan Public Contact Information
Keith Benoit, Community Development Planner | City of Northampton | (413) 587-1288 | kbenoit@northamptonma.gov
Nathan Chung, Land User Planner (acting as the Grants Administrator) | City of Northampton | (413) 587-1262 | nchung@northamptonma.gov
Carolyn Misch, AICP, Director of Planning & Sustainability | City of Northampton | (413) 587-1287 | cmisch@Northamptonma.gov
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AP-10 Consultation – 91.100, 91.200(b), 91.215(l)
1. Introduction
The Community Development Planner has extremely close ties to the service providers through its
ongoing meeting at the Next Step Collaborative meeting, which is a regular monthly meeting with
regional shelter providers and homelessness advocates. There has also been a collaborative effort
between the City and other stakeholders to create the Community Resiliency Hub. This collaboration has
increased recently since the Dept. of Community Care was merged with the Health Dept. to create the
Dept. of Health and Human Services.
Provide a concise summary of the jurisdiction’s activities to enhance coordination between
public and assisted housing providers and private and governmental health, mental health
and service agencies (91.215(l))
The Housing Partnership regularly hosts area developers when they are applying for funding or with
other service providers when the Housing Partnership is developing local plans. Some of these groups
are Valley Community Development), Friends of Hampshire County Homeless Individuals, The
Community Builders, Habitat for Humanity, the Northampton Housing Authority, the Center for Human
Development (CHD). The Housing Partnership uses these agency updates to create plans and work
towards increasing affordable housing in the City. City staff regularly update the partnership on housing
units and development and ask for their input on plans and to support the development by writing a
letter of support or going to neighborhood meetings.
The Housing Partnership has also worked with the Northampton Housing Authority over the last two
years to get Northampton divorced from the Springfield MSA because the voucher amounts that
Northampton receives are much lower than they would be if Northampton was not attached to
Springfield. Residents often cannot use a voucher in Northampton because the rent is too high.
In attendance at the monthly provider meeting are mental health professionals and clinicians attend
those meetings. The SRO Outreach Coordinator, the Veterans Agent, Veteran's Administration
caseworkers, ServiceNet, Inc. Highland Valley Elder Services, and others who all focus on tenancy
preservation and housing stabilization for their clients. Way Finders have adopted this model of
coordination of support services for the Live 155 development.
Next Step Collaborative monthly meetings include representation from Eliot Homeless Services, the
mental health agency that has the Department of Mental Health vendor contract for homeless street
outreach and clinical work, ServiceNet shelter providers, the Veterans Agent, Safe Passage (Domestic
Violence), A Positive Place (HIV/AIDS), Cooley Dickinson Social Workers, Peer Mentors from the
Recovery Center, formerly homeless, currently homeless, shelter providers, the Community Housing
Support Services Coordinator, and others.
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Describe coordination with the Continuum of Care and efforts to address the needs of
homeless persons (particularly chronically homeless individuals and families, families with
children, veterans, and unaccompanied youth) and persons at risk of homelessness.
Community Action Pioneer Valley (CAPV) runs the Three County Continuum of Care (CoC) which guides
a community-wide vision, strategy, and commitment to efforts to prevent and end homelessness;
mobilizes funding; improves coordination and integration of mainstream resources and programs
targeted to people experiencing homelessness through a housing first model; and establishes system-
wide data collection and performance measurement practices to ensure successful housing strategies
and equitable housing for vulnerable populations. The 3 County CoC looks The CoC is funded by HUD to
operate HMIS data collection, analysis, and dissemination, and orchestrate the coordinated entry
system. CAPV has taken the lead on creating the Community Resiliency Hub and operates numerous
programs which are geared toward preventing and ending poverty and homelessness for children,
youth, individuals and families.
As the Collaborative Applicant, CAPV/CoC has successfully submitted l annual funding submissions to
HUD totaling over $3 million and has helped keep the regions transitional and permanent housing
(including Rapid Rehousing and Permanent Supportive Housing) resources in place. Community Action
has made efforts to increase membership, board, and committee involvement to end homelessness in
the Three County area.
The 3 County CoC is overseen by its own board, and utilizes both their own 5 committees (project
ranking & evaluation, data & evaluation, equity & inclusion, coordinated entry, and the youth and young
adult committee) facilitated by CoC program staff and the committee structure of the Western Mass
Network to End Homelessness (WMNEH). The WMNEH addresses population-specific needs through the
Individual Services Committee, the Family Services Committee, the Veteran's Services Committee, and
the Unaccompanied Youth Committee. The Network also provides a Career Services Committee. All
committees meet monthly and are organized and facilitated by the Network Coordinator, who works
closely with both the 3 County CoC and the Hampden County CoC Coordinator. The Community
Development Planner attends in the MNNEH monthly meetings.
Describe consultation with the Continuum(s) of Care that serves the jurisdiction's area in
determining how to allocate ESG funds, develop performance standards for and evaluate
outcomes of projects and activities assisted by ESG funds, and develop funding, policies and
procedures for the operation and administration of HMIS
There are no municipalities in the Three County Continuum of Care ESG (Emergency Solutions Grants
Program) entitlement communities. ESG funding for the CoC is allocated by the State's Department of
Housing and Community Development through a competitive process. As part of the CoC governance
structure, the CoC engages in an annual discussion about the funding priorities and supports
applications for funds from appropriate agencies for activities that address HUD- identified priorities.
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The 3 County CoC has a Data and Evaluation Manager who oversees the data committee focused on the
HMIS system and the LSA submissions, which have involved codifying the Homeless Management
Information System (HMIS). Community Action has recently made the City’s current HMIS system more
effective with the coordinated entry and by-name lists that HUD is requiring by implementing their own
CE Assessment which has been recognized as a best practice. With DHCD's assistance, they were able to
create a working By Names List in the HMIS, which is used for most of our data collection. This
eliminates the need for each agency to maintain and share their own lists of people who have been
assessed for the coordinated entry system and enter them in the HMIS since we can now obtain the
information directly from the system. They are also making progress in engaging veteran service
providers in the coordinated entry system. Their data warehouse, Green River, build out the
coordinated entry vulnerability assessment in the warehouse, which will allow VA caseworkers to
conduct assessments for their participants residing in Soldier On Grant Per Diem beds.
Their Coordinated Entry system capacity has increased extensively as well over the last few years. The
City is working to increase the number of agencies involved in performing vulnerability assessments.
They hold case conferencing meetings with homelessness service providers weekly in each county as
well as with veteran’s organizations and youth service providers. They have developed strong
partnerships with organizations serving this vulnerable population, looking for housing opportunities
beyond CoC-funded resources. ESG partners are participating in utilizing the Coordinated Entry process
when housing resources are available as well.
2. Describe Agencies, groups, organizations and others who participated in the process
and describe the jurisdiction’s consultations with housing, social service agencies and other
entities
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Table 2 – Agencies, groups, organizations who participated
1 Agency/Group/Organization Center for New Americans
Agency/Group/Organization Type Services-Education
Services-Employment
Regional organization
What section of the Plan was addressed by
Consultation?
Economic Development
Briefly describe how the Agency/Group/Organization
was consulted. What are the anticipated outcomes of
the consultation or areas for improved coordination?
Email invitation to take part in public hearing and/or solicit comments directly.
They are a public service agency that has applied for funding for many years.
They did attend the Dec. 1st 2022 meeting and made public comments on the
value of the CDBG funding for program participants.
2 Agency/Group/Organization Clinical and Support Options
Agency/Group/Organization Type Services - Housing
Services-Children
Services-Persons with HIV/AIDS
Services-Victims of Domestic Violence
Services-homeless
Services-Health
Services-Education
Services - Victims
What section of the Plan was addressed by
Consultation?
Homeless Needs - Chronically homeless
Homeless Needs - Families with children
Non-Homeless Special Needs
Mental Health and Crisis
Briefly describe how the Agency/Group/Organization
was consulted. What are the anticipated outcomes of
the consultation or areas for improved coordination?
Email invitation to take part in public hearing and/or solicit comments directly.
They did not attend or submit comments.
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3 Agency/Group/Organization Community Action Pioneer Valley
Agency/Group/Organization Type Services-Children
Services-Health
Services-Education
Services-Employment
Service-Fair Housing
What section of the Plan was addressed by
Consultation?
Housing Need Assessment
Economic Development
Anti-poverty Strategy
Briefly describe how the Agency/Group/Organization
was consulted. What are the anticipated outcomes of
the consultation or areas for improved coordination?
Community resilience hub planning sessions continued into their second year,
discussing programmatic and space questions. An email invitation to take part
in public hearing and/or solicit comments directly. From the Dec. 1st 2022
meeting, Gilad Meron had several questions regarding the CDBG-CV funding
sources and the normal allotment of CBDG funding.
4 Agency/Group/Organization Community Legal Aid, Inc.
Agency/Group/Organization Type Services - Housing
Services-Persons with Disabilities
Services-Victims of Domestic Violence
Services-homeless
Service-Fair Housing
What section of the Plan was addressed by
Consultation?
Public Housing Needs
Homelessness Strategy
Non-Homeless Special Needs
Anti-poverty Strategy
Lead-based Paint Strategy
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Briefly describe how the Agency/Group/Organization
was consulted. What are the anticipated outcomes of
the consultation or areas for improved coordination?
One member of the Housing Partnership represents Community Legal Aid and
has informed how evictions and rental assistance is affected by CDBG funding.
Email invitation to take part in public hearing and/or solicit comments directly.
Nobody attended the CBDG public hearings or submitted comments.
5 Agency/Group/Organization PIONEER VALLEY HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
Agency/Group/Organization Type Housing
Services - Housing
Regional organization
What section of the Plan was addressed by
Consultation?
Housing Need Assessment
Anti-poverty Strategy
Briefly describe how the Agency/Group/Organization
was consulted. What are the anticipated outcomes of
the consultation or areas for improved coordination?
Email invitation to take part in public hearing and/or solicit comments directly.
They did not attend or submit comments.
6 Agency/Group/Organization Northampton Housing Authority
Agency/Group/Organization Type PHA
What section of the Plan was addressed by
Consultation?
Public Housing Needs
Homelessness Strategy
Briefly describe how the Agency/Group/Organization
was consulted. What are the anticipated outcomes of
the consultation or areas for improved coordination?
Email invitation to take part in public hearing and/or solicit comments directly.
They did not attend or submit comments.
7 Agency/Group/Organization SAFE PASSAGE
Agency/Group/Organization Type Services-Victims of Domestic Violence
Regional organization
What section of the Plan was addressed by
Consultation?
Non-Homeless Special Needs
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Briefly describe how the Agency/Group/Organization
was consulted. What are the anticipated outcomes of
the consultation or areas for improved coordination?
Email invitation to take part in public hearing and/or solicit comments directly.
They did not attend or submit comments.
8 Agency/Group/Organization Valley Community Development Corporation (CDC)
Agency/Group/Organization Type Housing
Services - Housing
Regional organization
What section of the Plan was addressed by
Consultation?
Housing Need Assessment
Economic Development
Briefly describe how the Agency/Group/Organization
was consulted. What are the anticipated outcomes of
the consultation or areas for improved coordination?
Resilience hub planning sessions and email invitation to take part in public
hearing and/or solicit comments directly. They did not attend or submit
comments directly, but are working with the Community Development Planner
to create a public engagement program for a 20-unit housing for the homeless
project that is using land that the City has sold to them.
9 Agency/Group/Organization ServiceNet, Inc.
Agency/Group/Organization Type Services-homeless
Services-Health
Regional organization
What section of the Plan was addressed by
Consultation?
Homeless Needs - Chronically homeless
Homelessness Strategy
Anti-poverty Strategy
Briefly describe how the Agency/Group/Organization
was consulted. What are the anticipated outcomes of
the consultation or areas for improved coordination?
Email invitation to take part in public hearing and/or solicit comments directly.
They did not attend or submit comments. They will no longer be the shelter
provider in the City as of April 1, 2023. The shelters are being taken over by
Clinical Support Options.
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10 Agency/Group/Organization Office of Planning and Sustainability
Agency/Group/Organization Type Other government - Local
Planning organization
What section of the Plan was addressed by
Consultation?
Housing Need Assessment
Homelessness Strategy
Economic Development
Anti-poverty Strategy
Briefly describe how the Agency/Group/Organization
was consulted. What are the anticipated outcomes of
the consultation or areas for improved coordination?
Staff meeting, email invites, direct conversation, and coordinating all of the
CDBG process. Staff from the office, hosted and partook in each meeting of the
process.
Identify any Agency Types not consulted and provide rationale for not consulting
All agencies that need to be consulted were reached out to via email invitation for the CDBG planning process. They are listed in the above table;
their attendance and any comments are noted in the table. While some organizations did not attend CBDG planning meetings, others have been
involved in other planning processes.
Agencies that applied for CDBG funding were also invited to attend CDBG planning sessions as well, but their attendance is not mandatory. The
Office of Planning & Sustainability is in conversation with the Public Services Advisory Committee, and making agencies who request funding
attendance at the planning meetings is something that we are discussing.
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Other local/regional/state/federal planning efforts considered when preparing the Plan
Name of Plan Lead Organization How do the goals of your Strategic Plan overlap with the goals of each plan?
Continuum of Care Community Action
Pioneer Valley
Creation of permanent supported housing units and housing support services. Homelessness
prevention, housing stabilization to reduce recidivism, increase services for mentally ill and
those abusing substances.
Unlocking
Opportunity: An
Assessment of
Barriers
Pioneer Valley
Planning
Commission
Adopted in 2019, identified the impediments to fair housing. Identify actions to remove
impediments, thereby creating housing opportunities that all people access, regardless of
"disability, national origin, sex, familial status, marital status, age, sexual orientation, gender
identity, military status, genetic information, ancestry" or because they receive public benefits.
A Downtown
Northampton for
Everyone (2019)
Office of the
Mayor
Adopted in 2019, identified the need of panhandlers and at-risk individuals in downtown
Northampton, including stakeholder interviews. Research and analyze the issues associated
with panhandling and make non-punitive recommendations to help get people off the streets,
seeking gainful employment, and find housing.
Regional Housing Plan
(2015)
Pioneer Valley
Planning
Commission
Identification of communities of opportunity that commit to creating affordable housing
facilitates movement from areas of concentration in Hampden County, primarily Springfield and
Holyoke, north, and west.
Needs Assessment &
Strategic Housing Plan
(2011)
City of
Northampton
Creating a list of prioritized needs based on extensive data compilation and citizen input during
public participation sessions for plan development. Needs Assessment in Housing Plan very
thorough, provides direction for resource allocation for Community Preservation Committee
and Housing Partnership.
ADA Self-Evaluation
and Transition Plan
(2020)
Northampton
Disability
Commission
The needs of low- and moderate-income people and those with disabilities often overlap. The
Disability Commission identified several areas where the City can build institutional capacity and
fix specific non-accessible sidewalks, amenities, and buildings.
Increasing
Accessibility for
People w Disabilities
City of
Northampton
The needs of low- and moderate-income people and those with disabilities often overlap. This
report also identified areas within parks and recreation areas that are not accessible and
proposed possible solutions.
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Name of Plan Lead Organization How do the goals of your Strategic Plan overlap with the goals of each plan?
Climate Resilience &
Regeneration Plan
City of
Northampton
This plan is the City's plan for mitigating climate change and the actions needed to create an
increasingly resilient and regenerative future. It is a plan for simultaneously reducing our
greenhouse gas emissions, building our capacity to adapt to stresses, and improving our healthy
ecosystems, inclusive communities, and ensuring all Northampton residents can thrive. The
people most affected by climate change are environmental justice communities; low-income,
minority, and people with disabilities.
Table 3 – Other local / regional / federal planning efforts
Narrative (optional)
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AP-12 Participation – 91.105, 91.200(c)
1. Summary of citizen participation process/Efforts made to broaden citizen participation
Summarize citizen participation process and how it impacted goal-setting
The City held its first public hearing for the 2023-2024 Action Plan on December 1, 2022 in person and over Zoom. City commissions such as the
monthly Housing Partnership and Disability Commission were encouraged to attend. The City posted an RFP ad to the local newspaper and
received the applications through an online grant management software. This competitive application process was used to select public
service subrecipients, public infrastructure and facility projects, and funding amounts. All public hearings were publicly posted and open to
everyone. All information gathered was taken into consideration for the selection of public services, public infrastructure and facilities, and
housing. All of the comments and questions posed at the public hearing will be posted for review in this document.
Data collected at monthly meetings of the Housing Partnership, Disability Commission, and the Next Step Collaborative and from the needs
identified through the community engagement process helped to identify the needs and wants of the community, but also deficiencies in service
delivery system, accessibility, equity, community resiliency, and economic development. CDBG public hearings tend to be less well attended
than other meetings such as City Council, but Zoom meetings has allowed for many more people to attend than would have if it were only in
person . City staff attempt to make a compelling presentation without overly burdening attendees CDBG jargon. Questions from the public are
highly encouraged and City staff will follow up on questions that cannot be answered at the moment.
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Citizen Participation Outreach
Sort Ord
er
Mode of Outre
ach
Target of Outre
ach
Summary of
response/attenda
nce
Summary of
comments recei
ved
Summary of comm
ents not accepted
and reasons
URL (If applicable)
1 Newspaper Ad
Non-
targeted/broad
community
An ad was placed
in the Daily
Hampshire
Gazette
newspaper on
Wednesday,
November 22,
2022 informing
residents about
the meeting to
discuss the
priorities and RFP
for the 2023-2024
Annual Action
Plan. It specified
an application
deadline of
Friday, January
13, 2023.
No comments
were received,
but applicants
started filling
out applications
for the 2023
year.
No comments were
received.
https://www.gazettenet.com/
Public-Notices
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2 Public Meeting
Minorities
Persons with
disabilities
Non-
targeted/broad
community
Residents of
Public and
Assisted
Housing
Public Service
Providers
Five individuals
showed up to the
first meeting for
the RFP on
December 1st,
2022. The
Community
Development
Planner and the
Grants
Administrator,
helped facilitate
the meeting.
Participants had
the option to
attend in person
or over Zoom. All
of the
participants
attended using
Zoom.
Participants
signed in using
the chat function
with their name
and organization
if applicable. After
the Community
Development
Susan Nicastro
from Center for
Human
Development
who is a
Northampton
resident and the
director of Big
Brothers Big
Sisters of
Hampshire
County spoke.
Susan thanked
the CDBG
program and
planned to
submit an
application.
Susan talked
about the
increased
demand for the
BBBS
mentorship
program. Laurie
Millman from
Center for New
Americans
(CNA) thanked
All comments were
accepted.
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Planner's
presentation,
participants were
encouraged to ask
questions.
the CDBG
program and
described it as
one piece that
leverages other
funding. Laurie
said CNA is
beyond teaching
English and
provides living
wage jobs and
tools to thrive to
immigrants such
as those from
Afghanistan,
Ukraine, and
Haiti. It helps
immigrants
become
independent.Gil
ad Meron from
Community
Action Pioneer
Valley asked
about the
proposed
Resilience Hub.
Gilad asked
about the
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Sort Ord
er
Mode of Outre
ach
Target of Outre
ach
Summary of
response/attenda
nce
Summary of
comments recei
ved
Summary of comm
ents not accepted
and reasons
URL (If applicable)
sources of funds
and about
deadline to use
funds for the
Resilience Bub.
He also asked
about what
other uses are
allowed with
the money
beside
acquisition and
renovation.
Gilad asked
about the
meaning of
consultation. He
further
commented
about using
funds to get
pizza.
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3 Newspaper Ad
Non-
targeted/broad
community
An ad was placed
in the Daily
Hampshire
Gazette
newspaper on
Saturday March
10, 2023
informing
residents that the
draft Annual
Action Plan would
be available for
review on March
15, 2023 and that
public comments
were encouraged.
Comments would
be accepted for
30 days, until
April 18, 2023 to
allow for the
weekend and
Monday holiday.
The ad also
informed readers
of the public
meeting on
March 15, 2023 to
discuss the draft
No comments
were received
yet, the
commend
period has not
begun yet.
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Sort Ord
er
Mode of Outre
ach
Target of Outre
ach
Summary of
response/attenda
nce
Summary of
comments recei
ved
Summary of comm
ents not accepted
and reasons
URL (If applicable)
Action Plan where
residents could
hear a
presentation, ask
questions, and
make public
comments.
4 Public Meeting
Minorities
Persons with
disabilities
Non-
targeted/broad
community
Residents of
Public and
Assisted
Housing
The draft Annual
Action Plan
meeting will be
held on Tuesday
March 15, 2023.
Has not
happened yet. No comments yet
Table 4 – Citizen Participation Outreach
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Expected Resources
AP-15 Expected Resources – 91.220(c)(1,2)
Introduction
The City did not receive program income during this prior year and does not expect program income for this upcoming year. Northampton will
use its annual CDBG funds to implement its priority projects established in the Consolidated Plan. City departments and public service agencies
utilize other funding sources to operate programs and bring projects to fruition.
Anticipated Resources
Program Source
of Funds Uses of Funds Expected Amount Available Year 1 Expected
Amount
Available
Remainder
of ConPlan $
Narrative Description
Annual
Allocation:
$
Program
Income:
$
Prior Year
Resources:
$
Total:
$
CDBG public -
federal
Acquisition
Admin and
Planning
Economic
Development
Housing
Public
Improvements
Public Services 630,060 0 7,000 637,060 630,060
CDBG funds will be used for public
services, housing rehab, public facilities,
economic development and for the
planning and administration of the
grant.
Table 5 - Expected Resources – Priority Table
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Explain how federal funds will leverage those additional resources (private, state and local funds), including a description of how
matching requirements will be satisfied
The Community Preservation Act is the funding source that most complements CDBG funding, mostly in the acquisition of housing. It is available
yearly and eligible project types for CPA funds are open space, recreation, affordable housing, and historic preservation.
Other sources of funding, such as the State’s Housing Choice Grant, the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness grant, and the MA. Office on
Disability planning grant are competitive and are not awarded each year. These grants often work in conjunction with CDBG. Affordable
housing applications to State and Federal funding sources require evidence of a local match. CDBG, Community Preservation Act funds, tax
increment housing, short-term rental taxes, donations of surplus city land, City limited development projects with cross-subsidies, community
contributions, and Smith College development mitigation funding are some of the local match sources. Public facilities often have City budgeted
Capital Improvement Program funds and private fundraising dollars. Public infrastructure projects typically utilize State Chapter 90 funding and
other grant sources.
The City was awarded $400,000 from the Massachusetts Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) Grant in 2018 as part of the City’s ongoing
Climate Resiliency and Regeneration Plan. This is the City’s comprehensive climate adaptation and mitigation effort, which includes the planning
and creation of the Community Resiliency Hub, which will be partly funded by CDBG money. The City will apply for the MVP grant for this year to
fund affordable housing for those most affected by climate change, which may use CDBG funding in the future. All City of Northampton CDBG
funded projects require other funding sources to implement the project. Community Preservation Act (CPA) is often some of the first dollars in,
especially for large projects with complicated funding streams.
Public service grants often use other funding sources, such as local government, non-profits and private fundraising. Some of the CDBG public
service grantee awards are so small that their real value is to leverage other sources and show endorsement from the City of Northampton. The
expected remaining amount is based on level funding over the remainder of the Consolidated Plan.
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If appropriate, describe publically owned land or property located within the jurisdiction that
may be used to address the needs identified in the plan
For the 2023-2024 CDBG program year, there are non-CDBG funding projects that will progress goals
associated with this plan. The City is designing an accessible trail at a conversation area that was
recently purchased and is looking at other City owned property that can be sold for affordable housing.
Discussion
The City will leverage CDGB funding with state grants, private grants, fundraising for a specific project,
and City funds. The City is committed to helping low- and moderate-income people by creating decent
and affordable housing and connecting the people to essential resources. The City seeks to use public
and private sources of funding to show their commitment and ensure the project's success.
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Annual Goals and Objectives
AP-20 Annual Goals and Objectives
Goals Summary Information
Sort
Order
Goal Name Start
Year
End
Year
Category Geographic
Area
Needs Addressed Funding Goal Outcome Indicator
1 Public Services 2020 2024 Affordable
Housing
Homeless
Non-Homeless
Special Needs
Non-Housing
Community
Development
Homelessness
Prevention
Economic
Development
Housing Support
Services
Addressing Basic
Needs
CDBG:
$94,500
Public service activities other
than Low/Moderate Income
Housing Benefit: 1262 Persons
Assisted
Homelessness Prevention: 30
Persons Assisted
2 Preserve Affordable
Housing, Tenancy
Help & Rehab
2020 2024 Affordable
Housing
Non-Homeless
Special Needs
Housing
Rehabilitation
Resources
CDBG:
$100,000
Homeowner Housing
Rehabilitated: 4 Household
Housing Unit
3 Economic
Development &
Income
Maximization
2020 2024 Non-Housing
Community
Development
Economic
Development
CDBG:
$50,000
Jobs created/retained: 40 Jobs
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Sort Order Goal Name Start Year End Year Category Geographic Area Needs Addressed Funding Goal Outcome Indicator
4 Improve Public
Facilities &
Infrastructure
2020 2024 Non-Homeless
Special Needs
Public Facilities
and
Infrastructure
Public Facilities CDBG:
$266,650
Public Facility or Infrastructure
Activities other than
Low/Moderate Income Housing
Benefit: 250 Persons Assisted
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5 Planning and
Administration
2020 2025 Affordable
Housing
Public Housing
Homeless
Non-Homeless
Special Needs
Non-Housing
Community
Development
Homelessness
Prevention
Support for
Emergency Shelter &
Support Services
Rental Housing for
Individuals
Rental Housing for
Families
Preservation of
Existing Affordable
Rental Stock
Housing
Rehabilitation
Resources
Affordable
Homeownership for
Individual & Families
Housing for At - Risk
& Special Needs
Populations
Economic
Development
Housing Support
Services
Addressing Basic
Needs
Public Facilities
Public Infrastructure
CDBG:
$126,000
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Table 6 – Goals Summary
Goal Descriptions
1 Goal Name Public Services
Goal
Description
CDBG public services allocations are made to a variety of grantees. Service provision include youth employment readiness,
mentoring for at-risk youth, literacy and language attainment, community resource advocacy, legal aid for homelessness
prevention, mobile food market, and food pantries.
The seven projects being funded are as follows:
Center for New Americans - Fostering Immigrant Economic Independence: $11,625; 55 people
Community Action Pioneer Valley - Community Resource and Advocacy: $15,000; 50 people
Grow Food Northampton - Mobile Food Market $15,000; 500 people
Community Legal Aid - Homeless Prevention: $11,250; 30 people
Literacy Project - Pathways to Success: $11,250; 22 people
Center For Human Development - BBBSHC: $15,375; 35 people
MANNA - Community Kitchen - $15,000; 600 people
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2 Goal Name Preserve Affordable Housing, Tenancy Help & Rehab
Goal
Description
The housing rehabilitation program for LMI homeowners will continue in Program Year 2023. Community Action Pioneer
Valley (CAPV) has had a great start to their first year administering the program. The scope of work is 2-4 owner-occupied
units to be completed this year. This program allows the City to continue to look for opportunities to rehabilitate houses
for accessibility, code compliance, emergency repairs, and lead paint abatement. Lead paint abatement is a concern due to
the prevalence of lead paint in the City's old housing stock and as an impediment to access for families with children. CAPV
will be able to combine the housing rehab program with their existing Home Energy Conservation Program and Older
Adult Home Repair Program to rehabilitate affordable housing at multiple levels.
The funding allocation is as follows:
-Administration and Indirect Costs: $16,554.90
-Hard Costs: $83,445.10
-Total: $100,000
3 Goal Name Economic Development & Income Maximization
Goal
Description
Valley CDC will provide one-on-one microenterprise technical assistance and counseling to new and existing micro-
enterprises. This is for businesses with five or less employees to retain and/or create new job opportunities. Funding is set
at $50,000.
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4 Goal Name Improve Public Facilities & Infrastructure
Goal
Description
The City will rehabilitate the Community Resiliency Hub that was purchased by the City to create a resiliency-hub to serve
low- and moderate-income people and those most vulnerable to crisis (pandemic, floods, etc.) and chronic stress
(homelessness, poverty, etc.) This Community Resiliency Hub will serve as office space for several public service agencies
helping low- and moderate-income clientele (LMC) such as homeless, people with disabilities, and front line communities
who are most affected by extreme events, such as weather and the COVID-19 pandemic. This building will host several
public service agencies that receive CDBG money, whose own DOE is serving LMC clients. These communities also have a
higher incidence of co-morbidities such as obesity and asthma and will need to use the 'cooling center' of hub for extreme
heat. This could also serve as an emergency shelter in the event of flooding or other event. This space may also house
storage lockers for homeless individuals, which was a need identified in the coordinated outreach for a working group on
downtown homeless population.
The funding for this includes $7,000 in prior years funding.
5 Goal Name Planning and Administration
Goal
Description
CDBG planning and administration funds will be used to operate the CDBG program.
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Projects
AP-35 Projects – 91.220(d)
Introduction
The City of Northampton is expected to receive approximately $630,060 in CDBG from HUD. An
additional $7,000 in, unexpended funds from prior program year will be reallocated and applied to
projects in the upcoming program year. This Action Plan details how CDBG funds will be spent on new
projects to address priorities identified in the City's five-year Consolidated Plan as reviewed and
updated.
Projects
# Project Name
1 Public Services
2 Community Resilience Hub
3 Housing Rehab
4 Micro Enterprise Tech Assistance
5 Planning and Administration
Table 7 - Project Information Describe the reasons for allocation priorities and any obstacles to addressing underserved needs
The City determined allocation priorities based on what agencies could best address the needs of low-
and moderate-income people and goals established in the City’s Consolidated Plan. The City's emphasis
has been to support public service agencies addressing basic needs, improving public facilities and
infrastructure for ADA accessibility, adding affordable housing, and providing housing rehabilitation
resources to low-income homeowners.
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AP-38 Project Summary
Project Summary Information
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1 Project Name Public Services
Target Area
Goals Supported Public Services
Needs Addressed Homelessness Prevention
Economic Development
Addressing Basic Needs
Funding CDBG: $94,500
Description Seven public service agencies and seven projects. Activities include
housing & income stabilization, and coordinated referrals to
Northampton households in need; create and support quality
mentoring relationships for low-income children in Northampton; help
protect tenants who are at risk of eviction, subsidy termination, and
homelessness by providing legal assistance; provide comprehensive
Adult Basic Education (ABE) services to adults and out-of-school youths
age 16 and over and Education and Career Advising and Programming
to develop pathways to economic opportunity and security; and, offer
free classes in English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL); support
for immigrants seeking and applying for jobs; and a two food banks.
The seven projects being funded are as follows:Center for New
Americans - Fostering Immigrant Economic Independence: $11,625; 55
peopleCommunity Action Pioneer Valley - Community Resource and
Advocacy: $15,000; 30 peopleGrow Food Northampton - Mobile Food
Market $15,000; 500 peopleCommunity Legal Aid - Homeless
Prevention: $11,250; 30 peopleLiteracy Project - Pathways to Success:
$11,250; 22 peopleCenter For Human Development - BBBSHC: $15,375;
35 peopleMANNA - Community Kitchen - $15,000; 600 people
Target Date 6/30/2024
Estimate the number
and type of families
that will benefit from
the proposed activities
1292 persons assisted, of which 1,262 are "Public service activities
other than Low/Moderate Income Housing Benefit" and 30 are
"Homelessness Prevention".
Location Description No target location will be utilized. The CDBG funds are for serving
residents of Northampton citywide.
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Planned Activities Activities include housing & income stabilization, and coordinated
referrals to Northampton households in need; create and support
quality mentoring relationships for low-income children in
Northampton; help protect tenants who are at risk of eviction, subsidy
termination, and homelessness by providing legal assistance; provide
comprehensive Adult Basic Education (ABE) services to adults and out-
of-school youths age 16 and over and Education and Career Advising
and Programming to develop pathways to economic opportunity and
security; and, offer free classes in English for Speakers of Other
Languages (ESOL) and support for immigrants seeking and applying for
jobs.
2 Project Name Community Resilience Hub
Target Area
Goals Supported Improve Public Facilities & Infrastructure
Needs Addressed Addressing Basic Needs
Public Facilities
Funding CDBG: $266,560
Description Costs associated with the acquisition, rehab, and consultation to create
a community resiliency hub to serve low- and moderate-income people
and those most vulnerable to crisis (pandemic, floods, etc.) and chronic
stress (homelessness, poverty, etc.) This Community Resiliency Hub will
serve as office space for several public service agencies helping low-
and moderate-income clientele (LMC) such as homeless, people with
disabilities, and front line communities who are most affected by
extreme events, such as weather and the COVID-19 pandemic. This
building will host several public service agencies that receive CDBG
money, whose own DOE is serving LMC clients. These communities also
have a higher incidence of co-morbidities such as obesity and asthma
and will need to use the 'cooling center' of hub for extreme heat. This
could also serve as an emergency shelter in the event of flooding or
other event. This space may also house storage lockers for homeless
individuals, which was a need identified in the coordinated outreach for
a working group on downtown homeless population.The funding for
this includes $7,000 in prior years funding.
Target Date 6/30/2024
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Estimate the number
and type of families
that will benefit from
the proposed activities
250 individuals
Location Description 298 Main St, Northampton is the location of the building that is being
purchased and rehabilitated.
Planned Activities Costs associated with the acquisition, rehab, and consultation to create
a community resiliency hub.
3 Project Name Housing Rehab
Target Area
Goals Supported Preserve Affordable Housing, Tenancy Help & Rehab
Needs Addressed Housing Rehabilitation Resources
Funding CDBG: $100,000
Description Housing Rehabilitation for 4 low- and moderate-income homeowners.
Community Action Pioneer Valley (CAPV) will administer the City of
Northampton's Housing Rehabilitation Program to facilitate essential
home repairs for LMI homeowners in Northampton. Eligible units are
owner-occupied single-family homes, duplexes, and condominiums.-
Administration and Indirect Costs: $16,554.90-Hard Costs: $83,445.10-
Total: $100,000
Target Date 6/30/2024
Estimate the number
and type of families
that will benefit from
the proposed activities
4 households
Location Description No targeted location, only Northampton homeowners are eligible.
Planned Activities Housing Rehabilitation for 4 low- and moderate-income homeowners.
Will facilitate essential home repairs for LMI homeowners in
Northampton. Eligible units are owner-occupied single-family homes,
duplexes, and condominiums.
4 Project Name Micro Enterprise Tech Assistance
Target Area
Goals Supported Economic Development & Income Maximization
Needs Addressed Economic Development
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Funding CDBG: $50,000
Description Valley CDC's Economic Development program offers a range of free
services to meet the needs of low-to-moderate income individuals and
business owners in Northampton. The program is designed to assist in
all aspects of owning a business including business plan development,
financial projections, strategic marketing, loan packaging, access to
community loan funds, and grant applications. 65 individuals assisted18
jobs created22 jobs retained
Target Date 6/30/2024
Estimate the number
and type of families
that will benefit from
the proposed activities
65 individuals assisted
18 jobs created
22 jobs retained
Location Description No targeted location, only Northampton residents are eligible.
Planned Activities Will offer a range of free services to meet the needs of low-to-
moderate income individuals and business owners in Northampton. The
program is designed to assist in all aspects of owning a business
including business plan development, financial projections, strategic
marketing, loan packaging, access to community loan funds, and grant
applications.
5 Project Name Planning and Administration
Target Area
Goals Supported Planning and Administration
Needs Addressed Homelessness Prevention
Housing Rehabilitation Resources
Economic Development
Addressing Basic Needs
Public Facilities
Funding CDBG: $126,000
Description Planning and administration for the CDBG program. Payroll for CDBG
planning and administering staff, benefits, office expenses, training,
software, printing (legal notices and printouts), and registry of deeds
recording fees.
Target Date 6/30/2024
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Estimate the number
and type of families
that will benefit from
the proposed activities
Location Description No target location
Planned Activities Planning and administration of the CDBG award.
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AP-50 Geographic Distribution – 91.220(f)
Description of the geographic areas of the entitlement (including areas of low-income and
minority concentration) where assistance will be directed
The City has not used any geographic targeted areas, but has instead focused on individual projects such
as funding a housing authority rehabilitation or a slum and blight spot zone. There are no racial groups
in Northampton that experience moderate or high levels of segregation according to the Analysis of
Impediments (AI) from 2019. People of color are more concentrated in census tracts 8216.01, 8216.02,
and 8222 but these concentrations are much lower than the state overall and do not constitute a
minority concentration (20% or more of the population). Census tract 8220 has a high percentage of
people of color, but this most likely due to the presence of Smith College.
Geographic Distribution
Target Area Percentage of Funds
Table 8 - Geographic Distribution
Rationale for the priorities for allocating investments geographically
There are no geographic targeted areas. The Public Service programs that are funded by CDBG deliver
their services citywide., so there is no clearly defined specific geographic areas with high need in our
small City of 29,751 (2020 Census). However, subrecipients do employ targeted outreach strategies to
particular areas to reach populations that face more challenges than the community at large, such as
homeless encampments, SROs, or housing authority developments.
The Housing Rehab Program serves single-family and duplex owner-occupants throughout the City.
There does not appear to be any concentrations of where houses are rehabilitated.
Discussion
According to the Analysis of Impediments (AI) from 2019, communities in the region should be split
between 70/30 white/people of color. Northampton’s population is 81% white and 19% people of color.
Therefore, Northampton needs to attract and retain thousands of people of color to balance out this
disparity.
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Affordable Housing
AP-55 Affordable Housing – 91.220(g)
Introduction
While the City maintains an Affordable Housing (MA - subsidized housing inventory) above 11% for low-
and moderate-income residents, there is still need for increasing the number of affordable units (those
that are subsidized). According to the fair housing assessment, 14% of total households in Northampton
are considered to have a severe housing cost burden. This number increases to 25% for families with
five or more people and 18% for non-family households. The City continues to work to acquire land or
prepare it for affordable housing developers: Pioneer Valley Habitat for Humanity for single-family
homeowners and other development agencies such as Valley Community Development, the Community
Builders, and Way Finders for large multi-family rental units. The process of creating affordable units is
very slow and has increased significantly in the last three years. The cost to create one affordable
housing unit is above $500,000 per unit.
When the units are finished and the lottery is finally open, they often receive hundreds of applications.
The City is in the design stages of turning over a portion of the City Hall parking lot to create 24
affordable units right in downtown. The slums and blight project (Moose Lodge demolition) from last
year is complete and the City is working towards preparing that site for an RFP to develop up to three
single-family homes. The Pioneer Valley Habitat for Humanity has broken ground over the last year on
its single-family homes on Burts Pit Road that was facilitated by the Office of Planning & Sustainability.
The Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher list maintained at the Northampton Housing Authority (NHA). The
wait for Federal and State housing units at the NHA for both elderly/disabled and families is at least two
years. The NHA owns and manages 618 public housing affordable units in Northampton. They consist of
110 federal and 508 state funded, and they have 871 leased housing program vouchers.
One Year Goals for the Number of Households to be Supported
Homeless 0
Non-Homeless 0
Special-Needs 0
Total 0
Table 9 - One Year Goals for Affordable Housing by Support Requirement
One Year Goals for the Number of Households Supported Through
Rental Assistance 0
The Production of New Units 0
Rehab of Existing Units 4
Acquisition of Existing Units 0
Total 4
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Table 10 - One Year Goals for Affordable Housing by Support Type
Discussion
There will be up to four households rehabilitated through the housing rehab program.
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AP-60 Public Housing – 91.220(h)
Introduction
The Northampton Housing Authority has worked to improve the accessibility of their properties in the
last few years and to increase the involvement of the residents. They have also engaged with the
Northampton Housing Partnership to investigate how to get more residents in Northampton to lease up
in the City.
Actions planned during the next year to address the needs to public housing
The NHA continuously evaluates their properties, and identifying units in need of repair, rehabilitation,
or accessibility needs. There are no units that have been identified for rehab or accessibility
improvements this year.
Actions to encourage public housing residents to become more involved in management and
participate in homeownership
Property management at the NHA regularly sends information packets and incentive programs to the
Community Development Planner for dissemination. The NHA formally recognized the creation of a
Tenants Association at Hampshire Heights (State family housing development) and continues to work
with McDonald House, and Forsander Tenant Associations. A meeting is also held yearly for federal
properties for the Capital Fund Program, to solicit input on needed renovation projects.
The NHA participates in the dissemination of smoking cessation materials when tenants move into a unit
and continues to install smoking shelters at developments annually as needed. The NHA sponsors tenant
events, produces a newsletter, works with the State's LEAP program for increasing educational
attainment for residents of Hampshire Heights. The NHA launched a website in August of 2019 which
has increased communication with management and greater access to policies and procedures for
residents. A new Resident Services Coordinator was hired in June of 2019 for the two family
developments; Hampshire Heights and Florence Heights.
If the PHA is designated as troubled, describe the manner in which financial assistance will be
provided or other assistance
The Northampton Housing Authority is not designated as troubled.
Discussion
The NHA has created a website since the last Consolidated Plan where all of their properties are listed
and information such as Section 8 vouchers can be found. They have also added their units to the
Housing Navigator website in 2021, which offers an easy way to search for affordable and accessible
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units across Massachusetts.
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AP-65 Homeless and Other Special Needs Activities – 91.220(i)
Introduction
The City works closely with many services providers through its Next Step Collaborative meetings,
attendance at the Western Mass Network to End Homelessness meetings, the Housing Partnership,
planning for the community resiliency-hub, and from knowledge built through reports like the Mayor's
working group on panhandling, the AI, and the Climate Resiliency and Regeneration Plan. All these
efforts have informed the City's goals for the Consolidated Plan and the projects for this action plan.
For the last three years, the City and its partners have been coordinating the structure of community
resiliency-hub, as the City has been actively pursuing buildings to house it. There are many service
providers who work with people experiencing homelessness that may be housed there. The City has also
created a Department of Community Care which has been combined with the Health Dept. to create the
Dept. of Health and Human Services. Their mission is to respond to calls related to mental health,
substance use, social service-related requests, and other crisis situations of Northampton residents as
an alternative to a traditional police response. They reorganized dept. has been working closely with the
other stakeholders on the community resiliency hub.
Describe the jurisdictions one-year goals and actions for reducing and ending homelessness
including
Reaching out to homeless persons (especially unsheltered persons) and assessing their
individual needs
Eliot Homeless Services is the selected vendor with the statewide contract from the Department of
Mental Health to administer the PATH Program (Project for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness)
and works closely with the City. The PATH Program provides street outreach clinicians to several
Western Mass. communities. The PATH workers in Northampton have lived experience and can serve
that population well. The clinician works closely with the Northampton Police Department, Tapestry
Health and ServiceNet, Inc. to link clients with needed services and housing search. They are part of a
group that assembles for case conferencing through HUD's coordinated entry system and they prioritize
chronically homeless people for housing placement and services. The PATH worker attends the monthly
Next Step Collaborative meetings and provides up to date information on the numbers and locations of
people living outside. This helps guide outreach activities and informs the City about whether the
existing shelter capacity will be enough for the season. They visit camps and conducts engagement and
assessment activities. During the day, unsheltered people can access the drop-in center at MANNA
Community Kitchen for additional case management and resources or the library to access the internet
and books.
Dial-Self, the area agency serving homeless unaccompanied youth, employs staff that conducts
outreach. Their workers connect with young people at meal and shelter sites. Tapestry Health, the
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regional organization that has a needle exchange program and services in the City, supports sharps
pickups from homeless encampments, and supports street harm reduction activities. They have been an
important voice at the Mayor's Panhandling Report (2019) which has cataloged existing services and
promote dialog between service providers, the business community, law enforcement and those
engaging in street activity.
The number of unsheltered homeless living outside on Army Corps of Engineers lands and City
conservation restricted areas has increased significantly over the last three years These areas are often
in wetlands or floodplains and are unable to host camps. The Police and EMS personnel sometimes need
to access these areas for medical response, but have been hampered by the areas inaccessibility. . Eliot
Homeless Services’ PATH worker makes regular visits to the sites to engage with campers to inform
them if the camp needs to be vacated, so they can access services or at least protect their personal
items and documents. Another goal is to protect campers and workers from potentially harmful camp
conditions. The Community Development Planner helps monitor a protocol that was developed in 2018
with the City's Department of Public Works, the Board of Health, the Building Inspection office, the
Office of Planning & Sustainability and Eliot Homeless Services to coordinate the response of City
departments to the encampments. The Office of Planning & Sustainability’s Lands Agent regularly cleans
up sites and updates services providers on camp activity.
Addressing the emergency shelter and transitional housing needs of homeless persons
There is still a need for additional emergency shelters and transitional housing programs in the City. ESG
and CDBG are often two of the only sources to fund emergency shelters, but last year, a small newly
created non-profit did receive over $600,000 to create up to 16 permanent supportive housing for
homeless that are severely medically compromised. ServiceNet, Inc., has long been the administrator of
the year-round Grove Street Inn and the Interfaith Winter Shelters, but have chosen to not reapply for
funding to run the program. The new winter shelter provider will be Clinical Support Options (CSO),
which has many other programs in the region. Both organizations are working diligently to ensure a
smooth uneventful transition in March. .
Transitional housing is a successful model that allowed intensive case management and the time needed
for people to hone the skills needed for long-term housing stability. Most of all the prior transitional
housing programs funded through the Continuum of Care have been converted to permanent supported
housing units, to conform to HUD's funding priorities. As a result, the only transitional housing programs
with a 24 month length of stay limit operating in Northampton are the 163 beds managed by Soldier On
at the VA Medical Campus which includes 16 units recently created for women Veterans and their
children.
Northampton does not have a generic emergency shelter for families, and there are no families living in
encampments that have been discovered to date. As a result, most of the City's homeless services
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coordination work is focused on individuals. There is a need for increased services for women, as there
is an increasing number of women in the shelters. Many have been traumatized by domestic violence
and have mental health and substance use disorder challenges. There are couples living outside as well,
because if they go into shelter, they will be separated. The Safe Passage shelter for victims of domestic
violence and their children is always full and the Center for Human Development's Grace House for
women in recovery and their children, is always at full capacity. There are no plans to increase the
shelter capacity this coming year within the City. Service providers often see this as a regional issue and
look for solutions regionally. When Northampton cannot house people in a shelter, they reach out to
shelter providers in the three counties for accommodations.
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, was the main entry point for homeless
individuals to access services, but has been closed due to the pandemic. Many homeless are getting
services from the drop-in center at MANNA Community Kitchen at St. John’s Church. The services
accessed at the center will likely move to the Community Resiliency Center once it is operational.
The coordinated entry system can be reached through an 800 number for service referral. REACH
meetings (Regional Engagement and Assessment of Chronically Homeless people) have evolved into
Coordinated Entry meetings. Relevant service providers meet weekly and monthly to assess and place
chronically homeless people when housing placements exist. The City's Veterans Agent participates
when Veterans are identified in need of assistance. Dial/Self staff participate when someone between
the ages of 18-24 present for services. Jessie's House in Amherst addresses the needs of families finding
themselves homeless, through referrals from the Department of Transitional Assistance. Safe Passage
serves those affected by domestic violence. All of these programs work with participants to assess their
needs and provide case management with the goal of helping them transition to permanent housing
and independent living. The length of stay depends on how quickly a participant can address the
obstacles they face that may prevent them from accessing housing, and the availability of a unit.
The City is always striving to move toward increasing the number of housing units available for people
experiencing homelessness. The CDBG funded public service agencies doing housing stabilization work
(Community Legal Aid,), the CPC funded Community Housing Support Services Program and Resident
Service Coordinators at the Housing Authority and larger apartment complexes, all work diligently to
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prevent people from returning to homelessness.
Helping low-income individuals and families avoid becoming homeless, especially extremely
low-income individuals and families and those who are: 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); or, receiving
assistance from public or private agencies that address housing, health, social services,
employment, education, or youth needs.
The City will continue to support through either CDBG funding or advocacy, the SRO Outreach Program
and the Community Legal Aid Homeless Prevention Program, to allow them to work with residents
whose tenancies that are at risk. The SRO Outreach Coordinator can help a tenant mediate a dispute
with a landlord to avoid eviction, and the CLA Attorneys conduct advocacy at Housing Court which often
results in payment plans to preserve the tenancy. The City’s Office of Planning & Sustainability has a
“housing stability” section on their website which has many resources for people looking to maintain
their housing status (renter or home-owner) or search for affordable units.
Most of the public services agencies funded by the City with CDBG directly or indirectly prevent
homelessness. Increasing language competency to secure work and economic self-sufficiency, accessing
free food to be better able to afford housing costs, preparing at risk youth for employment
opportunities and career paths, are some examples. Enhancing self-worth, life skills and educational
attainment for better employment, are all critical components to having stable housing and healthy
livelihoods.
Social workers from the Cooley Dickinson Hospital attend the Next Step Collaborative meetings to
network with service providers. They will contact ServiceNet to identify available beds prior to releasing
a patient into homelessness. Soldier On will pick up any Veteran being released from the Hampshire
County House of Corrections, who does not have a place to go identified. The City's Veterans Agent does
extensive case management and works closely with Soldier On and the Northampton Housing Authority
who administers the regions VASH units.
Dial/Self works closely with the Department of Families and Children, and the Department of Youth
Services to address youth being discharged from the foster care system. Dial/Self provides housing and
support services to this population and has 8 units in Northampton.
Discussion
Collaborative advocacy and support will be provided to Safe Passage for the operation of their
emergency family shelter for victims of domestic violence and to Soldier On for their emergency and
transitional beds that serve men and women Veterans. The Community Development Planner will
attend monthly meetings with the City's homeless service providers at the Next Step Collaborative, to
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ensure services are coordinated and utilized effectively. City updates are provided with regard to the
production of new units, which is the key to successful movement for people working to exit
homelessness.
Elders who may be at risk can be served by Highland Valley Elder Services, the Northampton Housing
Authority, Northampton's Council on Aging and the Senior Center. Services include home modification
grants/loan to age in place, home delivered meals, public housing and outreach, education and
socialization opportunities. The EARN program provides an opportunity for income maximization for
elders not able to survive on Social Security or savings alone after retirement.
Households with members who are disabled can be served by Stavros Center for Independent Living, the
Department of Developmental Services and the Mass. Rehabilitation Commission. Households with
members experiencing mental health issues are served by ServiceNet, Inc., Community Support Options
(CSO) and the Department of Mental Health (DMH). The Recovery Center located downtown serves as a
day drop in and resource center for those in recovery from substance use and mental health disorders.
DMH and Department of Developmental Services (DDS) have residential programs that operate in the
City, with 24/7 hour staffing supports.
Gandara Mental Health Center operates Hairston House and the Maple Avenue house in Northampton
for those in recovery from substance use. Victims of domestic violence can access Safe Passage for
emergency hot line information and referrals, emergency shelter, legal advocacy and case management
services. People living with HIV/Aids can be served by A Positive Place for housing subsidies and support
services which operates out of Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton.
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AP-75 Barriers to affordable housing – 91.220(j)
Introduction:
Actions it planned 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
The recommendations and actions that the fair housing assessment have informed the work at the
Office of Planning & Sustainability to create more equitable housing policies and the advocacy and
research done by the Housing Partnership since the report was published in 2019. The Housing
Partnership serves as the City's Fair Housing Committee and members were involved in reports
formulation. The City has passed a two-family by right zoning ordinance, which would allow the creation
of more housing units, lessening the burden on housing costs. The City is also investigating the banning
of certain fees associated with moving into a rental unit. There is also legislation at the state level that
would allow for an affordable housing fund financed by fees levied on the sale of houses above a certain
price point. This would be an opt-in program that the City is actively investigating. Most of the barriers
within the control of City departments have been examined. The Housing Partnership has built the
recommendations of the report into its goals since the report came out.
The Massachusetts Fair Housing Center has previously done community education and outreach in
Northampton and has expressed interest in working with the City to host another event. The Housing
Partnership would like to have another landlord workshop over the next program year, but that has not
been finalized yet.
Discussion:
The City will work collaboratively with the Housing Partnership, Next Step Collaborative, and other sub-
committees to determine the next course of action. They will investigate how the actions steps created
from the assessment of barriers can be implemented in the next program year and leverage current
initiatives.
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AP-85 Other Actions – 91.220(k)
Introduction:
The City will play a critical role in facilitating communication and collaboration in the face of limited
community resources. The City will support people and organizations carrying out public service
programming, preserving and creating affordable housing, increasing people’s economic self-sufficiency,
enhancing public facilities and infrastructure to improve the life quality of people that may be
underserved and have insufficient incomes.
Actions planned to address obstacles to meeting underserved needs
The City has created a Department of Community Care whose mission is divert police calls related to
behavioral health, substance use, social service-related requests, and other crisis situations of
Northampton residents away from sending a police officer. This process can help keep people who are
in a crisis from also getting a criminal record, which can often make finding housing difficult or overly
burden them with other costs associated with the justice system.
The City will support and participate in the Western Massachusetts Network to End Homelessness, the
Rural Three County Continuum of Care, the Next Step Collaborative, and the Northampton Housing
Partnership. This involvement informs the work of the Mayor's Office, the Department of Community
Care, and relevant City departments to insure that local government is an active and responsive partner
in addressing obstacles that residents experience. Housing and services for women were identified as a
high priority need in previous action plans. Dialogue with Safe Passage to determine if they were
interested in developing additional housing options for victims of domestic violence, but they currently
do not have capacity
Previously, traditional non-profit housing developers have not developed housing first units Developers
say that they are hard to create with HUD’s funding/reporting requirements and more recently, the cost
of creating just the units is prohibitively expensive. Adding additional service costs make it even more
so. The City will work with various stakeholders and funding apparatus (CDBG, CPA, Housing Choice,
Short-term rental fees) to create affordable housing. Other sources of funding such as ARPA fund, CIP,
and casino mitigation funds will be used for other program delivery that CDBG cannot pay for. In all
activities, the City will be looking to help people who are underserved, which often are people who are
low-income.
Actions planned to foster and maintain affordable housing
The City is always looking to acquire parcels that could be used affordable housing units. The City is
using $250,000 in the State’s Housing Choice grant to prepare the physical infrastructure and designs of
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four City owned properties so that they can be sold to affordable housing developers.
Whenever the City gives money for housing, it requires an affordability restriction. The Department of
Housing and Community Development's (DHCD) Subsidized Housing Inventory of formally subsidized
housing units is monitored continually by the Community Development Planner. No other expiring use
dates are occurring in the next decade, as most of the newer projects are affordable in perpetuity, or
don't expire until 2030 and after.
Housing Partnership has also been investigating over the last two years, if the NHA could move towards
using a different FMR than the Springfield MSA because the vouchers for Northampton are enough to
pay for housing.
Actions planned to reduce lead-based paint hazards
The City's Housing Rehabilitation Program will continue to include lead paint abatement as an eligible
activity. All units addressed by the program are tested for lead, and abatement occurs when required.
Other state and federal program are also posted on the Office of Planning & Sustainability website.
Levels of childhood lead poisoning remain low according to the State's Department of Public Health, but
child blood lead level testing has dropped by 20 percentage points since 2020. Lead paint is a silent
discriminator when landlords refuse units to families so they can avoid the de-leading process. The
public education campaign that resulted from the Analysis of Impediments report addressed increasing
information dissemination about this illegal practice. The City's Board of Health continues to maintain
the database of units that have been certified as lead free. Previously, letters from the Mayor to every
landlord in the community contained information on lead paint laws and resources for abatement. The
Community Development Planner will look for other sources of funding for de-leading homes such as
the HUD Lead Hazard Reduction Grant Program.
Actions planned to reduce the number of poverty-level families
The City will continue to support the MANNA Community Kitchen, the food pantry at the Northampton
Survival Center to address food insecurity. The Literacy Project, the Center for New Americans and
Community Action's Youth Employment Readiness Program will assist residents with economic
empowerment.
Community Action's Resource and Advocacy Center is where people can call in and receive direct
assistance to access resources and benefits. Bi-lingual staff are available to serve Spanish speakers.
Community Legal Aid had been active in securing local services from Way Finders in Housing Court and
for Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT) application intakes, so local service providers
and clients don't have to drive to Springfield to access those resources.
The Northampton City Council supports the work of the Living Wage Campaign and publicly
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acknowledges employers in the community that pay a living wage. The Pioneer Valley Workers Center
advocates for disenfranchised workers to secure higher pay and safe and respectful work environments.
Many of their clients are day laborers on farms and in construction. They do education and outreach to
insure employees are aware of their rights and responsibilities and strives to improve
employer/employee relationships.
Actions planned to develop institutional structure
The Department of Community Care is continuing to create its program and develop protocols for
interacting with the police dept., the Mayor’s Office, and the social service providers.
The Office of Planning & Sustainability is kept informed of developing issues through monthly meetings
of the Northampton Housing Partnership, the Next Step Collaborative, the Coordinated Entry meetings
and the Western Mass Network to End Homelessness (services for individuals, families, youth,
Veterans). The Next Step Collaborative meetings are attended by providers working with sheltered and
unsheltered people, Veterans, people with HIV/Aids, residents of the SRO's, homeless and formerly
homeless consumers.
Actions planned to enhance coordination between public and private housing and social
service agencies
Way Finders manages the Lumber Yard Apartments and the Sergeant House for Valley CDC. In addition
to their own properties - Paradise Pond Apartments, the Earle Street SRO, Live 155 and the Lorraine SRO
at 96 Pleasant Street. Valley CDC utilizes HMR Property Management for the Maples, Millbank, the King
Street SRO and the School Street apartments. HMR is familiar with social service agencies providing
housing stabilization work for tenants and all interface collaboratively. Valley CDC and Way Finders also
work in partnership to develop, and manage affordable housing for the City and region.
The City will continue to work with the NHA’s Resident Services Coordinators to insure they are aware of
local resources to enhance self-sufficiency for their tenants. The NHA hired a RSC for Hampshire Heights,
in addition to Florence Heights, to serve the families in their public housing developments, an exciting
step forward.
The Coordinated Entry meetings have identified the need for more landlords to be willing to accept
chronically homeless people and veteran’s using VASH.
Discussion:
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Program Specific Requirements
AP-90 Program Specific Requirements – 91.220(l)(1,2,4)
Introduction:
The City does not expect to receive any program income for this year. Additionally, there is no program
income from previous years that has not been reprogrammed.
Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG)
Reference 24 CFR 91.220(l)(1)
Projects planned with all CDBG funds expected to be available during the year are identified in the
Projects Table. The following identifies program income that is available for use that is included in
projects to be carried out.
1. The total amount of program income that will have been received before the start of the next
program year and that has not yet been reprogrammed 0
2. The amount of proceeds from section 108 loan guarantees that will be used during the year to
address the priority needs and specific objectives identified in the grantee's strategic plan. 0
3. The amount of surplus funds from urban renewal settlements 0
4. The amount of any grant funds returned to the line of credit for which the planned use has not
been included in a prior statement or plan 0
5. The amount of income from float-funded activities 0
Total Program Income: 0
Other CDBG Requirements
1. The amount of urgent need activities 0
2. The estimated percentage of CDBG funds that will be used for activities that
benefit persons of low and moderate income.Overall Benefit - A consecutive period
of one, two or three years may be used to determine that a minimum overall
benefit of 70% of CDBG funds is used to benefit persons of low and moderate
income. Specify the years covered that include this Annual Action Plan. 72.00%
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The Plan details how funds expected from the 2023 grant will be expended Program income comes back
to CDBG infrequently, when deferred housing rehab and home repair loans are paid off. The majority of
homeowners request subordinations when they go to refinance.
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