City asks public for direction on spending $10 million

LITTLE ROCK -- The city is seeking public input on how best to spend a projected $10 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development over the next five years.

An online survey has been open since March 1 and will remain open through the end of May. The city's Department of Housing and Neighborhood Programs wants to gather a good many responses, director Kevin Howard said.

The city hosted three public forums via teleconference Thursday, co-hosted by the community development research consultant Western Economic Services, and it will host a fourth Monday evening. The forums serve as another opportunity for citizens to express concerns they have about housing in Little Rock.

Attendees Thursday had questions and concerns about education for new homebuyers and opportunities for people with disabilities.

Howard said he appreciated the feedback but knew that the online setting might have limited attendance, especially from older people, whom he said usually participate in the city's public forums.

"The issue we're having this year is the pandemic is still affecting communication," Howard said. "Normally we have these meetings in person, where people have the opportunity to communicate face to face."

The federal housing department requires an action plan every year and a more detailed consolidated plan every five years to provide grant funding to cities with populations of at least 50,000. Those cities are also required to provide HUD with an analysis of "impediments to fair housing choice," including disparities in access or disproportionate need for specific groups.

The possible impediments mentioned in the survey include building codes, street lighting, land cost, land availability and the lack of property maintenance code enforcement.

In addition to types of housing, the survey asks how much the city needs community and public facilities -- such as child care, recreation and homeless shelters -- and infrastructure improvements, from sidewalks and bicycle paths to water and sewer systems.

The city will receive about $2.8 million from the housing department this year, said Beverly Arbor, the city's community development planner. The money will come from three federal programs: the Home Investment Partnerships Program (HOME), Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) and Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS (HOPWA).

Through the survey, Little Rock residents can weigh in on the use of more than $700,000 in HOME funds and more than $1.5 million in block grant funds. Both are meant to be used for low- to medium-income households or neighborhoods. Home Investment Partnerships Program funds are for rehabilitating or building new housing units, either for rent or ownership, and block grant funds are meant to bolster public services, facilities and infrastructure.

The city has a waiting list for recipients of home investment funds, Arbor said, because of the ongoing covid-19 pandemic. These recipients must be at least 62 years old or have disabilities and must be making 50% or less of the area's median income. Half of Little Rock's median income is $33,000 per year.

According to U.S. Census data presented during the forums, Little Rock saw an increase of nearly 2,500 households making $100,000 or more from 2010 to 2019, but also had almost 7,000 more people in poverty, or a 2.3% increase, from 2000 to 2019.

From 2017-19, Little Rock had more than 1,000 homeless people each year.

The census collects data on the federal housing department's definition of "housing problems," referring to crowding, incomplete facilities and "cost burden," or households spending 30% or more of their incomes on housing.

In 2019, 1,055 housing units in Little Rock had incomplete kitchen or plumbing facilities, and 2,010 households were overcrowded. More than 31% of Little Rock households in 2019 were cost-burdened, including more than 45% of renters.

Housing problems disproportionately affect low-income Black and Hispanic residents of the city, with more than 43% of each group experiencing those hardships from 2012-16, according to federal housing department data.

Natalie Ramm, a fair housing attorney with Legal Aid of Arkansas, said Thursday that disability discrimination in housing is a problem in Little Rock. Census data show that more than half of the city's adults, ages 75 or older, have disabilities.

"We have generally seen that disability cases have been a big issue, specifically emotional support animal denials and things like that," Ramm said. "Another common theme unfortunately has been sexual harassment and discrimination. We've seen a little uptick in that."

Nearly half of the city's housing units were built between 1960 and 1989, according to census data. One member of the public mentioned that many units predate accessibility standards for people with disabilities. Another said people with diagnosed mental health issues also have trouble finding housing.

When asked if the city provides education to new homebuyers, Arbor said the city requires eight hours of homebuyer counseling in order to participate in its down payment assistance program.

"Most loans that you get ask you for some kind of counseling, but we do not do direct counseling," she said. "Right now we are assisting with down payments, but the house has to be a new construction or vacant because of covid, because we have to go in and do our inspection. It has to pass housing quality standards."

Howard said Thursday's meetings provided some valuable input even with the virtual setting.

"I think people felt they were able to provide feedback that they felt was necessary," Howard said.

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