§ 91.215 - Strategic plan.

§ 91.215 Strategic plan.

(a) General. For the categories described in paragraphs (b), (c), (d), (e), and (f) of this section, the consolidated plan must do the following:

(1) Indicate the general priorities for allocating investment geographically within the jurisdiction (or within the EMSA for the HOPWA program) and among different activities and needs, as identified in tables prescribed by HUD.

(2) Describe the rationale for establishing the allocation priorities given to each category of priority needs, particularly among extremely low-income, low-income, and moderate-income households;

(3) Identify any obstacles to meeting underserved needs;

(4) Summarize the priorities and specific objectives the jurisdiction intends to initiate and/or complete during the time period covered by the strategic plan and how funds that are reasonably expected to be available will be used to address identified needs. For each specific objective statement, identify proposed accomplishments and outcomes the jurisdiction hopes to achieve in quantitative terms over a specified time period (e.g., one, two, three or more years), or in other measurable terms as identified and defined by the jurisdiction. This information is to be provided in accordance with guidance to be issued by HUD.

(b) Affordable housing. With respect to affordable housing, the consolidated plan must include the priority housing needs table prescribed by HUD and must do the following:

(1) The affordable housing section shall describe how the characteristics of the housing market and the severity of housing problems and needs of extremely low-income, low-income, and moderate-income renters and owners, persons at risk of homelessness, and homeless persons identified in accordance with § 91.205 provided the rationale for establishing allocation priorities and use of funds made available for rental assistance, production of new units, rehabilitation of existing units, or acquisition of existing units (including preserving affordable housing units that may be lost from the assisted housing inventory for any reason). Household and income types may be grouped together for discussion where the analysis would apply to more than one of them. If the jurisdiction intends to use HOME funds for tenant-based assistance, the jurisdiction must specify local market conditions that led to the choice of that option.

(2) The affordable housing section shall include specific objectives that describe proposed accomplishments the jurisdiction hopes to achieve and must specify the number of extremely low-income, low-income, and moderate-income families to whom the jurisdiction will provide affordable housing as defined in 24 CFR 92.252 for rental housing, 24 CFR 92.254 for homeownership, and 24 CFR 93.302 and 24 CFR 93.304 (if the jurisdiction receives HTF funds from the State) over a specific time period.

(c) Public housing. The consolidated plan must describe the manner in which the plan of the jurisdiction will address the needs of public housing, including the need to increase the number of accessible units where required by a Section 504 Voluntarily Compliance Agreement. The consolidated plan must also describe the jurisdiction's activities to encourage public housing residents to become more involved in management and participate in homeownership. If the public housing agency is designated as “troubled” by HUD under 24 CFR part 902, the jurisdiction must describe the manner in which it will provide financial or other assistance to improve its operations and remove the “troubled” designation.

(d) Homelessness. The consolidated plan must include the priority homeless needs table prescribed by HUD and must describe the jurisdiction's strategy for reducing and ending homelessness through:

(1) Reaching out to homeless persons (especially unsheltered persons) and assessing their individual needs;

(2) Addressing the emergency shelter and transitional housing needs of homeless persons;

(3) 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 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; and

(4) Helping low-income individuals and families avoid becoming homeless, especially extremely low-income individuals and families who are:

(i) Likely to become homeless after being discharged from publicly funded institutions and systems of care into homelessness (such as health-care facilities, mental health facilities, foster care and other youth facilities, and corrections programs and institutions) or

(ii) Receiving assistance from public and private agencies that address housing, health, social services, employment, education, or youth needs.

(e) Other special needs. With respect to special needs of the non-homeless, the consolidated plan must provide a concise summary of the priority housing and supportive service needs of persons who are not homeless but who may or may not require supportive housing (i.e., elderly, frail elderly, persons with disabilities (mental, physical, developmental), persons with alcohol or other drug addiction, persons with HIV/AIDS and their families, and public housing residents). If the jurisdiction intends to use HOME funds for tenant-based assistance to assist one or more of these subpopulations, it must specify local market conditions that led to the choice of this option.

(f) Nonhousing community development plan. If the jurisdiction seeks assistance under the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, the consolidated plan must provide a concise summary of the jurisdiction's priority non-housing community development needs eligible for assistance under HUD's community development programs by CDBG eligibility category, in accordance with a table prescribed by HUD. This community development component of the plan must state the jurisdiction's specific long-term and short-term community development objectives (including economic development activities that create jobs), which must be developed in accordance with the primary objective of the CDBG program to develop viable urban communities by providing decent housing and a suitable living environment and expanding economic opportunities, principally for low-income and moderate-income persons.

(g) Neighborhood Revitalization. Jurisdictions are encouraged to identify locally designated areas where geographically targeted revitalization efforts are carried out through multiple activities in a concentrated and coordinated manner. In addition, a jurisdiction may elect to carry out a HUD-approved neighborhood revitalization strategy that includes the economic empowerment of low-income residents with respect to one or more of its areas. If HUD approves such a strategy, the jurisdiction can obtain greater flexibility in the use of the CDBG funds in the revitalization area(s) as described in 24 CFR part 570, subpart C. This strategy must identify long-term and short-term objectives (e.g., physical improvements, social initiatives and economic empowerment), expressing them in terms of measures of outputs and outcomes the jurisdiction expects to achieve in the neighborhood through the use of HUD programs.

(h) Barriers to affordable housing. The consolidated plan must describe the jurisdiction's strategy to remove or ameliorate negative effects of public policies that serve as barriers to affordable housing, as identified in accordance with § 91.210(e), except that, if a State requires a unit of general local government to submit a regulatory barrier assessment that is substantially equivalent to the information required under this paragraph (h), as determined by HUD, the unit of general local government may submit its assessment submitted to the State to HUD and shall be considered to have complied with this requirement.

(i) Lead-based paint hazards. The consolidated plan must outline actions proposed or being taken to evaluate and reduce lead-based paint hazards and increase access to housing without such health hazards, how the plan for the reduction of lead-based hazards is related to the extent of lead poisoning and hazards, and how the plan for the reduction of lead-based hazards will be integrated into housing policies and programs.

(j) Anti-poverty strategy. The consolidated plan must provide a concise summary of the jurisdiction's goals, programs, and policies for reducing the number of poverty-level families and how the jurisdiction's goals, programs, and policies for producing and preserving affordable housing, set forth in the housing component of the consolidated plan, will be coordinated with other programs and services for which the jurisdiction is responsible and the extent to which they will reduce (or assist in reducing) the number of poverty-level families, taking into consideration factors over which the jurisdiction has control. These policies may include the jurisdiction's policies for providing employment and training opportunities to section 3 residents pursuant to 24 CFR part 13575.

(k) Institutional structure. The consolidated plan must provide a concise summary of the institutional structure, including private industry; nonprofit organizations; community and faith-based organizations; philanthropic organizations; the Continuum of Care; and public institutions, departments and agencies through which the jurisdiction will carry out its housing, homeless, and community development plan; a brief assessment of the strengths and gaps in that delivery system; and a concise summary of what the jurisdiction will do to overcome gaps in the institutional structure for carrying out its strategy for addressing its priority needs.

(l) Coordination. The consolidated plan must provide a concise summary of the jurisdiction's activities to enhance coordination among the Continuum of Care, public and assisted housing providers, and private and governmental health, mental health, and service agencies. The summary must address the jurisdiction's efforts to coordinate housing assistance and services for homeless persons (especially chronically homeless individuals and families, families with children, veterans and their families, and unaccompanied youth) and persons who were recently homeless but now live in permanent housing. With respect to the public entities involved, the plan must describe the means of cooperation and coordination among the State and any units of general local government in the metropolitan area in the implementation of its consolidated plan. With respect to economic development, the jurisdiction should describe efforts to enhance coordination with private industry, businesses, developers, and social service agencies.

[71 FR 6964, Feb. 9, 2006, as amended at 76 FR 75969, Dec. 5, 2011; 80 FR 5219, Jan. 30, 2015; 80 FR 42364, July 16, 2015; 85 FR 47909, Aug. 7, 2020; 85 FR 61567, Sept. 29, 2020]