JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Members of the Missouri Housing Development Commission convened via webinar Tuesday morning to discuss beginning the process of a new action plan for FY 2017.
The action plan essentially sets up a method to achieve certain housing goals, such as assisting the homeless, creating “decent” housing, and reducing the isolation of income groups.
The action plan falls under a consolidated plan required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The consolidated plan constitutes a five-year overview of assessing and addressing certain housing and economic development needs.
Those plans in turn allow the MHDC (and other state housing and economic development commissions) to get funding from block grant programs like the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program, HOME Investment Partnerships Program, Emergency Solutions Grant Program and the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) Program.
A first draft of the FY 2017 plan is expected to be finished by Nov. 1.
Andy Papen, the CDBG manager for the MHDC, led discussion with participants from around the state to set up guidelines of what the new action plan would look like, but few specifics came about from the meeting.
Instead, Papen established what the process would look like for the MHDC over the coming months. He said the drafting process will involve a needs assessment to determine how best to accomplish their goals. Papen also explained the report would involve how the MDHC coordinates with citizens, various federal and state agencies and private partners.
After the first draft is released, there will be a one-month public comment period, and the final draft of the plan will be submitted to HUD Feb. 1, 2017.
Papen estimated that the MHDC would have $39 million at its disposal from various sources to achieve those goals, with the largest chunk ($20 million) coming from the CDBG.
The webinar attendees also briefly touched on the prospect of a new consolidated plan. Missouri’s five-year plan ends in the next fiscal year and Papen said the commission would have to look towards a consolidated plan scheduled for 2018-2022 in the near future.
The due date to the HUD for that plan is July 6, 2017.
