1. Iowa’s CDBG Housing Fund COSCDA Program Manager Training, March 14-15, 2016 Nichole Hansen

2. Iowa’s CDBG Housing Fund » Iowa has used CDBG funds for housing activities for over 30 years. » The Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) administers the state’s CDBG funding. » Until 2010, IEDA combined CDBG funds with HOME funds to create its housing fund. Activities included rehabilitation, down payment assistance, etc.

3. Iowa’s CDBG Housing Fund » In 2010, the HOME program moved from IEDA to the Iowa Finance Authority. » With this program change, IEDA made the decision to continue to utilize CDBG funds for housing rehabilitation. » We currently allocate 22% of our annual CDBG allocation for housing rehabilitation (approx. $4.7 million)

4. Iowa’s CDBG Housing Fund » Iowa’s current program limited to owner-occupied housing rehabilitation (no rental) » Maximum amount of CDBG limited to $37,500 per unit ($24,999 per unit in rebab + $7,500 per unit for lead hazard & technical services) » Average project in a community includes 6-8 homes » Applications are competitive. Submitted on an annual basis.

5. Iowa’s CDBG Housing Fund » Current program faced challenges, including:  Limited funding + high demand  Lead based paint spending cap- Difficult to complete all work with $24,999  Lack of interest from contractors= limited competition  Rehabilitation standards were difficult to meet with funds available.  Program not as impactful as we desired

6. Iowa’s CDBG Housing Fund In an effort to improve our housing program, IEDA has: » Revised our state’s minimum rehabilitation standards  Now mirror HQS standards  Allows for more local decision making on what repairs should be made  Allows for our CDBG dollars to be stretched further » Looked at how we can make our program more impactful  How can the program have more community-wide impact?  How can we do more with the funds we have available?  How can we encourage more contractor interest?

7. Iowa’s CDBG Housing Fund So what did we come up with?

8. Iowa’s CDBG Housing Fund We have developed 2 new housing pilots that we will initiate in 2016: 1. Historic Preservation Single Family Rehabilitation 2. Single Family Gut Rehabilitation * All homes must be owner occupied and homeowner must be LMI.

9. Iowa’s CDBG Housing Fund Historic Preservation Single Family Rehabilitation » No limit on funds per qualifying property » Property must be determined eligible for or listed in the National Register of Historic Places » Rehab must meet HQS Minimum Housing Standards and comply with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation » Coordination with SHPO will determine if full abatement or the use of interim controls in accordance with Lead Safe Housing Regulations 24CFR35.115(13)

10. Iowa’s CDBG Housing Fund Single Family Gut Rehabilitation » No limit on funds per property » Rehab must meet HQS minimum Housing Standards and Iowa’s Green Streets for Gut Rehab Single Family » All lead hazards must be identified and fully abated in accordance with 24CFR35.120(b)

11. Iowa’s CDBG Housing Fund What do we hope to see from these pilots? » Greater community wide impact » Encourage additional community improvements » Increased interest from contractors (larger projects) » Preservation of Iowa’s historic housing stock

12. Iowa’s CDBG Housing Fund » Plan to implement at least one pilot project for each category this year. May do another pilot in 2017 depending on interest. » If successful, we plan to add pilots to our housing program. Communities could then apply for the type of program they wish to implement (standard rehab, historic, or gut rehab) » We will continue to work with our partners and revise program guidelines as needed to make program more useful and impactful.

13. Iowa’s CDBG Housing Fund Questions? Thanks for your time!