The HUD Consolidated Plan, a key requirement for programs such as the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and the HOME Investment Partnerships Program, mandates two essential studies to guide housing and community development strategies: the Housing and Homeless Needs Assessment, which requires a concise summary of the community’s estimated housing needs projected for the ensuing five-year period, and the Housing Market Analysis, which entails a detailed description of the jurisdiction’s housing market characteristics.
The Housing and Homeless Needs Assessment includes an analysis of data and issues including
- • Income
- • Elderly
- • Large families
- • Persons with disabilities
- • Persons experiencing homelessness
- • Cost burdens
- • Overcrowding
- • Substandard conditions
- • Lead-based paint hazards
The Housing Market Analysis considers housing inventory in the community, with particular emphasis on
- • Supply and demand
- • Condition
- • Cost
- • Accessibility for persons with disabilities
- • Low-income individuals with special needs, including HIV/AIDS
- • Concentrations of poverty
- • Vacant or abandoned properties
- • Broadband access in low-income areas
- • Vulnerabilities including climate-related hazards
Civicus Consulting Group provides all research and reporting services for these reports and for Consolidated Plans. These activities include focus groups, interviews, and community meetings, as well as detailed secondary data gathering, analysis, and reporting.
The Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice—which is sometimes prepared as a stand-alone piece and other times integrated into the Housing Needs Assessment—identifies public and private barriers to housing. These barriers include policies, procedures, costs, accessibility, transportation, and other factors. The third document below is an example of a report by Civicus Consulting Group.