The Housing and Community Services Department has begun preparation of the City’s 2009-2013 Five Year Consolidated Plan and is seeking public input through meetings and surveys, which can be found here.

 The five-year plan is required in order for the City to continue to receive direct annual allocations from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).  HUD requires communities to prepare a five year plan and to solicit public input in the process.  The Housing and Community Services Department is making presentations to District Advisory Boards and is mailing surveys to recipients of federally-funded programs.  The department is also inviting anyone from the general public to complete and return a survey found here.

The deadline for survey responses is Nov. 30, which allows time for staff to complete all portions of the Consolidated Plan and have it approved by the City Council and HUD. The current plan expires on June 30, 2009. 

The funds are from the following programs: Community Development Block Grant (CDBG); HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME); American Dream Downpayment Initiative (ADDI); and Emergency Shelter Grant (ESG).  The funds have been used in Wichita to fund home repairs, to assist first time homebuyers, to construct new homes, to rehabilitate blighted property, and to assist agencies which serve the homeless.
 
“Federal allocations to Wichita provide valuable, much needed funding to assist low and moderate income persons, but unfortunately they have been steadily decreasing,” according to Mary K. Vaughn, Director of the City’s Housing and Community Services Department.  “That’s why it is so important for us to prioritize our needs for low and moderate income persons and communities, so that we can prioritize the funding allocations to meet the most pressing needs.”

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