Phoenix subcommittee reviews housing repair programs and homeownership initiatives

City staff presented an overview of programs intended to preserve naturally occurring affordable housing and expand homeownership during the Community Services & Education Subcommittee meeting on Nov. 18.

Neighborhood Services Director Spencer Cell and deputy Matt Utiro described five CDBG-funded repair programs that help low- and moderate-income households maintain safe, energy-efficient homes. A resident, Angela Cohen of District 8, described receiving window, oven and plumbing repairs that reduced dust, improved airflow and lowered energy bills.

Key program details given by staff: - Owner-occupied housing rehab (CDBG-funded): typically targets households at or below 80% of area median income; staff said the city spends approximately $1,400,000 a year on these projects and aims to shorten project timelines and fill vacant intake positions. - Hardship assistance: a subset of owner-occupied rehab focused on code compliance; staff said hardship counts are very low and currently difficult to separate in legacy systems; they will return with exact numbers. - Weatherization assistance: funded from mixed sources (state, utility partners and federal programs); staff said weatherization can take five to nine months due to diagnostics and required testing and that they are exploring CDBG as a potential backfill if LIHEAP funding is reduced. - Lead Safe Phoenix: abatement for pre-1978 homes, historically funded by hazard-control grants; staff said fewer strict-grant projects were completed after the prior federal grant ended, and they plan to use CDBG where appropriate. - Rental rehab: provides up to $40,000 per unit with a proposed 10-year affordability period; staff expects to complete 20 additional rental units this year in partnership with Community Housing Partnership.

Housing Department Director Titus Matthews and Assistant Aubrey Gonzalez described homeownership tools: the federally funded Open Doors down-payment assistance program (up to 10% of purchase price; loan forgiveness terms), HUD Section 32 and Section 18 sales of scattered-site public housing, the Family Self-Sufficiency program (which staff said has helped participants grow income and escrow savings), and a community land trust (CLT) administered by Newtown Community Development Corporation funded with $5,000,000 in ARPA to acquire and rehabilitate at least 25 permanently affordable homes.

Council members asked for neighborhood-level maps of program uptake, clearer hardship-assistance counts, outreach strategies and metrics to measure long-term benefits such as energy-cost reductions and prevention of displacement. Staff said they collect relevant data across different systems and will work to consolidate reporting and return with more complete analyses in the spring.

The presentation prompted requests for further detail and follow-up; staff did not seek formal action on the overview during this meeting.