Consolidated Plans
East Chicago, Gary, Hammond, and La Porte, IN
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development requires the development of a strategic housing and community development plan, commonly called Consolidated Plan, from communities that receive funding (Participating Jurisdictions). The plan represents a strategic outline for expenditures for several HUD-funded programs including Community Development Black Grants (CDBG), Home Investment Partnership (HOME), American Dream Down Payment Initiative (ADDI), Emergency Shelter Grant (ESG) and others.
The Arsh Group has a strong record of success in preparing Consolidated Plans and Annual Plans that meet and exceed HUD requirements and the community’s program goals and objectives. For more than a decade, The Arsh Group’s Consolidated Plans have preserved millions of dollars in direct federal funding for many housing and community development and planning agencies. These plans, coupled with other technical assistance in the areas of administration of HUD programs, have made these communities more efficient in program performance.
In preparation of the Consolidated Plans, The Arsh Group assists communities to realize their community’s vision, while promoting citizen involvement; and engage a broad spectrum of the stakeholders from different backgrounds and needs. In this effort, The Arsh Group will always attempt to balance the communities’ housing needs against the priorities for community development strategies in meeting performance criteria as established by federal regulations or mandates.
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Analysis of Impediments
East Chicago, Gary, Hammond, and La Porte, IN
The Arsh Group for the last decade has also assisted many communities to realize the goal of creating more fair communities by assisting them to evaluate their housing conditions and develop policies to address their fair housing needs. The Arsh Group typically assists the Entitlement communities to meet the certification requirements of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to “Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing” in order to receive HUD funds. These communities are typically required to:
- Conduct an Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice (“AI”);
- Take actions to address the Impediments Identified in the “AI”;
- Maintain records and sources of such actions (24 CFR 91.225(a)).
In development of the Analysis, the Arsh Group professionals use a systematic process of information gathering using several different forums to encourage group participation. Methods used to collect the necessary information include various media outlets, interviews with key organizations, case review, public meetings and focus groups, and data analysis. Using collected information, the Arsh Group identifies impediments or issues that need to be addressed to meet the language of the law. The Arsh Group will also propose a set of recommendations to address the identified impediments.
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