Update from the Ohio Development Services Agency - Karen Fabiano, Assistant Chief, Community Services Division

The Ohio Development Services Agency continues to evolve in 2013. In March, Governor Kasich appointed David Goodman as Development director. Director Goodman previously served as the director of the Ohio Department of Commerce and has an esteemed career in the Ohio Legislature and local government. He is excited to be at Development and jumped right in, meeting with staff to learn how our programs impact the daily lives of Ohioans. We are happy to have Director Goodman at Development and look forward to introducing you to him in the coming months. 

April is National Fair Housing Month as designated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). This year marks the 45th anniversary of the Passage of the Fair Housing Act. We hope you will take time in April to commemorate the progress we have made in opening the doors of housing opportunity regardless of race, color, gender, nationality, religion, familial status or disability; and in Ohio, ancestry and military status. It also is a time to acknowledge the challenges that still remain, and commit to finding viable solutions to those challenges. Several Fair Housing workshops and activities are being held around the state during the month of April. If you would like more information about these programs or Fair Housing regulations, please contact Joyce Hill, Civil Rights Specialist at (614) 466-2285 for more information or visit our website at http://development.ohio.gov/cs/cs_civilrights.htm. 

The Office of Community Development continues its proactive strategy to develop an action plan intended to compensate for federal budget fluctuations, increase the local programmatic sustainability and generate greater program impact. This year, Housing Planning Work Groups will work to identify potential options for the implementation of the Community Housing Improvement Program (CHIP), beginning with the Fiscal Year 2014 Ohio Consolidated Plan. Our goal is to create a strategy for the sustainability of CHIP funding and stakeholder input is critical to achieving this goal. Final recommendations from the work groups will be presented to an advisory panel and stakeholders during OCCD’s annual summer meeting in July. 

As you may know, in January, William Murdock, chief of the Community Services Division, accepted a new position as executive director of Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission. I am temporarily overseeing those responsibilities in the Community Services Division until a new chief is appointed. In the meantime, our ODSA team will continue to provide you quality customer service and the support and resources needed during this time of transition.

The work you do in your communities is what keeps Ohio strong. I encourage you to reach out to our staff with questions about our programs or how we can partner on an upcoming project. We see ourselves as your advocate and want to support your success. We look forward to working with you in the months ahead.

Thank you, again, for all you do to build and sustain Ohio’s communities!

2013 – Calendar of Events - Office of Community Development

March 2013 

March 20, 2013 – Public hearing to receive public comments on the Draft FY 2013 Ohio Consolidated Plan will occur beginning 1:30 p.m. at 77 South High Street, Room 1960, 19th floor, Columbus, Ohio 43215. Contact the Office of Community Development at (614) 466-2285 for more information.

April 2013 – Fair Housing Month 

April 5, 2013 – Deadline to submit FY 2013 Community Housing Improvement Program (CHIP) applications. Completed applications must be received by 5 p.m. in the Office of Community Development (OCD), 77 South High Street, 24th Floor, Columbus, Ohio 43215. Questions regarding the FY 2013 CHIP application can be directed to OCD staff in the Residential Revitalization section at (614) 466-2285. The application and relevant planning material will be available online.

April 11, 2013 – Training will be conducted for communities planning to apply for funds through the FY 2013 CDBG Community Development Program. Application training takes place 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Ohio Department of Transportation Auditorium, 1980 West Broad Street, Columbus, Ohio 43223. Deadline to register is April 5, 2013. The Notice of Funding Availability and training registration form are available online. Contact the Office of Community Development at (614) 466-2285 for more information.

June 2013

June 4, 2013 – The Ohio Housing Trust Fund Advisory Committee meeting will occur 12:30-3:30 p.m. in the Riffe Center, 77 South High Street, 19th Floor, Room 1960, Columbus, Ohio 43215. Contact the Office of Community Development at (614) 466-2285 for more information. 

November 2013

November 20-22, 2013 – The 2013 Housing Conference will be held at the Sawmill Creek Resort and Convention Center. More details will be available soon.

Jorgelle R. Lawson - CPD Director - U.S. Dept. of HUD

Happy Spring to everyone!!  No guessing at grant numbers with continuing resolutions and sequestration – hopefully the budget situation will be resolved and we will have them by the Spring OCCD meeting!  With all the budget issues, I have nothing much to report this quarter.

CPD COLUMBUS FIELD OFFICE PROGRAM UPDATES: 

Update on HUD’s FY-2013 Income Limits – On December 11, 2012, the HUD Office of Policy Development and Research published the Fiscal Year 2013 income limits on its website. These income limits became effective on December 11, 2012, and may be accessed at http://www.huduser.org/portal/datasets/il/il13/index.html.  For Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) grantees, this means that the FY-2013 income limits became effective on December 11, 2012. This serves as notice to all CDBG grantees that the FY-2013 income limits are published and available for use. Effective immediately, all CDBG grantees must begin using the new income limits when qualifying an individual or household for CDBG assistance.  

Changes to IDIS -- As a result of an October 31, 2011, Inspector General for the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Audit that found that the CDBG Program needed to increase its use of IDIS to improve oversight of CDBG activities, all grantees have been addressing issues regarding: • Long-standing, open activities, • Cancelled activities with draws, and • Draws revised from one activity to another. My office continues to review and approve remediation plans. As this is an ongoing task, please continue to review the flags in IDIS and take the appropriate action. Additional guidance may be found on the two December webinars on the IDIS Version 11.4 CDBG Program System Changes for grantees held by the Office of Block Grant Assistance. The video recording of that webinar is now posted as a resource on the WEB at   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-7-uK7Mipc&feature=youtu.be   Your continued cooperation is appreciated.

Similarly, under the HOME Program, due to the continued concern about the number of incomplete/open activities, we ask that you review and take the appropriate action to close or complete the activities in the following categories: activities in final draw status for more than 120 days, activities with infrequent draws, and activities considered involuntarily terminated before completion. 

Please continue to check your e-mails for updates from my office. If there are any changes in e-mail addresses, please let your CPD Rep or Myrna Cokes know as soon as possible.