First Posted: 4/2/2015
LIMA — When it comes to developing a five-year consolidated plan to address issues of economic development, low- and moderate-income housing and community development in the city of Lima, the city’s Community Development Department is relying greatly on community input.
“The Lima Matters surveys that we sent out began the process of this five-year plan,” Community Development Director Amy Sackman Odum said. “We wanted to ask the community at large what their priorities were for development.”
The department is putting its next five-year plan together, a necessary qualification for receiving Community Development Block Grant and HOME Investment Partnership Program funding. Last year, the department distributed just over $1.4 million in combined CDBG and HOME funds.
This funding is used by various community agencies on a yearly basis to help address the needs of low- and moderate-income residents.
“Since this is HUD funding, they have very strict guidelines,” associate planner Aloka Roy said. “They have to look at the capacity of the organization to provide, among other things.”
Part of this process will be to hold focus groups Thursday with local specialists in economic development, housing and community development, going over the results of the Lima Matters survey as well as focus group surveys to go over community needs and developing potential solutions. After this would be three public hearings and finally approval of the consolidated plan by Lima City Council, set for July 27.
Sackman Odum emphasized that the information being collected for the consolidated plan allows the plan’s formation to be rooted in facts and statistics.
“With housing, everyone blames absentee landlords,” she said. “In fact, 98 percent of rental property owners live in the Lima area. By looking at these facts, we can encourage more people to get engaged in solving the problem.”
In creating this plan, Sackman Odum also hopes to make the public aware how broad the issue of poverty really is in Lima.
“The poverty in Lima is very democratic,” she said. “It’s everywhere.”
The first public meeting is scheduled for June 8 in the City Council chambers.
