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July 1, 2025 City of Chandler Housing and Redevelopment’s Strategic Plan An Updated Vision for Affordable Housing in Chandler 2025-2030 July 1, 2025 Page | 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS I. Purpose of the Strategic Plan ............................................................................................... 3 II. The Vision Statement ............................................................................................................ 4 III. The Mission Statement.......................................................................................................... 4 IV. Strategic Goals and Objectives: ............................................................................................ 4 V. Guiding Principles: ................................................................................................................. 7 Progress Report on Prior Five-Year Plan (FY2020-2025) ........... Error! Bookmark not defined.8 July 1, 2025 Page | 3 I. Purpose of the Strategic Plan The City of Chandler Housing and Redevelopment Division (COCHRD) (a.k.a. the Chandler Housing Authority) has historically served the housing needs of persons whose income is low and very low in the City of Chandler through HUD funded low rent public housing and Housing Choice Vouchers (Section 8). COCHRD has provided “decent, safe, and sanitary” low-income public housing to Chandler’s citizens since 1972. Throughout the decades the needs of our community have changed, and our agency needs a strategic plan to meet the changing needs proactively. TCOCHRD is poised to transition from a provider of decent, safe, and sanitary housing to the provider of affordable housing that meets a higher community vision. This transition involves the disposition, demolition, or conversion of properties that no longer meets COCHRD’s and City of Chandler viability and community standards. Strategies include redevelopment opportunities through HUD’s repositioning strategies to leverage public private partnerships. In order to facilitate this challenging and lofty agenda, COCHRD will continue to pursue leveraging its limited resources to develop a creative plan that will allow COCHRD to fund and execute the changes. We are doing some things we have never done before. The planning and achievement of our updated vision will result in the delivery of higher quality, affordable housing for our residents and applicants and the utilization of staff intellectual resources to effectively direct the assets of the Chandler Housing Authority. Staff comprised of resources positioned in the Central Cost Center will investigate and potentially function more as a quasi-enterprise entity to become financially stronger and less dependent on unreliable HUD funding. This shift toward less financial dependence is one of the principal purposes of our Strategic Plan. The Public Housing Authority Commission (the governing Board), the Housing and Redevelopment Senior Manager, and staff of the COCHRD envision an evolving affordable housing product to better serve the modern needs of the City of Chandler. The older “Public Housing” product has served the needs of our community but has become outdated and lacks modern design and functionality to fit the needs of our family residents. Meeting the needs is a challenging objective that significantly impacts the lives of our residents and the future of the community. To systematically transition our housing assets from the current federally funded “Low Rent and Section 8 Public Housing” to a product of mixed-income affordable housing products will take the coordination and cooperation of the COCHRD, residents, City of Chandler, and the federal government. July 1, 2025 Page | 4 II. The Vision Statement Vision Statement: Creating and sustaining healthy, diverse neighborhood housing opportunities that promote individual responsibility, economic growth, human dignity, and hope for the future. III. The Mission Statement Mission Statement: The City of Chandler Housing and Redevelopment Division (COCHRD), together with our community partners, work to maintain safe, decent, and affordable housing for low-income individuals and families within our community. IV. Strategic Goals and Objectives: COCHRD Goals: HUD Strategic Goal: Increase the availability of decent, safe, and affordable housing. • COCHRD Goal One: Expand the supply of affordable, decent, safe, and affordable housing. Objectives: o Upgrade and modernize public housing developments by preserving current portion of public housing, and use HUD capital funds to enhance the livability and quality. o Redevelop public housing properties through Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD), Section 18 Demolition/Disposition, Rehabilitation and other redevelopment strategies to transition our residents into more modern affordable housing family developments. o Increase affordable housing options through HUD’s repositioning strategy options, to include affordable rental units count, reduce the number of existing public housing multi-family site and scattered sites to maximize operation efficiency, increase the number of units for elderly families, consider mixed income housing; construct new rental housing developments, and provide homeownership opportunities. o Acquire land and create new rental and homeownership housing units by rehabilitating existing housing or new construction, when feasible to increase livability and sustainability of our community. Progress Statement 2024: The City of Chandler Housing and Redevelopment has made significant strides towards increasing the availability of decent, safe and affordable housing. The city is co-developing a project named Villas on McQueen located at 77 N. McQueen and July 1, 2025 Page | 5 began construction on July 1, 2024. The project utilized RAD, Section18 Blend, 4% Federal and State Low Income Housing Tax Credits, Tax-Exempt Bonds, HOME, Maricopa County ARPA and Housing Trust Funds. The build-first model is utilizing a vacant city-owned property to build a total of 157 new affordable rental units and will transfer 78 public housing households from two existing public housing sites and create 79 additional new affordable housing units. In December 2024, City Council approved Development Agreement for the city to co-develop and build approximately 250 new affordable rental housing units that will replace existing public housing property located 73. S Hamilton. The project, named The Haven on Hamilton, is expected to utilize RAD, Section 18 Blend, 4% LIHTC, Tax-Exempt Bond financing, HOME, and Maricopa County ARPA. HUD Strategic Goal: Improve community quality of life and economic vitality • COCHRD Goal Two: Enhance the well-being and economic prosperity of the community. Objectives: o Manage the Housing Choice Voucher and Public Housing programs in an efficient and fiscally sustainable manner that will result in compliance and excellent customer service. o Maintain waitlist for HCV, Public Housing, Affordable Housing scattered sites program and site-based waitlist for Villas on McQueen. o Develop partnerships for a variety of income streams with private or nonprofit entities using tax credits and HUD project-based vouchers as well as other innovative financing vehicles. o Find resources to evaluate, match and link tenants/families that have social/human services needs with providers that can assist our families. o Identify the different tenant population types that utilize our affordable housing products and examine how to best serve those individuals and families to aid them to become self- sufficient or less reliant on the safety net programs. Progress Statement 2024: During the 2024 Fiscal Year COCHRD continues to operate and provide customer service to housing residents through housing programs, to include 495 HCV, 303 public housing, 28 emergency housing vouchers, 11 affordable housing, 25 Tenant Based Rental Assistance (TBRA), and 10 Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) vouchers. SEMAP score 98%- High Performing PH for HCV Program A, and 100% PHAS Score for Public Housing. The waiting list for Public Housing and HCV is currently closed during the FY. In FY 2024 developed partnerships with affordable housing developers and affordable financing partners to begin construction on the city’s first RAD project. Partnered with Be a Mushroom (BAM) Foundation to host financial literacy sessions to promote financial independence and wealth growth. Continued to distribute variety of books as part of Book Rich Environment Public Housing Authority in partnership with HUD and U.S. Department of Education. Renewed leases July 1, 2025 Page | 6 with Maricopa County Human Services Department for two Head Start Classrooms located at two public housing sites. This year Chandler was required to have small area fair market rents (SAFMRs) an HUD Strategic Goal: Promote self-sufficiency and asset development of families and individuals • COCHRD Goal Three: Promote self-sufficiency and asset development of assisted households. Objectives: o Expand Chandler’s family self-sufficiency participation to demonstrate increased responsibility of participants to the community as more become self-supporting and free of all sources of subsidy. o Continue to pursue a working relationship with the local workforce development agency to increase the number and percentage of employed persons in assisted households. o Continue to outreach families during their initial admission to inform them of the Family Self-Sufficiency program and resources available to prepare them to get a job, better employment, higher education or prepare for homeownership. o Create partnerships with supportive services to improve assistance recipients’ employability. o Continue to offer classes on financial literacy, budgeting, financial planning and credit repair to promote financial stabilization. o Continue to develop partnerships with local agencies to provide supportive services in the form of basic education skills, job training, and employment skills to assisted families. Progress Statement 2024: The COCHRD successfully graduated 12 families from its self- sufficiency program with 4 participants achieving homeownership. Through a local partnership, COCHRD has been able to host financial literacy sessions to assist participants in not only home ownership but financial stability. Received HUD approved new FSS position to increase participation in the program. HUD Strategic Goal: Ensure Equal Opportunity in Housing for all Americans • COCHRD Goal Four: Ensure Equal Opportunity and affirmatively further fair housing. Objectives: o Undertake affirmative measures to ensure access to assisted housing regardless of race, color, religion national origin, sex, familial status, and disability. o Provide Fair Housing information to applicants, and residents o Participate if Fair Housing trainings, outreach and education with partner agencies. Progress Statement 2024: HUD Fair Housing Posters are posted in the main administrative office and at all housing development offices. Offer various trainings to all staff members on issues related to Fair Housing. City proclaims April as Fair Housing month. Commented [DG1]: ? July 1, 2025 Page | 7 V. Guiding Principles: 1) Partnership and continued relationship and participation in Chandler’s housing programs is contingent upon the partner maintaining alignment with Chandler’s Vision and Mission quality criteria. This guiding principle applies to existing and future landlords, development partners, and recipients of housing assistance. 2) Affordable housing exists and Chandler may develop, and/or acquire affordable housing that delivers an income mix ratio to the maximum extent feasible with the following targets: (+/- 10 percent tolerance of): a. 80% - Low-Income/Public Housing/Housing Choice Voucher - Section 8 b.15% - Affordable Housing /Tax Credit c. 5% - Market Rate or Near Market Rate income 3) For strategic planning purposes, planning term lengths shall be as follows: a. Short Term - 1 Year or Less. b. Mid Term - Greater than 1 Year and less than 3 Years. c. Long Term - Greater than 3 years 4) Homeownership – Chandler will seek to develop appropriate homeownership opportunities to assist in transitioning residents who demonstrate capacity to independently own and manage a home. 5) The Housing Division staff will build capacity for development, acquisition, and management of new/rehabilitated units through the Operating/Capital Fund Leveraging, Tax Credits, Acquisition, Partnership, and other affordable housing opportunities with developers whose products align with our vision and mission. 6) Develop, acquire, or rehabilitate affordable housing utilizing energy efficient building practices and environmentally friendly building designs/products to the maximum extent feasible.