guidelinesforpreparingconsolidatedplanand.doc

GUIDELINES FOR PREPARING CONSOLIDATED PLAN AND PERFORMANCE AND EVALUATION REPORT SUBMISSIONS FOR LOCAL JURISDICTIONS U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Community Planning and Development INTRODUCTION The Consolidated Plan is designed to be a collaborative process whereby a community establishes a unified vision for community development actions. It offers local jurisdictions the opportunity to shape the various housing and community development programs into effective, coordinated neighborhood and community development strategies. It also creates the opportunity for strategic planning and citizen participation to take place in a comprehensive context, and to reduce duplication of effort at the local level. The strategic plan is a specific course of action for revitalization. It is the means to analyze the full local context and the linkages to the larger region. It builds on local assets and coordinates a response to the needs of the community. It integrates economic, physical, environmental, community, and human development in a comprehensive and coordinated fashion so that families and communities can work together and thrive. A strategic plan also sets forth program goals, specific objectives, annual goals, and benchmarks for measuring progress. In so doing, it helps local governments and citizens keep track of results and learn what works. The Consolidated Plan approach is also the means to meet the submission requirements for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME), Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG), and Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) formula programs. This process replaces prior CPD planning and submission requirements with a single document that satisfies the submission requirements of the four CPD formula programs for local jurisdictions. The statutes for the formula grant programs set forth three basic goals against which the plan and the jurisdiction’s