CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION

Like most other cities in the country, the City of St. Louis depends upon funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to address many of its most complicated problems. Some of the funds are allocated on a competitive basis; others are awarded as an "entitlement", based on a formula, following submission of an application.

• improving coordination at the local level by requiring that Community Development Block Grant funds (CDBG), HOME Investment Partnership funds, Emergency Shelter Grant funds (ESG) and Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS (HOPWA) be addressed in one document
• improving the tie between the one year budgets for CDBG, HOME, ESG, and HOPWA, with longer range plans by requiring that both next years proposed 1995 expenditures and a multi-year analysis of problems and recommendations be addressed
• improving the administration of the four entitlement programs by requiring that they all adopt the same fiscal calendar
• improving the comprehensiveness of planning considerations by requiring that many non-housing issues be examined over and above the housing concerns that were previously addressed in the City's Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy
• improving the ability to understand community development issues by providing more citizen oriented information with increased use of maps and tables
• improving the effectiveness of strategies and resource allocation through the use of an extensive outreach program that reaches many diverse groups of those in need

The result is a plan that summarizes the community development challenges that will be faced by St. Louis during the remainder of this decade, and that suggests relevant courses of action. The plan also combines four previously separate applications for next year's CDBG, HOME, ESG and HOPWA support into one document.

The plan is organized as follows:

Chapter II reports on what the citizens of St. Louis believe is important. Every community of any size is composed of people with different interests. This chapter describes the steps taken to listen to individuals from throughout the City and to understand their needs. The special needs of the homeless, the disabled and others with particular burdens have been sought out, as have the needs of ordinary residents of City neighborhoods. The outreach process undertaken to produce the Consolidated Plan has been considerably more extensive than in previous years. This is in keeping with the open, participative approach that is favored by the Mayor, the Community Development Agency and HUD.

Chapter III is an overview of fundamental trends that constitute the reality within which housing, economic and community development decisions need to be made. The emphasis is on demographic, economic and social trends, both positive and negative. Special attention is devoted to the City's housing market -the supply, demand, condition and cost factors that shape housing options within different neighborhoods. This general profile of the City is a foundation against which to consider the strategies and recommendations set forth in subsequent chapters.

Chapter IV describes actions that are expected to be initiated or completed during the next five years. An overall strategy is summarized as are the resources that will be required. As called for by the regulations, specific attention is devoted to anti-poverty measures, steps to reduce barriers, institutional structures and general coordination.

The next portion of the chapter is devoted to an analysis of current services, needs, recommendations and resources for specific topics including conventional housing, public housing, housing for the homeless and those with AIDS, public facilities, infrastructure improvements, public services, accessibility needs, historic preservation, economic development, and other needs. This analysis is further documented on the Priority Needs Summary Table which reflects the level of priority and an estimate of dollars needed to address the problems as they exist now and are anticipated to evolve.

Chapter V presents recommended Fiscal Year 1995 expenditures for the four entitlement programs -CDBG, HOME, ESG, and HOPWA. The format is prescribed by HUD which has provided computer software that must be used.

Several Appendixes have been enclosed including additional information about the outreach process, written comments received by citizens, demographic estimates, a glossary of terms and acknowledgements.