01-07-1997 - Fair Housing Impediments ReportCity of West Covina
Memorandum
TO: City Council and City Manager
FROM: Human Services Department
SUBJECT: FAIR HOUSING IMPEDIMENTS REPORT
AGENDA
ITEM NO. H- 2
DATE 1/7/97
® PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER
Summary: The Community Development Block regulations require that
grantees complete an Analysis of Fair Housing Impediments
every five years. On March 6, 1996, the City Council approved
an agreement with the San Gabriel Valley Fair Housing Council
to conduct the assessment.
BACKGROUND
This report describes the impediments to fair housing choices in the City of
West Covina and contains recommendations to remove the impediments to
further fair housing in West Covina.
The final assessment was completed on November 6, 1996, and given to
the Human Services Commission for their final review and comments on
November 12, 1996. On December 10, 1996, the Human Services
Commission approved the Report and recommended that the Report be sent
to the City Council for their approval and submission to the Department of
Housing and Urban Development as required by regulations.
Here are some of the findings and recommendations of the Analysis as
prioritized by the Fair Housing Council:
ConcerninQ Fair Housinc
i Choices Practices and Laws:
Key Finding 1. - Based on Section 6c, Results of Community Focus Group,
too many community residents are unfamiliar with fair housing laws and the
services provided by the Fair Housing Council of San Gabriel Valley.
Recommendation 1. - to expand the outreach and education to community
organizations and general public concerning fair housing laws and services
that are available, to target outreach toward non-English speaking
populations.
Key Finding 2. - Discriminatory housing practices and violations of fair
housing laws are under reported in West Covina.
Recommendation 2. - Audits should be conducted periodically to determine
the nature and extent of housing discrimination throughout the City. (Given
that no audits have been conducted in the. last ten years, is recommended
that one be conducted within the next'two years.)
Concerning Housing Audit and Lending Practices:
Key Finding 1'. - Areas of West Covina with the highest minority
concentration receive a low number of loan approvals and high number of
loan denials.
Recommendation 1. - Strengthen working dialogue with the local lending
community particularly to improve lender's performance in awarding credit
to Hispanic applicants. Possible joint venture projects could include
specialized lendiing programs in under -served areas, education and outreach
on private and public programs on other efforts.
Key Finding 2. - Based on Section Vc., Provisions of Housing Brokerage
Services - Realtor Focus Group, real estate agents doing business in West
Covina need a broader understanding of the diverse cultures living in the
City.
Recommendation 2. - Provide more education, training and outreach
regarding fair housing laws and cultural sensitivity issues for local 'realtors,
rental property owners, managers, agents and municipal employees.
All of the above findings and recommendations could be mitigated by having
the Fair Housing Council of San Gabriel Valley or a similar organization
contract with the City to put on work programs.
Concerning Land Use and Zoning Practices:
Key . Finding 1. - The Zoning Code distinguishes Senior Citizen Housing,
Foster Homes, Orphanages, Large Family Day Care Homes, Rest Homes,
and Retirement Homes, from single-family residential and mutli-family
residential by the application of a Conditional Use Permit (Section 26-246).
This distinction becomes discrimination against persons protected by the
classes of disabilities and family status as deferred by the Fair Housing Act
as amended in 1988 and California Assembly Bill 2244 when their housing
and related services are subjected to Conditional Use Permit requirements
not equally imposed on single-family residential and multi -family residential.
Recommendation 1: These use classifications should be updated and
refined and the Zoning Code should be amended to be reflective of current
state and federal law requirements.
Key Finding 2. - The Zoning Code defines family; natural (Section 26-54) in
terms of "related by blood or marriage." This distinction becomes
discrimination against persons protected by the classes of disabilities and
family status as amended in 1988 and the California Constitution when their
housing and related services are limited to the occupants who are related by
blood and marriage.
Recommendation 2. - The definition of family, natural should be eliminated.
Key Finding 3. - Definition of Family, unrelated, Foster Home and large
Family Day Care Home establish restrictive limitations of occupancy for
residential unit(s). Definition of Family, unrelated, Foster Home, and Large
Family Day Care Home set more restrictive limits on the number of
occupants that can occupy a residential unit than the State Housing Code.
A city cannot have an ordinance that is more restrictive than ' the. State
Housing Code as it relates to the number of occupants that can occupy a
residential unit.
Recommendation 3. - Remove all residential occupancy limitations in the
Zoning Code that are inconsistent with the State Housing Code.
The three recommendations have been received by the Planning Department
and are either being updated or changed or will be changed in the near
future.
With the aforementioned recommendations implemented, the City will go a
long way in removing many of the impediments to Fair Housing and making
West Covina a model of Fair Housing for years to come.
RECOMMENDATION
The Human Services Commission recommends that the City Council approve
the Final Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Report and authorize its
submittal to the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Clarence Markham
Human Services 'Program Administrator
FHCimped.doc/CM:ic