Housing Assistance Policy Guide

HOUSING
ASSISTANCE
POLICY GUIDE

For homeowners, renters and developers

PREPARED BY
CITY OF BRANSON

4/5/2019

CONTACT LIST

CITY OF BRANSON | 110 W MADDUX ST

Finance/Econ Dev. Questions: Land Use Questions:
Jamie Rouch, Finance Director Joel Hornickel, Planning & Devel. Director
P: (417) 337-8546
P: (417) 337-8538 E: [email protected]

E: jrouch@bransonmogov

For Infrastructure Questions:
Keith Francis, Public Works Director

P: (417) 337-8559

E: [email protected]

OTHER HELPFUL NUMBERS

Taney County Partnership: Branson Area Chamber of Commerce:
Jonas Arjes, Executive Director Jeff Seifried, President/CEO
P: (417) 337-2540 P: (417) 334-4084 ext. 301
E: [email protected] E: [email protected]

Missouri Department of Economic Development:
P.O. Box 1157
Jefferson City, Missouri 65102
P: (573) 751-4770 | F: (573) 526-7700
E: [email protected]

HOUSING ASSISTANCE

04 Introduction 13 MoDPS
06 CDGB 14 Rural Development
07 HUD Public Housing 17 Opportunity Zone
09 MHDC 18 Other Loans & Grants
11 MoDED

HOUSING
ASSISTANCE
INTRODUCTION

Housing for residents constitutes a
significant theme in the City's 2030
Community Plan. The City recognizes
that residential opportunities fulfill
an important community need both
for residents and employers.

Turtle Creek Apartments

Development and revitalization of As part of the 2030 Community Plan, the
attainable housing is a priority for all price city has established targeted actions to
points for homeowners and renters living address housing supply. A summary of the
in our community. Additionally, the city city's strategies can be found on the next
recognizes that other issues such as natural page. In addition to these overarching
disasters may create a need for assistance strategies, the city has identified specific
for existing property owners and residents. actions that will fulfill identified needs.
For this reason, the city has developed this Specifically, the city desires to encourage
policy manual to identify the various public and private, for profit and non-profit
assistance programs available s to fulfill sectors to take actions to develop and
various community needs. The manual maintain an adequate supply and price
identifies funding sources at the federal, range of single-family, multi-family and
state and local levels that may be utilized manufactured housing for market
to obtain housing assistance within the city demands.
limits.
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COMMUNITY PLAN 2030
CITY STRATEGIES

H-1 Housing Supply. Branson will have an adequate
supply and variety of housing that meets the diverse
needs of the community, its residents and workers

H Strategy 1.1 Housing Inventory. Conduct a housing study to
evaluate the housing issues, including all housing variety and
attainability issues, in Branson and to further understand the
needs and opportunities.

H Strategy 1.2 Housing Variety. Encourage housing in a variety of
forms for all demographics and socioeconomics in Branson.

H Strategy 1.3 Housing Attainability. Encourage the creation and
expansion of attainable housing opportunities within the City.

H Strategy 1.4 Housing Demonstration Project. Consider one or
more "demonstration project" to encourage investment and
reinvestment in our existing neighborhoods to support broad
community objectives.

WHO SHOULD USE THIS POLICY
GUIDE?

This policy guide contains information gathered from federal, state and
local resources to ensure housing is developed, rehabilitated, revitalized
or otherwise made available to residents of the City of Branson. The
various programs contained within this guide may be applicabale to
delelopers, homeowners, renters, and even nonprofit organizations
interested in providing housing within the city. For specific questions or
further guidance, please contact staff & other agencies listed on page 2
of this document.

5

Community Development
Block Grant Program

Programadministeredbythe U.S.DepartmentofHousingandUrban
Development

about the program eligible activities

The Community Over a 1, 2, or 3-year period, as selected by the
Development Block Grant grantee, not less than 70 percent of CDBG
(CDBG) provides funds must be used for activities that benefit
communities with resources low- and moderate-income persons. In
to address a wide range of addition, each activity must meet one of the
community development following national objectives for the
needs. The program works program: benefit low- and modeterate-
to ensure decent affordable income persons, prevention or elimination of
housing, to provide services slums or blight, or address community
to the most vulnerable development needs having a particular
urgency because existing conditions pose a
serious and immediate threat to the health or
welfare of the community for which other
funding is not available.

For more information, visit:
https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/comm_planning/communitydevelopment/programs

6

public housing
programs

Programsadministeredbythe U.S.Department
of Housing and Urban Development

Below is a summary of public housing programs within the Office of Public
and Indian Housing:

Capital Fund

The Capital Fund provides funds to housing authorities to modernize public
housing developments.
Demolition/Disposition
The Demo/Dispo program was created in an effort to help eliminate old, run
down public housing.
Homeownership
A Public Housing Authority (PHA) may sell all, or a portion of, a public
housing development to eligible residents or resident organizations, for
purposes of homeownership, provided that a Homeownership Plan has been
submitted by the PHA and has been approved by HUD.

HOPE VI

Since 1993, HOPE VI has been the engine driving revitalization of the
Nation's most distressed public housing developments by providing grants
and unprecedented flexibility to address the housing and social service needs
of their residents.

Housing Choice Vouchers (Formerly section 8)

Allow very low-income families to choose and lease or purchase safe, decent,
and affordable privately-owned rental housing.

Mixed-finance public housing

Mixed-Finance public housing allows HUD to mix public, private, and non-
profit funds to develop and operate housing developments. These new

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developments are built for residents with a wide range of incomes, and are
designed to fit into the surrounding community.

Moderate Rehabilitation

Provides project-based rental assistance for low income families. The
program was repealed in 1991 and now new projects are authorized for
development. Assistance is limited to properties previously rehabilitated
pursuant to a housing assistance payments (HAP) contract between an
owner and a Public Housing Agency (PHA).

Moving to Work Demonstration (MTW)

MTW is a demonstration program that allow housing authorities (HAs) to
design and test ways to give incentives to families to become economically
self-sufficient, achieve programmatic efficiencies, reduce costs, and increase
housing choice for low-income households.

Operating Fund

The Public Housing Operating Fund provides operating subsidies to housing
authorities (HAs) to assist in funding the operating and maintenance
expenses of their own dwellings, in accordance with Section 9 of the U.S.
Housing Act of 1937, as amended. The subsidies are required to help
maintain services and provide minimum operating revenues.

Rental Housing integrity Improvement Project (RHIIP)
Develops and implements plans which address HUDs high risk rental
housing subsidy programs

Resident Opportunities and Self Sufficiency (ROSS) and Neighborhood
Networks (NN)
The ROSS program links services to public housing residents by providing
grants for supportive services, resident empowerment activities and
activities to assist residents in becoming economically self-sufficient.

For more information, visit:
https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/public_indian_housing/programs/ph/programs

8

State of Missouri
Programs

Programs administered by the Missouri Housing Development
Commission, Department of Economic Development, Department of
PublicSafety &DepartmentofTransportation

MissouriHousingDevelopment
Commission

The Missouri Housing Development Commission administers the federal
and Missouri Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) programs, the
Affordable Housing Assistance Program Tax Credit (AHAP), federal
HOME funds, and the direct funding of several housing assistance
programs.

HOME Investment Partnership

The federally funded HOME program provides a financing source for several
eligible activities that increase the supply of affordable housing for low and
very low income persons. One of these activities is the acquisition and
rehabilitation or new construction of rental housing. As HOME
Administrator for the State of Missouri, MHDC uses a portion of its annual
HOME allocation to finance rental production at a very low interest rate,
which results in rents that are affordable to low-income families.

HeRO Program (Home Repair Opportunity)iiiiiiiiiiiiiii

The Home Repair Opportunity Program provides funding to meet the need
for home repair, modification and maintenance for low-and moderate-
income homeowners in the non-metropolitan areas of Missouri. MHDC
provides funds to selected eligible Sub-Grantees (community action agencies,
regional planning commissions, non-profit organizations, municipalities)
from its annual HOME allocation using a competitive application process
which begins with the issuance of a Notice of Funding Availability.

Eligible homeowners may receive cash assistance up to $22,500 for
necessary repairs, modifications, and maintenance on eligible properties.

9

Emergency Solutions eligible program components

Grant (ESG) Street Outreach
Intended to meet the immediate needs of
The Emergency Solutions Grant unsheltered homeless people by
connecting them with emergency
(ESG) is intended to (1) engage shelter, housing, and/or critical health
services.
homeless individuals and families
Emergency Shelter
living on the street; (2) improve
Intended to increase the quantity and
the number and quality of quality of temporary shelters provided
to homeless people by paying for the
emergency shelters for homeless operating expenses and essential
services.
individuals and families; (3) help
Homelessness Prevention
operate these shelters; (4) provide Intended to prevent households from
becoming homeless through rental
essential services to shelter assistance and housing relocation and
stabilization services.
residents, (5) rapidly re-house
Rapid Re-housing
homeless individuals and
Intended to move homeless people
families, and (6) prevent families quickly to permanent housing through
rental assistance and housing relocation
and individuals from becoming and stabilization services.

homeless. ESG funds are intended HMIS

to be used as part of a crisis Intended to support ESG recipients'
participation in the HMIS collection and
response system using a low data analysis of households that are
homeless or at risk of homelessness.
barrier, housing-focused

approach to ensure that

homelessness is rare, brief, and

non-recurring.

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Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC)

This program provides federal and state tax credits to investors in affordable housing
through an annual competitive application process. Once approved, the credit can be
used each year for 10 years and is allocated to developers, who may then sell it to
raise equity to construct or acquire and rehabilitate affordable rental housing..
The Qualified Allocation Plan (QAP) sets forth the selection criteria, federal
preferences and MHDC priorities for application selection. This Plan is revised
annually. A copy of the QAP is available on the MHDC website.
Congress has delegated the administration of the Low Income Housing Tax Credit to
state housing agencies to assure that good quality housing would be available where it
is most needed. MHDC is charged not only with the allocation of credit, but also with
assuring compliance with the regulations. This includes the performance of a physical
inspection of the property and a review of management and occupancy procedures
during the compliance period and the extended use period.
For more information, visit: http://www.mhdc.com/program_compliance/LIHTC/

Missouri Department of Economic
Development

Neighborhood Improvement District (NID)

A Neighborhood Improvement District (NID) is a special taxing district that collects
revenue within its designated boundaries to help pay for public infrastructure, facilities or
other improvements that confer a benefit on property within the district, normally a
residential and not a commercial area.  NIDs are created by election or petition of owners
of real property within the proposed district’s boundaries and typically generate funding
for projects through the sale of municipal revenue bonds backed by the district’s special
property assessments which may be extended beyond retirement of the bonds to pay for
maintenance and upkeep.  NIDs are strictly a local initiative.  The Department of Economic
Development does not maintain any data pertaining to individual districts.

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Neighborhood Preservation Act

Provides an incentive for the rehabilitation or construction of owner-occupied
homes in certain areas of the state. The DED issues state tax credits to a
homeowner who rehabilitates a home or to a homeowner or developer that
constructs a new home for owner-occupancy in certain areas of the state.

eligible applicants

Any taxpayer who incurs eligible costs for a new residence or rehabilitates a
residence for owner occupancy that is located in a designated area.

For more information, visit:
https://ded.mo.gov/sites/default/files/programs/flyers/NPAProgramSummary10.pdf

Community Development Block Grants

Addresses local health and safety concerns and/or improves local facilities such
as senior centers and community centers. CDBG programs are available for:

General Infrastructure
Industrial Infrastructure
Water/Wastewater
Demolition
Emergency
Disaster Recovery
Neighborhood Stabilization

For more information, visit:
https://ded.mo.gov/content/community-development-block-grants

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Low-Income Weatherization Assistance Program
(LIWAP)

Program provides cost-effective energy-efficient home improvements to
Missouri's low income households, especially the elderly, children, those with
physical disadvantages, and others hit hardest by high utility costs. The
program aims to lower utility bills and improve comfort while ensuring health
and safety.
For more information, visit: https://energy.mo.gov/assistance-programs/liwap

Missouri Department of Public
Safety

Mitigation Management
The State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) works with local communities
to reduce or avoid adverse impacts that disasters have. Hazard mitigation breaks
the cycle of damage, reconstruction and repeated damage. Community mitigation
projects range from voluntary flood buyouts to building community tornado safe
rooms; replacing county- and
community-owned culverts
and low water crossings;
stabilizing stream banks; and
bury public electric utilities.

For more information, visit:
https://sema.dps.mo.gov/progr
ams/mitigation
_management.php

13

Rural Development
Programs

Programs administered by the U.S. Department of
Agriculture

Housing for Individualsiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

USDA provides homeownership opportunities to rural Americans, and home
renovation and repair programs USDA also provides financing to elderly, disabled, or
low-income rural residents in multi-unit housing complexes to ensure that they are
able to make rent payments.

Multi-Family Housing Rentals

Single Family Housing Direct Home Loans
This program assists low- and very-low-income applicants obtain decent,
safe and sanitary housing in eligible rural areas by providing payment
assistance to increase an applicant's repayment ability. Payment assistance
is a type of subsidy that reduces the mortgage payment for a short time.

For more information, visit:
https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/single-family-housing-direct-home-loans

Single Family Housing Guaranteed Loan Program
Single Family Housing Guaranteed Loan Programiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
This program assists approved lenders in providing low- and moderate-
income households the opportunity to own adequate, modest, decent, safe
and sanitary dwellings as their primary residence in eligible areas. Eligible
applicants may build, rehabilitate, improve or relocate a dwelling in an
eligible area.

For more information, visit:
https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/single-family-housing-guaranteed-loan-program

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Single Family Housing Repair Loans & Grantsiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
Also known as the Section 504 Home Repair program, this provides
loans to very-low-income homeowners to repair, improve or modernize
their homes or grants to elderly very-low-income homeowners to
remove health and safety hazards.
For more information, visit:
https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/single-family-housing-repair-loans-grants

Housing Development Opportunities

USDA works with public and nonprofit organizations to provide housing
developers with loans and grants to construct and renovate rural multi-
family housing complexes. Eligible organizations include local and state
governments, nonprofit groups, associations, nonprofit private corporations
and cooperatives, and Native American groups.

Farm Labor Housing Direct Loans and Grants
Provides affordable financing to develop housing for year-round and
migrant or seasonal domestic farm laborers.

Housing Preservation Grants
Provides grants to sponsoring organizations for the repair or
rehabilitation of housing owned or occupied by low and very low income
rural citizens.
Multi-Family Housing Direct Loans
Program provides competitive financing for affordable multi-family
rental housing for low-income, elderly, or disabled individuals and
families in eligible rural areas

Mutual Self-Help Housing Technical Assistance Grants
Provides grants to qualified organizations to help them carry out local
self-help housing construction projects. Grant recipients supervise groups
of very-low- and low-income individuals and families as they construct

15

their own homes in rural areas. The group members provide most of the
construction labor on each other’s homes, with technical assistance from
the organization overseeing the project
Rural Housing Site Loans
Rural Housing site loans provide two types of loans to purchase and
develop housing sites for low- and moderate-income families:

For housing to be constructed by the Self-Help method.
For low- or moderate-income families with no restriction as to the
method of construction.
Lender Opportunities
USDA improves rural community economic health by working with
private lenders to guarantee loans to borrowers for the construction of
rural multi-family housing units and individual homes.

For more information, visit:
https://www.usda.gov/topics/rural/housing-assistance

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Opportunity Zone

Programs administered by the U.S. Department of
Treasury

What is an opportunity zone?

An Opportunity Zone is an economically-distressed community where new
investments, under certain conditions, may be eligible for preferential tax
treatment. Localities qualify as Opportunity Zones if they have been
nominated for that designation by the state and that nomination has been
certified by the Secretary of the U.S. Treasury.
Opportunity Zones are an economic development tool - that is they are
designed to spur economic development and job creation in distressed
communities. Opportunity zones can be used for (but not limited to)
multifamily dwellings, office, retail and business operation development.

For more information, visit: https://www.cdfifund.gov/Pages/Opportunity-Zones.aspx

Map of
Opportunity
Zones located in

the city

GeoID: 292134801051
GeoID: 292134801052
GeoID: 292134801055

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Other Loans & grants

Administered by various agencies

Small Business U.S. Economic
Administration Development
Administration
Disaster Loan Program
SBA provides low-interest Eligible applicants under the EAA program
disaster loans to businesses of include a(n): District Organization of an EDA-
all sizes, private non-profit designated Economic Development District;
organizations, homeowners, Indian Tribe or a consortia of Indian Tribes;
and renters. SBA disaster State, county, city, or other political
loans can be used to repair or subdivision of a State, including a special
replace the following items purpose unit of a State or local government
destroyed in a natural engaged in economic or infrastructure
disaster: real estate, personal development activities, or a consortia of
property, machinery and political subdivisions; institution of higher
equipment, and inventory and education or a consortia of institutions of
business assets. higher education; or public or private non-
profit organization or association acting in
For more information, visit: cooperation with officials of a political
https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela subdivision of a State. EDA is not authorized
/Information/Index to provide EAA grants to individuals or for-
profit entities. Requests from such entities will
not be considered for funding.

For more information, visit:
https://www.cdfifund.gov/Pages/Opportunity-
Zones.aspx

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Other Loans & grants

Administered by various agencies

U.S. Department of the Treasury

Community Development Financial Institutions Fund
New Markets Tax Credit Program

How does the program
work?

Through the NMTC Program, the CDFI Fund allocates tax credit authority to
Community Development Entities (CDEs) through a competitive application
process. CDEs use their authority to offer tax credits to investors in exchange for
equity in the CDE.
The NMTC Program has supported a wide range of businesses including
manufacturing, food, retail, housing, health, technology, energy, education, and
childcare.
For more information, visit:
https://www.cdfifund.gov/programs-training/Programs/new-markets-tax-
credit/Pages/default.aspx

Historic Tax Credits

The Historic Tax Credit (HTC) program encourages private investment in the
rehabilitation and re-use of historic buildings. The federal tax credit allows program
participants to claim 20 percent of eligible improvements against their federal tax liability.
The program is administered by the National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the
Interior, the Internal Revenue Service and the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

For more information, visit:
https://www.occ.gov/topics/community-affairs/publications/fact-sheets/pub-fact-sheet-
historic-tax-credits-jul-2017.pdf

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CITY OF BRANSON, MISSOURI

The City of Branson (population 10,520; with millions of visitors annually and
growing) is located in southwest Missouri, 35 miles south of Springfield within
the heart of the Ozark Hills. Branson serves as the job, service and shopping

center for a two-county area with 80,000 year-round residents. Branson is
surrounded by three prize winning fishing lakes - Lake Taneycomo, Table Rock

Lake and Bull Shoals Lake.
The city has an incorporated boundary of over 21 square miles. It has become
the focus of international attention as both a major development area and an
entertainment and tourism destination. The reasons are numerous and range
from the scenic natural beauty to the variety of live entertainment options and

family oriented entertainment offerings.

www.bransonmo.gov
110 W. Maddux, Branson, MO 65616