The Housing Development Division of the Community and Economic Development Department provides service and technical assistance in the planning and development of both five year and annual action plans for housing and community development. The most recently approved five year plan for Tacoma is the
Consolidated Plan for Housing and Community Development 2005-2010 for the Tacoma and Lakewood HOME Consortium. This document provides a consolidated framework for addressing housing, community and economic development, and human services needs within Tacoma. The five year plan is required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to apply for funds from four federal programs that include Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME), American Dream Downpayment Initiative (ADDI) and, for the City of Tacoma, Emergency Shelter Grants (ESG).
In addition to the five year planning document, both Tacoma and Lakewood also approve an annual plan for directing use of the federal funding. In May 2006, the Tacoma City Council approved the Consolidated Plan for Housing and Community Development - Annual Action Plan 2006-2007, utilizing the aforementioned funds to eliminate blight or threats to public health and safety, conserve and expand affordable and decent housing, expand economic opportunities and address human services. Specifically, CDBG, HOME and ESG funds can be used for the following: CDBG funds can be used to support housing assistance programs, physical improvements, economic development activities and public services. HOME funds can be used to increase affordable housing for both homeowners and renters including down-payment assistance, housing repair and rehabilitation services as well as support of housing development by community-based housing developers. ESG funds can be used to support rehabilitation and/or conversion of buildings for use as emergency shelters for the homeless including related social services and operating costs.