Tulare City Council
June 3, 2025

MA-25 Public and Assisted Housing – 91.210(b)
Introduction
Established in 1945, The Housing Authority of Tulare County (HATC) is committed to providing rental housing assistance to seniors, farm labor households, residents with a disability, special needs populations, and low- and moderate-income households throughout the County. HATC administers various housing assistance programs, such as conventional public housing programs, the housing choice voucher program, the farm labor program for families with farm labor income, and senior housing programs. HATC also owns or manages individual subsidized rental complexes that do not fall under the previous categories. Table 41 below shows public housing and housing voucher details for the County.

Table 41: Program Type
Certificate ModRehab
Public
Housing
Vouchers
Total
Project
Based
Vouchers
Tenant
Based
Vouchers
Special
Purpose
- VASH
Special
Purpose –
Family
Unification
Program
Special Purpose
– Disabled*
Total
Units/Vouchers
in Use
0 0 199 564 21 533 10 0 0
Accessible
Units/Vouchers** 0 0 54 210 1 205 4 0 0
Data Source: Housing Authority of Tulare County
*Includes Non-Elderly Disabled, Mainstream One-Year, Mainstream Five-year, and Nursing Home Transition **Families requesting accessibility Features
Describe the supply of public housing developments
HATC manages 205 public housing units in the City of Tulare, and 24 units are fully accessible for individuals who are physically handicapped and require special accommodations. In addition, HATC also has Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers within the city.

Describe the number and physical condition of public housing units in the jurisdiction, including those that are participating in an approved Public Housing Agency Plan:

HATC performs regular annual maintenance, inspections and rehabilitation as needed of all their public housing sites. As a result, all public housing sites are well-maintained and in good interior and exterior condition. All public housing units are in satisfactory physical condition.

Public Housing Condition
Data Source: HUD User, https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/pis.html Describe the restoration and revitalization needs of public housing units in the jurisdiction.

HATC will continue to own and manage 205 Public Housing units in the City of Tulare. There is no current plan to purchase additional public-housing units, nor does the HATC plan to remove any units from its inventory.

Table 42: Public Housing Condition
Public Housing Development Average Inspection Score
Tulare (#CA030000810) 93
City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

Describe the public housing agency's strategy for improving the living environment of low- and moderate-income families residing in public housing.

HATC, established in 1945, initially sought to provide affordable housing for returning WWII veterans and their families. Currently, HATC provides affordable and well-maintained rental housing to over 5,000 households throughout Tulare County. Since its establishment, HATC has incorporated numerous programs into its housing portfolio. These programs are funded by various types of agencies that include the HUD, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Tax Credit Allocation Committee of the State Treasurer’s Office (LIHTC), California’s Rental Housing Construction Program (RHCP), HOME, City Redevelopment Successor Agencies (SA) and other local agencies. HATC is also a current participant of the Moving to Work (MTW) Demonstration Program.

Families participating in the MTW program either pay a fixed rent for public housing or receive a fixed subsidy for voucher. Because rents are not tied to income, MTW participants can keep the full amount of any extra earnings they make while on the program. However, assistance is terminated when a family's income reaches 120% of the area median or after five years in the program, whichever comes first.

Families have the option of Housing Authority owned public housing units as they become available, or voucher rental assistance. Public housing applicants will have to pass normal screening procedures, and, if housed, pay a flat rental amount based on the unit bedroom size.

Voucher families receive a flat rental subsidy amount, depending on the unit size the family qualifies for, or the actual unit size rented, whichever is smaller. Families pay the difference between the rent charged by the landlord and the flat subsidy amount. HATC inspects units to ensure that they meet Housing Quality Standards. Either public housing or voucher families who have members who are not citizens or eligible aliens have an increased flat rent amount or decreased subsidy amount of $25 per ineligible family member.

All new families admitted from the waiting list shall be admitted under the MTW program rules. If a new family has a Head of Household that qualifies as Elderly or Disabled, those families would be allowed into the program with their rent being calculated at either MTW flat rents or based on their income. If the MTW flat rent is selected the term limits shall apply to the family. Incomes will be verified annually for statistical purposes but will not affect rental or subsidy amounts unless verified income exceeds the income limits. Interim redeterminations and utility allowances are eliminated. Hardship situations will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

MTW gives participants the opportunity to save as their incomes rise, thus providing an incentive to seek employment or better jobs. The five-year time limit on assistance also increases the motivation for families to gain employment and self-sufficiency skills, so that they will be able to afford alternative housing once their assistance is terminated. The time limits also reinforce the notion that rental assistance is not a lifetime benefit but a helping hand to families as they move toward self-sufficiency. HATC hopes that at the end of five years, families will have earned and saved enough to purchase a home.

Additionally, the Housing Choice Voucher Program offers affordable, decent, and safe housing in open market rentals selected by Voucher holders. Under the MTW program, residents receive a fixed subsidy, which HATC pays directly to the landlord, and the resident pays the rest of the rent for the unit. There is a five-year time limit to this type of rental assistance in most cases because the fixed subsidy helps families to stabilize their housing costs as they work to achieve selfsufficiency and save for other housing opportunities. Elderly families, where the head or co-tenant City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

is over 62 or disabled and do not possess the capabilities to work, will have their rent based on their income rather than the fixed subsidy amounts, however time limits do not apply to these households.

Discussion
Even though the City of Tulare does not operate a housing authority or own housing units, the City does coordinate with the Housing Authority of Tulare County, which also has an office within the city limits.

City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

MA-30 Homeless Facilities and Services – 91.210(c)
Introduction
HUD recommends that communities provide a comprehensive and strategic approach to address homelessness. Tulare and Kings counties are responsible for the oversight and coordination of the region’s homeless system of care. This system of care is known as a Continuum of Care. The Kings/Tulare Homeless Alliance - the designated Continuum of Care Program (CoC CA-513) – is approved by HUD to address the long-range needs of the homeless, in order to help them reach self-sufficiency.

The Kings/Tulare Homeless Alliance (Alliance) is designed to rehouse homeless individuals and families to minimize the trauma and displacement caused to homeless individuals and families by homelessness. The Alliance promotes access to mainstream programs so homeless individuals and families can achieve self-sufficiency. The Alliance is also responsible for conducting a regional Point-In-Time (PIT) count of the homeless.

Each year, the Alliance conducts a PIT count of the number of people experiencing homelessness within Kings and Tulare Counties. Information gathered through the PIT survey is used by the Alliance to understand the issues associated with homelessness, including causes of homelessness, service needs of the homeless, the region’s unmet housing needs, and trends over time of homelessness in the region.

The 2024 PIT count was held on January 22, 2024. A total of 302 persons were counted in Tulare, with 248 found to be unsheltered and 54 sheltered.

A permanent homeless shelter will be constructed in Tulare at the Hillman Health Campus by 2026. The property is owned by Tulare County and within city limits. The City has negotiated a long-term ground-lease agreement with Tulare County. As part of the lease, the City has agreed to provide up to 25% of the shelter beds to homeless individuals from Tulare County, and 75% will be allocated for Tulare residents. The Tulare City Council and executive staff have determined the city’s shelter needs to be the entry point into the bi-county network of services and facilities for people experiencing homelessness. It is anticipated that the shelter will accommodate approximately 200 beds and scale to 400 if necessary. The shelter will provide basic services, meals, medical care, and voluntary employment and recovery programs.

City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

Table 43: Facilities and Housing Targeted to Homeless Households Types of Homeless
Households
Emergency Shelter Beds
Transitional
Housing
Beds
Permanent Supportive
Housing Beds
Year-Round
Beds
(Current &
New)
Voucher /
Seasonal /
Overflow
Beds
Current &
New
Current
& New
Under
Development
Households with Adult(s)
and Child(ren) 153 0 15 46 0
Households with Only
Adults 160 0 134 269 0
Chronically Homeless
Households 0 0 0 153 0
Veterans 0 0 0 0 0
Unaccompanied Youth 0 0 20 0 0
Data Source: HUD Continuum of Care Homeless Assistance Programs Housing Inventory Count Report Describe mainstream services, such as health, mental health, and employment services to the extent those services are used to complement services targeted to homeless persons.

The Alliance works closely with mainstream benefit providers to ensure that persons experiencing homelessness are connected to mainstream benefits. The Tulare County SSI Advocacy unit participates in the annual PIT count through the Project Homeless Connect (PHC) events.

Led by the Alliance, the Local Initiatives Navigation Center (LINC) holds agency “fair” at the Bethlehem Center. The fair walks individuals through the process of applying for needed services.

From urgent housing assistance to Veterans services and more, between 15 and 20 agencies are available to offer services. Participants include CalWorks to offer CalFresh (food stamps), MediCal, and General Relief assistance.

In addition to LINC, Tulare County Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) program also attends and offers substance abuse treatment beds or outpatient services, as appropriate. The Tulare County Health and Human Services Agency has recently implemented the Housing Disability Advocacy Program (HDAP) to enroll clients in mainstream benefit programs, with a special focus on SSI benefits.

The Alliance also has a strong partnership with healthcare organizations such as Family Healthcare Network, Kaweah Delta, and Anthem Blue Cross. These providers participate in the Point in Time count as well as LINC events. Assistance includes signing people up for insurance, providing on-site medical services, arranging transportation to/from appointments, etc.

The Alliance ensures that service providers are updated on new mainstream benefit programs.

Information is disseminated in a variety of ways such as through the Alliance Listserv, membership presentations, and required trainings. The Alliance also requires that CoC-funded agencies participate in the SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access and Recovery (SOAR) SOAR training annually. SOAR is designed to increase access to Supplemental Security Income and Social Security Disability Income for eligible homeless adults who are and have a mental illness and/or City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

a co- occurring substance use disorder. SOAR and other community efforts have been effective in increasing the number of homeless persons receiving SSI/SSDI.

List and describe services and facilities that meet the needs of homeless persons, particularly chronically homeless individuals and families, families with children, veterans and their families, and unaccompanied youth. If the services and facilities are listed on screen SP-40 Institutional Delivery Structure or screen MA-35 Special Needs Facilities and Services, describe how these facilities and services specifically address the needs of these populations.

The City of Tulare does not specifically provide or operate housing for unhoused populations; however, the City is helping to develop a homeless shelter that will accommodate approximately 200 beds and scale to 400 if necessary. The shelter will provide basic services, meals, medical care, and voluntary employment and recovery programs.

In Tulare, two facilities provide housing to the homeless and homeless men are also referred to a third facility in a nearby city. The three facilities include:
• The Lighthouse Rescue Mission offers 30 – 60 days of emergency housing for women and children with 16 beds
• The Tulare Rescue Mission/Homeland Mission operates a 7-bed shelter for men and women
• The City also refers homeless men in need of shelter to the Visalia Rescue Mission A permanent homeless shelter will be constructed at the Hillman Health Campus by 2026. In addition to the local facilities, the Kings/Tulare Homeless Alliance has a variety of emergency shelters, transitional housing and permanent supportive housing options available to homeless households from Tulare. These provide a variety of services including emergency shelter, transitional housing, and permanent supportive housing. There are also regional human services available, including Family Services of Tulare County, whose focus is to provide physical and emotional safety services to families with children.

Table 15: Services and Facilities that Meet the Needs of Homeless Persons Agency Program(s) Description
Family Services of Tulare
County
PSH II Myrtle Court PSH III United Way
Tulare Housing First Tulare Housing First
II
Tulare Housing First II Bonus
Permanent Supportive Housing for
Chronically Homeless households.

Family Services of Tulare
County Transitional Housing + Services
Transitional housing for households
with children who are victims of
domestic violence.

Family Services of Tulare
County Karen’s House Emergency shelter for victims of domestic violence.

Community Services &
Employment Training Visalia PSH Tulare County PSH Permanent Supportive Housing for Chronically Homeless households.

Community Services &
Employment Training ESG 2 Rapid Rehousing assistance for homeless households.

Turning Point Casa de Robles
Transitional and permanent supportive
housing (for individuals with disabilities)
for single males.

Turning Point Court Street Transitional housing for single men.

Agency Program(s) Description
City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

Tulare Lighthouse
Rescue Mission
The Women’s Program
The Men’s Program
Lighthouse Industries
Provides emergency shelter for
families, sober living, and workforce
training.

Visalia Rescue Mission Overnight Guest Overnight emergency shelter for single men who are homeless.

Visalia Rescue Mission Shelter of Hope
Overnight emergency shelter for single
women and women with children who
are homeless.

Visalia Rescue Mission House of Hope Transitional housing program for single women experiencing homelessness.

Visalia Rescue Mission House of Restoration
Residential treatment program that
serves homeless and non-homeless
men.

Visalia Rescue Mission Women’s Transitional Program Transitional housing program for single women experiencing homelessness.

Department of VA VASH Program Permanent housing for homeless veterans and their families.

Uplift Families THP Plus Housing and services for transitioning age youth Age 18-24
Bethlehem Center N/A
Provides hot meals six days a week
(breakfast and lunch M-F) and lunch
only Saturday and Sunday, emergency
food and clothing.

Visalia Emergency Aid N/A Food pantry, clothing, financial counseling and homeless prevention.

Visalia Corps (Salvation
Army) N/A
Food basket distribution, material
assistance, youth activities, and
emergency and miscellaneous
services.

Family Healthcare
Network N/A
Provide Medi-Cal and dental assistance
on a sliding scale/ability-to-pay fee
structure.

Central Valley Recovery
Services N/A
Drug addiction help, residential
treatment, methamphetamine,
withdrawal from opiates, outpatient
treatment, drug addiction help.

Tulare County HHSA Veteran’s Service Office Veterans Services (County HHSA).

Tulare County HHSA Visalia Adult Integrated Clinic Mental health services.

Tulare County HHSA Transitional Living Center Transitional housing for single men and women with a serious mental illness.

East Tulare Avenue Cottages
Permanent supportive housing for
single men and women with a serious
mental illness. Tulare County HHSA
Westcare Supportive Services for Veteran Families
(SSVF)
Rapid Rehousing Program for veteran
households experiencing
homelessness.

Data Source: Tulare County
City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

MA-35 Special Needs Facilities and Services – 91.210(d) Introduction
The special needs population in the City of Tulare has a variety of needs including housing and service needs. The following will describe the need for various housing needs and the programs available to ensure needs are met.

Ensuring people with special needs remain stably housed often requires ongoing services or case management. Many supportive service needs are simply not being met due to inadequate funding in the case management arena, as discussed by local stakeholders. The shortage of case management makes partnerships and good referrals even more imperative, as a client will often need to seek help from various service providers rather than finding a comprehensive package of assistance in one place.

Including the elderly, frail elderly, persons with disabilities (mental, physical, developmental), persons with alcohol or other drug addictions, persons with HIV/AIDS and their families, public housing residents and any other categories the jurisdiction may specify and describe their supportive housing needs.

Elderly/Frail Elderly: Tulare has 6,653 people who were aged 65 and older, which is about 9.5% of the population, according to the 2019-2023 ACS. Some of this group’s special needs included limited mobility, increased medical attention due to health complications, and restricted fixed income. Common services for the elderly include public transit, home delivery services and athome medical care.

Persons with Disabilities: According to the 2019-2023 ACS, approximately 11.5% of the Tulare population, or 8,126 persons, had one or more disabilities. The U.S. Census Bureau classifies disabilities into the following categories: Hearing difficulty; Vision difficulty; Cognitive difficulty; Ambulatory difficulty; Self-care difficulty; and, Independent living difficulty.

Persons with physical, mental, and development disabilities often require special housing considerations to accommodate their unique conditions. Some may face unique problems in obtaining affordable and adequate housing, due to accessibility issues dictated by their disability such as additional handrails, ramps, and wider doorways. Others may be affected by discriminatory actions of housing providers or be stigmatized when looking for housing. There also may be limited employment opportunities, which may also contribute to the lack of financial resources that can impact where persons with disabilities live. Others may require some sort of living assistance in special housing that can offer support either with daily tasks or provide a more supportive living environment.

A number of non-profit agencies provide supportive services to persons with disabilities living in Tulare; though some of these organizations are not located within its city limits. The Tulare Senior Community Center provides a variety of services, including resources and referrals for all aspects of senior living, such as Meals on Wheels. The City also has the Committee on Aging Board (COA), and other organizations that offer services to Tulare residents include: CSET - Senior Services, AARP, Kings Tulare Area Agency on Aging, HICAP Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program, Adult Protective Services, Food Link Tulare County and Valley Caregivers Resource.

City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

Persons with Alcohol/Drug Addiction: Persons affected by alcohol or other substance abuse addictions may need many kinds of supportive services compared to other persons with disabilities, including counseling and treatment. Some may need supportive services tied to permanent supportive housing activities to ensure progress.

Persons with HIV/AIDS: According to Tulare County’s Health Status Profile for 2024, there were 1,488 HIV/AIDS cases in Tulare County. Tulare County averages about 496 new HIV infections for 2018-2020. Persons with HIV/AIDS face an array of barriers to obtaining and maintaining affordable, stable housing. Additionally, job placement is a concern for individuals with HIV/AIDS, as their immune deficiencies preclude them from working in jobs requiring frequent interaction with members of the public. The Tulare County HIV program offers various services, such as HIV testing, counseling and others to help persons with HIV/AIDS and other health issues.

Describe programs for ensuring that persons returning from mental and physical health institutions receive appropriate supportive housing.

The Kings/Tulare Homeless Alliance has a discharge policy that includes plans for persons exiting mental and physical health institutions. The Alliance works with local hospitals to provide discharge planning for patients to identify at risk persons and link them with appropriate services to avoid discharging persons into homelessness.

Specify the activities that the jurisdiction plans to undertake during the next year to address the housing and supportive services needs identified in accordance with 91.215(e) with respect to persons who are not homeless but have other special needs. Link to one- year goals. 91.315(e).

The City of Tulare will continue to provide funding to public service activities, affordable housing, infrastructure improvements and economic development needs. These goals will help provide for low- and moderate-income households in the City, as well as many residents with special needs.

City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

MA-40 Barriers to Affordable Housing – 91.210(e)
Describe any negative effects of public policies on affordable housing and residential investment
The following summarizes major non-governmental, governmental, environmental and infrastructure constraints that may impact housing investment.

Cost of Housing Development: The cost of developing housing, including land costs and construction costs, is rising rapidly. The increasing cost of construction and the limited availability of financing contribute to the cost of housing and can hinder the production of affordable housing.

Environmental Review. State and federal law (California Environmental Quality Act, National Environmental Policy Act, California and federal Endangered Species Acts) require environmental review of proposed discretionary projects; e.g., subdivision maps, zone changes, etc. Costs and delays resulting from the environmental review process are added to the cost of developing housing.

Planning and Development Fees. Fees charged by local governments also contribute to the cost of housing. The City collects permit and development impact fees to cover the administrative and services expenses generated from construction projects; such as processing permits and building inspections. These fees often limit the supply of affordable housing created due to the additional costs associated with housing construction.

Permit and Processing Procedures. The processing time required to obtain approval of development entitlements and building permits is often cited as contributing to construction costs.

In development parlance, “time is money” and developers can incur significant holding costs while waiting out a delay. The City's permit procedures expedite planning and building approvals where possible and are not likely to unduly constrain housing development.

Lack of funding: There is a lack of federal, state, and local funding and the funding that is available is increasingly competitive. The time and effort needed to identify, compete for, and layer affordable housing funds is a major constraint to development of affordable housing.

Land Use Controls. In terms of land use controls, the General Plan establishes the location and amount of land that will be allocated to residential development, but also establishes the intensity of development (in terms of unit densities and total number of units) that will be permitted. While nearly all components or elements of the General Plan contain goals and policies that influence residential development, it is the Land Use Element that has the most direct influence. The City of Tulare’s development standards do not contain any unduly restrictive provisions. Building height, setbacks, lot areas, and parking are generally within the range of other cities in the State.

Although Tulare’s development regulations allow for a variety of densities throughout the city, development standards are not sufficiently flexible to avoid posing a constraint to development.

Emergency shelter requirements could also limit housing access for unsheltered individuals.

City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

MA-45 Non-Housing Community Development Assets –

91.215 (f)
Introduction
According to the 2019-2023 ACS, Tulare had 30,734 working-age adults in the labor force and an unemployment rate of 7.9%. The unemployment rate for persons ages 16-24 was 27.7%, remarkably higher than the 25-64 age group, which had a 6.7% unemployment rate. The city’s unemployment rate is slightly lower than Tulare County’s 8.8% unemployment rate.

Certain employment sectors may have mismatches between the number of jobs in Tulare and the number of workers available living in Tulare. This may be because workers travel outside the city limits of Tulare for work. The Business Activity table below compares the number of workers in each sector as recorded in 2019-2023 ACS data with the number of jobs in the same sector as recorded by the Census Bureau’s Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics program within the City of Tulare. In the City of Tulare, the largest shortage of jobs was observed in the Agriculture, Mining, Oil & Gas Extraction sector, with enough jobs for only 856 persons. Though, there were 3,092 workers living in Tulare working in these types of jobs. On the other hand, there were more Arts, Entertainment, Accommodations and Retail Trade sector jobs than workers in Tulare.

Economic Development Market Analysis
The City collaborates with a variety of economic development organizations to support economic development within the City. Some of the economic development organizations that provide resources to the city include the following:
• Tulare Chamber of Commerce (Chamber): The Chamber promotes business vitality and prosperity for its members and the Tulare community. The Chamber serves its members and citizens by advocating for, and engaging in, efforts to encourage economic opportunity and business prosperity. It provides networking opportunities for business members and the City. The Chamber provides a positive impact through collaborative actions within the community.
• Workforce Investment Board of Tulare County (WIBTC): WIBTC advances Tulare County’s economic vitality by growing the skills and talent of our workforce. Through a partnership with CSET, the WIBTC provides job readiness workshops, job training and job placement to LMI clients with significant barriers to employment. • Tulare County Economic Development Corporation (EDC): A marketing and business recruitment organization that works to attract new businesses to the Tulare County area.

EDC serves as the marketing and business recruitment organization, locating companies to create new jobs throughout Tulare County.

City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

Economic Development Market Analysis
Table 44: Business Activity
Business by Sector
Number
of
Workers
Number
of Jobs
Share of
Workers
%
Share
of
Jobs
%
Jobs
less
workers
%
Agriculture, Mining, Oil & Gas
Extraction 3,092 856 10.9 5.0 -6
Arts, Entertainment,
Accommodations 1,910 2,221 6.7 12.9 6
Construction 1,705 814 6.0 4.7 -1
Education and Health Care
Services 6,372 4,435 22.5 25.8 3
Finance, Insurance, and Real
Estate 861 480 3.0 2.8 0
Information 210 134 0.7 0.8 0
Manufacturing 3,189 2,308 11.3 13.4 2
Other Services 1,017 484 3.6 2.8 -1
Professional, Scientific,
Management Services 1,906 877 6.7 5.1 -2
Public Administration 1,758 467 6.2 2.7 -4
Retail Trade 3,554 2,643 12.6 15.4 3
Transportation and Warehousing 1,860 837 6.6 4.9 -2
Wholesale Trade 879 618 3.1 3.6 1
Total 28,313 17,174 100.0 100.0
Data Source: 2019-2023 ACS (Workers), 2023 Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics (Jobs).

Table 45: Labor Force
Employment Characteristics Number of People
Total Population in the Civilian Labor Force 30,734
Civilian Employed Population 16 years and over 28,313
Unemployment Rate 7.9%
Unemployment Rate for Ages 16-24 27.7%
Unemployment Rate for Ages 25-65 6.7%
Data Source: 2019-2023 ACS
City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

Table 46: Occupations by Sector
Occupations by Sector Number of People
Management, business and financial 6,922
Farming, fisheries and forestry occupations 2,198
Service 5,730
Sales and office 5,974
Construction, extraction, maintenance and repair 2,311
Production, transportation and material moving 5,178
Data Source: 2019-2023 ACS
Table 47: Travel Time
Travel Time Number Percentage
< 30 Minutes 18,798 71.9%
30-59 Minutes 5,710 21.9%
60 or More Minutes 1,616 6.2%
Total 26,124 100.0%
Data Source: 2019-2023 ACS
Table 48: Educational Attainment by Employment Status
Educational Attainment
(Population 18+ years)
In Labor Force
Civilian
Employed Unemployed
Not in Labor
Force
Less than high school graduate 4,391 328 2,680
High school graduate (includes
equivalency) 6,600 687 3,288
Some college or Associate's degree 8,691 400 2,626
Bachelor's degree or higher 2,901 205 432
Data Source: 2019-2023 ACS
Table 49: Educational Attainment by Age
Educational Attainment Age In Years
18–24 yrs. 25–34 yrs. 35–44 yrs. 45–64 yrs. 65+ yrs.

Less than 9th grade 72 366 882 2,264 1,457
9th to 12th grade, no diploma 894 1,020 1,248 1,619 522 High school graduate, GED,
or alternative 2,540 3,511 2,541 4,523 1,849
Some college, no degree 2,707 3,034 2,147 3,279 1,570
Associate's degree 699 1,090 648 1,519 555
Bachelor's degree 421 813 755 798 342
Graduate or professional
degree 49 264 397 536 356
Data Source: 2019-2023 ACS
City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

Table 50: Median Earnings in the Past 12 Months
Educational Attainment Median Earnings in the Past 12 Months Less than high school graduate 34,873
High school graduate (includes equivalency) 39,157
Some college or Associate's degree 45,656
Bachelor's degree 73,120
Graduate or professional degree 101,422
Data Source: 2019-2023 ACS
Based on the Business Activity table above, what are the major employment sectors within your jurisdiction?
The top employment sectors in Tulare, with over 2,000 jobs in the city, include Education and Health Care Services (4,435 jobs), Retail Trade (2,643 jobs), Manufacturing (2,308), and Arts, Entertainment, Accommodations (2,221 jobs).

Describe the workforce and infrastructure needs of the business community.

Priority sectors for the City receiving targeted support and investment according to Employment Connection are:
• Green Energy: Includes renewable energy production, energy-efficient technologies, and environmental conservation efforts.
• Advanced Manufacturing: Includes food processing, biotechnology, and high-tech manufacturing.
• Transportation & Logistics: Includes trucking, warehousing, distribution, and supply chain management services; this sector benefits from Tulare County’s transportation network and geographic location.
• Agri-business: Agriculture is central to the Tulare County economy and includes activities like crop production, food processing, agricultural technology, and distribution.

Healthcare: Includes a need for medical professionals, administrators, and support staff.

Construction: Includes residential and commercial construction as well as infrastructure projects.

Workforce skill needs correspond to these priority industries.

Describe any major changes that may have an economic impact, such as planned local or regional public or private sector investments or initiatives that have affected or may affect job and business growth opportunities during the planning period. Describe any needs for workforce development, business support or infrastructure these changes may create.

According to the 2024 Economic Outlook published by the Tulare County Economic Development Corporation, Tulare County’s labor market has fully recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic and continues to show strength, with local employment growth outpacing the state in 2023. At the industry level, gains were led by Education and Health Care, followed by Retail Trade, Leisure and Hospitality, Manufacturing, Financial Activities, and Other Services. The county’s labor force has also expanded, despite declines in the statewide labor force since the start of the pandemic.

Additionally, average weekly wages in Tulare County have grown significantly over the past year, building on the wage gains local workers have enjoyed since the start of the pandemic City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

How do the skills and education of the current workforce correspond to employment opportunities in the jurisdiction?
The Workforce Investment Board of Tulare County (WIB) continues to identify and address the needs of the business community, which supports the efforts of Tulare’s Consolidated Plan. The WIB, aligned with the San Joaquin and associated counties (SJVAC), prepared a Regional Plan that prioritized six target industry sectors: Advanced Manufacturing, Construction, Energy, Healthcare, Transportation and Logistics, and Value-Added Agriculture. These areas are projected to have substantial growth/resurgence and have a greater need for innovation and training, workforce and education. The WIB has recommended strategic investments into one of three categories:

1. Investments in opportunity (programs to help connect people to jobs

2. Investment in resources (to help workers move within their industries

3. Investment in skills (up scaling workers’ skills so that they can meet skill demands of businesses)
Describe any current workforce training initiatives, including those supported by Workforce Investment Boards, community colleges and other organizations.

Describe how these efforts will support the jurisdiction's Consolidated Plan.

There are many workforce training initiatives occurring in the County, led by various organizations, including:
• The College of the Sequoias Training Resource Center provides training on soft skills and leadership, quality systems and continuous improvement, industrial automation, manufacturing, food safety, computer software skills, and social media. • Upskill Tulare County is a community-wide initiative focused on increasing the skills of entry level workers to meet demands of middle skilled positions. This practice encourages employers to “grow their own” staffing resources, while promoting upward mobility in the workplace.
• Sequoia Community Corps (SCC) offers vocational training in the trades of construction, solar, weatherization, urban forestry, recycling, electronic waste collection, oil collection and recycling education. SCC has been successfully operating in Tulare and Kings Counties for the past 30 years and has provided over 4,000 young adults with valuable job training and educational opportunities.
• Proteus – operates the William M. Maguy School of Education (WMSE) and provides workforce development services “to assist the poor of Central California in meeting their employment and education needs by conducting educational and training programs on their behalf as well as expanding the range of job opportunities available to them.” Since 1967, the non-profit organization has provided Adult Basic Education and ESL educational services to farmworkers in Tulare County and in 1972, the organization was incorporated and expanded to include the counties of Kings, Kern and Fresno. Today, in addition to education, Proteus also provides programs to families and individuals, some of which include workforce development, youth services, community service programs, energy services, foster care, and others.
• Community Services Employment Training (CSET) provides workforce development services that assist local businesses to thrive, while training residents of all ages to find their path to good jobs. These services are funded by the WIB, Tulare County Health and Human Services Agency, Kings/Tulare Area Agency on Aging, and others. CSET is the WIB's One-Stop Operator for the Employment Connection - a proud partner of America's Job Center of California Network - in Visalia and Porterville, with satellite services in Tulare. Each location is equipped with a Resource Room including computers, printers, and internet access. Businesses attend specialized workshops to speak with job seekers City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

who learn about employment opportunities. Youth gain work readiness and leadership skills, plan for college and careers, and gain valuable experiences through work-based learning.

Does your jurisdiction participate in a Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS)?
No
If so, what economic development initiatives are you undertaking that may be coordinated with the Consolidated Plan? If not, describe other local/regional plans or initiatives that impact economic growth.

Though the Tulare County Economic Development Corporation (TCEDC) has not developed a strategy document, the corporation facilitates the annual Sequoia Regional Economic Summit, where it presents the results of annual economic outlook reports that inform state, regional, and local economic development stakeholders of recent trends and developments in the regional economic climate. Tulare County’s development is also guided by its General Plan, which is regularly updated.

Discussion
The City of Tulare will continue to collaborate with the Tulare Chamber of Commerce, Tulare County Economic Development Corporation, and Workforce Investment Board to attract businesses and jobs, as well as promote job training opportunities.

City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

MA-50 Needs and Market Analysis Discussion
Are there areas where households with multiple housing problems are In general, the lowest-income households have the most problems due to the high cost of housing in relation to income, which can lead to deferred maintenance and other physical issues as well as more immediately cost-related problems such as cost burden and overcrowding. As detailed below, the lowest-income households are concentrated in the center of the City of Tulare (bounded by Cross Avenue on the north, Enterprise Street on the west, Paige Avenue on the south and the 99 Freeway on the east). This area also has the highest concentration of poverty in the City, which is also likely to have high concentrations of housing problems. In summary, there is a high likelihood that households with the highest cost burden with lower incomes are also experiencing physical problems in older dwellings with more maintenance issues.

Are there any areas in the jurisdiction where racial or ethnic minorities or lowincome families are concentrated? (include a definition of "concentration") Hispanic concentration was defined as a census tract with the Hispanic population representing more than 50% of total population of the census tract. Census tracts with high Hispanic concentrations are located in the middle of Tulare, similar to the concentration of lower income residents. African American population concentrations in Tulare were also in the middle of the City.

There is one Census Tract in Tulare identified as a racially/ethnically-concentrate area of poverty (R/ECAP). HUD defines R/ECAPs as a census tract where 50% or more is non-white population and more than 40% of the residents live at or below the poverty line. The Census R/ECAP area is Tract 22.02, located to the northwest of the intersection of K Street and Highway 137.1 What are the characteristics of the market in these areas/neighborhoods? The main characteristic of the central Tulare area/neighborhoods is that they are mostly singlefamily homes. In the City, over 80% of the housing units are single-family homes. There are other areas that have more rural and agricultural type uses. Also, the areas with the higher concentration of minority populations tend to be areas with lower household incomes.

Are there any community assets in these areas/neighborhoods? The central area of Tulare, where there are more minority populations, have many community assets, including the following: Government (City Hall, Library, Fire Stations #61 and #62); Schools (Union H.S., Lincoln, Mulcahy, Roosevelt and others); Others (Tulare Fair Grounds, Zumwalt Park, Cesar Chavez Memorial, Tulare Senior Center and others). Also, the central business district and some industrial areas are located in the center of the city.

Are there other strategic opportunities in any of these areas? The City of Tulare is targeting its efforts on the areas that correspond to the low- and moderateincome areas, with an array of programs and investments in these areas to strategically improve economic and housing conditions for its residents in these areas and the city overall. 1 HUD GIS Helpdesk, Racially or Ethnically Concentrated Areas of Poverty (R/ECAPs) City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

MA-60 Broadband Needs of Housing occupied by Lowand Moderate-Income Households - 91.210(a)(4),

91.310(a)(2)
Describe the need for broadband wiring and connections for households, including low- and moderate-income households and neighborhoods.

Providing a broadband infrastructure has become increasingly important to provide residents with reliable connectivity for services such as online banking and purchasing goods and services.

Almost all households in Tulare, or 93.8%, have a computer, and 89.9% of households have broadband Internet access. Of households without Internet access, 61.6% earn less than $35,000. There are several service providers in Tulare, including Frontier, AT&T, and Comcast; these service providers offer reduced price internet access for lower income households using “Lifeline” programs, which are federal programs aimed at qualifying customers.

Table 51: Number of Households with Computer & Internet Access Number of Households
Has a computer 19,229
With Dial-up Internet alone 8
With a Broadband Internet 18,431
Without Internet 790
No Computer 1,282
Total 20,511
Data Source: 2019-2023 ACS
Table 52: Number of Households with Internet by Income
Housing Income Dial-up Internet Broadband Internet No Internet Less than $10,000 0 749 109
$10,000 to $19,999 0 961 435
$20,000 to $34,999 8 1,728 571
$35,000 to $49,999 0 2,428 243
$50,000 to $74,999 0 3,750 230
$75,000 or more 0 9,078 221
Total 8 18,694 1,809
Data Source: 2019-2023 ACS
Describe the need for increased competition by having more than one broadband Internet service provider serve the jurisdiction.

There are multiple broadband providers in Tulare, including AT&T and Comcast. According to the Federal Communications Commission database, Tulare is served by at least ten broadband Internet providers. For coverage at 25/3 Mbps or greater speed for fixed broadband, Viasat, Inc., Space Exploration Holdings, LLC, and UnWired Broadband Holding LLC serve 100% of units in Tulare.

City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

MA-65 Hazard Mitigation - 91.210(a)(5), 91.310(a)(3)
Describe the jurisdiction's increased natural hazard risks associated with climate change.

The 2017 Tulare Multi-Jurisdictional Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP) lists potential hazards that are most likely to affect Tulare:
• Climate Change
• Dam Inundation
• Drought
• Extreme Heat
• Flood
These hazards which may impact agriculture, the economic driver of the city, represent critical vulnerabilities. In addition, these are hazards that represent vulnerabilities to infrastructure.

This HMP states that there has been no development in hazard prone areas that has affected overall vulnerability of the County. Development that did occur was primarily infill in urban areas where vulnerabilities are well understood and described. While little new development occurred in the expanded inundation zones, vulnerability to dam inundation increased substantially and now includes most of the most populace areas of the County. The HMP also states that increased carbon emissions will result in increasing overall vulnerabilities to its impacts.

Describe the vulnerability to these risks of housing occupied by low- and moderate-income households based on an analysis of data, findings, and methods.

A small part of the city falls within the 100-year and 500-year floodplains; therefore, flood hazards may pose potential constraints to some areas in the city. These areas are in the southern tip of the city near South K Street, as identified by FEMA. Parcels in this area of the city are primarily comprised of industrial and agricultural zones. Other hazards identified that most likely will affect Tulare will impact all households, like climate change, extreme heat, and drought. However, lower income residents may have a greater impact, due to their limited income creating less of an ability to rebound from disasters.

City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

Strategic Plan
SP-05 Overview
Strategic Plan Overview
The Strategic Plan is the centerpiece of the City of Tulare’s 2025–2029 Consolidated Plan and outlines the City’s goals and actions to address identified housing and community development needs for the next five years. The goals were developed based upon data from the needs assessment and market analysis and from community feedback gathered via surveys and consultation meetings with residents and stakeholders.

The priority needs identified include:
• Affordable Housing
• Public Infrastructure and Facilities Improvement
• Homeless Services
• Public Services
• Neighborhood Preservation
• Economic Development
As a result of the consolidated planning process, the following housing and community development goals were developed for the City of Tulare:
• Preserve and Expand Affordable Housing Opportunities
• Revitalize Communities
• Enhance Public Services
City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

SP-10 Geographic Priorities
Geographic Area
Tulare will not direct funds to one or multiple target areas, but instead CDBG funds will be available citywide for eligible activities that serve low- and moderate-income residents and neighborhoods. Public improvement and public facility improvement projects will be prioritized in low- and moderate-income communities.

Describe the basis for allocating investments geographically within the jurisdiction.

The City will not allocate CDBG investments on a geographic basis. The needs assessment, market analysis, surveys and consultation with service providers indicated community needs were geographically diverse. CDBG funds will be available citywide for eligible projects that serve lowand moderate-income residents and neighborhoods. The City’s goal “Revitalize Communities” will be addressed by activities prioritized in areas that will serve a majority of low- and moderateincome households. The City selects activities each year through a Request for Proposal (RFP) process. There is no geographic requirement or priority in the RFP. Homeowners assisted with home rehabilitation will be determined through an application process and no geography is prioritized in the selection process.

City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

SP-25 Priority Needs
Table 53: Priority Needs Summary
1 Priority Need Name: Affordable Housing
Priority Level: High
Population
Income Level: Extremely Low, Very Low, Low, Moderate
Family Types: Large Families, Families with Children, Elderly Homeless: N/A
Non-homeless Special Needs: Elderly, Frail Elderly, Persons with Physical Disabilities, Victims of Domestic Violence
Target Areas Affected: N/A
Associated Goals: Preserve and Expand Affordable Housing Opportunities Description: There is a need for more affordable housing, including home repair for homeowners and renters, homeownership assistance, development of new homes available for rent and ownership, development of homes for special needs populations, including seniors, and development of a variety of housing options.

Basis for Relative Priority: Affordable housing was raised as a top issue for Tulare residents and stakeholders through the survey, stakeholder focus groups, and community meetings. The needs assessment and market analysis also showed a high level of need, as many low- and moderate-income households were cost burdened or experienced overcrowding. In addition, there is a long waiting list for housing assistance through HATC. 2 Priority Need Name: Public Infrastructure and Facilities Improvements Priority Level: High
Population
Income Level: Extremely Low, Very Low, Low, Moderate
Family Types: N/A
Homeless: N/A
Non-homeless Special Needs: Elderly, Frail Elderly, Persons with Physical Disabilities Target Areas Affected: N/A
Associated Goals: Revitalize Communities
Description: There is a need to improve street, sewer, storm drainage, water, sidewalks, and other publicly owned facilities, like parks, to help revitalize low- and moderate-income communities. In addition, there is a need to improve public facilities, including nonprofit owned facilities, to expand services available to low- and moderate-income residents.

Basis for Relative Priority: In the survey, residents indicated that there is a high need for all types of public infrastructure initiatives or projects, with street/road improvements as the highest priority followed by streetlight and sidewalk improvements. 3 Priority Need Name: Homeless Services
Priority Level: High
Population
Income Level: Extremely Low
City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

Family Types: N/A
Homeless: Chronic Homelessness Individuals, Families with Children, Mentally Ill, Chronic Substance Abuse, Veterans, Persons with HIV/AIDS, Victims of Domestic Violence, Unaccompanied Youth
Non-homeless Special Needs: N/A
Target Areas Affected: N/A
Associated Goals: Enhance Public Services
Description: There is a need to support individuals experiencing or at risk of homelessness with emergency shelter, transitional and permanent housing, and supportive services.

Basis for Relative Priority: Tulare has an increasing number of sheltered and unsheltered homeless population each year. Staff from local organizations indicated that there were insufficient homeless prevention programs and recommended enhanced longterm affordable housing development strategies as well as comprehensive homeless prevention and support services. The Resident Survey had moderate to high priority level ranking for homeless solutions needed in the community. 5 Priority Need Name: Public Services
Priority Level: Medium
Population
Income Level: Extremely Low, Very Low, Low, Moderate
Family Types: Large Families, Families with Children, Elderly, Public Housing Residents Homeless: N/A
Non-homeless Special Needs: Elderly, Frail Elderly, Persons with Mental Disabilities, Persons with Physical Disabilities, Persons with Alcohol or Other Additions, Persons with HIV/AIDS and their families, Victims of Domestic Violence Target Areas Affected: N/A
Associated Goals: Enhance Public Services
Description: There is a need to expand services and improve the availability and accessibility of services, including childcare, health care, youth enrichment, substance abuse recovery program, fair housing, language and domestic violence services.

Basis for Relative Priority: The Resident Survey revealed a high need for a variety of public services throughout Tulare to serve the needs of low- and moderate-income residents and special needs populations, such as survivors of domestic violence, seniors, and children. In addition, the updated Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice showed housing discrimination remains a barrier to housing choice and increased education related to fair housing is needed.
4 Priority Need Name: Neighborhood Preservation
Priority Level: Low
Population
Income Level: Extremely Low, Very Low, Low, Moderate
Family Types: N/A
Homeless: N/A
Non-homeless Special Needs: Elderly, Frail Elderly, Persons with Physical Disabilities City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

Target Areas Affected: N/A
Associated Goals: Revitalize Communities
Description: There is a need for neighborhood preservation, through making neighborhood improvements.

Basis for Relative Priority: The Resident Survey revealed that some neighborhoods were less desirable to live than others. The Resident Survey also indicated a need for community development and revitalization initiatives, including rehabilitating vacant or foreclosed properties and maintaining and cleaning up vacant lots. 6 Priority Need Name: Economic Development
Priority Level: Low
Population
Income Level: Extremely Low, Very Low, Low, Moderate
Family Types: Families with Children, Public Housing Residents Homeless: N/A
Non-homeless Special Needs: N/A
Target Areas Affected: N/A
Associated Goals: Support Economic Development
Description: There is a need for economic development in Tulare, including job placement services, job training, and expanding the number of jobs available. There is also a need for improved retail options in low- and moderate-income areas of the city.

Basis for Relative Priority: Residents and community stakeholders indicated a need for economic development; however, it was not the highest need compared to affordable housing and public services.

Narrative (optional)
The City plans to utilize available resources, including CDBG funds to address the priority needs established in this Plan. The priorities identified in this Strategic Plan focus on meeting housing and community development needs, primarily those of low-income residents and neighborhoods. The City expects to address the high priority needs with CDBG funds and other priority needs as new funding becomes available.

City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

SP-30 Influence of Market Conditions
Influence of Market Conditions
The following Market Characteristics that will influence the use of funds available for housing type.

Table 54: Influence of Market Conditions
Affordable Housing Type Market Characteristics that will influence the use of funds available for housing type
Tenant Based Rental
Assistance (TBRA)
Housing cost burden was the most common housing problem in Tulare. Low- and moderate-income renters are more impacted by cost burden than owners. There are 1,800 low- and moderateincome renter households that are severely cost burdened and therefore, unstably housed. TBRA is needed to prevent some households from losing their home. In addition, illustrative of the market need for rental assistance is the demand for rental assistance through the waiting lists of the Housing Authority of Tulare County.

TBRA for Non-Homeless
Special Needs
Similar to market forces that influence the need for TBRA, such as cost burden, many special needs populations may have limited incomes. Some special needs populations may require greater assistance and services that require additional income, like medical costs for persons affected by HIV/AIDS which could result in less income to spend on housing costs. There is a need for rental assistance for special needs populations.

New Unit Production
As described in the market analysis, there is not enough housing for households at lower incomes levels in Tulare. According to 2017-2021 CHAS data, the city is lacking over 4,000 units for households earning below 50% AMI. The City’s 2023-2031
Housing Element also supports the need for new housing and the City plans to facilitate the development of 4,625 units, including 1,435 very low-income and 884 low-income units over the next eight years.

Rehabilitation
Overall, the City’s housing stock is in good condition, and a very small number of housing units were identified as substandard in the CHAS data, 75 units occupied by households earning less than 100% AMI. The market analysis data indicates many lower income homeowners are paying a significant amount of their income for housing (housing cost burden and severe housing cost burden). Aging units may become too expensive for some owners to maintain or improve. The Resident Survey also indicated a need for rehabilitation with rehabilitation of singlefamily homes, preservation of historic homes, and repair of foreclosed property ranked high as greatest housing needs in Tulare.

City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

Acquisition, Including
Preservation
The needs assessment and market analysis data indicate that there is a need for additional housing that is affordable to both renter and owner households. Funding acquisition can help lower the total cost of development and leverage limited funding to create needed affordable homes.

City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

SP-35 Anticipated Resources
Introduction
The City of Tulare may use multiple resources to carry out activities that benefit low- and moderate-income residents over the next five years, including entitlement funds. The Office of Community Planning and Development at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) allocates entitlement funds, to the City of Tulare. The City of Tulare receives Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) each year. This funding will be used to address the highest priority needs addressed in this Consolidated Plan.

Table 55: Anticipated Resources
Program
Source
of
Funds
Uses of Funds
Expected Amount Available Year 1 Expected
Amount
Available
Remainder
of ConPlan
$
Annual Narrative Description Allocation
$
Program
Income $
Prior Year
Resources
$
Total $
CDBG Public
Federal
Administration,
Public Services,
Homeless
Services,
Affordable
Housing, and
Public Facility
Improvements
$715,000* $10,000 $100,000 $825,000 $3,300,000
CDBG activities include public
services, homeless services,
affordable housing, public facility
improvements, economic
development, and administration.

HOME State
Administration and
Homeowner
Assistance $375,000 $100,000 $0 $475,000 $475,000
The City was awarded HOME
funds from the State of California
and supports homebuyer assistance
and home repair activities.

Behavioral
Health Bridge
Housing
(BHBH)
State
Public Services
and
Homeless Servies
$365,379 $0 $0 $365,379 $365,379
The City anticipates a BHBH award
through the Tulare County Health
and Human Services (Agency) to
support start-up infrastructure, as
well as, operational and support
services
*This is an estimate allocation amount. As of March 2025, HUD has not yet published the annual allocation amounts for FY 2025.

City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

Explain how Federal funds will leverage those additional resources (private, state, and local funds), including a description of how matching requirements will be satisfied.

The City of Tulare will continue to leverage a variety of funding sources to carry out housing and community development activities. This includes private, federal, state, and local funds. The City seeks out additional funding sources to address priority needs, which includes HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) funding administered by the Housing and Community Development Department of the State of California. The City will continue to partner with developers and subrecipients to fund additional housing and services available to the community.

CDBG does not require matching funds.

If appropriate, describe publicly owned land or property located within the jurisdiction that may be used to address the needs identified in the plan.

A current CDBG owned public facility functions as emergency and transitional shelter for women and children. The facility is maintained by the Tulare Lighthouse Rescue Mission, nonprofit organization. Public improvement projects may be carried out on City-owned real property and/or the public right of way.

Discussion
The City uses a variety of resources to address the priority housing and community development needs outlined in the Consolidated Plan. Since the City of Tulare does not receive HOME or ESG funds directly from HUD, the City will continue to partner with local service providers and other organizations to apply for funding for these and other available funding sources.

City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

SP-40 Institutional Delivery Structure – 91.215(k)
Explain the institutional structure through which the jurisdiction will carry out its consolidated plan including private industry, non-profit organizations, and public institutions.

Table 56: Institutional Delivery Structure
Responsible Entity Responsible
Entity Type Role Geographic Area Served
Housing Authority of
Tulare County PHA
Planning
Public Housing
Rental
Region
Kings/Tulare
Homeless Alliance
Continuum of
Care
Homelessness
Planning Region
City of Tulare Public
Works, Parks and
Recreation, and other
Departments
Government
Economic Development
Homelessness
Non-Homeless Special Needs
Ownership
Planning
Rental
Neighborhood Improvements
Public Facilities
Public Services
Jurisdiction
Fair Housing Council
of Central California
Non-profit
Organization Planning Region
Tulare County Government
Planning
Public Facilities
Public Services
Region
Assess strengths and gaps in the institutional delivery system.

The Tulare Community Development Department administers CDBG funding on behalf of the City of Tulare. The Community Development Department will manage and operate the housing related projects and be the point of contact for other City departments and non-profit organizations. The Department will work with other City Departments to carry out CDBG funded activities to improve public facilities and infrastructure and will work with nonprofit organizations to carry out housing rehabilitation, public service and public facility improvement activities.

The Tulare City Council reviews capital improvements and projects within the City. The City works closely with outside groups and agencies to work towards common housing and community development objectives and to maximize the use of limited resources. The City continues to have ways for residents and organizations to provide feedback to overcome barriers in communication and ultimately broaden access to services.

The strengths in the delivery system are through the interdepartmental communication and collaboration. City Departments work together and with organizations and agencies that assist the community in establishing priorities for the use of CDBG funding.

Most service delivery gaps that might exist are due to limited funding. The needs far exceed the City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

funding resources made available. As a result, even high-priority projects may have to wait years to be funded. Public engagement revealed needs to enhance public services to assist seniors.

When asked about what gaps exist in the survey, organizations state there is a shortage of affordable housing options, insufficient homeless prevention programs, and lack of comprehensive disability services for individuals with disabilities. Transportation also was mentioned as a gap for residents to access services in the city.

Table 57: Homeless Prevention Services Summary
Homelessness Prevention
Services
Available in the
Community
Targeted to
Homeless
Targeted to
People with
HIV
Homeless Prevention Services
Counseling / Advocacy X X X
Legal Assistance X X X
Mortgage Assistance X X
Rental Assistance X X
Utilities Assistance X X
Street Outreach Services
Law Enforcement X X
Mobile Clinics X X
Other Street Outreach Services X X
Supportive Services
Alcohol & Drug Abuse X X
Child Care X X
Education X X
Employment and Employment
Training
X X
Healthcare X X

HIV/AIDS X X X
Life Skills X X
Mental Health Counseling X X
Transportation X X
Describe how the service delivery system including, but not limited to, the services listed above meet the needs of homeless persons (particularly chronically homeless individuals and families, families with children, veterans and their families, and unaccompanied youth.

There are a variety of services available in the City of Tulare that address the needs of homeless persons. Utilizing coordinated assessment, service providers in the city assess and offer services to homeless individuals and households. The organizations link individuals and families with available services, employing the use of HMIS and coordination among service providers.

Employment, health and mental health services are available within the community and are City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

targeted to the homeless population through the City's service providers.

Describe the strengths and gaps of the service delivery system for special needs population and persons experiencing homelessness, including, but not limited to, the services listed above.

There are numerous service providers in the City of Tulare that offer a variety of services to residents. Serving homeless individuals continue to be a gap in the city. However, the City will soon complete a new emergency shelter to provide safe, temporary housing for individuals and families experiencing homelessness. This facility will offer essential services and will help residents transition toward stable, long-term housing. City staff will continue to collaborate closely with the Kings/Tulare Homeless Alliance, as the designated Continuum of Care agency.

Provide a summary of the strategy for overcoming gaps in the institutional structure and service delivery system for carrying out a strategy to address priority needs.

The City will continue to share information, make referrals, attend local meetings, engage in discussion, provide operational support (via CDBG), and promote educational and training opportunities as a way to overcome gaps in the current service delivery system.

The City will continue to identify and work with new service providers that can address various community needs. City staff will continue to communicate and meet with current and new local service providers and explore opportunities and leverage funding to address various housing and community service needs. Additionally, the City will continue to work with the Alliance and partner with housing, service, and faith-based organizations to identify and address current and future gaps in service delivery.

City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

SP-45 Goals Summary – 91.215(a)(4)
Goals Summary Information
Table 58: Goals Summary
Goal Name Years Category Geographic
Area Needs Addressed Funding Goal Outcome Indicator
Preserve and
expand affordable
housing
opportunities
2025-
2029
Affordable
Housing;
Homeless;
NonHomeless
Special
Needs
Citywide
Affordable Housing
Neighborhood
Preservation
CDBG:
$700,000.00
50 Households – Homeowner Housing
Rehabilitated
Revitalize
communities
2025-
2029
Non-Housing
Community
Development;
Infrastructure
Citywide
Public Infrastructure
Improvements
Neighborhood
Preservation
CDBG:
$2,500,000.00
7 Other, including 5 infrastructure and
2 public facilities built or improved
3,200 Households - Public Facility or
Infrastructure Activities with Low/Moderate
Income Housing Benefit
41,000 Persons – Public Facility or Infrastructure
Activities other than Low/Moderate Income
Housing Benefit
Enhance public
services
2025-
2029
Non-Housing
Community
Development;
Homeless;
Public
Services
Citywide
Homeless Services
Public Services
CDBG:
$925,000.00
500 Persons Assisted – Public Service
Activities other than Low/Moderate Income
Housing Benefit
City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

Table 59: Goal Description
Goal Name Goal Description
1 Preserve and expand affordable
housing opportunities
Increase and preserve affordable rental and
homeownership housing opportunities by improving
access to a diverse set of affordable housing
options.
2 Revitalize communities
Develop vibrant neighborhoods by investing in public
facilities, critical infrastructure, and/or nonprofit
facilities that provide increased accessibility to
services.
3 Enhance public services
Improve community and supportive services by
addressing critical needs and increasing access to
services for families and residents with special
needs, especially for persons experiencing or at risk
of homelessness.

Estimate the number of extremely low-income, low-income, and moderate-income families to whom the jurisdiction will provide affordable housing as defined by HOME 91.315(b)(2).

Over the next five years, the City of Tulare expects to provide affordable housing to households defined by HOME 91.315(b)(2) through home repair assistance activities. Almost all households assisted with home repair assistance are anticipated to be extremely low-income and low- income households, with approximately 23 extremely low-income, 22 low-income, and 5 moderateincome households anticipated to be assisted.

City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

SP-50 Public Housing Accessibility and Involvement –

91.215(c)
Need to Increase the Number of Accessible Units (if Required by a Section 504 Voluntary Compliance Agreement).

The City does not own or manage public housing. HATC does not have a Section 504 Voluntary Compliance Agreement. HATC adheres to applicable federal, state and local fair housing laws, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability and further promoting fair housing to all.

Activities to Increase Resident Involvements.

HATC actively includes public-housing residents in the policy making process. An equitable and transparent policy making process that includes the opinions of public housing residents is achieved through the participation of two tenant commissioners on the HATC Board. Furthermore, HATC has installed a Resident Counsel which is made up of five residents from all of HUD funded programs (Multifamily Housing, LIHTC, HOME, Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers and public housing). The Resident Counsel works with HATC staff on evaluating the effectiveness and efficiency of HATC rental assistance programs. This provides members the opportunity to provide input on necessary program modifications.

Furthermore, HATC arranges and promotes at least two public hearings on an annual basis. The first is to inform and discuss the agency’s submittal of the MTW Annual Plan to HUD, which outlines proposed budgetary and policy modifications to the rental assistance programs and affordable housing programs the agency administers. The second is a public hearing to review and discuss the agency’s submission of its MTW Annual Report to HUD- a report that analyzes the outcomes and outputs of the objectives outlined in the MTW Annual Plan. Public notices informing residents of Tulare County of the time and date of the public hearings are published by HATC in the local newspaper.

Is the public housing agency designated as troubled under 24 CFR part 902? HATC is not designated as troubled under 24 CFR part 902.

Plan to remove the ‘troubled’ designation.

Not applicable.

City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

SP-55 Barriers to Affordable Housing – 91.215(h)
Barriers to Affordable Housing
The following summarizes major non-governmental, governmental, environmental and infrastructure constraints that may impact housing investment.

Cost of Housing Development: The cost of developing housing, including land costs and construction costs, is rising rapidly. The increasing cost of construction and the limited availability of financing contribute to the cost of housing and can hinder the production of affordable housing.

Environmental Review. State and federal law (California Environmental Quality Act, National Environmental Policy Act, California and federal Endangered Species Acts) require environmental review of proposed discretionary projects (e.g., subdivision maps, zone changes, etc). Costs and delays resulting from the environmental review process are added to the cost of developing housing.

Planning and Development Fees. Fees charged by local governments also contribute to the cost of housing. The City collects permit and development impact fees to cover the administrative and services expenses generated from construction projects; such as processing permits and building inspections. These fees often limit the supply of affordable housing created due to the additional costs associated with housing construction.

Permit and Processing Procedures. The processing time required to obtain approval of development entitlements and building permits is often cited as contributing to construction costs.

In development parlance, “time is money” and developers can incur significant holding costs while waiting out a delay. The City's permit procedures expedite planning and building approvals where possible and are not likely to unduly constrain housing development.

Lack of funding: There is a lack of federal, state, and local funding and the funding that is available is increasingly competitive. The time and effort needed to identify, compete for, and layer affordable housing funds is a major constraint to development of affordable housing.

Land Use Controls. In terms of land use controls, the General Plan establishes the location and amount of land that will be allocated to residential development but also establishes the intensity of development (in terms of unit densities and total number of units) that will be permitted. While nearly all components or elements of the General Plan contain goals and policies that influence residential development, it is the Land Use Element that has the most direct influence. The City of Tulare’s development standards do not contain any unduly restrictive provisions. Building height, setbacks, lot areas, and parking are generally within the range of other cities in the State.

Although Tulare’s development regulations allow for a variety of densities throughout the city, development standards are not sufficiently flexible to avoid posing a constraint to development.

Emergency shelter requirements could also limit housing access for unsheltered individuals.

Strategy to Remove or Ameliorate the Barriers to Affordable Housing.

Local policies and regulations can affect the quantity and type of residential development, but local governments have little or no influence upon the national economy or the federal monetary policies which influence housing and, specifically affordable housing development, which typically requires significant public subsidies. Yet, these factors are the ones that most significantly impact City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

the overall cost of housing and development of new affordable homes.

By reviewing local conditions and regulations that may impact the housing market, Tulare can prepare for future growth through actions that protect the public's health and safety without unduly adding to the cost of new housing production. Recent Housing Element updates include strategies and actions to address barriers to and facilitate progress towards the City’s affordable and inclusive housing goals. These strategies include, but are not limed to, the following. • Work collaboratively with jurisdictions in the county to efficiently address housing issues and find regional solutions.
• Provide an adequate supply and range of housing types to meet the diverse needs of residents.
• Facilitate the development of affordable housing and protect the existing supply of affordable housing to extremely low-, very low-, low- and moderate-income households. • Maintain and improve the city’s existing housing stock. • Support and provide housing and services for people with special needs in the community.

People with special needs include, but are not limited to, seniors, families with children, people with disabilities, single-parent families, farmworkers, and people who are experiencing homelessness or at risk of becoming homeless. • Utilize energy conservation and sustainable measures for new and rehabilitated housing. • Promote housing opportunities and access for residents regardless of age, race, religion, sex, marital status, ancestry, national origin, color, disability, or economic level in compliance with local, state, and federal fair housing laws.

City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

SP-60 Homelessness Strategy – 91.215(d)
Reaching out to homeless persons (especially unsheltered persons) and assessing their individual needs.

The City of Tulare works closely with the Kings/Tulare Homeless Alliance, the region’s lead agency for Continuum of Care (CoC). The Alliance Housing Navigators, Kings View PATH Team, and Tulare County Mental Health Crisis Team canvas the city to conduct outreach to people experiencing homelessness. Street outreach is conducted with techniques such as traumainformed care, critical time intervention and motivational interviewing. Both the navigation and PATH teams leverage peers to create rapport and trust. Outreach teams assist with connections to mainstream benefits, obtaining documents required for housing (e.g. proof of homelessness, disability certification), provide hygiene kits, transportation assistance, and coordinate warm hand-offs to services such as mental health and substance abuse treatment programs. Program materials are offered in Spanish & other languages upon request. CoC members offer resources for other communication including sign language & accommodations for physical disabilities (e.g., dial-a-ride paratransit).

The Alliance outreach efforts for persons experiencing homelessness also occur through events, like weekly events through Local Initiatives Navigation Center (LINC) as well as the annual Point in Time (PIT) count. The one-day PIT survey provides a snapshot of the adults, children in households and unaccompanied youth living in Tulare who meet HUD’s definition of homelessness. Information gathered through the PIT is used to understand the causes and trends of homelessness over time, as well as to determine the unmet shelter and service needs of the homeless. On January 27, 2025, stakeholders worked together to collect sheltered and unsheltered homeless data. The Alliance publicly releases its PIT report annually in June.

Addressing the emergency and transitional housing needs of homeless persons.

The City will continue to work with Kings/Tulare Homeless Alliance to utilize the coordinated entry system to find appropriate and adequate services and housing for persons in need of emergency and transitional housing. A permanent homeless shelter will be constructed at the Hillman Health Campus by 2026. In addition to the local facilities, the Kings/Tulare Homeless Alliance has a variety of emergency shelters, transitional housing and permanent supportive housing options available to homeless households from Tulare. These provide a variety of services including emergency shelter, transitional housing, and permanent supportive housing. There are also regional human services available, including Family Services of Tulare County, whose focus is to provide physical and emotional safety services to families with children.

The City will continue to engage and coordinate with the CoC and Tulare County Homeless Task Force. Regular meetings allow the City to stay aware of funding and partnership opportunities that meet both local and regional emergency shelter and transitional housing needs.

City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

Helping homeless persons (especially chronically homeless individuals and families, families with children, veterans and their families, and unaccompanied youth) make the transition to permanent housing and independent living, including shortening the period of time that individuals and families experience homelessness, facilitating access for homeless individuals and families to affordable housing units, and preventing individuals and families who were recently homeless from becoming homeless again.

Pursuant to current HUD directives, Kings/Tulare Homeless Alliance established a coordinated entry system whereby a homeless individual or family, seeking shelter and services is directed to a streamlined system that facilitates access to appropriate housing and services. The system screens applicants for eligibility for services, such as homelessness prevention, rapid rehousing, emergency shelter, affordable housing, permanent supportive housing, and other interventions.

The needs and strengths of each household are assessed to determine which interventions will be most effective and appropriate, while also prioritizing people for assistance based on the severity of their needs. All HUD funded service providers participate in the coordinated entry process. Through the system, homeless households are placed in appropriate housing, such as rapid rehousing and permanent supportive housing.

Help low-income individuals and families avoid becoming homeless, especially extremely low-income individuals and families who are likely to become homeless after being discharged from a publicly funded institution or system of care, or who are receiving assistance from public and private agencies that address housing, health, social services, employment, education or youth needs.

According to HUD’s Strategies for Preventing Homelessness, “Homelessness prevention is an essential element of any effort to end homelessness either locally or nationwide.” This HUD report indicates it is less expensive and disruptive to keep a household housed in place. To this end, the City will explore the use of CDBG funds to support programs that provide direct assistance to households at risk of becoming homeless. The City will also participate in regional homeless planning efforts, including the Tulare Kings Alliance-CoC’s Discharge Plan, which aims to prevent individuals leaving institutions, hospitals, etc., from becoming homeless.

The CoC's prevention strategies focus on effective discharge planning, with an emphasis on requiring foster care programs, in-patient mental health hospitals, hospitals and correctional facilities to provide discharge planning services to clients to ensure that they have access to housing and other needed support services, including respite care, upon discharge. Action steps include convening a working group with stakeholders to examine the discharge planning policies and systems within corrections facilities and each County's human service agencies and identifying initiatives to improve those policies and systems; identifying "cross-cutting" initiatives to improve policies and practices across multiple County agencies. In addition, due to the number of probation and prison sites located within the region, the CoC has adopted a plan to develop a Continuum-wide, multi-system community re-entry plan that includes housing.

City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

SP-65 Lead Based Paint Hazards – 91.215(i)
Actions to address LBP hazards and increase access to housing without LBP hazards.

As discussed in MA-20 Housing Market Analysis: Condition of Housing, there is a correlation between low- and moderate-income households and lead-based paint hazards. To address this relationship, City staff implementing the CDBG-funded housing rehabilitation program will ensure all assisted homes are assessed for lead-based paint hazards. If lead hazards are identified, project funding may be allocated to mitigate or remove lead-based paint hazards. City staff may also provide information to homeowners about lead-based paint hazards.

The Tulare County Health and Human Services Agency, Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (CLPPP) works to increase awareness about the hazards of lead exposure, to reduce lead exposure in the environment, and to increase the number of children who have been tested for exposure to lead. The CLPPP offers home visits, education about lead poisoning, and environmental home inspections to the families of children with severe lead poisoning. The CLPPP also provides information and education to the general public, medical providers, and community-based organizations.

City staff will continue to provide information to contractors about lead-based paint hazards and its requirements. In addition, the City will continue to collaborate with other agencies, like Habitat for Humanity of Tulare/Kings Counties and Self-Help Enterprises, to ensure that housing rehabilitation programs maintain compliance with HUD regulations regarding lead-based paint hazards.

How are the actions listed above related to the extent of lead poisoning and hazards?
Lead-based paint was widely used in residential properties prior to 1978, when it was banned.

The U.S. Congress banned the use of lead-based paint in residential structures and environments in 1971 (United States Lead-Based Paint Poisoning Prevention Act), but this regulation was not implemented until 1978 by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission). There is a risk of lead-paint hazards in homes built before 1978, and lead is a danger to children because it can affect a child’s ability to learn and grow. As presented in Tulare’s most recent Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice, 2021 CHAS data indicated that there were 524 owner occupied units, and 1,359 renter occupied units that were built before 1980 and had children under six years old present in the household.

By providing information regarding lead-based paint hazards, residents can take immediate action to ascertain their risk level and take corrective or preventive action. The City will continue to implement its housing rehabilitation program, which will directly decrease the amount of units with lead-based paint hazards.

How are the actions listed above integrated into housing policies and procedures? The City’s housing rehabilitation program policies and procedures require that all properties constructed prior to 1978 to be tested for lead. If lead is found, it will be removed or encapsulated as required by current HUD regulations. Policies and procedures may be revised, as needed.

City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

SP-70 Anti-Poverty Strategy – 91.215(j)
Jurisdiction Goals, Programs and Policies for reducing the number of PovertyLevel Families.

According to the 2023 5-Year American Community Survey, 16.9% of the City’s population is living at or below the poverty level, and certain types of households have a higher incidence of poverty, including renter households, families with children, individuals with disabilities, and seniors. The City will use CDBG funding to support activities that will help reduce the number of families experiencing poverty by:
• Preserving and expanding affordable housing opportunities, including providing home repair assistance to low-income families
• Supporting homeless prevention strategies through funding services • Providing supportive services, like job training and placement services, for low-income people to help them move out of poverty
• Continue to coordinate with area public service agencies to build additional supports for low-income residents
In addition to these local efforts, State and Federal resources also contribute to reducing the number of individuals and families in poverty in the city. Federal programs, such as the Earned Income Tax Credit and Head Start, provide pathways out of poverty for families who are ready to pursue employment and educational opportunities. Additionally in California, the primary state programs that assist families in poverty are CalWORKs, Cal Fresh, and Medi-Cal, which provide individuals and families with employment assistance, food subsidies, medical care, childcare and cash payments to meet basic needs. Additional services are available to assist persons with substance use and mental health challenges.

The City will continue to partner with organizations to provide services and address the needs of low- and moderate-income families.

How are the Jurisdiction poverty reducing goals, programs, and policies coordinated with this affordable housing plan?
The City’s anti-poverty strategy calls for assisting lower income households, especially for seniors, the people with disabilities, and families with children. These strategies directly align with the activities set forward in this plan. The support for HATC’s rental assistance programs for very low-income renters is consistent with the City’s affordable housing plan. Additionally, programs that provide financial assistance and senior services will assist households that may be at risk of becoming homeless by allowing them to redirect limited income toward maintaining housing.

City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

SP-80 Monitoring – 91.230
Describe the standards and procedures that the jurisdiction will use to monitor activities carried out in furtherance of the plan and will use to ensure long-term compliance with requirements of the programs involved, including minority business outreach and the comprehensive planning requirements.

The City of Tulare’s Community Development Department ensures programmatic, financial, and regulatory performance and compliance of HUD’s entitlement funding received by the City. The City carries out the following to ensure federal and local regulations are met.

Technical Assistance - Prior to implementation of CDBG activities, subrecipients meet with City staff to review policies and procedures. Subrecipient organizations are informed of CDBG federal regulations, retention, budget, scope of work, reimbursement procedures and reporting requirements. Subrecipient agreements contain detailed federal requirements, monitoring and reporting procedures. Throughout the Program Year, City staff provide ongoing technical assistance to promote compliance and successful performance.

Monitoring - The monitoring process involves desk audits of program reports, invoices, supporting documentation, and on-site monitoring reviews. The City completes risk assessments on each subrecipient. If compliance and/or performance issues are observed, City staff will conduct an on-site monitoring visit. The monitoring visit will examine the use of funds, eligibility of the service area, eligibility of the intended beneficiaries, compliance with federal requirements, such as, the National Environmental Policy Act, the System for Award Management (SAM), debarment list, prevailing wage, Minority and Women Business Enterprise, Section 3 requirements, and 2 CFR Part 200 requirements according to CPD Notice 16-04. As part of this process, City staff will continue to monitor for potential fraud, conflict of interest, and mismanagement of CDBG funds.

Audit Review – Prior to entering into a contract agreement with the City, subrecipients expending more than $750,000 in federal funds in the prior fiscal year are required to submit a copy of a Single Audit to ensure 2 CFR Part 200 requirements are being met. Subrecipients that do not require a Single Audit will continue to be required to submit Audited Financial Statements. This serves as additional monitoring means to evaluate the financial accountability of subrecipients.

MBE/WBE – Through a partnership with the Tulare Chamber of Commerce, the City promotes and encourages outreach and development of economic business opportunities of Minority Business Enterprises (MBE) and Women Business Enterprises (WBE) within the City.

City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

Action Plan
AP-15 Expected Resources – 91.220(c)(1,2)
Introduction
The City of Tulare uses multiple resources to carry out activities that benefit low- and moderateincome residents. The City receives HUD entitlement funding each year, including CDBG. The City’s Community Development Department administers the entitlement funding on behalf of the City of Tulare. In addition to entitlement grant funds, the City may receive state or other local funding to address community needs and works to leverage entitlement grant funds when possible.

For Program Year (PY) 2025-2026, the City anticipates the CDBG entitlement allocation to be $715,000, estimates $10,000 in program income, and estimates $100,000 of prior year rollover, with a total of $825,000 for the first-year Annual Action Plan. The City anticipates an additional $3,300,000 for the remainder of the consolidated planning period. The following describes the anticipated resources for the City of Tulare.

As of the release of this report for public comment, HUD has not published its Program Year 2025 entitlement program grant amounts. Therefore, the expected resources are estimates based on the prior year allocation amounts and will be adjusted upon the release of the actual entitlement amounts from HUD, prior to submittal of the final version to HUD.

City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

Anticipated Resources
Table 60: Anticipated Resources
Program
Source
of
Funds
Uses of Funds
Expected Amount Available Year 1 Expected
Amount
Available
Remainder
of ConPlan $
Annual Narrative Description
Allocation $
Program
Income $
Prior Year
Resources
$
Total $
CDBG Public
Federal
Administration, Public
Services,
Homeless Services,
Affordable Housing,
Public Facility
Improvements, and
Economic
Development
$715,000* $10,000 $100,000 $825,000 $3,300,000
CDBG activities include public
services, homeless services,
affordable housing, public facility
improvements, economic
development, and administration.

HOME State
Administration and
Homeowner
Assistance $375,000 $100,000 $0 $475,000 $475,000
The City was awarded HOME
funds from the State of California
and supports homebuyer assistance
and home repair activities.

Behavioral
Health
Bridge
Housing
(BHBH)
State Public Services and
Homeless Servies $365,379 $0 $0 $365,379 $365,379
The City anticipates a BHBH award
through the Tulare County Health
and Human Services (Agency) to
support start-up infrastructure, as
well as, operational and support
services
*This is an estimate allocation amount. As of March 2025, HUD has not yet published the annual allocation amounts for FY 2025.

City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

Explain how federal funds will leverage those additional resources (private, state and local funds), including a description of how matching requirements will be satisfied
The City of Tulare will continue to leverage a variety of funding sources to carry out housing and community development activities. The City will work with nonprofit organizations and other government institutions to secure additional resources to address priority needs set forth in this plan. The City seeks out additional funding sources to address priority needs, which includes HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) funding administered by the Housing and Community Development Department of the State of California. The City will continue to partner with developers and subrecipients to fund additional housing and services available to the community. CDBG does not require matching funds. The City provides CDBG funds to partner organizations through an RFP process and will continue to leverage funding, when possible.

CDBG does not require matching funds.

If appropriate, describe publicly owned land or property located within the jurisdiction that may be used to address the needs identified in the plan A current CDBG-owned public facility functions as emergency and transitional shelter for women and children. The facility is maintained by the Tulare Lighthouse Rescue Mission, nonprofit organization.

Discussion
The City uses a variety of resources to address the needs of the City and its residents. Since the City of Tulare does not receive HOME or ESG funds directly from HUD, service providers are eligible to partner with the City on proposals and applications for funding under these and other sources at the federal, state, and other funding agencies. While the City administers entitlement funding to provide services to low- and moderate-income residents, the City cannot achieve these goals alone. There are many other organizations that carry out strategies listed in this plan using other federal, state, local, and private funding sources.

City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

AP-20 Annual Goals and Objectives
Goals Summary Information
Table 61: Goals Summary
Goal Name Years Category Geographic
Area Needs Addressed Funding Goal Outcome Indicator
Preserve and
expand affordable
housing
opportunities
2025-
2029
Affordable
Housing;
Homeless;
NonHomeless
Special
Needs
Citywide
Affordable Housing
Neighborhood
Preservation
CDBG:
$250,000.00 10 households assisted with home repairs
Revitalize
communities
2025-
2029
Non-Housing
Community
Development;
Infrastructure
Citywide
Public Infrastructure
Improvements
Neighborhood
Preservation
CDBG:
$302,000.00
1 Other (1 infrastructure project
built or improved)
320 households assisted
4,100 persons assisted
Enhance public
services
2025-
2029
Non-Housing
Community
Development;
Homeless;
Public
Services
Citywide
Homeless Services
Public Services
CDBG:
$106,000.00 100 persons assisted (Homeless Services)
Program
Administration 2025-
2029
Public
Administration Citywide - CDBG: $142,000 -
City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

Goal Description
Table 62: Goal Description
Goal Name Goal Description
1 Preserve and expand affordable housing
opportunities
Increase and preserve affordable rental and homeownership housing opportunities by improving access to a diverse set of affordable housing options.
2 Revitalize communities
Develop vibrant neighborhoods by investing in public facilities, critical infrastructure, and/or nonprofit facilities that provide increased accessibility to services.
3 Enhance public services
Improve community and supportive services by addressing critical needs and increasing access to services for families and residents with special needs, especially for persons experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

AP-35 Projects – 91.220(d)
Introduction
Based on the Consolidated Plan priority needs and goals discussed earlier, the following activities have been allocated CDBG funds for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025-2026.

As HUD has not yet published the annual grant allocation amounts, the project budgets will change and will be proportionately increased or decreased from the estimated funding amounts (described in the projects below) and percentages before final submission to HUD.

Projects
Table 63: Project Information
# Project Name
1 Public Infrastructure and Facilities Improvements
2 Homeless Services
3 Affordable Housing
4 CDBG Program Administration and Planning
Describe the reasons for allocation priorities and any obstacles to addressing underserved needs
These projects will address the priority needs outlined in the Consolidated Plan. The priority needs identified in this Plan include infrastructure and public facilities, affordable housing, homelessness services, public services, neighborhood preservation, and economic development. Projects and activities are selected through a Request for Proposal (RFP) process and will address the needs of low- and moderate-income households.

City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

AP-38 Projects Summary
Project Summary Information
1 Project Name Public Infrastructure and Facilities Improvements Target Area N/A
Goals Supported Revitalize Communities
Needs Addressed Public Infrastructure and Facilities Improvements Neighborhood Preservation
Expected Resources CDBG: $302,000.00
Description The City of Tulare will fund one or two infrastructure and/or public facility projects under this category
Target Date 6/30/2026
Estimate the number and type of
families that will benefit from the
proposed activities
It is estimated that these activities will benefit 640
households.

Location Description Citywide and prioritizing low- and moderate-income areas.

Planned Activities Planned activities will be used to build or improve public infrastructure and public facilities.

Goal Outcome Indicator 640 Households - Public facility or infrastructure activities for low/moderate-income housing benefit
2 Project Name Homeless Services
Target Area N/A
Goals Supported Enhance Public Services
Needs Addressed Homeless Services
Public Services
Expected Resources CDBG: $108,000
Description The City will establish agreements with local organizations to provide street outreach, case management, and housing
navigation services for people experiencing homelessness.

Target Date 6/30/2026
Estimate the number and type of
families that will benefit from the
proposed activities
100 people experiencing homelessness
Location Description Services are available citywide, prioritizing people in the city’s temporary encampment.

Planned Activities Planned activities will include public services.

Goal Outcome Indicator 100 persons assisted through public service activities other City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

3 Project Name Affordable Housing
Target Area N/A
Goals Supported Preserve and Expand Affordable Housing Opportunities Needs Addressed Affordable Housing
Neighborhood Preservation
Expected Resources CDBG: $250,000
Description The City will preserve the existing stock of affordable housing units through rehabilitation and repairs to primary building features (e.g., roofing, siding, flooring).

Target Date 6/30/26
Estimate the number and type of
families that will benefit from the
proposed activities
The City will preserve the existing stock of affordable housing units through principally minor rehabilitation and repairs to primary building features (e.g., roofing, siding, flooring).

Location Description Services will be available citywide.

Planned Activities Planned activities may include providing home repair, activity delivery, and addressing lead-based paint hazards.

Goal Outcome Indicator 10 Homeowner Housing Rehabilitated 4 Project Name CDBG Program Administration and Planning Target Area N/A
Goals Supported Preserve and Expand Affordable Housing Opportunities Revitalize Communities
Enhance Public Services
Support Economic Development
Needs Addressed Affordable Housing
Public Infrastructure and Facilities Improvement
Homeless Services
Public Services
Neighborhood Preservation
Expected Resources CDBG: $165,000
Description This project will fund the City’s oversight, planning, compliance, financial, and other grant management activities to ensure proper use of CDBG funds and delivery of services.

Target Date 6/30/2026
Estimate the number and type of
families that will benefit from the
proposed activities
This is an administrative activity.

Location Description This administrative activity will mainly take place at 411 East Kern Avenue, Tulare, CA 93274.

Planned Activities Planned activities include administration and planning.

Goal Outcome Indicator N/A
City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

AP-50 Geographic Distribution – 91.220(f)
Description of the geographic areas of the entitlement (including areas of lowincome and minority concentration) where assistance will be directed Tulare will not direct CDBG funds to one or multiple target areas, but instead CDBG funds will be available citywide for eligible activities that serve low- and moderate-income residents and neighborhoods. Public improvement and public facility improvement projects will be prioritized in low- and moderate-income communities.

Rationale for the priorities for allocating investments geographically CDBG funds will be available citywide for eligible projects that serve low- and moderate-income residents and neighborhoods. The City selects activities each year through a Request for Proposal (RFP) process. There is no geographic requirement or priority in the RFP. It is likely that public infrastructure improvements will be located in low- and moderate-income neighborhoods where the service area meets grant requirements to serve low- and moderate-income residents.

Homeowners assisted with home rehabilitation will be determined through an application process and no geography is prioritized in the selection process.

Discussion
CDBG funds will be allocated to programs that serve eligible Tulare residents citywide or in lowand moderate-income areas.

City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

AP-55 Affordable Housing – 91.220(g)
Introduction
During FY 2025-2026 the City is planning to help at least 10 low- and moderate-income homeowners with needed minor rehabilitation; such as, ADA accessibility, energy conservation, weatherization and emergency home repairs via a partnership with nonprofit organization.

Table 64: One Year Goals for the Number of Households
to be Supported by Population Type
Population Type Number of Households
Homeless 0
Non-Homeless 10
Special Needs 0
Total 10
Table 65: One Year Goals for the Number of Households
to be Supported by Program Type
Program Type Number of Households
Rental Assistance 0
Production of New Units 0
Rehab of Existing Units 10
Acquisition of Existing Units 0
Total 10
Discussion
The City will also utilize non-entitlement grant funds, such as HOME and CalHome funds, to provide additional affordable housing to Tulare residents to support homebuyer and home repair activities.

In addition, the City partners with Family Services of Tulare County to provide 12 permanent supportive housing vouchers annually, through the Tulare Housing First voucher programs for chronically homeless individuals with a disability. The City supports the 12 chronically homeless individuals maintain housing stability, by utilizing CDBG funds under public services each year.

City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

AP-60 Public Housing – 91.220(h)
Introduction
The City does not own or manage public housing. The Housing Authority of Tulare County (HATC) works closely with the City, the Continuum of Care “Alliance”, and the Tulare County Homeless Taskforce. Actions planned by HATC this year are referenced below.

Actions planned during the next year to address the needs to public housing HATC is currently developing the Demaree Apartments that will serve households at 80% of the area median income (AMI) and lower. The Demaree Apartments is a new construction, family, mixed-income project. There will be 222 total units, 220 of which will be restricted between 30% and 80% of the AMI. There will be 90 one-bedroom units, 75 two-bedroom units, and 57 threebedroom units. Two of the three-bedroom units will serve as unrestricted manager’s units. The Demaree Apartments are expected to be completed by June 2026.

The HATC participates in a Moving to Work (MTW) Program, which offers housing for 5-years at a flat rate, based on unit bedroom size instead of being income-based. The MTW program is designed to give rental assistance to families who are working to achieve self-sufficiency from all types of governmental assistance while they are in the process of achieving that goal. Successful applicants are encouraged to seek higher paying employment and/or further their education. An increase in family income does not increase the monthly rent. Families can continue the MTW program for a maximum of 5 years, or until their income reaches 120% of the AMI, at which time assistance will be terminated or they will be given 6-months to move out. Many of the MTW participants transferred to MTW from HATC’s conventional low rent and Section 8 programs.

Others were referred to the MTW program by HATC’s partner agencies, such as Tulare County Health and Human Services and CSET.

Actions to encourage public housing residents to become more involved in management and participate in homeownership
HATC created a Resident Council composed of 5 residents from HUD-funded programs (Multifamily Housing, LIHTC, HOME, Section 8, and public housing). The Resident Council works with HATC staff on evaluating the effectiveness and efficiency of existing rental assistance programs. This structure was put into place to give public housing residents the opportunity to provide input on program modifications. HATC is proactive in the inclusion of public-housing residents in the policy making process. As required, two public housing tenants sit on the HATC Commission board. Between the Resident Council and tenant representation on the Board an equitable and transparent policy-making process has been put into place.

A vital driving factor that continues to influence HATC programs is the goal of tenant selfsufficiency. HATC views homeownership as a long-term goal for most participants. HATC staff works with tenants to effectively provide them with the necessary resources to achieve homeownership. HATC’s annual re-examination notice provides participants with an extensive referral list that aids homeownership. Effective collaboration between their agency and other public and nonprofit agencies is imperative to help promote homeownership among all HATC’s tenants. Lastly, HATC created “RentTrack Payment, an online payment system which allows residents to utilize their rental payments made on time to raise or build individual credit scores.

RentTrack has increased credit scores an average of 132 points over a 2-year period.

City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

If the PHA is designated as troubled, describe the manner in which financial assistance will be provided or other assistance
Not applicable.

Discussion.

The City of does not own or manage public housing.

City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

AP-65 Homeless and Other Special Needs Activities –

91.220(i)
Introduction
This section describes the City’s one-year goals and the specific action steps it will undertake in the program year to carry out the homeless strategy outlined in the Consolidated Plan’s SP-60 Homelessness Strategy. This section will also describe the jurisdiction’s one-year goals and specify the activities it will undertake to serve the emergency, transitional, and permanent housing as well as supportive service needs of homeless and special needs populations.

Each year the King/Tulare Homeless Alliance conducts a Point in Time (PIT) count. Through the PIT count, the Alliance is able to acquire a snapshot of the adults, children in households and unaccompanied youth living in the City who meet HUD’s definition of homelessness. Information gathered through the PIT count is used to understand the causes and trends over time of homelessness, as well as to determine the unmet shelter and service needs of the homeless. The City will continue to support the Alliance’s efforts s in the annual bi-county PIT count.

Describe the jurisdiction’s one-year goals and actions for reducing and ending homelessness including:

Reaching out to homeless persons (especially unsheltered persons) and assessing their individual needs.

The City of Tulare works closely with the Kings/Tulare Homeless Alliance, the region’s lead agency for Continuum of Care (CoC). The Alliance Housing Navigators, Kings View PATH Team, and Tulare County Mental Health Crisis Team canvas the city to conduct outreach to people experiencing homelessness. Street outreach is conducted with techniques such as traumainformed care, critical time intervention and motivational interviewing. Both the navigation and PATH teams leverage peers to create rapport and trust. Outreach teams assist with connections to mainstream benefits, obtaining documents required for housing (e.g. proof of homelessness, disability certification), provide hygiene kits, transportation assistance, and coordinate warm hand-offs to services such as mental health and substance abuse treatment programs. Program materials are offered in Spanish & other languages upon request. CoC members offer resources for other communication including sign language & accommodations for physical disabilities (e.g., dial-a-ride paratransit).

The Kings/Tulare Homeless Alliance supports the Local Initiatives Navigation Center (LINC) in providing various resources and access to service providers for individuals experiencing homelessness, helping to assess their individual needs. LINC brings together social service providers, faith-based organizations, and government agencies to help families locate affordable housing, employment and mental health and substance abuse treatment along with other needed services. Services include ID vouchers, free cell phones, housing assessments, enrollments to mainstream benefits, employment assistance, health/mental health services, legal assistance, and free meals.

City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

Addressing the emergency shelter and transitional housing needs of homeless persons.

The City of Tulare is developing a permanent homeless shelter which will be constructed at the Hillman Health Campus by 2026. There are a variety of emergency shelters, transitional housing and permanent supportive housing options available to unhoused households from Tulare.

The Tulare Lighthouse Rescue Mission operates a 16-bed shelter for women and children up to 12 years of age. The Tulare Lighthouse Rescue Mission recently opened a 12-bed shelter for males aged 13 and up. Both shelters are up to 90 days; however, clients can stay longer if they have no other options. Both shelters provide meals, showers, laundry and beds. The City works closely with the Tulare Lighthouse Rescue Mission and supports their mission and vision to end homelessness within our City.

The City partnered with Self-Help Enterprises, the County and the City of Visalia to open Eden House in 2020, a 22-bed transitional housing that provides on-site case management and supportive services for individuals that need additional on-site services as they transition from homelessness to permanent housing.

The City also supports Family Services of Tulare County with case management assistance to continue to provide transitional housing services to the unhoused population of Tulare. Family Services continues to provide approximately a dozen chronically homeless individuals permanent supportive housing voucher rental assistance each year.

Lastly, the City continues to partner with the local Continuum of Care and Tulare County Homeless Task Force. The City regularly participates in monthly meetings with the CoC and Tulare County Homeless Task Force to stay up to date on incoming funds and collaborating projects to address emergency shelters and transitional housing needs of homeless persons.

Helping homeless persons (especially chronically homeless individuals and families, families with children, veterans and their families, and unaccompanied youth) make the transition to permanent housing and independent living, including shortening the period of time that individuals and families experience homelessness, facilitating access for homeless individuals and families to affordable housing units, and preventing individuals and families who were recently homeless from becoming homeless again.

The City of Tulare will dedicate funds over the five-year plan period to the regional CoC. The regional CoC seeks to provide funding for homeless services over the next year. Agencies will utilize coordinated assessment, which helps connect unhoused individuals and households with services that can help them to transition to self-sufficiency. All HUD-funded service providers participate in the coordinated entry process. The City continues to partner with the Tulare Lighthouse Rescue Mission, Kings/Tulare Homeless Alliance, Family Services of Tulare and Kings View PATH team to help chronically homeless individuals, homeless families, and unaccompanied youth transitioning to permanent housing and independent living.

Helping low-income individuals and families avoid becoming homeless, especially extremely low-income individuals and families and those who are: being discharged from publicly funded institutions and systems of care (such as health care facilities, mental health facilities, foster care and other youth facilities, and corrections programs and institutions); or, receiving assistance from public or City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

private agencies that address housing, health, social services, employment, education, or youth needs.

According to HUD’s Strategies for Preventing Homelessness, “Homelessness prevention is an essential element of any effort to end homelessness either locally or nationwide.” This HUD report indicates it is less expensive and disruptive to keep a household housed in place. To this end, the City will explore the use of CDBG funds to support programs that provide direct assistance to households at risk of becoming homeless. The City will also participate in regional homeless planning efforts, including the Tulare Kings Alliance-CoC’s Discharge Plan, which aims to prevent individuals leaving institutions, hospitals, etc., from becoming homeless.

The CoC's prevention strategies focus on effective discharge planning, with an emphasis on requiring foster care programs, in-patient mental health hospitals, hospitals and correctional facilities to provide discharge planning services to clients to ensure that they have access to housing and other needed support services, including respite care, upon discharge. Action steps include convening a working group with stakeholders to examine the discharge planning policies and systems within corrections facilities and each County's human service agencies and identifying initiatives to improve those policies and systems; identifying "cross-cutting" initiatives to improve policies and practices across multiple County agencies. In addition, due to the number of probation and prison sites located within the region, the CoC has adopted a plan to develop a Continuum-wide, multi-system community re-entry plan that includes housing.

Discussion
The City’s homeless strategy continues to address and help prevent homelessness by supporting local service providers as they engage and assess the City’s unhoused population. Funding may also be provided to support rapid re-housing programming efforts that help ensure homeless individuals obtain housing and the support services needed to achieve and maintain selfsufficiency.

City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

AP-75 Barriers to Affordable Housing – 91.220(j)
Introduction
The Strategic Plan summarized the major non-governmental, governmental, environmental and infrastructure constraints that may impact housing investment, which include:
• Cost of housing development
• Environmental review
• Planning and development fees
• Permit and processing procedures
• Lack of funding
• Land use controls
Actions it planned to remove or ameliorate the negative effects of public policies that serve as barriers to affordable housing such as land use controls, tax policies affecting land, zoning ordinances, building codes, fees and charges, growth limitations, and policies affecting the return on residential investment Local policies and regulations can affect the quantity and type of residential development, but local governments have little or no influence upon the national economy or the federal monetary policies which influence housing and, specifically affordable housing development, which typically requires significant public subsidies. Yet, these factors are the ones that most significantly impact the overall cost of housing and development of new affordable homes.

By reviewing local conditions and regulations that may impact the housing market, Tulare can prepare for future growth through actions that protect the public's health and safety without unduly adding to the cost of new housing production. Recent Housing Element updates include actions to address barriers to and facilitate progress towards the City’s affordable and inclusive housing goals.

Discussion
There is a strong need for more affordable housing in Tulare, which is illustrated through input from community members at focus groups and in survey results as well as the City’s housing and demographic data. Although there are not sufficient funds to build new affordable housing using only CDBG funds, the City will continue to implement policies that may increase the number of affordable housing units. The Housing Element outlines actions that the City will take to increasing the amount of affordable housing.

City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

AP-85 Other Actions – 91.220(k)
Introduction
The following section describes the planned actions or strategies that the City of Tulare will pursue in the next year to:
• Address underserved needs
• Foster and maintain affordable housing
• Evaluate and reduce lead-based paint hazards
• Reduce the number of poverty-level families
• Develop institutional structure
• Enhance coordination
Actions planned to address obstacles to meeting underserved needs.

During FY 2025-2026, the City will encourage and support HATC’s efforts to obtain additional rental assistance funding, especially for special needs populations including seniors, people with disabilities, and low-income households. CDBG-funded public infrastructure and facility improvements to be undertaken during the year will revitalize low- and moderate-income communities and allow improved or expansion of services. This includes mobility enhancements that benefit individuals with physical disabilities. Projects and activities will be selected through a Request for Proposal (RFP) process and will address the needs of low- and moderate-income households. The RFP process will require comprehensive evaluations that ensure projects and activities are targeted toward meeting underserved needs.

Actions planned to foster and maintain affordable housing In the next year, the City of Tulare will continue to promote CDBG funding for low- and moderateincome households. This includes supporting activities such as home repair for homeowners and renters, homeownership assistance, development of new homes available for rent and ownership, development of homes for special needs populations, and development of a variety of housing options. The City will continue to affirmatively further fair housing and promote housing opportunities and access for residents regardless of age, race, religion, sex, marital status, ancestry, national origin, color, disability, or economic level in compliance with local, state, and federal fair housing laws.

In addition, the City will carry out strategies to maintain and improve affordable housing as listed in the City’s Housing Element, which include:
• Work collaboratively with jurisdictions in the county to efficiently address housing issues and find regional solutions.
• Provide an adequate supply and range of housing types to meet the diverse needs of residents.
• Facilitate the development of affordable housing and protect the existing supply of affordable housing to extremely low-, very low-, low- and moderate-income households • Maintain and improve the city’s existing housing stock. • Support and provide housing and services for people with special needs in the community.

People with special needs include, but are not limited to, seniors, families with children, people with disabilities, single-parent families, farmworkers, and people who are experiencing homelessness or at risk of becoming homeless. • Utilize energy conservation and sustainable measures for new and rehabilitated housing. • Promote housing opportunities and access for residents regardless of age, race, religion, City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

sex, marital status, ancestry, national origin, color, disability, or economic level in compliance with local, state, and federal fair housing laws.

Actions planned to reduce lead-based paint hazards
City staff will continue to inform contractors about lead-based paint hazards and the associated requirements reducing risk. Additionally, the City will continue to collaborate with agencies like the Tulare County Health and Human Services Agency, Habitat for Humanity of Tulare/Kings Counties and Self-Help Enterprises to ensure that housing rehabilitation programs maintain compliance with HUD regulations regarding lead-based paint hazards.

Actions planned to reduce the number of poverty-level families The City will continue to support activities that aim to reduce the number of households living in poverty by:
• Preserving and expanding affordable housing opportunities, including providing home repair assistance to low-income families.
• Supporting homeless prevention strategies through funding services. • Providing supportive services, like job training and placement services, for low-income people to help them move out of poverty.
• Continue to coordinate with area public service agencies to build additional supports for low-income residents.

The goal of these efforts will be to help households gain access to additional services to help create a new level of self-sufficiency and address issues of poverty.

Actions planned to develop institutional structure
The City will continue to share information, make referrals, attend local meetings, engage in discussion, provide operational support (via CDBG), and promote educational and training opportunities as a way to overcome gaps in the current service delivery system. City staff will identify and collaborate with new service providers, while continuing to communicate and meet with current providers to address various community needs. Additionally, the City will partner with the Kings/Tulare Homeless Alliance as well as with housing, services organizations to identify and address current and future gaps in service delivery.

Actions planned to enhance coordination between public and private housing and social service agencies
The City of Tulare does not operate public housing. HATC provides rental assistance within the community. Federal legislation requires that the Housing Authority prepare five-year and one-year plans that highlight its mission, goals, and objectives as it relates to public and assisted housing programs. The City will review the Authority’s plans and will provide HATC the opportunity to consult on the City’s Consolidated Plan. The goal of this cross-consultation is to provide consistent and coordinated housing services for City residents.

Tulare will continue to maintain and seek out relationships with local nonprofit organizations and other entities. As the City continues to support enhanced public services through grant funding, it will coordinate efforts with nonprofit partners to promote the efficient and effective use of limited public resources to address needs and accomplish goals in the Consolidated Plan.

Discussion
The City’s AI is currently being prepared and will be approved concurrently with the approval of this Consolidated Plan. Over the next year, the City of Tulare will continue to direct funding to City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

help meet the needs of low- and moderate-income residents in the city. These efforts, along with the efforts of numerous other public and private agencies, will help to address the priority needs established in this plan.

City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

AP-90 Program Specific Requirements – 91.220(l)(1,2,4)
Introduction
Each HUD program covered by Consolidated Plan regulations must address certain programspecific requirements. Below are the requirements for the CDBG program as prescribed by the Consolidated Plan template.

Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG)
Reference 24 CFR 91.220(l)(1)
Projects planned with CDBG funds expected to be available during the year are identified in the Projects Table. The following identifies program income that is available for use that is included in projects to be carried out.

1. The total amount of program income that will have been received before the start of the next program year and that has not yet been reprogrammed
$10,000

2. The amount of proceeds from Section 108 loan guarantees that will be used during the year to address the priority needs and specific objectives identified in the grantee's strategic plan
$0

3. The amount of surplus funds from urban renewal settlements $0

4. The amount of any grant funds returned to the line of credit for which the planned use has not been included in a prior statement or plan $0

5. The amount of income from float-funded activities $0 Total $10,000
Other CDBG Requirements

1. The amount of urgent need activities $0

2. The estimated percentage of CDBG funds that will be used for activities that benefit persons of low- and moderate-income 70%

3. Overall Benefit: A consecutive period of 1, 2, or 3 years may be used to determine that a minimum overall benefit of 70% of CDBG funds is used to benefit persons of low- and moderate-income. Specify the years covered that include this Action Plan.
70%
City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

Appendix 1: Map
Map 1: Low- and Moderate-Income Block Groups
Source: PolicyMap. (n.d.). CDBG eligibility status as of FY2023 [Map based on data from HUD: Data downloaded from https://www.hudexchange.info/programs/acs-low-mod-summary-data/]. Retrieved March 14, 2025, from http://www.policymap.com
Appendix 2: Community Engagement Survey Results
City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

Appendix 2: Community Engagement Survey
City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

City of Tulare, CA
Consolidated Plan
Appendix 2 – Community Engagement Survey
Results
City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

Overview
The City of Tulare used multiple modes for obtaining input from community residents and stakeholders to develop the 2025/26-2029/30 Consolidated Plan and FY 2025/26 AAP. Two surveys, the Community Organization Survey and the Resident Survey, were used to gather feedback and information from organizations and residents within the community for the 2025/26-2029/30 Consolidated Plan. The City also consulted with state and regional agencies and local service providers. Two community meetings took place during the community needs assessment where City staff encouraged community members and organization leaders to take the surveys. The meetings were held as follows:
• AI/Consolidated Plan 101 Info Session
o City of Tulare Public Library (Council Chambers); 491 North M Street, Tulare, CA 93274 o Tuesday, December 17, 2024 @ 7PM
• Community/Housing Need Input Public Hearing
o City of Tulare Public Library (Charter Mtg. Room); 491 North M Street, Tulare, CA 93274 o Wednesday, January 15, 2025 @ 5PM
o Virtual option via Microsoft Teams
Marketing efforts for the surveys, focus groups, and community meetings took various forms. Both English and Spanish flyers were created to advertise the surveys; the flyers were physically posted in government buildings, included in utility bills due during the month of February 2025 to roughly 20,000 households, and distributed to three organization listservs on December 19, 2024 and January 13, 2025 – the Tulare Chamber of Commerce listserv (over 1,000 stakeholders), the Kings/Tulare Homeless Alliance (KTHA) listserv (over 300 stakeholders), and the Community Care Coalition listserv (managed by the Tulare County Health and Human Services Agency). A social media posting on the City of Tulare’s Instagram page on January 7, 2025, advertised the resident survey to the public.

Outreach to agencies and organizations centered around two organization email blasts, sent on December 20, 2024, and January 13, 2025. These email blasts encouraged organizations to register for the focus group and submit a survey response.

Additional outreach included personalized email messages from the City Manager and Assistant City Manager to an agency and organization list encouraging participation in Consolidated Plan development efforts, as well as personal outreach from council members to constituents.

The Community Organization Survey had 2 respondents, and 57 individuals responded to the Resident Survey. No responses were logged for the Spanish Resident Survey.

Community Organization Survey Results
Two organizations responded to the Community Organization Survey, as shown in Table 1. Both organizations were classified as adjacent local government units. The survey asked about several topics, including gaps in programs and services, housing, economic development, community services, organizational collaboration and partnerships, and funding and resource allocation.

Due to the receipt of only two responses on the community organization survey, the results will be presented in summary to acknowledge the difficulty of drawing reliable conclusions or making representative statements of all Tulare organizations. However, the organization survey response generally reflected many of the trends seen in the resident survey, whose results are elaborated in more detail in the following section.

City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

Table 1: Community Organization Survey Respondents
No. Organization Name Respondent’s Role Type
1 Tulare Lighthouse Rescue Mission Board President Adjacent local government unit
2 Tulare City School District (K-8th grade) Community School Coordinator
Adjacent local
government unit
Total 2
Gaps
When asked about what gaps organizations see in the current programs and services in the City of Tulare, a shortage of affordable housing options, insufficient homeless prevention programs, and lack of comprehensive disability services for individuals with disabilities were all selected. Affordable housing services and substance abuse/recovery services were identified as the types of services or programs that are missing in the city and should be developed. Underserved populations in the City were identified via a ranking scale by organization respondents. People with limited English proficiency, individuals with disabilities or access and functional needs, and elderly individuals were ranked as the populations that are most underserved in Tulare.

Housing
Several questions dug deeper into the nature of the housing gap in the city. Both respondents rated the availability of affordable housing as below average. Specific housing types needed in the community were identified as affordable housing, transitional housing, duplexes and triplexes, and single-family homes. The biggest barriers to accessing affordable housing in the community were high rental costs, community opposition to affordable housing, and homelessness or housing instability. To address these issues, respondents recommended long-term strategies of affordable housing development and preservation, comprehensive homeless prevention and support services, and inclusive community engagement and planning.

Economic Development
Respondents were also asked about economic development needs in the city. Specific questions about the quality of public infrastructure (e.g. roads, parks, utilities) and the availability of jobs and employment opportunities showed that respondents generally found these to be at an average level of acceptability.

Respondents found the quality of public infrastructure like roads, parks, and utilities to be acceptable or good overall.

However, several economic development issues were identified as pressing, especially affordable housing development. Economic diversification and public safety enhancement were also identified as economic development issues. These results track the gaps previously identified in affordable housing.

Community Services
Access to health and social services for low-income residents were rated as very accessible. However, when asked to select the primary barriers to accessing services like education and childcare, respondents noted issues with cost, transportation, and limited availability of services. A public transportation-specific question rated community access as good and acceptable.

Organizational Collaboration and Partnerships
Collaboration among community organizations was generally identified as good and fair, with the primary barriers to effective collaboration being communication, competition for funding, and resource constraints.

Respondents felt that identifying shared organizational goals/visions and resource sharing would enhance organizational partnerships.

City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

Funding and Resource Allocation
Organizations identified unpredictable grant funding cycles and insufficient funding allocations as their most significant funding challenges. The types of funding most needed to support organization needs were capacity building funds and operating grants.

Community Residents Survey Results
The Community Residents Survey gathered feedback from residents across the city to support efforts in understanding residents’ funding priorities. The survey collected information on topics including demographic and housing characteristics of respondents, housing needs, community services, and economic and community development initiatives.

Survey results demonstrate that 52% of respondents agree that there are areas in the city where housing is affordable. There appeared to be a slight preference for focusing on affordable rental housing, particularly for seniors, as a housing solution; however, residents generally favored multiple housing and homeless solutions with few clear priority standouts. Respondents identified a need for job creation/retention and job training programs.

Demographics
Almost 95% of respondents lived in the City limits, with most respondents residing in Northeast Tulare (34%) or Southeast Tulare (34%). Respondents were primarily concentrated in Council Districts 4 and 5.

About 68% of respondents worked in Tulare. Demographics of survey respondents differed slightly from the general population. Most respondents were older, have greater household incomes, and had smaller household sizes compared to city-wide averages.

What is your age?
Figure 1
Most respondents are aged 55 or older and can generally be described as higher income earners, with 49% of respondents reporting an annual income of $107,400 or more. About 25% of respondents reported living with a spouse or partner, and 21% reported living in a two-parent household with minor children. Among survey respondents, 89% were homeowners, 9% were renters, and 2% lived with others. Survey respondents had smaller household sizes compared to the overall population with an average of 2.7 individuals, compared to an average of 3.4 in the city.

City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

What is your total household income?
Figure 2
Approximately 70% of respondents have a bachelor’s degree or higher; the remainder of respondents have a high school diploma or associate’s degree. Most respondents (about 63%) were currently employed; about 59% of employed respondents work full-time for an employer, while about 15% were self-employed full-time. The remaining respondents worked part-time for an employer or are retired. The racial makeup of respondents was as follows:
• 68% identified as White
• 9% identified as Multiracial
• 4% identified as some other race
• 2% identified as Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
• 2% identified as American Indian or Alaskan Native
• 9% chose not to respond
Additionally, Hispanic individuals were underrepresented in the survey with only 19% of respondents identifying as Hispanic, compared to 59.7% in the city population.

Housing
Several questions asked respondents about housing needs in the city. Approximately half of all survey respondents agreed or strongly agreed that there are areas of the city where low- to moderate-income households can afford rent. About one-third (32%) of respondents were neutral on this statement, and 16% disagreed or strongly disagreed. This indicates mixed perspectives among respondents regarding the topic of housing affordability in Tulare. If respondents felt there were areas of the city where housing is affordable, about 58% said they would fear for their safety in those areas. Respondents commonly cited feeling unsafe in areas where housing is more affordable perceived crime, gang violence, lack of street lighting, and presence of deteriorating/unkept properties.

As evidenced below, there were divided opinions on priority housing needs among residents, with several needs receiving high priority. The highest priority need appeared to be affordable rental housing for older adults. Additionally, respondents identified construction of affordable rental housing, homeownership assistance and housing counseling, and rehabilitation of single-family homes as important priority needs.

City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

What are the greatest housing needs in the City of Tulare? Figure 3
City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

What priority level should be given to the following types of affordable housing development solutions if implemented during the next 5 years?
Figure 4
When asked about affordable housing development solutions, respondents appeared to favor senior housing, affordable housing, and affordable “rent-to-own” housing the most. However, residents indicated no clear preference for specific homeless solutions, with multiple types of solutions receiving roughly equal preference; generally, all homeless solutions included in the survey received a moderate to high priority level ranking. Additionally, home repair assistance for owners was the most common affordable housing program to be identified as a high priority need among respondents (see table below). Home repair assistance for small landlords and lead paint testing/abatement respectively received low priority rankings from more than 40% of respondents.

What priority level should be given to the following types of affordable housing programs if implemented during the next 5 years?
Figure 5
City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

Community Services
When asked to prioritize supportive service needs domestic violence services, anti-crime programs, mental health services, and senior services and activities received a high priority ranking from more than 50% of respondents. Almost 50% of respondents identified tenant/landlord counseling as a low priority supportive service need.

What priority level should be given to the following types of supportive services if implemented during the next 5 years?
Figure 6
City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

Economic and Community Development
Respondents were asked about priority economic development initiatives and respondents most ranked business mentoring and technical assistance to nonprofits as low-level priorities. Respondents also demonstrated a preference for job creation/retention and job training programs, with 50% of respondents ranking it as a high-level priority. An additional survey question identified language barriers, lack of childcare, and education barriers as top challenges that may prevent people from getting jobs. Resident responses related to job and employment opportunities contradict the two community organization responses which rated employment opportunities as good and acceptable.

What priority level should be given to the following types of economic development initiatives or projects if implemented during the next 5 years?
Figure 7
When asked about community development and revitalization initiatives or projects needed in the next five years, over half (57%) of respondents ranked rehabilitating vacant or foreclosed properties as a high priority need. Maintaining and cleaning up vacant lots was also ranked as a high priority by 52% of respondents.

Demolishing vacant buildings and redeveloping/repurposing vacant lots to green infrastructures were the community development initiatives that received the lowest priority rankings.

City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

What priority level should be given to the following types of community development/revitalization initiatives or projects if implemented during the next 5 years? Figure 8
When asked about priority rankings for types of public infrastructure improvement initiatives or projects, all options were skewed with high-priority ratings. Street/road improvement projects were reported as the highest priority with 75% of respondents ranking it as a high priority need. Streetlighting and sidewalk improvement projects respectively received high priority ranking by more than 50% of respondents. Survey results indicate that public infrastructure improvement projects related to transportation are the highest priority amongst respondents.

What priority level should be given to the following types of public infrastructure improvement initiatives or projects if implemented during the next 5 years? Figure 9
City of Tulare Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan

Social and Recreational Services
There was a wide range of responses on questions regarding the availability of programs like sports leagues and summer camps, and organized group activities and enrichment programs for youth in low- and moderate-income households, as well as the availability of recreational facilities in low- and moderateincome neighborhoods, with respondents skewing toward agreement that these opportunities and amenities are available. Specifically, respondents indicated that sports leagues, after-school programs, and Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programs were most available in the community.

Summer camps and job training or employment were least selected as available. Also, two respondents indicated they believed there are no organized activities or programs available in Tulare.

City of Tulare, CA
Draft Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing
Choice
FY 2025/26 – FY 2029/30
Draft for public comment
City of Tulare - Draft Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice

Table of Contents
Executive Summary ...................................................................................................... 2 Findings and Recommendations .................................................................................................. 2 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 4 History of Tulare............................................................................................................................ 4 Legal Background......................................................................................................................... 5 Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice ......................................................................... 7 Organization of the Report............................................................................................................ 8 Data Sources ................................................................................................................................ 9 Review of 2020-2024 Analysis of Impediments ........................................................ 10 2020-2024 Analysis of Impediments Progress Update...............................................................10 Community Data.......................................................................................................... 14 Demographic Summary ..............................................................................................................14 Household Characteristics ..........................................................................................................18 Income Profile.............................................................................................................................18 Housing Profile............................................................................................................................23 Public Housing............................................................................................................................34 Access to Opportunity.................................................................................................................36 Public Policies and Private Sector Practices............................................................ 42 The Housing Element .................................................................................................................42 Fair Housing Resources .............................................................................................................42 Land Use Policies and Practices ................................................................................................43 Laws Governing Lending ............................................................................................................59 Non-Governmental Constraints ..................................................................................................60 Real Estate Sales Practices........................................................................................................62 Rental and Property Management..............................................................................................63 Lending Findings.........................................................................................................................64 Community Engagement............................................................................................ 67 Marketing Efforts.........................................................................................................................67 Diversity and Access Efforts .......................................................................................................67 Organization Focus Group..........................................................................................................68 City Staff Feedback.....................................................................................................................68 Community Public Meetings .......................................................................................................69 Community Organization and Resident Surveys ........................................................................70 Impediments, Goals, and Actions.............................................................................. 76 Fair Housing Action Plan ............................................................................................................77 City of Tulare - Draft Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice

Executive Summary
Baker Tilly Advisory Group, LP (“Baker Tilly”) was contracted by the City of Tulare (“the City”) to develop, prepare an updated Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice (AI) for the period 2025/26-2029/30.

This analysis highlights meaningful actions that the City will implement to address patterns of segregation, promote fair housing choice, reduce disparities in opportunities, and foster inclusive communities free from discrimination. The completion of the AI includes a comprehensive overview of state of fair housing in the community, specifically:
• Reviewing pre-existing documentation (i.e. federal, state, and local policies), historical data, and reports related to fair housing to identify impediments throughout the City and identify potential gaps that may impede fair housing.
• Analyzing prior and ongoing initiatives undertaken by the City to address fair housing impediments since the completion of the 2020-2024 AI to conduct a comparison of historical activities with the City’s current efforts to determine progress and areas needing further attention. • Engaging key stakeholders (i.e. housing advocates, local government agencies, nonprofits, property managers/owners/landlords, local citizens) via focus groups, public meetings, and surveys to gather qualitative and quantitative data on fair housing perceptions and experiences while also gaining insights into challenges and suggestions for improving fair housing choice. • Assessing recent housing market conditions to evaluate the availability, rental and homeownership rates, vacancy rates, affordability, and quality of housing within the City. • Mapping and analyzing geographic patterns to identify areas of concentrated poverty, segregation, and other observable patterns that lend themselves to housing discrimination. • Evaluating access to opportunities for essential services, including transportation, education, employment, healthcare, etc.
• Examining lending practices to assess local lending practices and their impact on housing opportunities for members of protected classes.

Findings and Recommendations
Through the completion of the analysis, Baker Tilly identified five key impediments to fair housing choice throughout the city, including:
• Limited Supply of Affordable Housing: There is an inadequate supply of affordable housing for lower income residents and persons of protected classes • Limited Income: Low household incomes limit housing choices for residents of protected classes and increase housing instability
• Lack of Access to Resources: Limited access to support services, shelter, and affordable housing opportunities increases housing instability and homelessness • Discrimination in Rental and Owner Housing Transactions: Housing discrimination limits housing options for protected classes and increases housing instability and the risk of homelessness for protected classes
• Limited Community Awareness of Fair Housing Protections and Enforcement Activities:

Lack of fair housing enforcement, capacity and awareness may increase prevalence of housing discrimination
City of Tulare - Draft Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice

Based on these aforementioned impediments, Baker Tilly, alongside the City of Tulare, developed targeted goals to address these barriers and align with the City’s Housing Element, as listed below. In most cases, each goal will address multiple impediments.

Goal #1 – Increase fair housing enforcement, outreach, and capacity Goal #2 – Encourage development of new affordable housing in high resource areas Goal #3 – Improve place-based strategies to encourage community conservation and revitalization, including preservation of existing affordable housing
Goal #4 – Protect existing residents from displacement
Goal #5 – Enhance housing mobility strategies
City of Tulare - Draft Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice

Introduction
History of Tulare
The City of Tulare (City) is located in the heart of the San Joaquin Valley, halfway between Los Angeles and San Franscico. It is west of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range, which is home to the Sequoia National Park. The City was founded in 1872 by the Southern Pacific Railroad to serve as its San Joaquin Valley headquarters. Transportation was the driving force behind Tulare’s establishment. The town burned down and was rebuilt three times in its first 14 years. The City was incorporated in 1888.

In 1891, Southern Pacific relocated its valley headquarters to Bakersfield, forcing residents to turn to agriculture for their livelihood, which required the provision of enough water to supply the new industry. To bring water to the area, residents founded the Tulare Irrigation District and issued $500,000 in bonds to construct an extensive canal system carrying water from the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

Agriculture remains the lifeblood of the local economy, and Tulare sits at the heart of some of the most productive farmland in the world. Tulare is very attractive to food processors and distributors because of its central location and abundant supply of locally grown products.

Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay area are less than a 4-hour drive and, in addition to being served by Freeway 99, Tulare is 40 minutes from Interstate 5, which connects California to Oregon and Washington. The ports of Stockton, Sacramento, Los Angeles and San Francisco are all within 200 miles of Tulare, and infrastructure and transportation systems are already in place to facilitate product movement.

The main line of the Union Pacific Railroad runs through Tulare, offering rail access to major cities throughout the United States. Amtrak offers passenger rail service from nearby Corcoran and Hanford.

Domestic and international flights are available at Fresno/Yosemite International Airport and Bakersfield’s Meadows Field Airport and select domestic flights can be accessed 10 minutes away at Visalia Municipal Airport. The City of Tulare also operates its own municipal airport, serving private planes. FedEx air service is available at the Visalia Municipal Airport and both UPS and FedEx provide surface overnight service to northern and southern California cities.

According to the 2023 5-Year American Community Survey (ACS) estimates, the population of Tulare is 69,984, up 18.1% (59,278) from the 2010 U.S. Decennial Census. The U.S. Census Bureau’s TIGER and Gazetteer Files for 2020 show that Tulare has a total land area of 20.39 square miles. The City’s Community Development Department – Housing & Grants Services Division, is responsible for carrying out projects and programs with the use of funds received from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

The U.S. Census Bureau reported a slight increase in average household size in Tulare, from 3.21 for owner-occupied and 3.50 for renter-occupied units to 3.28 and 3.55, respectively, from the 2010 Decennial Census to the 2023 ACS 5-year estimates. These slight changes are likely indicative of household formation changes remaining relatively constant between 2010 and 2023. Across the same time period, housing stock has increased by 14.1% in Tulare (from 18,863 to 21,514), but increased substantially between the 2018 and 2023 5-year estimates, with housing stock increasing by 1.98% annually (from 19,572), higher than the city’s annual average increase of 1.28% between the 2010 Decennial Census and the 2023 ACS 5-year estimates.

Single-family homes within the City of Tulare make up 82.9% of all occupied housing units, while multifamily housing (2 units or more) makes up another 14%. The remaining 3.1% are mobile homes and other housing types. According to the 2023 ACS 5-year estimates, the median owner-occupied home value within Tulare is $301,200, up from $188,900 as of the 2018 ACS 5-year estimates. According to apartments.com, rents range from $1,340/month for a one-bedroom apartment to $1,924/month for a three-bedroom apartment, with average rent in the city being $1,340/month.

City of Tulare - Draft Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice

Legal Background
Fair housing is a right protected by federal and State of California laws. Due to these laws, virtually every housing unit in the State of California is subject to fair housing practices.

Federal Laws
The federal Fair Housing Act of 1968, as well as the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988 (42 U.S. Code §§ 3601-3619, 3631), are federal fair housing laws that prohibit discrimination in all aspects of housing, including the sale, rental, lease, or negotiation for real property. The Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination based on the following protected classes:
• Race
• Color
• Religion
• Sex
• Familial status
• National origin
• Disability (mental or physical)
According to the Fair Housing Act, it is specifically unlawful to:
• Refuse to sell or rent after the making of a bona fide offer, or to refuse to negotiate for the sale or rental of, or otherwise make unavailable or deny, a dwelling to any person because of race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status, or national origin. • Discriminate against any person in the terms, conditions, or privileges of sale or rental of a dwelling, or in the provision of services or facilities in connection therewith, because of race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status, or national origin.
• Make, print, or publish, or cause to be made, printed, or published any notice, statement, or advertisement, with respect to the sale or rental of a dwelling that indicates any preference, limitation, or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status, or national origin, or an intention to make any such preference, limitation, or discrimination. • Represent to any person because of race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status, or national origin that any dwelling is not available for inspection, sale, or rental when such dwelling is in fact so available.
• For profit, induce or attempt to induce any person to sell or rent any dwelling by representations regarding the entry or prospective entry into the neighborhood of a person or persons of a particular race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status, or national origin.

Further, the Fair Housing Amendments Act requires owners of housing facilities to make “reasonable accommodations” to their rules, policies, and operations so that persons with disabilities have equal housing opportunities. For example, residents collecting Social Security Disability Income or Supplemental Security Income can request their rent payments not be subject to late fees if their income is not distributed before their rent payment is due. Additionally, the Fair Housing Act requires landlords to allow residents with disabilities to make reasonable access-related modifications to their private living and common use spaces, at the residents own expense. Finally, the Fair Housing Amendments Act requires that new multifamily housing with four or more units be designed and built to allow access for persons with disabilities, including:
• Accessible common use areas
• Doors wide enough for wheelchairs
• Kitchens and bathrooms that permit wheelchair maneuverability • Other adaptable features within units, such as lower countertops and cabinets On September 21, 2016, HUD published a final rule in the Federal Register entitled "Equal Access in Accordance with an Individual's Gender Identity in Community Planning and Development Programs." According to the HUD Exchange website:
“Through this final rule, HUD ensures equal access to individuals in accordance with their gender identity in programs funded and administered by HUD's Office of Community Planning and City of Tulare - Draft Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice

Development (CPD). This rule builds upon HUD's February 2012 final rule entitled "Equal Access to Housing in HUD Programs Regardless of Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity" (2012 Equal Access Rule). The 2012 rule aimed to ensure that HUD's housing programs would be open to all eligible individuals and families regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, or marital status.

The updated final rule requires that recipients and subrecipients of CPD funding, as well as owners, operators, and managers of shelters, and other buildings and facilities and providers of services funded in whole or in part by any CPD program to grant equal access to such facilities, and other buildings and facilities, benefits, accommodations and services to individuals in accordance with the individual's gender identity, and in a manner that affords equal access to the individual's family.” A federal law entitled Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504), prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in any program or activity that receives financial assistance from any federal agency. This includes programs conducted by federal agencies, including HUD. HUD's regulations for Section 504, which applies to federally assisted programs or activities, may be found in the Code of Federal Regulations at 24 C.F.R. part 8. There are additional regulations that govern Section 504 in programs conducted by HUD which may be found at 24 C.F.R. part 9; however, this webpage focuses on Section 504's requirements for federally assisted programs and activities.

California Laws
The State of California’s Civil Rights Department enforces California laws that provide monetary relief and protection to victims of unlawful housing practices. The Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) (Government Code Section 12955 et seq.) prohibits discrimination and harassment in housing practices, including:
• Advertising
• Application and selection process
• Unlawful evictions
• Terms and conditions of tenancy
• Privileges of occupancy
• Mortgage loans and insurance
• Public and private land use practices, and
• Unlawful restrictive covenants
The following categories are additionally protected by the FEHA:
• Race or color
• Ancestry or national origin
• Sex
• Marital status
• Source of income
• Sexual orientation
• Gender identity/expression
• Genetic information
• Familial status (households with children under 18)
• Religion
• Mental/physical disability
• Medical condition, and
• Age
The FEHA contains similar reasonable accommodations and accessibility provisions as the federal Fair Housing Amendments Act.

The Unruh Civil Rights Act provides protection from discrimination by all business establishments in California, including housing and accommodations, due to sex, race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, disability, or medical condition. While the Unruh Civil Rights Act specifically lists these as protected classes, the California Supreme Court has held that protections under the Unruh Act are not necessarily restricted to these characteristics.

City of Tulare - Draft Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice

The Ralph Civil Rights Act (California Civil Code Section 51.7) forbids acts of violence or threats of violence because of a person’s race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, political affiliation, or position in a labor dispute. This can include verbal or written threats, physical assault or attempted assault, graffiti, vandalism, or property damage.

The Bane Civil Rights Act (California Civil Code Section 52.1) provides another layer of protection for fair housing choice by protecting all people in California from interference by force or threat of force with an individual’s constitutional or statutory rights, including a right to equal access to housing. The Bane Act also includes criminal penalties for hate crimes; however, convictions under the Act are not allowed for speech alone unless that speech itself threatened violence.

Finally, California Civil Code Section 1940.3 prohibits landlords from questioning potential residents about their immigration or citizenship status. This law further forbids local jurisdictions from passing laws that direct landlords to make inquiries about a person’s citizenship or immigration status.

In addition to these acts, Government Code Sections 11135, 65008, and 65580-65589.8 prohibit discrimination in programs funded by the State of California and in any land use decisions. Specifically, changes to state law require local jurisdictions to address the provision of housing options for special needs groups, including:
• Housing for persons with disabilities
• Housing for homeless persons, including emergency shelters, transitional housing, and supportive housing
• Housing for extremely low-income households, including single-room occupancy (SRO) units • Housing for persons with developmental disabilities
Fair Housing
For a person to meet their essential needs and have the ability to pursue personal, educational, and employment goals, equal access to housing is fundamental. In recognition of this right, both the federal government of the United States and the government of the State of California have established fair housing as a right protected by law.

Federal fair housing laws provide protection from housing discrimination in the sale, rental, lease, or negotiation for real property based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status, and disability.

The State of California goes even further to build on this foundation to further prevent discrimination based on marital status, ancestry, source of income, sexual orientation, and “any arbitrary factor”.

According to the HUD Fair Housing Planning Guide (1996), the public and private impediments to fair housing choices are:
“Any actions, omissions, or decisions taken because of race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, sex, disability, marital status, familial status, source of income, sexual orientation, or any other arbitrary factor which restrict housing choices or the availability of housing choices; or Any actions, omissions, or decisions which have the effect of restricting housing choices or the availability of housing choices on the basis of race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, sex, disability, marital status, familial status, source of income, sexual orientation, or any other arbitrary factor.”
To mitigate these impediments, a community must not only work to remove these issues but promote equal housing opportunities. The City of Tulare is committed to providing fair housing opportunities to all residents, as well as assuring compliance with applicable laws and conducting its business fairly and impartially.

Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice
The Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice (AI) is an assessment of how laws, policies, real estate practices, and local conditions may affect the location, availability, accessibility, and affordability of housing.

City of Tulare - Draft Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice

According to the HUD Fair Housing Planning Guide, the analysis includes examining certain impediments and barriers to fair housing choice. An impediment to fair housing choice is any action, omission, or decision that is intended to or has the effect of restricting a person’s choice of housing on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status, or national origin. Such a limitation to fair housing choice constitutes housing discrimination.

The document has three major goals:
• To evaluate current conditions that may impact fair housing choice. • To review the impacts of policies and practices and how they may impact fair housing choice and the provision of housing, specifically affordable housing and housing for special needs households. • To identify impediments to fair housing choice and actions the City of Tulare will take to remove those impediments or to mitigate the impact those impediments have on fair housing choice.

To fulfill these goals, the following must be completed:
• A review of the demographics, laws, regulations, private market and public sector, and administrative policies, procedures, and practices of the City of Tulare. • An assessment of how those laws affect the location, availability, and accessibility of housing. • An assessment of conditions, both public and private, affecting fair housing choice.

An AI also examines the affordability of housing in the jurisdiction with an emphasis on housing affordable to households with annual incomes classified as low-income. Low-income is defined as equal to or less than 80% of the adjusted area median family income (AMI) as most recently published by HUD. For Tulare County, the current median family income for a four-person household is $87,900 according to HUD 2024 income guidelines, meaning the incomes that are analyzed within this AI are generally $70,300 or less.

Larger family sizes increase the 80% AMI income threshold.

This AI defines barriers to housing choice as factors, such as income level and housing supply, that limit a person’s choice of housing. This AI adheres to the recommended scope of analysis and format in the HUD Fair Housing Planning Guide (1996).

Organization of the Report
This report is divided into seven sections. These sections and the definitions for each are as follows:

1. Executive Summary: Identifies the purpose of the report, provides a brief description of the process, and summarizes the key findings.

2. Introduction: Explains the history of the City of Tulare, defines “fair housing” based on federal and state laws, reviews the basics of an AI, and lists the data and funding sources for the report.

3. Review of 2020/21-2024/25 Analysis of Impediments: Reviews all goals from the City of Tulare’s previous AI, provides a progress update on goal achievement, and identifies any outstanding actions for incorporation into the current AI.

4. Data: Describes housing and population characteristics of the jurisdiction, including income, age, race, ethnicity, familial status, and disability. Housing characteristics include unit type, tenure, housing cost, and overcrowding. Employment characteristics and the geographic distribution of households by income, race, and ethnicity are also examined.

5. Public Policies and Private Sector Practices: Reviews policies and practices to determine the potential impact on fair housing and the provision of an adequate number and appropriate types of housing. Assesses the general level of fair housing and housing rights awareness within the private sector. Specifically, rental housing, residential real estate sales, and mortgage lending are evaluated. The analysis relies on an array of tools including interviews with stakeholders, published data on mortgage lending, and reports of unfair housing practices.

6. Community Engagement: Provides a description of public outreach to obtain input from the community on possible fair housing impediments.

7. Impediments, Goals, and Actions: Summarizes the findings regarding fair housing impediments in the City, generally organized by the impediment categories defined in HUD’s Affirmatively City of Tulare - Draft Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice

Furthering Fair Housing proposed rule dated February 9, 2023. Sets goals to address each impediment and defines actions to be taken to achieve these goals.

Data Sources
In preparation of this AI, a variety of data sources were used, including but not limited to the following:
• American Community Survey (ACS) 2023 5-Year estimates provided by the U.S. Census Bureau • 2010 U.S. Decennial Census estimates, provided by the U.S. Census Bureau • Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy (CHAS), provided by the U.S. Census Bureau for HUD, which contains information on low- and moderate-income households as well as housing problems
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• ESRI Business Analyst Online (ESRI BAO)
• CoStar and apartments.com
• U.S. Department of Labor
• Community resident and organization surveys
• Focus groups with local stakeholders and officials
• Community meetings with the public and agency/organization representatives City of Tulare - Draft Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice

Review of 2020-2024 Analysis of Impediments
This section will review current progress on the actions contained in the City of Tulare’s previous 2020- 2024 Analysis of Impediments.
2020-2024 Analysis of Impediments Progress Update
The 2020-2024 Analysis of Impediments identified six impediments:

A. Private Sector Impediments

1. Discrimination against disabled and familial status

2. Reasonable modification or accommodation

3. Racial and ethnic minority denial rates of home purchase loans

4. Lack of understanding of fair housing laws and policies B. Public Sector Impediments

5. Lack of understanding of fair housing laws and policies

6. Improve mobility of residents
Each impediment listed one or more specific associated actions to be taken to address the impediment.

Table 1 below contains the impediments and associated planned actions from the 2020-2024 AI. The third column lists progress made toward each action and identifies whether there are remaining needs associated with each action for incorporation into the 2025/26-2029/30 Analysis of Impediments.

Table 1: Review of Previous AI Actions
Actions Identified in the 2015 &
2020 AIs
Time
Frame Progress Made / Remaining Actions
I. Private Sector Impediments

1. Discrimination against disabled and familial status
Action 1.1: Conduct outreach and
education to city residents relating
to fair housing policy, highlighting
discriminatory practices based on
disability and familial status.

Ongoing
The Community Development Department
established contracts with the Community Services
and Employment Training (CSET) in Fiscal Year
2020 to offer marketing and counseling services for
residents regarding fair housing policy. In 2023 and
2024, the Community Development Department
facilitated the setup an educational booth and
referral step with Central California Legal Services
for residents to learn about housing related tenant
and homeowner resources as well as garner legal
assistance when applicable.

Remaining Actions:

City will establish regular outreach and education
efforts through partnerships, programming, and
training relating to fair housing policy and
discriminatory practices and may focus on specific
protected classes like disability.

2. Reasonable Modification or Accommodation
Action 2.1: Conduct outreach and
education to housing providers,
including owners and property
managers, relating to the
reasonable modification and
accommodation requirements
under the FHA.

Ongoing
The Community Development Department
promoted learning and compliance with reasonable
modification and accommodation requirements
among housing providers that participate in local
programs, such as rental assistance, single family
unit rehabilitation, and multifamily unit rehabilitation and construction projects, as well as through long-
City of Tulare - Draft Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice

term monitoring of multifamily properties assisted
with HOME Investment Partnership and
Encampment Resolution Funding Programs.

Remaining Actions:

The City will update marketing and educational
materials available to the public through its website
and public facilities at least annually. The City will
establish regular outreach and education efforts to
housing providers a part of and external to its own
housing programs relating to reasonable
modification and accommodation requirements.

3. Racial and ethnic minority denial rates of home purchase loans Action 3.1: Conduct outreach and
education relating to home
purchase lending, focusing on
strategies for building and
maintaining good credit.

Ongoing
The City leveraged state and federal grants to offer
first-time homebuyer assistance for low-income
households throughout the 2020 to 2024 cycle.

Through Self-Help Enterprises, the City offered
HUD certified loan counseling and secondary loan
financing to assist eligible households purchase a
home. Additionally, the City offered emergency
mortgage and rental assistance during the
pandemic with federal grant funds that addressed
arrears and/or ongoing household mortgage and
rental payments.

Remaining Actions:

The City will leverage data through its own housing
programs and other sources to assess access and
outcomes for racial and ethnic minorities and
maintain programming to address financial literacy,
good credit, and first-time homebuyer assistance.

4. Lack of Understanding of fair housing laws and policies Action 4.1: Conduct outreach and
education to city residents and
property owners and managers
relating to fair housing and the
duty to affirmatively further fair
housing.

Ongoing
The City conducted outreach and promoted
education and compliance about affirmatively
further fair housing regulation through its long-term
monitoring actions with owners, property managers,
and residents of multifamily properties assisted with
HOME Investment Partnership and Encampment
Resolution Funding Programs. Monitoring including
an assessment of property management’s training
and marketing and tenant selection plans.

Remaining Actions:

The City will establish regular outreach and
education efforts to residents, property owners, and
managers at private-market and publicly assisted
units as well as update annually all publicly
available materials relating to fair housing and the
duty to affirmatively further fair housing.

Action 4.2: Enhance fair housing
education and outreach activities
annually during Fair Housing
Month (April). Highlight fair
housing, and issues relating to fair
housing, through print- and webbased marketing.

Ongoing
The City maintained digital and physical displays of
materials and the contact information for relevant
community-based organizations relating to fair
housing throughout the 2020 to 2024 cycle. And the
City established a one-year agreement with CSET,
a community action organization, to provide
education and outreach activities relating to fair
housing.

City of Tulare - Draft Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice

Remaining Actions:

The City will update its print and web-based
materials at least annually and establish regular
programming relating to fair housing by itself or inconjunction with the Housing Authority of Tulare County.

Action 4.3: Update the city's
website to include a discussion of
the state Fair Employment and
Housing Act (FEHA), all of the
classes protected under the
federal Fair Housing Act and the
FEHA, and the agencies and
organizations that are available to
help city residents who believe that
they have suffered discrimination
in the housing market.

Ongoing
The City’s Community Development Department
webpage included an overview of FEHA and
contact information for agencies and organizations
available to assist residents with education,
responding to claims of discrimination, and/or legal
aid.

Remaining Actions:

The City will update its print and web-based
materials at least annually and establish regular
programming for residents relating to FEHA and
addressing claims of discrimination.

II. Public Sector Impediments

5. Lack of understanding of fair housing laws and policies Action 5.1: Conduct annual training
sessions for city officials and policy
makers relating to fair housing and
the duty to affirmatively further fair
housing.

Ongoing
The City’s Community Development Department,
particularly staff of the Housing and Grants
Division, reviewed fair housing regulation and
resources in relationship to the administration of its
housing programs.

Remaining Actions:

In the next five-year cycle, designated members of
the City Council and/or Executive Team will join
Community Development staff in one or more
public meetings and a formal training opportunity
relating to fair housing and the duty to affirmatively
further fair housing.

Action 5.2: Update the city's
website to include a discussion of
the state Fair Employment and
Housing Act (FEHA), all of the
classes protected under the
federal Fair Housing Act and the
FEHA, and the agencies and
organizations that are available to
help city residents who believe that
they have suffered discrimination
in the housing market.

Ongoing
The City’s Community Development Department
webpage included an overview of FEHA and
contact information for agencies and organizations
available to assist residents with education,
responding to claims of discrimination, and/or legal
aid.

Remaining Actions:

The City will update its print and web-based
materials at least annually and establish regular
programming for residents relating to FEHA and
addressing claims of discrimination.

6. Improve mobility of residents
Action 6.1: Support projects to
improve the mobility of residents
that are concentrated in areas of
poverty impeded by railroad tracks
that separate the two halves of the
City.

Ongoing
The City leveraged federal grant funds, particularly
CDBG, in each year of the current cycle to improve
portions of sidewalk and install ADA compliant
sidewalk ramps within a low-income neighborhood.

And the City’s Community Development
Department secured a grant to develop and
implement a city-wide Active Transportation Plan.

This includes the creation of policies that aim to
increase and improve transportation methods for
residents.

City of Tulare - Draft Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice

Remaining Actions:

City will continue the development and
implementation of its Active Transportation Plan.

And, where feasible, the City will leverage available
grant and/or local financing to complete
transportation, infrastructure, or other projects that
may improve the mobility of residents within
designated census tracts.

City of Tulare - Draft Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice

Community Data
Several conditions can limit fair housing choice or access to opportunities. These conditions include segregation, lack of integration, racially or ethnically concentrated areas of poverty, disparities in access to opportunity, disproportionate housing needs, and evidence of discrimination or civil rights violations related to housing.

To address fair housing issues effectively, it is imperative to gather and analyze data on these conditions.

First, understanding the jurisdiction's demographics is essential. This includes examining population growth, age characteristics, and racial and ethnic composition. These demographic factors are instrumental in identifying a community’s housing needs and potential barriers to fair housing choice.

Segregation and lack of integration refer to the physical and social separation of different racial or ethnic groups within a community. These conditions can limit access to quality housing, education, and employment opportunities for marginalized groups, perpetuating cycles of poverty and inequality. By identifying areas where segregation and lack of integration are prevalent, policymakers can develop targeted interventions to promote inclusivity and equal access to resources.

Racially or ethnically concentrated areas of poverty are neighborhoods where high percentages of residents are both minority and low-income. These areas often lack investment and access to essential services, further entrenching residents in disadvantaged circumstances. Recognizing these areas allows for strategic planning to improve infrastructure, education, and employment opportunities, thereby enhancing the overall quality of life for residents.

Disparities in access to opportunity highlight the unequal distribution of resources such as quality education, employment, and healthcare across different communities. These disparities can be driven by systemic discrimination and bias, making it harder for certain groups to achieve economic stability and upward mobility. Addressing these disparities involves implementing policies that ensure equitable access to opportunities for all residents, regardless of their background.

Disproportionate housing needs refer to the uneven burden of housing costs, overcrowding, and substandard living conditions experienced by certain groups. Low-income families, racial and ethnic minorities, and individuals with disabilities are often disproportionately affected. By identifying these groups and their specific housing challenges, targeted policies can be designed to provide affordable and adequate housing solutions.

Evidence of discrimination or civil rights violations related to housing is a critical factor in assessing fair housing conditions. Discriminatory practices can take many forms, from overt acts of bias to more subtle forms of exclusion. Documenting and addressing these violations are fundamental to ensuring that all individuals have equal access to housing opportunities.

Demographic Summary
Within the scope of a singular housing market, a multitude of household and individual characteristics can significantly impact the range of housing options available as well as the housing needs within that market.

This chapter of the AI delves into an in-depth examination of the housing and demographic characteristics relevant to the City of Tulare.

Population Characteristics
The type and quantity of housing within a community is primarily influenced by population growth and the demographic attributes of its residents. Factors including age, occupation, and income collectively influence the housing types and affordability within a community. The content of this section draws heavily upon housing and demographic statistics provided by the California Department of Finance (DOF) and the U.S.

Census American Community Survey (ACS), utilizing the most up-to-date data accessible.

Between 2010 and 2023, Tulare underwent a significant population surge, increasing by 22.9%. According to the 2019-2023 ACS 5-Year estimates, Tulare's 2023 populace was estimated at 69,984 individuals. This marked a rise equivalent to 13,046 persons from 2010 to 2023, as indicated in Table 2. During this period, City of Tulare - Draft Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice

Tulare's population growth outpaced that of the Visalia-Porterville Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) and the State of California as a whole, which saw population growth between 2010-2023 of 10.8% and 7.1%, respectively.

Table 2: Regional Population Growth Trends
Jurisdiction 2010
Population
2023
Population
% Change
2010-2023
City of Tulare 56,938 69,984 22.9%
Visalia-Porterville
MSA 429,404 475,744 10.8%
California 36,637,290 39,242,785 7.1%
Source: 2010 5-Year ACS and 2023 5-Year ACS
Source: California Department of Finance, Population and Housing Estimates 2022 Population Age
The age range within a community significantly influences its housing needs. Different age groups present unique family structures, types and income levels, all correlating with distinct housing needs.1 Young adults typically gravitate towards apartments, condominiums, and smaller single-family dwellings commensurate with their typically smaller households and limited finances. Conversely, adults with children often seek larger single-family residences to accommodate their families. However, as offspring reach adulthood and depart from the parental home, older adults and seniors are staying put in their large single-family residences rather than downsizing because of rising mortgage rates.2 In 2023, the largest age group within Tulare, as shown in Table 4, are individuals aged 5 to 19 and 25 to 44, comprising 26.3% and 26.7% of the population, respectively. The median age demonstrates a marginal rise, now standing at 30 years, compared to 29.2 years in 2010. These findings emphasize the importance of housing needs designed for young families and middle-aged adults. Tulare has a relatively low share of seniors aged 65+ compared to national averages (16.8% nationwide per the 2023 ACS 5-year estimate). 1 Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies. (2022). The State of the Nation’s Housing 2022 (M. Fernold, Ed.). 2 Peterson, T. (2023, April 20). For boomers, downsizing isn’t a simple decision. Washington Post.

Table 3: City of Tulare Population Growth (2010-2023)
2010 2017 Percent Change
(2010-2017) 2023 Percent Change (2017-2023)
56,938 62,296 9.4% 69,984 12.3%
City of Tulare - Draft Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice

Table 4: City of Tulare Age Characteristics (2010-2023) Age 2010 2023 Percent of Total
Population (2023)
Under 5 5,395 5,959 8.5%
5 to 19 15,557 18,390 26.3%
20 to 24 4,120 5,730 8.2%
25 to 44 15,873 18,716 26.7%
45 to 64 10,725 14,538 20.8%
65+ 5,268 6,651 9.5%
Totals 56,938 69,984 22.9%
Median Age 29.2 30
Source: 2010, and 2023 5-Year ACS
Race and Ethnicity
Acknowledging and understanding the difference between race (which refers to a group of people with common lineage or inheritance) and ethnicity (representing a social group with shared culture, religion, language, or similar traits) is essential. In Tulare, Hispanic ethnicity makes up a significant portion of the population, accounting for 65% or 44,443 individuals as of 2023. The Hispanic population has also seen significant growth, with a 42.14% increase between 2010 and 2023 (as shown in Table 5).

Table 5: City of Tulare Racial and Ethnic Composition
2010 2023 Growth Rate 2010-2023
Non-Hispanic White 20,443 19,916 -2.58%
Non-Hispanic Black 2,078 1,630 -21.56%
Non-Hispanic Asian/Pacific Islander 1,706 1,933 13.31%
Hispanic 31,267 44,443 42.14%
Non-Hispanic Other 168 504 200.00%
Totals 55,662 68,426 22.93%
Source: 2010, and 2023 5-Year ACS
Dissimilarity Index
The dissimilarity index serves as a quantitative measure of the extent to which two demographic groups are distributed evenly across a given geographic area. This index includes data from 1990 through July 2020 (the most current dataset available). It yields values on a scale from 0 to 100, with higher scores reflecting a greater degree of segregation between the groups under consideration. Index values falling between 0 and 39 typically signify minimal segregation, those between 40 and 54 indicate moderate segregation, and those between 55 and 100 suggest a significant level of segregation. Tulare's jurisdictional dissimilarity index trend has remained relatively consistent from 1990-2010. Notably, the index for Black/White segregation has decreased significantly (by roughly 10 points) in the Visalia-Porterville, CA region between 1990-2020. The Hispanic/White index has increased slightly in both the city and region.

City of Tulare - Draft Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice

Source: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Tool (AFFHT) Data Table 3; Decennial Census National Origin and English Proficiency
Fair housing laws protect individuals based on their national origin. Discrimination based on national origin can include an individual’s ability to speak, read, or understand English. Executive Order 13166 – Improving Access to Services by Persons with Limited English Proficiency, issued in August 2000, mandates federal agencies to cater to the needs of eligible individuals seeking access to federal programs and activities, especially those with limited English proficiency. This requirement also applies to organizations that receive federal funding. Therefore, collaborative entities must ensure compliance with this regulation.

Almost one in five Tulare residents (18.5%) are foreign born. Of those born in foreign countries, almost all (82.8%) entered the U.S. prior to 2010. The majority of foreign-born Tulare residents were born in Latin America (78.9%) and about one in 10 residents were born in Asia (10.6%) and Europe (8.9%).

Table 7: City of Tulare Language Spoken at Home, all persons 5 years and older Language Persons Percentage
English Language Only 34,304 53.6%
Other Language 29,721 46.4%
All Persons 64,025 100.00%
Source: 2023 5-Year ACS
Among Tulare residents aged five and older, 46.4% speak a non-English language at home. The largest group speaks Spanish, accounting for 20.6% of the population. These numbers highlight a distinct need within the community – the need to address language barriers. Language barriers have the potential to impede residents' access to essential services, information, and housing, while also influencing educational achievements and employment opportunities.

Table 8: City of Tulare Other Language Populations 5 years and older that speak English less than "very well"
Language Persons
Spanish 11,272
Indo-European 718
Asian and Pacific Islander 593
Other Language 172
Total Other Language Persons, 5 years and older 12,755
Source: 2023 5-Year ACS
Individuals who face limitations in English proficiency often encounter challenges such as cultural or linguistic isolation, lower levels of education, and reduced income. Disseminating information about public services concerning housing, health, and other essential resources to these demographics can prove challenging without effectively integrating considerations of resources, race, culture, and language. The Table 6: Racial/Ethnic Dissimilarity Index
Tulare, CA CDBG Jurisdiction Visalia-Porterville, CA Region Racial/Ethnic
Dissimilarity
Index
1990
Trend
2000
Trend
2010
Trend
2020
Trend
1990
Trend
2000
Trend
2010
Trend
2020
Trend
NonWhite/White 33.09 34.33 33.42 34.31 36.51 37.80 34.94 40.58 Black/White 41.13 36.42 34.87 38.26 51.11 40.70 32.32 41.93 Hispanic/White 32.4 35.49 34.8 35.48 38.85 40.16 37.53 42.42 Asian or Pacific
Islander/White 32.7 22.06 21.93 31.01 42.42 39.00 33.43 40.91 City of Tulare - Draft Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice

presence of individuals with limited English proficiency can also impact the local workforce and economy, as certain employers may mandate English proficiency among their staff.

Household Characteristics
A household is defined as all occupants residing within a single housing unit. As outlined by the U.S. Census Bureau, a household may consist of a family unit, multiple families cohabiting, an individual living alone, or unrelated individuals cohabiting. The composition, size, and demographic makeup of a household play a pivotal role in determining the appropriate housing type and required services needed to fulfill the occupants’ living needs.

The rate of household growth in the region from 2010-2023 has roughly tracked the population growth during the same period, likely indicating a relative consistency in household composition trends, as discussed below.

Table 9: Household Growth (2010-2023)
Area 2010 2023 Percent Change
City of Tulare 17,047 20,511 20.32%
Visalia-Porterville MSA 138,647 152,542 10.02%
California 12,392,852 13,434,847 8.41%
Source: 2010 5-Year ACS and 2023 5-Year ACS
Household Type and Size
The average household size, average family size, and percentage of families with children has remained relatively consistent from 2010-2023, as can be seen in Table 10. California’s average household and family size, 2.86 and 3.43 respectively, were considerably lower than Tulare. Tulare also had a much higher percentage of households with people under the age of 18 (49.1%) compared to California, with 32.9% of households having children. Also, Tulare’s percentage of households with a person 65 and older (24.0%) was much lower compared to California, at 31.4% of households.

Source: 2010, and 2023 5-Year ACS
Income Profile
Household income is an important determinant of the general affordability of housing and other major life purchases and activities. When housing expenses exceed the industry-standard 30% of a household’s income, households may face constraints in other economic endeavors. Economic factors impacting housing choices are not explicitly a fair housing issue; however, given other bias-related issues surrounding household income, household type, and other factors, fair housing concerns could be raised.

Table 10: City of Tulare Household Type and Size
2010 2023
Average Household Size 3.33 3.39
Percent of Households with
Elderly 21.7% 24.0%
Average Family Size 3.8 3.73
Percent of Families with
Children 50.8% 49.1%
Percent of Female-Headed
Households with Children 8.6% 8.9%
City of Tulare - Draft Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice

HUD, using data from the United States Census Bureau, releases income limits each year. Using the median income for a family of four, HUD further breaks down income limits into three categories:
• Extremely Low-Income: 30% of the median family income • Very Low-Income: 50% of the median family income
• Low-Income: 80% of the median family income
HUD further breaks down this data by family size, from one individual to an eight-person household. For the Visalia-Porterville, CA MSA, the median family income is $72,000. Additional data by income level and family size can be found below:

Table 11: FY 2024 Income Limits Summary
Visalia-Porterville, CA MSA
Persons in Family
Median
Family
Income
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
$72,000
Extremely
Low
Income
$18,450 $21,100 $25,820 $31,200 $36,580 $41,960 $47,340 $52,720 Very Low
Income $30,800 $35,200 $39,600 $43,950 $47,500 $51,000 $54,500 $58,050 Low
Income $49,250 $56,250 $63,300 $70,300 $75,950 $81,550 $87,200 $92,800 Source: HUD User: FY 2024 Income Limits Documentation System: https://www.huduser.gov/portal/ After HUD releases its income limit data, the State of California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) releases revisions to increase a county’s area median income (AMI) to equal California’s non-metropolitan median income, further adjusting to prevent any decreases. HCD then releases income limits for five income categories for each MSA, which are:
• Acutely Low Income (0% to 15% of AMI)
• Extremely Low Income (15% to 30% of AMI)
• Very Low Income (30% to 50% of AMI)
• Lower Income (50% to 80% of the AMI)
• Moderate Income (80% to 120% of the AMI)
Median Income
As indicated in the table below, the median household income for Tulare is $69,517 based on the 2023 5- Year American Community Survey (ACS) estimate. Between 2010 and 2023, the median household income in Tulare increased by 49.0%.

Table 12: City of Tulare-Median Household Income
(2010-2023)
Median Household Income Percent Change 2010 2023
$46,647 $69,517 49.0%
Source: 2010, 2023 5-Year ACS
Income Distribution of Households
According to HUD’s Consolidated Planning/CHAS Data homepage:
“Each year, [HUD] receives custom tabulations of [ACS] data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Th[is] data, known as the "CHAS" data (Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy), demonstrate the extent of housing problems and housing needs, particularly for low-income households. CHAS data City of Tulare - Draft Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice

are used by local governments to plan how to spend HUD funds and may also be used by HUD to distribute grant funds.”
This CHAS data covers income categories by race/ethnicity, tenure, household size, household issues, and age of housing. Household issues may include units lacking complete kitchen or bathroom, overcrowded conditions (more than one person per room), housing cost burden (housing costs exceeding 30% of gross income), and severe housing cost burden (housing costs exceeding 50% of gross income).

The table below shows the distribution of renters, owners, and all households by income category. The next sections will examine various characteristics broken down by these income categories.

Table 13: City of Tulare Income Distribution Overviews
Renter Income Distribution
Total Renter
Households
Percent
Extremely Low
Income
< 30% AMI
Percent Low
Income
30-50% AMI
Percent
Moderate Income
50-80% AMI
Percent
Middle/Upper
Income
>80% AMI
8,030 20.9% 16.5% 24.5% 38.1%
Owner Income Distribution
Total Owner
Households
Percent
Extremely Low
Income
< 30% AMI
Percent Low
Income
30-50% AMI
Percent
Moderate Income
50-80% AMI
Percent
Middle/Upper
Income
>80% AMI
11,305 5.53% 8.36% 16.23% 69.88%
All Households Income Distribution
Total
Households
Percent
Extremely Low
Income
< 30% AMI
Percent Low
Income
30-50% AMI
Percent
Moderate Income
50-80% AMI
Percent
Middle/Upper
Income
>80% AMI
19,330 11.90% 11.74% 19.66% 56.70%
Sources: 2017-2021 Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy (CHAS) Income by Household Characteristics
CHAS data cross-references household attributes with income to show, for example, which income range has the most housing problems. As highlighted below, the low-income households tend to face the most significant challenges when it comes to housing problems, which consist of lacking plumbing facilities, lacking kitchen facilities, being overcrowded (having 1.01 to 1.5 people per room) or severely overcrowded (having greater than 1.51 people per room), and housing cost burdens. Amongst all households, housing cost burden is the most common housing problem. This problem is exacerbated for extremely low-income households, where 1,145 renter households and 435 owner households experience some level of housing cost burden greater than 30 percent. Some reductions in housing problems are evident when moving from the very low income to extremely low-income group, perhaps due to housing programs benefiting extremely low-income populations. Overcrowding issues appear to subside for moderate-income households but reemerge for mid- to upper-income households. Housing cost burden also appears to be an issue for owner households across the income spectrum.

City of Tulare - Draft Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice

Table 14: Housing Problems by Income
Renter Households
0-30% AMI 30-50%
AMI
50-80%
AMI
80-100%
AMI
>100%
AMI Total
Lacking Complete
Plumbing or
Kitchen
10 10 10 10 35 75
Overcrowded
(1.01 to 1.50
people per room)
140 220 375 140 160 1,035
Severely
Overcrowded
(>1.51 people per
room)
215 40 0 0 95 350
Housing Cost
Burden >50% of
income
1,000 340 120 0 0 1,460
Housing Cost
Burden >30% of
income, but less
than or equal to
50%
145 480 750 230 80 1,685
Source: 2017-2021 CHAS
Table 15: Housing Problems by Income
Owner Households
0-30% AMI 30-50%
AMI
50-80%
AMI
80-100%
AMI
>100%
AMI Total
Lacking Complete
Plumbing or Kitchen 20 15 0 0 10 45
Overcrowded
(1.01 to 1.50 people
per room)
10 35 225 100 340 710
Severely
Overcrowded
(>1.51 people per
room)
0 0 25 0 30 55
Housing Cost
Burden >50% of
income
390 370 225 15 0 1,000
Housing Cost
Burden >30% of
income, but less
than or equal to 50%
45 255 595 455 680 2,030
Source: 2017-2021 CHAS
City of Tulare - Draft Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice

A further breakdown using 2017-2021 CHAS data was used to provide additional detail on overcrowding, one of the four housing problems, showing overcrowding and severe overcrowding impacts more renteroccupied households.

Table 16: Overcrowding in Owner and Renter Households

1.01 to 1.50 Occupants per
Room

1.51 to 2.00 Occupants per
Room
Owner Occupied 710 55
Renter Occupied 1,035 355
Source: 2017-2021 CHAS
Income by Race and Ethnicity
Table 17 provides data on previously defined income categories by racial/ethnic group. Hispanic or Latino households make up the largest share of total households, at 57.3%, followed by Non-Hispanic White at

37.5%. Households that are Black/African American, Asian, and Pacific Islander are disproportionately represented among those with extremely low incomes. There is also a greater concentration of very lowincome American Indian or Alaska Native households. Non-Hispanic White and Asian households make up the largest share of middle/upper income households. Overall, 43.2% of Tulare’s total households have middle to upper incomes, with an additional 12.1% earning an extremely low income, 11.7% earning a very low income, 19.4% earning a low income, and 13.6% earning a moderate income.

Source: 2017-2021 CHAS
Table 17: Households by Income and Race/Ethnicity
City of Tulare
Total Households Non-Hispanic
White
Hispanic or
Latino
Black or African
American
Extremely Low
0-30% HAMFI 2,274 12.1% 780 11.0% 1,280 11.9% 124 23.5% Very Low 30-
50% HAMFI 2,205 11.7% 700 9.9% 1,370 12.7% 95 18.0%
Low 50-80%
HAMFI 3,644 19.4% 1,025 14.5% 2,515 23.3% 55 10.4%
Moderate 80-
100% HAMFI 2,549 13.6% 880 12.4% 1,600 14.8% 55 10.4%
Middle/Upper
>100% HAMFI 8,132 43.2% 3,685 52.1% 4,015 37.2% 198 37.6% Total HH 18,804 - 7,070 - 10,780 - 527 -
Total
Lower/Moderate
Income
Households
10,672 57% 3,385 47.9% 6,765 62.8% 329 62.4%
City of Tulare - Draft Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice

Table 18: Households by Income and Race/Ethnicity
City of Tulare (continued)
Asian Am. Indian or Alaska
Nat.

Pacific Islander*
Extremely Low
0-30% HAMFI 80 23.6% 0 0.0% 10 71.4%
Very Low 30-50%
HAMFI 0 0.0% 40 54.1% 0 0.0%
Low 50-80% HAMFI 45 13.3% 0 0.0% 4 28.6%
Moderate 80-100%
HAMFI 4 1.2% 10 13.5% 0 0.0%
Middle/Upper >100%
HAMFI 210 61.9% 24 32.4% 0 0.0%
Total HH 339 - 74 - 14 -
Total Lower/Moderate
Income Households 129 38.1% 50 67.6% 14 100.0%
Source: 2017-2021 CHAS
Housing Profile
Housing Growth
According to 2023 data, there are 21,514 total housing units within the City of Tulare. This is a 19.8% increase from the 17,958 units existing in 2010. From 2010 to 2023, housing unit growth has closely followed overall population growth (22.9%).

Table 19: City of Tulare Housing Unit Growth
(2010-2023)
2010 2023 Percent Growth
17,958 21,514 19.8%
Source: 2010, 2023 5-Year ACS
Housing Unit Type
The housing stock within the City of Tulare is primarily 1-unit, detached single-family homes. In 2023, 78.3% of the housing stock consisted of detached single-family homes. The housing stock of 1-unit attached homes saw the largest increase, growing from 404 units in 2010 to 854 units in 2023 (111.4% increase). The significant increase in attached single family homes (e.g., townhouses, duplexes, rowhouses) indicates a shift towards housing stock that is more cost effective and increases community density.

Source: 2010, 2023 5-Year American Community Survey (ACS) Table 20: City of Tulare Housing Units by Type
(2010-2023)
2010 2023
Unit
Type
Number of Units Percent of Total Number of Units Percent of Total 1-unit, detached 14,002 78.0% 16,840 78.3%
1-unit, attached 404 2.3% 854 4.0%
2 units 715 4.0% 507 2.4%
3 or 4 units 978 5.5% 1,154 5.4%
5 to 9 units 706 3.9% 600 2.8%
10 to 19 units 138 0.8% 164 0.8%
20 or more units 432 2.4% 682 3.2%
Mobile home 561 3.1% 696 3.2%
Boat, RV, van,
etc.
22 0.1% 17 0.1%
City of Tulare - Draft Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice

Condition of Housing Units
A key indicator of the condition of housing units is the year the unit was built. The following tables display how many units were built within certain decades, as well as the percentage built before and after 1980, as many homes built before 1980 may contain lead-based paint.

Table 21: City of Tulare Housing Units by Year Structure Built Year Structure Built Number % of Total Units
Built 2020 or later 457 2.1%
Built 2020 to 2019 2,278 10.6%
Built 2000 to 2009 4,284 19.9%
Built 1990 to 1999 3,605 16.8%
Built 1980 to 1989 2,906 13.5%
Built 1970 to 1979 3,140 14.6%
Built 1960 to 1969 1,832 8.5%
Built 1950 to 1959 1,353 6.3%
Built 1940 to 1949 799 3.7%
Built 1939 or earlier 860 4.0%
Total 21,514 100%
Source: 2023 5-Year ACS

Table 22: City of Tulare Age of Housing Stock
Total Housing Units Percent Built Before 1980 Percent Built After 1980 21,514 37.1% 62.9%
Source: 2023 5-Year ACS
Lead-Based Paint Hazard
Lead-based paint is hazardous, especially to children under six years old. Homes with lead-based paint present an opportunity for rehabilitation and mitigation, improving the long-term safety of the community.

As shown in the table below, more than one out of ten (12.6%) owner-occupied housing units built before 1980 have children present. This number increases to over one-third (37.4%) of renter homes built before 1980, indicating there may be children at risk of being exposed to lead-based paint in both owner and renter-occupied housing units, but particularly in rental units.

Table 23: City of Tulare Risk of Lead Based Paint Hazard Owner-Occupied Renter-Occupied
Number Percentage Number Percentage
Total Number of
Units Built Before
1980
4,164 100% 3,634 100%
Housing Units
Built Before 1980
with Children
Present
524 12.6% 1,359 37.4%
Source: 2017-2021 CHAS
Housing Tenure (Own versus Rent and Vacant Units)
According to the 2023 5-year ACS, 58.5% of households within Tulare own their homes, while 41.5% rent their homes. Since 2020, there has been an increase in both renters and owners within the city, with each group seeing an approximate 14 percent rise. About 4.7% of units in the city are vacant. The vacancy rate has decreased by 142 units since 2020, indicating an increase in demand for properties in the city.

City of Tulare - Draft Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice

Table 24: City of Tulare Households by Tenure
Census 2020 2023
Number Percent Number Percent
Total Housing Units 19,526 21,514
Total Occupied Units 18,381 94.1% 20,511 95.34%
Owner-Occupied
HHs/Householder 10,512 57.2% 12,007 58.5%
Renter-Occupied
HHs/Householder 7,516 40.9% 8,504 41.5%
Vacant Units 1,145 5.9% 1,003 4.7%
Source: 2020, 2023 5-Year ACS
As shown in an earlier section, Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy (CHAS) data, developed by the Census Bureau for HUD, contains information on low- and moderate-income households and specifically identifies four primary housing problems experienced by households: 1) housing unit lacks complete kitchen facilities; 2) housing unit lacks complete plumbing facilities; 3) household is overcrowded; and 4) household is cost burdened. Of the renter-occupied households within the City of Tulare, 77.1% fall within the low- to moderate-income bracket, and 57.2% experience one of the four CHAS-identified housing problems. These numbers are significantly higher than those of the owner-occupied housing units, of which

41.8% are earning a low- to moderate-income, and 33.9% are facing at least one of four housing problems.

Table 25: City of Tulare Tenure Profile
Tenure Households Percent of
Households
Low- and
ModerateIncome
Households
Percent
Low- and
ModerateIncome
Households
Households
with
Housing
Problems
Percent
with
Housing
Problems
OwnerOccupied 11,305 58.9% 4,730 41.8% 3,835 33.9%
RenterOccupied 8,030 41.5% 6,195 77.1% 4,595 57.2%
All
Households 19,330 100.0% 10,925 56.5% 8,430 43.6%
Source: CHAS 2017-2021
According to the 2023 5-Year American Community Survey (ACS) estimates, 98.3% of owner-occupied units have two or more bedrooms, while only 88.7% of renter-occupied units have two or more bedrooms.

Additionally, there are a total of 12,007 owner-occupied units compared to 8,504 renter-occupied units in the city.

Table 26: City of Tulare Unit Size by Tenure
Owners Renters
Number Percentage Number Percentage
No Bedroom 57 0.5% 145 1.7%
1 Bedroom 145 1.2% 811 9.5%
2 Bedrooms 1,084 9.0% 3,004 35.3%
3 Bedrooms 7,284 60.7% 3,392 39.9%
4 Bedrooms 3,132 26.1% 982 11.6%
5 or more
Bedrooms 305 2.5% 170 2.0%
Total 12,007 100.0% 8,504 100.0%
Source: 2023 5-Year ACS
City of Tulare - Draft Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice

Housing Costs
Since 2010, the median home value in the City of Tulare has increased by 44.5%, with the median gross rent increasing by 53.2% over the same period. As seen in Table 25, growth in the median gross rent in Tulare has outpaced the median home value. This suggests that there is a high demand and/or low supply of rental properties in Tulare.

Table 27: City of Tulare Median Home Value and Gross Rent 2010 2023 Percent
Change
Median Home
Value $208,500 $301,200 44.5%
Median Gross
Rent $884 $1,354 53.2%
Sources: 2010, 2023 5-Year ACS
However, both the median gross rent in the City of Tulare and average rents for various unit sizes are lower than the payment standard allotted by the Housing Authority of Tulare County. A breakdown of average rental housing prices by unit size (see table below) demonstrates that the housing authority payment standard offers some flexibility for renters. The housing authority payment standard is $76 greater than the average rental price of a one-bedroom unit, $530 greater than the average two-bedroom unit, $633 greater than the average three-bedroom unit, and $385 greater than the average 4-bedroom unit. This indicates that the current payment standard increases the accessibility of rental options for voucher holders.

Table 28: Average Rental Housing Prices
1 Bedroom 2 Bedroom 3 Bedroom 4+Bedroom
Housing Authority
Payment Standard $1,416 $1,858 $2,557 $2,726
City of Tulare $1,340 $1,328 $1,924 $2,341
County of Tulare $1,311 $1,510 $1,776 $2,421
Sources: Housing Authority County of Tulare (recent as of January 2025); CoStar; Apartments.com (recent as of January 2025) HUD’s fair market rents (FMRs) for the Visalia-Porterville, CA MSA are shown below. From 2023 to 2024, the fair market rents in the MSA have increased by about 16.7%, a substantial one-year increase.

Additionally, the FMRs are lower than the average rental rates within the City of Tulare, which highlights a lack of affordability as defined by HUD.

Table 29: Final FY 2023 and 2024 FMRs by Unit Bedrooms
Visala-Porterville, CA MSA
Studio 1 Bedroom 2 Bedroom 3 Bedroom 4 Bedroom
FY 2024 FMR $977 $989 $1,299 $1,809 $2,065
FY 2023 FMR $825 $848 $1,116 $1,552 $1,790
Source: HUD User, 2024
Housing Problems
HUD assesses housing need within a community according to several criteria:
• The number of households that are paying too much for housing • The number of households living in overcrowded units
• The number of households living in substandard housing conditions.

The two sections that follow provide further details on housing cost burden and overcrowding. Both federal and industry standards define housing affordability thresholds as households not paying more than 30% of their Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) on housing costs. A household spending more than this amount is City of Tulare - Draft Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice

considered “cost burdened,” while a household allocating over 50% of their AGI to housing costs is classified as “severely cost burdened.”
Cost Burden
In the City of Tulare, 3,245 (28.7%) owner-occupied households have cost burdens greater than 30 percent.

Comparatively, 3,820 (47.58%) renter-occupied households experience housing cost burdens greater than 30 percent. Among these renter households, 2,780 (72.8%) are classified as extremely low income, earning <=30% of the HUD Area Median Family Income (HAMFI).

Table 30: City of Tulare Total Percentage of Owner and Renter Cost Burden >50% Owner % Owner
Households Renter % Renter Households
Cost Burden <=30% 7,955 70.4% 4,115 51.25%
Cost Burden >30% to <=50% 2,170 19.2% 2,020 25.16%
Cost Burden >50% 1,075 9.5% 1,800 22.42%
Cost Burden Not Available 115 1.0% 90 1.12%
Total 11,305 8,030
Source: CHAS 2017-2021
Table 31: City of Tulare Cost Burdened Renters by Income Total Number of
Renter Households
(cost burden > 30%)
Total Number of Renter
Households
(cost burden > 50%)
Household Income <= 30% HAMFI* 1,490 1,290
Household Income >30% to <=50% HAMFI 1,035 390
Household Income >50% to <=80% HAMFI 985 120
Household Income >80% to <=100% HAMFI 230 0
Household Income >100% HAMFI 80 0
Total 3,820 1,800
Source: CHAS 2017-2021
Table 32: City of Tulare Cost Burdened Owners by Income Total Number of Owner
Households
(cost burden > 30%)
Total Number of Owner
Households
(cost burden > 50%)
Household Income <= 30% HAMFI 460 410
Household Income >30% to <=50% HAMFI 680 410
Household Income >50% to <=80% HAMFI 920 240
Household Income >80% to <=100% HAMFI 470 15
Household Income >100% HAMFI 715 0
Total 3,245 1,075
Source: CHAS 2017-2021
Overcrowding
Households with 1.01 to 1.5 persons per room are considered overcrowded, while households with more than 1.51 persons per room are considered severely overcrowded. According to CHAS data, there are currently 765 total overcrowded owner-occupied units (6.4%) and 1,390 total overcrowded renter-occupied units (16.4%).

City of Tulare - Draft Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice

Table 33: City of Tulare Overcrowding
Owner and Renter Households

1.01 to 1.50
Occupants
per Room
>1.51
Occupants
per Room
Total
Overcrowded
Total
Occupied
Units
Percent
Overcrowded
Owner-Occupied 710 55 765 12,007 6.4%
Renter-Occupied 1,035 355 1,390 8,504 16.4%
Source: CHAS 2017-2021
Substandard Housing
As defined by HUD, housing without full plumbing and full kitchen facilities are considered substandard. A lack of full plumbing and kitchen facilities is defined as:
• Being without hot and cold piped water, a flush toilet and a bathtub or shower • Being without a sink with piped water, a range or stove, or refrigerator According to the most recent CHAS data, there are currently 65 renter households that are lacking complete plumbing or kitchen facilities, and 45 owner households lacking complete plumbing or kitchen facilities. It should be noted that 45 households with substandard housing make greater than 100% of the AMI, implying these units may be undergoing renovations or are not full-time homes.

Table 34: City of Tulare Housing Problems by Income
Renter Households
0-30%
AMI
30-50%
AMI
50-80%
AMI
80-100%
AMI
>100%
AMI
Total
Lacking Complete
Plumbing or Kitchen 10 10 10 0 35 65
Owner Households
0-30%
AMI
30-50%
AMI
50-80%
AMI
80-100%
AMI
>100%
AMI Total
Lacking Complete
Plumbing or Kitchen 20 15 0 0 10 45
Source: CHAS 2017-2021
Homelessness Statistics
The following section reviews recent data on people experiencing homelessness and comparing homelessness in the state, Tulare County, and Tulare. The Point-in-Time (PIT) count is a count of sheltered and unsheltered people experiencing homelessness on a single night in January. HUD requires each Continuum of Care to conduct an annual count of people who are unsheltered and sheltered in emergency shelter, transitional housing, and Safe Havens. This data helps to identify the characteristics of unhoused people.

State of California CoC Homeless Estimates
HUD combines data from each CoC to get an overview of homelessness in the country and in each state.

The HUD 2024 Continuum of Care Homeless Assistance Programs Homeless Populations and Subpopulations report offers an insight into the number of homeless individuals residing in the State of California. The report indicates that there were an estimated 187,084 homeless individuals within the State of California as of December 9, 2024. Of these individuals, 123,974 were “unsheltered” while the remainder (63,110) were in a shelter of some sort–either an emergency shelter or transitional housing.

Age/Household Type
Across the entire homeless population, 10,856 were between the ages of 18 and 24, while 161,415 were over the age of 24. Homeless households with at least one adult and one child numbered approximately 25,639 and those comprised of only children totaled 489. Overall, the study indicated that across all households there were 187,084 homeless people.

City of Tulare - Draft Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice

Demographics
Of the 187,084 homeless individuals:
• 69,029 were Hispanic/Latino (36.9%)
• 117,589 were non-Hispanic/non-Latino (63.1%)
• 62,975 were female (33.7%)
• 119,727 were male (64.0%)
• 4,382 were considered transgender or non-conforming (2.3%) Table 35: State of California Breakdown by Race
Sub-group Number of
Individuals
Percentage of All Homeless
Individuals
Hispanic/Latino 69,029 36.9%
Black/African-American 41,696 22.3%
White 59,703 31.9%
Asian 4,011 2.1%
American Indian/Alaskan Native 4,371 2.3%
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 1,620 0.9%
Non-Hispanic and Multiple
Races 6,188 3.3%
Middle Eastern or North African 466 0.2%
Source: HUD 2024 Continuum of Care Homeless Assistance Programs Homeless Populations and Subpopulations report Other Reporting Information
Several other populations/classifications of homeless individuals were also reported in the HUD 2023 Continuum of Care Homeless Assistance Programs Homeless Populations and Subpopulations report. The number of homeless individuals within these subgroups is represented in this table, as well as the percentage of all homeless individuals that fall into these subgroups. It is important to note that individuals may belong to multiple categories of sub-group (such as an individual who is severely mentally ill and is a veteran). The following are further sub-groups of the homeless population:

Table 36: State of California Homeless Sub-Group Populations Sub-group Number of
Individuals
Percentage of All Homeless
Individuals
Severely Mentally Ill 44,628 23.9%
Chronic Substance Abuse 42,949 23.0%
Veterans 9,310 5.0%
HIV/AIDS 3,101 1.7%
Victims of Domestic Abuse 16,695 8.9%
Unaccompanied Youth 9,052 4.8%
Parenting Youth 850 0.5%
Children of Parenting Youth 1,040 0.6%
Source: HUD 2023 Continuum of Care Homeless Assistance Programs Homeless Populations and Subpopulations report City of Tulare - Draft Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice

Table 37: State of California CoC Homeless Estimates
Year
Number of
Homeless
Households
% Change
Number of
Homeless
Persons
% Change
2016 99,675 - 118,142 -
2017 114,072 14.44% 134,278 13.7%
2018 109,394 -4.10% 129,792 -3.3%
2019 127,448 16.50% 151,278 16.6%
2020 136,358 6.99% 161,548 6.8%
2021* 42,309 - 57,468 -
2022 145,854 - 171,521 -
2023 154,028 5.60% 181,399 5.8%
Average 126,690 149,708
Source: HUD 2023 Continuum of Care Homeless Assistance Programs Homeless Populations and Subpopulations report *In 2021, HUD gave communities the option to cancel or modify the unsheltered survey portion of their counts based on the potential risk of COVID-19 transmission associated with conducting an in-person survey. As a result, HUD has excluded the unsheltered population sub-totals and all unsheltered sub-population data for this reporting period. The user is cautioned that the total homeless counts reported here are missing data.

Users may refer to the CoC-level reports to review the unsheltered PIT count numbers for CoCs that conducted an unsheltered PIT count.

PIT Count in Tulare County and City of Tulare, January 2024 On the night of January 22-23, 2024, the Kings/Tulare Homeless Alliance (KTHA) of Kings and Tulare County carried out their annual PIT count. Brief surveys were conducted by volunteers from local jurisdiction, law enforcement, nonprofit partners, and community stakeholders. Volunteers visited locations where individuals experiencing homelessness typically gather, such as encampments, libraries, and food distribution sites. The 2024 PIT report offers the most recent data on the people experiencing homelessness in the county and city of Tulare. The report indicates that there are 1,260 people experiencing homelessness in Tulare County, 387 of whom are chronically homeless. Among these individuals, 1,015 are unsheltered, while 245 have access to emergency or transitional housing and are considered sheltered.

Age/Household Type
Among the entire homeless population, 80 were young adults between the ages of 18 and 24, while 1,121 were over the age of 24. Homeless households with at least one adult and one child numbered approximately 31 and those comprised of only children totaled 0. Overall, the study indicated that there are 1,170 total households and 1,260 total individuals experiencing homelessness in Tulare County.

Demographics
Of the 1,260 homeless individuals:
• 568 were Hispanic/Latino (45.1%)
• 444 were female (35%)
• 781 were male (62%)
• 4 were considered transgender or non-conforming (less than 1%) City of Tulare - Draft Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice

Table 38: Tulare County Homeless Breakdown by Race
Sub-group
Number of
Individuals
Percentage of All Homeless
Individuals
Hispanic/Latino 568 45.1%
Black/African-American 87 6.9%
White 667 52.9%
Asian 15 1.2%
American Indian/Alaskan Native 98 7.8%
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 14 1.1%
Unknown 64 5.1%
Source: 2024 PIT Count Report
Other Reporting Information
Several other populations/classifications of homeless individuals were also reported in the 2024 Tulare County PIT Count Report. The number of homeless individuals within these subgroups is represented in the table below, as well as the percentage of all homeless individuals that fall into these subgroups. It is important to note that individuals may belong to multiple categories of sub-group (such as an individual who is severely mentally ill and is a veteran). Chronic substance abuse (37.3%) and mental illness (36%) were the largest sub-groups of people experiencing homelessness. The following are further sub-groups of the homeless population:

Table 39: Tulare County Homeless Sub-Group Populations
Sub-group
Number of
Individuals
Percentage of All Homeless
Individuals
Mentally Ill 454 36.0%
Chronic Substance Abuse 470 37.3%
Veterans 66 5.2%
HIV/AIDS 11 0.9%
Victims of Domestic Abuse 35 2.8%
Unaccompanied Youth 73 5.8%
Parenting Youth 5 0.4%
Children of Parenting Youth 7 0.6%
Source: 2024 PIT Count Report
Table 40: Tulare County Homeless Count and Household Composition Year
Number
Homeless of
Households
% Change
Number
Homeless of
Persons
% Change
2018 650 - 790 -
2019 685 5.4% 814 3.0%
2020 862 25.8% 992 21.9%
2021* - - - -
2022 813 - 922 -
2023 942 15.9% 1,053 14.2%
2024 1,170 24.2% 1,260 19.7%
Average 854 17.8% 972 14.7%
Source: 2024 PIT Count Report
* *Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, data was not collected for 2021.

City of Tulare, CA Homeless Estimates
The KTHA 2024 PIT Report further breaks down the data by city, including the City of Tulare. According to the PIT Count Report, there are 302 individuals experiencing homelessness in the City of Tulare. Among the surveyed homeless population, 82.1 percent are considered unsheltered, while 17.8 percent have City of Tulare - Draft Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice

access to emergency shelters or transitional housing and are considered sheltered. Tulare’s homeless sheltered and unsheltered population trends differed from national trends as the unsheltered population increased (9.25%) and the total sheltered population decreased slightly (5.26%). This could indicate a lack of shelter capacity in the City of Tulare.

Table 41: City of Tulare Sheltered and Unsheltered Homeless Population Sub-group
Number of
Individuals
(2023)
Percentage of
Surveyed
Individuals
(2023)
Number of
Individuals
(2024)
Percentage of
Surveyed
Individuals
(2024)
Percent
Change
(2023-2024)
Unsheltered 227 80% 248 82.1% 9.25%
Emergency
Shelter 21 7% 24 7.9% 14.29%
Transitional
Housing 36 13% 30 9.9% -16.67%
Source: 2024 PIT Count Report
Age/Household Type
Among the entire homeless population, 12 were between the ages of 18 and 24, 15 were under the age of 18, and 275 were over the age of 24. There were 11 homeless unaccompanied youth. Overall, the study indicated there were 302 homeless individuals across 279 households. From 2023 to 2024, the City of Tulare saw a 6.34% increase in the number of homeless individuals and a 12.6% increase in chronically homeless individuals. Although the homeless population has continued to increase, the rate of growth has slowed down compared to years prior as seen in Table 40.

Demographics
Of the 302 homeless individuals:
• 129 were Hispanic/Latino (43%)
• 12 were an unknown ethnicity (4%)
• 120 were female (40%)
• 176 were male (58%)
• 4 were considered transgender or non-conforming (less than 1%) Table 42: City of Tulare Homeless Breakdown by Race/Ethnicity Sub-group Number of Individuals Percentage of Surveyed
Individuals
Hispanic/Latino 129 43%
Black/African-American 43 14%
White 136 45%
Asian 1 0.1%
American Indian/Alaskan Native 24 8%
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 2 1%
Unknown 12 4%
Source: PIT Count Report
City of Tulare - Draft Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice

Table 43: City of Tulare PIT Trends (2018-2024)
Year
Number of
Homeless
Individuals
% Change
Number of
Chronically
Homeless
Individuals
% Change
2018 115 - 53 -
2019 146 26.96% 64 20.8%
2020 203 39.04% 115 79.7%
2021* - - - -
2022 212 - 68 -
2023 284 33.96% 95 39.7%
2024 302 6.34% 107 12.6%
Average 210 27% 84 38%
Source: PIT Count Report
*Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, data was not collected for 2021.

Homeless Sub-Group Populations
Across the homeless population in Tulare, individuals who has a mental illness, a disabling condition, or experienced chronic substance abuse comprised the most prominent sub-groups. It is important to note that these sub-groups typically overlap, as many individuals concurrently experience these issues. The prevalence of these health conditions in the homeless population may indicate a need for comprehensive support services such as medical care, substance abuse treatment, and counseling to supplement standard affordable housing initiatives.

Table 44: City of Tulare Homeless Sub-Group Population
Sub-group
Number of
Individuals
Percentage of All Homeless
Individuals
Disabling Condition 127 42%
Mentally Ill 113 37%
Chronic Substance Abuse 116 38%
Veterans 14 5%
HIV/AIDS 1 0%
Victims of Domestic Abuse 25 9%
Unaccompanied Youth 11

3.6%
(73% of all homeless individuals
under the age of 18)
Parenting Youth 1 0%
Children of Parenting Youth 3 0.1%
Source: PIT Count Report
Discussion
Of the 69,984 individuals residing in the City of Tulare, 302 were reported as experiencing homelessness.

In the City of Tulare, approximately 0.4% of the population is experiencing homelessness, which is higher than the county level at 0.3% but lower than the state at 0.5%. Although the rate of homelessness is similar across all three populations, both Tulare County and the City of Tulare reported higher proportions of their homeless population experiencing mental illness or substance use disorders compared to the overall homeless population across the state. The prevalence of these conditions among the homeless population was similar in Tulare County and the city of Tulare, but more than ten percentage points higher than the state subpopulation. This could indicate local impediments that limit access to safe affordable housing for individuals with mental or behavior health conditions.

Between Tulare County and the City of Tulare, the rates of homelessness among populations and subpopulations are relatively similar apart from victims of domestic abuse and Black/African American individuals. In Tulare County, 71.4% of victims of domestic abuse experiencing homelessness are from the City of Tulare. Additionally, the PIT count reported 14% of individuals experiencing homelessness in the city were Black/African American, a rate that was twice that of the county where only 7% were Black/African City of Tulare - Draft Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice

American. Black/African American people experience homelessness disproportionately compared to other racial/ethnic groups, as the Black/African American population in the county is 1.5% and in the city is 2.6%.

Public Housing
The Housing Authority of Tulare County (HATC) is the governing body of the Housing Choice voucher program and Public Housing within Tulare County as well as the City of Tulare. These programs work to provide rental assistance to extremely low- and very low-income households. Income qualifying residents pay 30 to 40% of their adjusted gross income (AGI) towards rent, while HUD pays the remaining portion of the rent directly to the landlord on behalf of the resident. In total, the HATC provides 564 vouchers to residents in the City of Tulare to help the elderly, the disabled, and extremely low- and low-income households afford safe and sanitary housing in the private market.

Table 45: City of Tulare HATC Program Details
Public
Housing
Section 8 Vouchers
Total
Project
Based
Vouchers
Tenant
Based
Vouchers
Special
Purpose -
VASH
Total Units/Vouchers
in Use 199 564 21 533 10
Resident Characteristics
Average Annual
Income $35,190 $27,739 $36,028 $27,762 $9,148
Disabled Families 54 210 1 205 4
Families Requesting
Accessibility Features 7 16 0 16 0
Source: Housing Authority of Tulare County, 2024
Housing Choice Vouchers
The Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) is a rental subsidy program that helps families and seniors with incomes up to 50% of the AMI. Voucher holders pay 30% of their AGI towards the unit’s contract rent, with the HATC paying the remaining amount through federal funds, up to the payment standards.

The Tenant Based Section 8 HCV Program allows very low-income households to rent units owned by private landlords, so long as the private landlord accepts these vouchers. The average annual income for a Project Based Voucher within the City of Tulare is $36,028, while the households with Tenant Based Vouchers have an average income of $27,762.

Data provided by the HATC indicates they administer 564 Section 8 vouchers within the City of Tulare alone. Of these, 210 (37.2%) are held by disabled families. With over a third of voucher holders being disabled families, the need for affordable and accessible housing in the city is apparent.

Waiting Lists
Currently there are 14,973 families on the waiting list for HCVs in the County of Tulare. Of these families, 9,856 (65.8%) were extremely low-income and 3,329 (22.2%) were very low-income. Additionally, there are 13,404 families on the waiting list for Public Housing within the City of Tulare. Of these families, 9,075 (67.7%) are extremely low income and 2,766 (20.6%) are very low income. The vast majority of families on the waiting lists are White, and over half are Hispanic.

City of Tulare - Draft Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice

Table 46: Demographics of HATC Waiting Lists
Housing Choice
Voucher -
County
Public
Housing -
Tulare
Project Based
Rental Assistance
Number of Families on Waiting List 14,973 13,404 5,763
Extremely Low Income (0-30% AMI) 9,856 9,075 3,600
Very Low Income (31-50% AMI) 3,329 2,766 1,399
Low Income (51-80% AMI) 1,272 1,130 569
Families with Children 8,303 7,787 4,708
Elderly Families 1,164 971 177
Families with Disabilities 3,575 2,884 861
Waiting List by Race
White 11,015 10,394 4,396
Black 2,443 1,878 857
Asian 393 224 128
American Indian/Native Hawaiian 586 475 188
Pacific Islander 536 433 194
Waiting List by Ethnicity
Hispanic 8,255 8,193 3,655
Non-Hispanic 5,589 5,211 2,108
Source: Housing Authority of Tulare County, 2024
Assisted Housing
When setting goals to overcome the contributing factors and other related fair housing issues, a balanced approach is recommended. This approach may include place-based solutions to improve areas and pursuing options to increase mobility for protected classes. Place-based solutions may include economic development and investments in high-poverty neighborhoods, as well as efforts to maintain and preserve the existing affordable rental housing stock. This affordable rental housing stock can include multifamily and age restricted developments that are funded with additional government assistance to maintain affordability.

The following table indicates developments within the City of Tulare that were partially funded by these programs and are therefore targeting lower income groups. There are 335 affordable housing units across five affordable housing developments in the City of Tulare. There are three affordable housing developments in Tulare that primarily offer family housing, one that offers solely senior housing, and one that offers housing for seniors or individuals with disabilities. All the affordable housing developments in Tulare include handicap accessible units; however, these units are limited. The waitlist for units in Tulare developments ranges from 1.5 years to 5 years, with an average wait time of approximately 2 years.

City of Tulare - Draft Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice

Source: Housing Authority of Tulare County, 2024
Access to Opportunity
The choice of housing is influenced significantly by both accessibility and affordability. This aspect is crucial because the functionality and well-being of households in the local economy depend on their proximity to essential services like jobs and schools. Ensuring that housing is well-situated relative to these services is vital for economic stability and growth. Additionally, access to reliable public transportation is a fundamental requirement for many individuals and families. For some, the ability to access employment and educational opportunities hinges on the availability of convenient and safe public transportation options. This consideration is particularly important for lower-income households or those without private vehicles, highlighting the need for inclusive urban planning that integrates affordable housing with accessible transportation networks.

Public Transit
The City of Tulare does not operate its own public transit system; however, the Tulare County Regional Transit Agency (TCTRA) operates various transit services that can be accessed by city residents. The Tulare transit center, located at 360 N K St, connects Tulare residents with a central location where they can purchase passes and access buses with regional routes. There are six fixed bus routes that operate throughout Tulare, connecting riders to essential areas such as apartment complexes, retail stores, schools, hospitals, and senior centers. There is also one bus route that connects Tulare to the neighboring city of Visalia, CA. Bus routes run for 12 hours Monday through Saturday and for 8 hours on Sundays.

TCTRA also offers a variety of non-traditional public transportation options, including paratransit, ondemand micro transit, and the LOOP bus. Paratransit is a reservation-based, ADA accessible ride-share service available to individuals with disabilities, seniors, and Medicare card holders. Paratransit offers curb to curb service for individuals who are not able to use the traditional fixed route service. On-demand micro transit is another service that improves the accessibility of public transportation. With micro transit, riders can get on-demand pick-up and drop-off from a TCTRA rideshare vehicle within designated service zones.

The TCTRA LOOP bus is another accessible service which provides free transit for at-risk youth to participate in programs, events, and activities that have a positive impact. These programs expand the accessibility of public transportation for Tulare residents, improving community connectivity and ensuring reliable access to job opportunities, food, education, and healthcare. However, with only one transit center in Tulare, connectivity and accessibility is concentrated in the central region of the city.

Major Employers
Based on information provided by the City of Tulare’s Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) for FY23, there are major employers spread throughout the city. The largest employers within the city are in food and agriculture, education and public administration, healthcare, and retail.

Table 47: Affordable Housing Developments within the City of Tulare Name of
Development Address Total Units
Handicap
Accessible
Units
Type/Target
Groups Wait List
Parkwood Manor 537 N West St
Tulare, CA 93274 75 10 Families 2 years
Salvation Army
Tulare Silvercrest
Apartments
350 N L Street,
Tulare, CA 93274 59 4 Seniors 1.5 years
Tulare Apartments 1101 S Irwin,
Tulare, CA 93274 97 8 Families 2-4 years
Tulare Garden
Apartments
498 S
Blackstone,
Tulare, CA 93274
64 4
Seniors or
individuals with
disabilities
Over 2 years
Westside Palm
Village
900 W Pleasant,
Tulare, CA 93274 40 2 Families 1-5 Years
City of Tulare - Draft Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice

Table 48: Top Employing Industries in Tulare (2023)
Industry Employer Number of Employees Percent of Total
Employment
Dairy & Agriculture Saputo Cheese USA, Inc.
(4 locations) 1,125 3.71%
Education & Public
Administration
Tulare City School
District 1,100 3.63%
Education & Public
Administration
Tulare Joint Union High
School District 667 2.20%
Dairy & Agriculture Land O’Lakes, Inc. 486 1.60%
Education & Public
Administration City of Tulare 381 1.26%
Healthcare Adventist Health Hospital 355 1.17%
Dairy & Agriculture Dryer’s Grand Ice Cream 350 1.16%
Dairy & Agriculture Lactalis Heritage Dairy 250 0.83%
Retail Walmart 212 0.70%
Healthcare Twin Oaks Rehabilitation
and Nursing Center 189 0.62%
Total Top Employers 5,115 16.88%
Source: City of Tulare FY 2023 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) City of Tulare - Draft Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice

Public Schools
Figure 1: City of Tulare School District Boundaries
Source: National Center for Education Statistics, 2025
The City of Tulare has 9 elementary school districts with 15 TK-8th grade public elementary schools. High school education is overseen by the Tulare Joint Union High School District which consists of eight schools:
three high schools, one continuation high school, one community day school, two charter schools, and a working school farm and nursery. Tulare school districts teach a total of 19,700 students, with 14,072 students in elementary school districts and 5,673 students in the joint high school district. Of these students, 4,389 (22.3%) are English language learners. As seen in Table 49, English proficiency varies significantly by school district.

The California Department of Education provides annual reports on school district performance including state and local measures through the California Accountability System. The percentage of socioeconomically disadvantaged students is one metric of school district performance that measures the percentage of students who are eligible for free or reduced priced meals or have parents/guardians who did not receive a high school diploma. Eight out of the ten school districts in the City of Tulare have a greater percentage of socioeconomically disadvantaged students compared to the State of California overall (62.7%). This metric indicates that a high portion of Tulare students come from low-income families and/or families with limited educational backgrounds.

City of Tulare - Draft Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice

Table 49: Tulare School Districts Demographic Statistics District Name Enrollment English Language
Learners
Percent of
Socioeconomically
Disadvantaged
Students
Buena Vista Elementary 180 28 (15.6%) 76.7%
Liberty Elementary 819 49 (6.0%) 44.8%
Oak Valley Union
Elementary 574 125 (21.8 %) 74%
Palo Verde Union
Elementary 502 206 (41.0%) 89%
Pixley Union Elementary 861 381 (44.3%) 97.1%
Sundale Union
Elementary 844 83 (9.8%) 38.9%
Tipton Elementary 501 302 (60.3%) 93%
Tulare City Elementary 9,523 2,448 (26.5) 78.3%
Tulare Joint Union High 5,673 667 (11.8%) 81.4%
Waukena Joint Union
Elementary 223 100 (44.8%) 86.1%
Total 19,700 4,389 (22.3%)
Source: California Department of Education, 2024
Colleges
Tulare County has over 15 community colleges within a 100-mile radius. Among these colleges, only one is located within Tulare city limits. The College of the Sequoias (COS) is a public two-year community college with a campus in Tulare, California, offering educational and career technical programs. COS is a full-service college, offering 19 academic programs. COS offers a range of student services including financial aid, counseling, libraries, a student success program, career services, health services, and tutoring. According to the U.S. Department of Education, COS is a designated Hispanic-Serving institution.

The average annual cost of attending COS is $1,026 with the typical debt for undergraduate borrowers upon graduation totaling $4,500. While COS is accessible to Tulare residents, the school has only a 37 percent graduation rate.

Opportunity Indices
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) developed the Opportunity Index, a comprehensive tool designed to evaluate residents' access to essential assets in Visalia. The index, which ranges from 0 to 100, is derived from nationally available data sources and provides valuable insights for assessing various neighborhood conditions.

Low Poverty Index
The low poverty index measures the level of poverty within a neighborhood, with higher scores indicating lower exposure to poverty. Understanding poverty levels is crucial for the AI as it highlights areas where residents may face economic hardships that limit their housing options. Identifying low-poverty areas can guide policymakers in targeting resources and interventions to uplift economically disadvantaged communities.

School Proficiency Index
This index evaluates the quality of nearby elementary schools based on the performance of fourth-grade students on state exams. Higher scores signify neighborhoods with higher-performing schools. Quality education is a critical component of fair housing, as it influences a family's decision on where to live. By identifying areas with high or low school proficiency, the AI can address educational disparities and promote equitable access to quality schooling.

City of Tulare - Draft Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice

Labor Market Engagement Index
This index summarizes labor market activity and human capital in a neighborhood, factoring in employment levels, labor force participation, and educational attainment. Higher scores indicate robust labor market engagement. Understanding labor market dynamics helps in crafting housing policies that support employment opportunities, thereby enhancing economic stability and reducing barriers to fair housing.

Transit Trips Index
The transit trips index estimates the likelihood of residents using public transit, based on a hypothetical three-person, single-parent family earning 50% of the median income for renters. Higher scores reflect greater utilization of public transit. Public transit access is essential for fair housing as it impacts residents' ability to reach jobs, schools, and services. Analyzing transit trip data informs transportation planning that supports housing equity.

Low Transportation Cost Index
The low transportation cost index estimates transportation costs for a similar hypothetical family, with higher scores indicating lower costs. Affordable transportation is a key factor in fair housing, as high transportation expenses can strain family budgets and limit housing choices. By highlighting areas with lower transportation costs, this index helps in planning for equitable transit solutions.

Jobs Proximity Index
This index assesses the accessibility of employment opportunities based on the distance to job locations, with larger employment centers weighted more heavily. Higher scores denote better access to jobs.

Proximity to employment is vital for housing equity, as it affects residents' ability to secure and maintain employment. Identifying areas with high job accessibility aids in developing housing policies that foster economic opportunities.

Environmental Health Index
The environmental health index measures potential exposure to harmful toxins at the neighborhood level, with higher scores indicating better environmental quality. Environmental health is a significant aspect of fair housing, as exposure to toxins can adversely affect residents' well-being. By identifying neighborhoods with lower environmental health risks, this index supports initiatives to improve living conditions and promote health equity.

Index Findings
Table 50 contains data developed by HUD assessing Tulare’s residents’ access to key opportunity assets with the values in the table ranging from 0 to 100. Non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic residents are most likely to live in areas with higher poverty rates, stressing the need for targeted economic interventions and housing policies to support this vulnerable group. Additionally, Black and Hispanic residents rely on public transit services more than other racial groups. This highlights the importance of maintaining and improving public transit infrastructure to support this demographic. Ensuring accessible and efficient public transit is vital for reducing transportation barriers and enhancing mobility, which directly impacts housing choices and economic opportunities. Access to employment opportunities is generally high across all racial groups.

However, the environmental health index indicates a high exposure to toxins, suggesting a need for better environmental conditions. This index was higher in the Visalia-Porterville metro area, indicating better environmental health in the region compared to the City of Tulare. Schools in areas with populations below the federal poverty line had lower scores, reflecting lower school system quality. The lowest scores were found among Black residents. Quality education is a cornerstone of fair housing, as it influences long-term economic mobility and housing stability. Addressing these educational disparities is essential for creating equitable living environments and supporting community development.

City of Tulare - Draft Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice

Table 50: Opportunity Indicators, by Race/Ethnicity
Low
Poverty
Index
School
Proficiency
Index
Labor
Market
Index
Transit
Index
Low
Transportation
Cost Index
Jobs
Proximity
Index
Environm
ental
Health
Index
Tulare, CA (CDBG Jurisdiction)
Total Population
White, NonHispanic 45.35 31.57 32.87 33.34 18.05 46.85 8.54 Black, NonHispanic 25.15 22.13 19.32 36.00 20.18 42.94 8.64 Hispanic 26.90 22.23 19.83 38.75 19.33 40.59 8.82
Asian or
Pacific
Islander,
Non-Hispanic

45.51 32.94 33.09 27.25 15.70 46.14 8.76
Native
American,
Non-Hispanic

36.84 30.63 27.07 34.02 17.99 45.48 8.76
Population Below Federal Poverty Line
White, NonHispanic 30.99 25.01 23.81 34.19 20.58 45.85 8.64 Black, NonHispanic 11.84 12.72 10.33 45.46 22.03 29.11 8.87 Hispanic 20.86 19.58 15.83 44.33 21.29 42.21 8.72
Asian or
Pacific
Islander,
Non-Hispanic

20.48 16.54 12.82 48.81 20.47 44.17 8.97
Native
American,
Non-Hispanic

23.41 28.13 19.93 41.43 20.36 62.72 8.29
Visalia-Porterville, CA MSA
Total Population
White, NonHispanic 32.75 31.83 32.19 28.25 15.41 50.99 11.72 Black, NonHispanic 25.99 27.87 26.04 34.60 18.42 51.17 9.27 Hispanic 17.95 23.67 19.93 31.21 15.28 44.60 12.77
Asian or
Pacific
Islander,
Non-Hispanic

25.89 30.71 28.93 28.04 14.95 44.46 10.97
Native
American,
Non-Hispanic

28.93 34.35 25.88 30.12 13.46 38.17 20.12
Population below federal poverty line
White, NonHispanic 22.25 26.39 23.71 31.57 17.10 48.33 12.22 Black, NonHispanic 16.23 20.76 15.49 42.45 19.37 38.21 10.73 Hispanic 12.48 21.20 15.40 34.05 15.70 44.02 14.09
Asian or
Pacific
Islander,
Non-Hispanic

21.47 33.83 28.76 33.45 14.71 43.77 11.07
Native
American,
Non-Hispanic

25.00 26.33 21.16 31.11 13.76 37.93 15.25
Source: HUD, Opportunity Index
City of Tulare - Draft Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice

Public Policies and Private Sector Practices
Public policies can significantly impact housing opportunities, potentially creating barriers. These policies encompass various areas such as tax policy, land use controls, zoning ordinances, building codes, fees and charges, growth limits, and other regulations influencing the return on residential investment. These constraints may result in housing that is not affordable to low-and moderate-income households and may render residential construction economically infeasible for developers. Constraints to housing production significantly impact households with low and moderate incomes and special needs.

Amending local zoning and land use laws or allocating funds for affordable housing through grants can effectively support the development of affordable housing units. Such policy changes address disparities in access to opportunity by implementing plans that revitalize areas with affordable housing. Improvements in services, schools, community assets, sidewalks, and other infrastructure in these areas can substantially enhance the quality of life for residents and ensure equitable access to resources.

The Housing Element
State law mandates that each local government creates a general plan to serve as a blueprint for future development, incorporating seven essential elements. Among these the Housing Element holds significant importance and is specifically required by California’s Housing Element Law. The state law recognizes that for the private market to meet the housing needs of state residents, municipalities must implement local general plans and regulatory systems that facilitate housing development without imposing unduly constraints. The primary objective of the Housing Element is to conduct a thorough assessment of housing needs across all income levels to understand the housing landscape and identify gaps in the current housing market. By establishing policies to address these needs, the Housing Element provides a clear framework for action, guiding the city’s efforts to improve housing availability and affordability. Identifying suitable sites for low-income housing units is a critical component of this element to ensure that there are designated areas where affordable housing can be developed, promoting inclusivity and diversity in the community. Additionally, the development of programs to support low- and moderate-income residents is essential for providing comprehensive housing solutions that go beyond mere construction but also including wraparound support services and financial assistance.

The City of Tulare’s current General Plan was adopted in 2014 and guides development through the year 2035. Local land use controls constrain housing development by restricting housing to certain sections of the city and by restricting the number of housing units that can be built on a given parcel of land. The General Plan sets forth the City’s policies regarding local land development.

Fair Housing Resources
The City of Tulare makes several fair housing resources for residents readily available on their Housing & Grants Services webpage. A fact sheet titled “Know Your Housing Rights” from the State of California outlines tenants’ rights, typical procedures for things like security deposits and repairs, and details on what constitutes housing discrimination plus resources to report housing discrimination. Several entities in the State of California and Tulare County offer fair housing-related services and resources:
• State Department of Fair Employment and Housing: Receives complaints from persons who feel they are being discriminated against in housing
• Housing Authority of Tulare County: Provides fair housing information and resources to residents
• Central California Legal Services: Provides free civil legal assistance to low-income persons and families
• Kings-Tulare Area Agency on Aging: Assists elderly residents with landlord/tenant issues • Fair Housing Council of Central California: Receives complaints regarding illegal discrimination in the housing market
• California Department of Consumer Affairs: Maintains an online library of information to educate residents on landlord/tenant issues
City of Tulare - Draft Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice

Land Use Policies and Practices
The General Plan Land Use Element establishes land use categories that define the allowable uses and building densities/intensities throughout the city. The various types of housing units allowed in the city include single-family dwellings, multifamily dwellings, townhomes, condominiums, and mobile homes.

Residential densities in Tulare cover a wide spectrum that promotes the development of various housing types.

The Tulare General Plan contains the following residential land use designations:
 Rural Residential: 0.0 to 2.0 units per acre
 Residential Estate: 2.1 to 3 units per acre
 Low Density Residential: 3.1 to 7 units per acre
 Medium Density Residential: 7.1 to 14.0 units per acre.  High Density Residential: 14.1 to 29 units per acre
 Central Business District: 0.0 to 29.0 units per acre  Mixed Use: 0.0 to 29.0 units per acre
 Open Space/Agriculture: 0.01 units per acre (1 unit/lot with a minimum lot size of 10 acres).

The City regulates the type, location, density, and scale of residential development primarily through the Zoning Code, as well as specific plan development codes. A zoning district is assigned to every parcel in the city and the Zoning Code identifies compatible uses. In general, the City’s zoning regulations are designed to balance the goal of providing a mix of residential and commercial land use types while protecting the health and safety of residents and preserving the character of existing neighborhoods.

Additionally, development standards such as setbacks, height limits, lot coverage, open space requirements, and parking identified for each zoning district. Some zoning districts may allow similar uses but have different development standards. Development standards may be considered a constraint to the development of housing units if they are too restrictive or reduce the development potential on a specific parcel.

The City’s Zoning Code allows residential uses in the following districts:
 Agricultural (A) District. The A district is applied to areas to preserve lands for agricultural uses and to protect undeveloped lands around the city for future urban development. The A district allows for such uses as the raising of crops and livestock, agricultural processing, very low-density residential uses, and home occupations. This district also allows housing for up to 36 beds in group quarters or 12 single-family units for employees that live on the property. The A zoning district is consistent with and implements the Agricultural land use designation of the General Plan.  Rural Residential (R-A) District. The R-A district is applied to areas appropriate for very lowdensity concentrations of single-family dwellings, together with limited agricultural uses such as the raising of fruit and nut trees, horticultural specialties, and livestock, where proposed development and agricultural uses maintain a suitable environment for family life on large parcels of land. Second residential units are permitted by-right in this district. Residential density is limited to one primary dwelling unit on each site. The R-A district is consistent with and implements the Rural Residential land use designation of the General Plan.
 Single-Family Residential (R-1) District. The R-1 district is applied to areas appropriate for neighborhoods of low-density concentrations of single-family dwellings, and related community facilities. Condominiums and guest houses are allowed in this district upon approval of a conditional use permit (CUP). Second residential units are permitted by-right in this district. For greater density variety, the R-1 district is further subdivided into sub-districts: R-1-5; R-1-6; R-1-7; R-1-8; R-1-12.5; and R-1-20. The maximum allowable density ranges from one dwelling per half-acre to eight dwellings per acre, with the specific allowable density for each parcel shown on the zoning map by a numerical suffix to the R-1 map symbol. The R-1 district is consistent with and implements the Suburban Residential land use designation of the General Plan.  Small Lot Residential (R-1-4) District. The R-1-4 district is applied to areas appropriate for compact residential development on lot sizes ranging from 3,200 square feet to 4,000 square feet. One of the objectives of the R-1-4 district is to provide for an additional housing type and address issues of affordability. The maximum allowable density is limited to one dwelling on each parcel, density ranges from 10 to 13 dwellings per acre. The R-1-4 district helps to implement the Suburban Residential land use designation of the General Plan.

City of Tulare - Draft Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice

 Multiple-Family Residential (R-M) District. The R-M district is applied to areas appropriate for multifamily housing and related uses, including home-based occupations. Single-family dwellings, townhouses (R-M-3 and R-M-4), and condominiums (R-M-2, R-M-3 and R-M-4) are allowed with a CUP. For greater density variety, the R-M district is further subdivided into sub-districts: RM-1; R-M-2; R-M-3; and R-M-4. The maximum allowable density ranges from 11 to 29 dwellings per acre, with the specific allowable density for each parcel shown on the zoning map by a numerical suffix to the R-M map symbol. The R-M district is consistent with and implements the Urban Residential land use designation of the General Plan. Emergency shelters and transitional housing for fewer than 13 residents are permitted.
 Neighborhood Commercial (C-1) District. The C-1 district is applied to areas appropriate for commercial uses that cater to the daily needs of residents. Residential uses may also be accommodated by CUP in this district. The C-1 district is consistent with and implements the Neighborhood Commercial land use designation of the General Plan.  Office Commercial (C-2) District. The C-2 district is applied to areas appropriate for small to large-scale office facilities and related support services. Residential uses may also be accommodated by CUP in this district. The C-2 district is consistent with the Office/Business Park land use designation of the General Plan.
 Retail Commercial (C-3) District. The C-3 district is applied to a wide variety of commercial and office uses that serve the general commercial needs of the community. Residential uses may also be accommodated by CUP in this district. The C-3 district is consistent with and implements the Community Commercial land use designation of the General Plan.  Service Commercial (C-4) District. The C-4 district is applied to areas appropriate for wholesale and heavy commercial uses and service establishments. Residential uses, including multifamily housing, may also be accommodated by CUP in this district. The C-4 district is consistent with the General Commercial land use designation of the General Plan.  Urban Reserve (UR) District. The UR district is applied to undeveloped lands on the City’s edge, including agricultural land and open space land. Single-family dwellings are permitted by-right in this district. The UR district is consistent with and implements the Residential Reserve land use designation of the General Plan.

The City also has overlay zoning districts:
 Planned Residential Combining (PD) District. The PD district may be applied to areas appropriate for residential development that are designed differently than traditional residential development. Permitted uses in the PD district include all uses that are permitted in the base singlefamily residential zone district. The PD district allows for greater flexibility in lot width, lot depth, street width, housing type, and density within the same zoning district. Multifamily residential development may also be accommodated by CUP with this overlay.  Downtown Combining (D) District. The D district provides a comprehensive set of development standards to be applied within the City’s downtown area. Residential uses are also allowed in this district consistent with those allowed in the C-3 district and subject to a CUP.  Mixed Use Combining (MU) District. The MU district may be applied to areas appropriate for the development of a variety of compatible commercial and residential uses within the same building or site. The MU district encourages medium to high density residential development on sites close to the downtown area. Single-family attached housing, townhouses, apartments, and condominiums are permitted by-right in this overlay district. Densities vary based on how the residential component is sited.

Residential Development Standards
The minimum parcel area for residential zones ranges from 1,500 square feet to 40,000 square feet.

Maximum site coverage ranges from 30 percent to 60 percent of the lot area.

The front setback requirement is 35 feet for the R-A district, 20 to 30 feet in the R-1 district, and 15 to 20 feet in the R-M district. The side setback requirement is 15 feet in the R-A district, 5 to 7.5 feet in the R-1 district, and five feet in R-M district. Rear setback requirement is 15 feet in the R-A district, five to seven and a half feet in the R-1 district, and five feet in the R-M district.

Maximum height requirements are 35 feet for the R-A and UR districts, 30 feet in the R-1 district, and 30 to 50 feet in the R-M district. In the C-1, C-2, C-3, C-4 districts, maximum heights are 30 feet, or up to 60 feet City of Tulare - Draft Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice

with a CUP in the C-3 and C-4 districts. Height requirements for accessory dwelling units (ADUs) are the same as the primary structure heights for each district. Maximum density ranges from one unit per acre in the AN district to 29 units per gross acre in the R-M-4 district. Development beyond 29 units per gross acre is permitted by CUP.

Table 51: Residential Development Standards
Residential
Development
Standards
Zoning
District
Minimum
Parcel
Area
Minimum Setback (in
feet)
Maximum
Height
(feet)
Maximum
Height
(Accessory
Structure)
Maximum
Site
Coverage
(percent
of lot)
Maximum
Density
Front (du/acre)
Feet
Side
Feet
Rear
Feet
R-A 40,000 35 15 15 35 35 30 1.09
R-1-5 5,000 20 5 5 30 30 50 8.71
R-1-6 6,000 20 5 5 30 30 50 7.26
R-1-7 7,000 20 5 5 30 30 50 6.22
R-1-8 8,000 25 5 5 30 30 50 5.45
R-1-12.5 12,500 30 7.5 7.5 30 30 50 3.48
R-1-20 20,000 30 7.5 7.5 30 30 50 2.18
R-1-4 3,200-
4,000
30 30 60 10.89-

13.61 R-M-1 3,750 20 5* 5 30 30 50 11.62
R-M-2 3,000 20 5* 5 30 30 50 14.52
R-M-3 2,000 17.5 5* 5 40 40 50 21.78
R-M-4 1,500 15 5* 5 50 50 50 29.04
A 10 acres 35 15 15 35 10-20 0.01
C-1 6,000 15 5 10 30
C-2 3,000 10 - - 30 80
C-3 - 10 - - 30 80
C-4 6,000 - - - 30 - 80
UR 5 acres 35 15 15 35 - 10 0.02
D - - - - 60 - 100
MU - 5 5 5 5 stories - - 90
* Side yards in the R-M districts are 5 feet per story for interior lots, 5 feet per story for corner lots on the interior side, and 10 feet per story for corner lots on the street side.

Source: City of Tulare 2023-2031 Housing Element; Tulare Zoning Code, updated January 2023.

Parking
According to the Terner Center for Housing Innovation at UC Berkeley, parking can cost $25,000 to $75,000 per space to construct. However, the increases in cost of land and construction costs following the creation of this estimate suggest that the costs per parking space are likely much higher. Parking provided in underground or structured parking facilities, or if required to be covered or enclosed, can significantly increase the cost of housing and could affect the feasibility of various housing projects in the city. In addition, requirements for parking space locations and maximum distances from dwelling units may also increase the cost of housing and affect the feasibility of housing projects. Requiring less parking not only reduces the project budget but can allow for more space to build additional housing units.

City of Tulare - Draft Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice

Open Space and Park Requirements
Uses in multifamily zones must meet the following open space requirements:
 All outdoor areas not used for parking, walkways or other features shall be landscaped, but not less than 10 percent of the total site area of each parcel shall be landscaped.  A children’s play yard with play equipment shall be required for all multifamily projects of 10 units or more and must be reviewed and approved by the Planning and Building Director and Parks and Community Services Director. This condition shall not apply to senior citizen housing or other housing excepted by the City of Tulare.
 Street trees shall be planted in accordance with the tree type and planting schedule available from the Parks and Community Services Department. Street trees shall be planted no more than 40 feet apart.

The City Council adopted a Quimby Act Ordinance in 2023 to codify a park and open space requirement for subdivision applications. As a condition of approval for new single-family subdivisions, developers are required to either dedicate land toward a park or recreational area or to pay an in-lieu fee. The park dedication requirement for single-family subdivisions is equal to three to four acres of park area per 1,000 units, depending on the existing service level at the time of application. Developers have not requested concession for open space and park space requirements, and they have not been a constraint to development.

Density Bonus
Tulare offers density bonuses and incentives for the development of housing that is affordable to the types of households and qualifying residents identified below. As required by California Government Code Section 65915, Chapter 10.148 of the Tulare Municipal Code offers density bonuses, and incentives or concessions for the development of housing that is affordable to the types of households and qualifying residents identified in §10.148.020. The City’s density bonus provisions are intended to implement the requirements of California Government Code Section 65915.

Eligibility
To be eligible for a density bonus and other incentives or concessions, a proposed housing development shall comply with the following requirements and shall satisfy all other applicable provisions.  Resident requirements. A housing development proposed to qualify for a density bonus shall be designed and constructed so that it includes at least any one of the following:
o Ten percent of the total number of proposed units are for lower-income households. o Five percent of the total number of proposed units are for very low-income households. o The project is a senior citizen housing development or is a mobile home park that limits residency based on age requirements for housing older persons. o Ten percent of the total dwelling units in a common interest development are for persons and families of moderate income, provided that all units in the development are offered to the public for purchase.
 Application selection for basis for bonus. For purposes of calculating the amount of the density bonus, the applicant who requests a density bonus shall elect whether the bonus shall be awarded based on the divisions stated above.
 Bonus units shall not qualify a project. A density bonus granted shall not be included when determining the number of housing units that is equal to the percentages required above.  Minimum project size to qualify for density bonus. The density bonus provided shall be available only to a housing development of five or more dwelling units.  Condominium conversion projects. A condominium conversion project for which a density bonus is requested shall comply with the eligibility requirements.

Allowed Density Bonuses
(A) Density bonus. A housing development that complies with the eligibility requirements specified in §§

10.148.020(A)(1), (2), (3), or (4), shall be entitled to density bonuses as follows, unless a lesser percentage is proposed by the applicant.
(1) Bonus for units for lower income households. A housing development that is eligible for a bonus in compliance with the criteria specified in § 10.148.020(A)(1), (10 percent of units for lower City of Tulare - Draft Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice

income households) shall be entitled to a density bonus between 20 and 35 percent, calculated based on the percentage of low-income units proposed.
(2) Bonus for units for very low-income households. A housing development that is eligible for a bonus in compliance with the criteria specified in § 10.148.020(A)(2), (5 percent of units for very low-income households) shall be entitled to a density bonus of between 20 and 35 percent, calculated based on the percentage of very low-income units proposed. (3) Bonus for senior citizen development. A housing development that is eligible for a bonus in compliance with the criteria in § 10.148.020(A)(3), (senior citizen development or mobile home park) shall be entitled to a density bonus of 20 percent. (4) Bonus for moderate income units in common interest development. A housing development that is eligible for a bonus in compliance with the criteria specified in §

10.148.020(A)(4), (10% of units in a common interest development for persons and families of moderate income) shall be entitled to a density bonus between 5 and 35 percent, based on the percentage of moderate-income units proposed.
(5) Density bonus for land donation. When an applicant for a tentative map, parcel map, or other residential development approval donates land to the City in compliance with this division, the applicant shall be entitled to a density bonus for the entire development, as follows; provided, that nothing in this division shall be construed to affect the authority of the City to require a developer to donate land as a condition of development.
(a) Basic bonus. The applicant shall be entitled to a 15% increase above the otherwise maximum allowable residential density under the applicable Land Use Plan designation and zone for the entire development, and an additional increase between 15 and 35 percent, based on the percentage of very-low-income units proposed. (b) Increased bonus. The increase shall be in addition to any increase in density required by divisions (A)(1) through (A)(4), up to a maximum combined compliance with this division (A)(5), as well as the bonuses provided by divisions (A)(1) through (A)(4). (c) Eligibility for increased bonus. An applicant shall be eligible for the increased density bonus provided by this division if all the following conditions are met:

1. The applicant donates and transfers the land no later than the date of approval of the final map, parcel map, or residential development application.

2. The developable acreage and zoning classification of the land being transferred are sufficient to allow construction of units affordable to very low-income households in an amount not less than 10% of the number of residential units of the proposed development.

3. The transferred land is at least one acre in size, or of sufficient size to allow development of at least 40 units; has the appropriate Land Use Plan designation; is appropriately zoned for development as affordable housing; and is or will be served by adequate public facilities and infrastructure. The land shall have appropriate zoning and development standards to make the development of the affordable units feasible.

4. No later than the date of approval of the final map, parcel map, or of the residential development, the transferred land shall have all of the permits and approvals, other than building permits, necessary for the development of the very low income housing units on the transferred land, except that the City may subject the proposed development to subsequent site plan review to the extent authorized by Cal. Gov’t Code § 65583.2(i) if the site plan and associated details have not been reviewed by the City before the time of transfer.

5. The transferred land and the affordable units shall be subject to a deed restriction ensuring continued affordability of the units consistent with § 10.148.070 (Continued availability), which shall be recorded on the property at the time of dedication.

6. The land is transferred to the City or to a housing developer approved by the City. The City may require the applicant to identify and transfer the land to the approved housing developer.

City of Tulare - Draft Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice

7. The transferred land shall be within the boundary of the proposed development or, if the City agrees, within one-quarter mile of the boundary of the proposed development.

Allowed Incentives or Concessions
(A) Applicant request and City approval.
(1) An applicant for a density bonus in compliance with this chapter may submit to the City a proposal for the specific incentives or concessions listed in division (C) (Type of incentives), below, that the applicant requests in compliance with this section, and may request a meeting with the Director. The applicant may file a request either before filing an application for City approval of a proposed project or concurrently with an application for project approval. The review authority shall grant an incentive or concession request that complies with this section unless the review authority makes either of the following findings in writing, based upon substantial evidence:
(a) The incentive or concession is not required to provide for affordable housing costs, or for rents for the targeted units to be set as specified in Cal. Health and Safety Code § 50052.5.
(b) The incentive or concession would have a specific adverse impact, as defined in Cal.

Gov’t Code § 65589.5(d)(2), upon public health and safety or the physical environment, or on any real property listed in the California Register of Historical Resources and for which there is no feasible method to satisfactorily mitigate or avoid the specific adverse impact without rendering the development unaffordable to low- and moderate-income households. (2) The applicant shall show that a waiver or modification of development standards is necessary to make the housing units economically feasible.
(B) Number of incentives. The applicant shall receive the following number of incentives or concessions. (1) One incentive or concession. One incentive or concession for a project that includes at least 10 percent of the total units for lower income households, at least 5 percent for very low-income households, or at least 10 percent for persons and families of moderate income in a common interest development.
(2) Two incentives or concessions. Two incentives or concessions for a project that includes at least 20 percent of the total units for lower income households, at least 10 percent for very lowincome households, or at least 20 percent for persons and families of moderate income in a common interest development.
(3) Three incentives or concessions. Three incentives or concessions for a project that includes at least 30 percent of the total units for lower income households, at least 15 percent for very lowincome households, or at least 30 percent for persons and families of moderate income in a common interest development.
(C) Type of incentives. For the purposes of this chapter, concession or incentive means any of the following:
(1) A reduction in the site development standards of this title (e.g., site coverage limitations, setbacks, reduced parcel sizes, and/or parking requirements) (see also § 10.148.050 [Parking requirements in density bonus projects]), or a modification of architectural design requirements that exceed the minimum building standards approved by the California Building Standards Commission in compliance with Cal. Health and Safety Code §§ 18901 et seq., that would otherwise be required, that results in identifiable, financially sufficient, and actual cost reductions; (2) Approval of mixed-use land uses not otherwise allowed by this title in conjunction with the housing development, if nonresidential land uses will reduce the cost of the housing development, and the nonresidential land uses are compatible with the housing project and the existing or planned development in the area where the project will be located; and/or (3) Other regulatory incentives proposed by the applicant or the City that will result in identifiable, financially sufficient, and actual cost reductions.
(D) Effect of incentive or concession. The granting of a concession or incentive shall not be interpreted, in and of itself, to require a General Plan amendment, Zoning Map amendment, or other discretionary approval.

City of Tulare - Draft Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice