Visalia City Council
April 21, 2025

Citizen Participation Plan

City of Visalia, CA
Citizen Participation Plan
2025/26 – 2029/30

Citizen Participation Plan

Contents
Article I. Summary ............................................................................................................................................. 4 Article II. Amendments Criteria ......................................................................................................................... 5 Article III. Definitions .......................................................................................................................................... 6 Article III. Roles, Responsibilities, and Contact Information ............................................................................. 8 Article IV. Citizen Participation Policies ............................................................................................................. 9 Availability of Draft and Approved Documents ................................................................................. 9 2025 Five Year Consolidated Plan and First Year Annual Action Plan ........................................... 9 Substantial Amendments to Five-Year Consolidated Plan and First Year Annual Action Plan ..... 10 Annual Action Plan and Consolidated Annual Performance Evaluation Report (CAPER) ............ 11 Public Hearings .............................................................................................................................. 12 Notice of Hearings and Review Periods......................................................................................... 12 Anti-Displacement Policy ............................................................................................................... 13 Availability of and Access to Records ............................................................................................ 14 Comments/Complaints ................................................................................................................... 14 Technical Assistance...................................................................................................................... 14 2025-2029 ConPlan-Citizen Participation Summary ....................................................................................... 15 PR-15 Citizen Participation ............................................................................................................ 15 Community Needs Survey ............................................................................................................. 15 Council Input and Direction ............................................................................................................ 17 Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing ....................................................................................... 17 Housing Windshield Survey ........................................................................................................... 17 Citizen Participation Outreach ........................................................................................................ 19 Table 1 – Citizen Participation Outreach........................................................................................ 19 Community Needs Survey Results ................................................................................................................. 23 Overview ........................................................................................................................................ 23 Community Organization Survey Results ....................................................................................................... 23 Gaps ............................................................................................................................................... 25 Housing .......................................................................................................................................... 28 Economic Development ................................................................................................................. 28 Community Services ...................................................................................................................... 29 Organizational Collaboration and Partnerships ............................................................................. 30 Funding and Resource Allocation .................................................................................................. 30 Community Residents Survey Results ............................................................................................................ 31 Demographics ................................................................................................................................ 31 Housing .......................................................................................................................................... 32 Community Services ...................................................................................................................... 35 Economic and Community Development ....................................................................................... 36

Citizen Participation Plan

Social and Recreational Services .................................................................................................. 37 Farmworker Women’s Conference Survey Results ........................................................................................ 37 Citizens Advisory Committee Meeting Survey Results ................................................................................... 40 Community Forum Results ............................................................................................................. 43 Top Housing Needs........................................................................................................................ 43 Top Service Needs ......................................................................................................................... 44 Top Homeless Needs ..................................................................................................................... 44 Community Outreach Public Comment Period for the Consolidated Plan ..................................... 44 Public Hearings/Community Meetings ........................................................................................... 44 Attachments .................................................................................................................................................... 45

Citizen Participation Plan

Article I. Summary

The City of Visalia (City) is an entitlement jurisdiction that receives grant funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

The federal entitlement grant funds include:

 Community Development Block Grants (CDBG)
 HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME)
The HUD Code of Final Regulations for the Consolidated Plan (Con Plan) (24 CFR Part 91 Sec. 91.105) requires that the City adopt a Citizen Participation Plan (CPP) that sets forth the City’s policies and procedures for citizen participation in the planning, execution, and evaluation of the Consolidated Plan, Annual Action Plans (AAP), and Consolidated Annual Performance Evaluation Reports (CAPER).

This Citizens Participation Plan shall be effective until amended or superseded.

This CPP provides guidelines for the City to provide and encourage public participation to residents, community stakeholders, and grant beneficiaries in the process of drafting, implementing, and evaluating the Consolidated Plan and related documents. The citizen participation process includes outreach, public hearings, community forums, and opportunities for comment.

Citizen Participation Plan

Article II. Amendments Criteria
Minor Amendment: A minor amendment includes the following:

1. Necessary for substantially preserving all the programs and activities identified in a Plan.

2. Necessitated by insignificant changes in the funding levels between HUD’s initial estimates of funding amounts and HUD’s final allocation notification to the City.

3. That does not meet the thresholds to qualify as a Substantial Amendment.

Substantial Amendment A substantial amendment includes the following:

 Increases or decreases the amount allocated to a category of funding within the City’s entitlement grant programs by 75 percent or more.
 Significantly changes an activity’s proposed beneficiaries or persons served  Allocates funding for a new activity not previously described in the Action Plan

Citizen Participation in the Event of a Substantial Amendment In the event of a substantial amendment to the Consolidated Plan or Annual Action Plan, the City, depending on the nature of the amendment, will conduct at least one additional public hearing, which could be “virtual”, per HUD recommendations. This hearing will follow a comment period of no less than 30-days, where the proposed substantially amended Consolidated Plan will be made available to interested parties.

Citizens will be informed of the public hearing through daily newspaper notification and the City’s website prior to the hearing.

Changes in Federal Funding Level
Any changes in federal funding level after the Consolidated Plan or Annual Action Plan’s draft comment period has expired and the resulting effect on the distribution of funds will not be considered an amendment or a substantial amendment.

Access to Records
To the extent allowed by law, interested citizens and organizations shall be afforded reasonable and timely access to records covering the preparation of the Consolidated Plan and/or Annual Action Plan, project evaluation and selection, HUD's comments on the Plan and annual performance reports. In addition, materials on formula grant programs covered by the Consolidated Plan and/or Annual Action Plan, including activities undertaken in the previous five years, will be made available on the City’s Housing Department website at www.visalia.city and will be available during normal business hours at City of Visalia Housing Division at 707 W. Acequia Ave., Visalia, CA 93291.

Complaints and Grievances
Citizens, administering agencies, and other interested parties may submit complaints and grievances regarding the programs the City of Visalia Housing Division. Complaints should be in writing, specific in their subject matter, and include facts to support allegations. The following are considered as constituting complaints to which a response is due:

The administering agency has purportedly violated a provision of the Citizen Participation Plan; The administering agency has purportedly violated a provision of federal CDBG or HOME program regulations; and
The administering agency, or any of its contractors, has purportedly engaged in questionable practices resulting in waste, fraud or mismanagement of any program funds.

Residents may also present complaints and grievances orally or in writing at the community meetings and/or public hearing. All public comments, including complaints and grievances, made either orally or in writing within the 30-day public comment period, will be included in the final Consolidated Plan and/or Annual

Citizen Participation Plan

Action Plan. Such complaints or grievances about the CDBG or HOME program may be directed to the City of Visalia Housing Division at 707 W. Acequia Ave., Visalia, CA 93291 or via email at [email protected].

Timely Response to Complaints or Grievances
Upon receipt of a written complaint, the designated representative at the City shall respond to the complainant within 10 working days and maintain a copy of all related correspondence, which will be subject to review.

Within 10 working days of receiving the complaint, the designated representative shall discuss the matter with the department manager and respond to the complainant in writing. A copy of the City’s response will be transmitted concurrently to the complainant and to the Finance Director. If, due to unusual circumstances, the designated representative finds that they are unable to meet the prescribed time limit, the limit may be extended by written notice to the complainant. The designated representative’s notice must include the reason for the extension and the date on which a response is expected to be generated, which may be based on the nature and complexity of the complaint. Public review materials and performance reports will include data, as appropriate under confidentiality regulations, on any written complaints received and how each was resolved.

Article III. Definitions

Analysis of Impediments (AI) to Fair Housing Choice: The program participant must continue to conduct an analysis of impediments (AI) in accordance with existing HUD regulations. Future Plans will occur every five years with the Con Plan unless otherwise required by HUD.

Annual Action Plan (Annual Plan): The Annual Plan summarizes the activities that will be undertaken in the upcoming Fiscal Year (FY) to meet the goals outlined in the Con Plan. The Annual Plan also identifies the federal and non-federal resources that will be used to meet the goals of the approved Con Plan.

Citizen Participation Plan (CPP): The CCP provides guidelines by which the City will promote engagement in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of the distribution of federal funds, as outlined in the Con Plan, Annual Plan, and CAPERs.

Community Development Block Grant (CDBG): HUD’s CDBG program provides communities with resources to address a wide range of housing and community development needs that benefit very low- and low-income persons and areas.

Consolidated Annual Performance Evaluation Report (CAPER): The CAPER assesses the City’s annual achievements relative to the goals in the Con Plan and proposed activities in the Annual Plan. HUD requires the City to prepare a CAPER at the end of each fiscal year.

Consolidated Plan (Con Plan): HUD requires entitlement jurisdictions to prepare a Con Plan every five years. The Con Plan is a strategic plan that identifies housing, economic, and community development needs and prioritizes funding to address those needs over a five-year period.

Department Of Housing and Urban Development (HUD): HUD is the government agency that creates and manages programs pertaining to federal home ownership, affordable housing, fair housing, homelessness, and community and housing development.

Displacement: Displacement refers to the involuntary relocation of individuals from their residences due to housing development and rehabilitation activities paid for by federal funds.

Eligible Activity: Activities that are allowable uses of the three federal funds (CDBG, NSP and HOME) covered by the CPP as defined in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Title 24 for HUD.

Citizen Participation Plan

Entitlement Community: A city with a population of at least 50,000, a central city of a metropolitan area, or a qualified urban county with a population of at least 200,000 that receives grant funding from HUD. HUD awards annual grants to entitlement community grantees on a formula basis to develop viable urban communities by providing decent housing and a suitable living environment, and by expanding economic opportunities, principally for low-and moderate-income persons. HUD awards grants to carry out a wide range of community development activities directed toward revitalizing neighborhoods, economic development, and providing improved community facilities and services. The City of Visalia is an Entitlement Community jurisdiction.

Home Investment Partnerships Program (HOME): HOME is a federal block grant program that is designed to exclusively create affordable housing for low- and moderate-income households.

Low- and Moderate-Income Benefit Area (LMA): CDBG funded activities must principally benefit low- and moderate-income persons, aid in preventing or eliminating slums or blight, or meet a community development need having a particular urgency because existing conditions pose a serious and immediate threat to the health or welfare of the community and other financial resources are not available to meet that need. The City provides activities under this category, an area benefit activity which is primarily residential and who are at least 51 low- and moderate-income persons. Some activities which may meet the requirements include parks, neighborhoods, facilities, community centers and streets, which serve an identified geographic area, primarily by L/M income person.

Low- and Moderate-Income Limited Clientele (LMC): A Low/Mod income limited clientele activity is an activity which provides benefits to a specific group of persons rather than everyone in an area generally. It may benefit particular persons without regard to the area in which they reside, or it may be an activity which provides benefit on an area basis but only to a specific group of persons who reside in the area. In either case, at least 51% of the beneficiaries of the activity must be low/mod income persons. Statutory limitations preclude certain activities.

Low and Moderate Housing Activities (LMH): The housing category of Low/Mod income, qualifies activities that are undertaken for the purpose of providing or improvement permanent residential structures which, upon completion, will be occupied by Low Income households.

Low and Moderate Income (LMI): As defined annually by HUD LMI is 0-80% of Area Median Income (AMI) for a jurisdiction. This includes those individuals presumed by HUD to be principally LMI (abused children, battered spouses, elderly persons, severely disabled adults, homeless persons, illiterate adults, persons living with AIDS and migrant farm workers). HUD utilizes three income levels to define LMI households:

 Extremely low income: Households earning 0-30 percent of the AMI (subject to specified adjustments for areas with unusually high or low incomes)  Low income: Households earning 30-50 percent of the AMI (subject to specified adjustments for areas with unusually high or low incomes)
 Moderate income: Households earning 50-80 percent of the AMI (subject to adjustments for areas with unusually high or low incomes or housing costs)

Low and Moderate Job Creation or Retention (LMJ): The job creation and retention Low/Mod income category addresses activities that are designed to create or retain permanent jobs, at least 51% of which (computed on a full-time equivalent basis) will be made available to or held by Low Mod Income persons.

Program Year: the “program year” is July 1st through June 30th.

Public Hearing: Public hearings are designed to provide the public the opportunity to make public testimony and comment. Public hearings related to the Consolidated Plan are to be advertised in local newspapers and made accessible to non-English speakers and individuals with disabilities.

Citizen Participation Plan

Article III. Roles, Responsibilities, and Contact
Information

The City is a federal entitlement community jurisdiction and is a recipient of CDBG and HOME funding from the federal government.

Visalia City Council: The Visalia City Council is the elected legislative body governing the City. It is responsible for approving the City’s Five-Year Consolidated Plan, Annual Action Plans, amendments to the Plans, and CAPERs prior to their submission to HUD. City Council meetings are generally held the first and third Monday of each month beginning at 4:00 pm for a Work Session and 7:00 pm for the regular session.

The meetings are held at the City Hall, Council Chambers at 707 W. Acequia Avenue, Visalia, CA 93291. All City Council meetings are held in facilities that are accessible to persons with disabilities.

The City of Visalia, beginning in 2016, moved to district elections. The adopted map sets City Council Districts is available on the City’s website at www.visalia.city.

Citizen’s Advisory Committee (CAC): The Citizen’s Advisory Committee meets on the first Wednesday of each month at 5:30pm in the City administration building at 220 North Santa Fe Street, Visalia, CA 93291.

The committee acts as a liaison between the general public and the City Council concerning community issues.

City of Visalia General Contact: The General Contact Information for the City of Visalia’s HUD Entitlement Programs is:

City of Visalia
Attention: Housing Division
707 West Acequia Avenue
Visalia, CA 93291
[email protected]
559-713-4460

Citizen Participation Plan

Article IV. Citizen Participation Policies
Availability of Draft and Approved Documents
The draft CPP, 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan, 2025 Action Plan, and any draft substantial amendments will be made available for public review and comment for a minimum of 30 days prior to their submission to HUD.

The draft CAPER will be available for public review and comment for a minimum of 15 days prior to its final submission to HUD. Previously approved plans and amendments will be available to residents, public agencies, and other interested stakeholders.

The CPP is designed to facilitate and encourage residents to participate in the Consolidated Plan process.

In particular, the CPP seeks to encourage the involvement of LMI persons. The draft and final versions of the CPP, Consolidated Plan, Annual Plan, CAPER, and all related amendments will be available online at the City’s Finance Department-Housing website at www.visalia.city.

Hard copies of all documents will be available at the City of Visalia, 707 W. Acequia Ave., Visalia, CA 93291.

The City will use the following process to adopt and make any subsequent changes to the documents listed below:

 The City will place public notice in the Visalia Times-Delta, on the City’s Web site (www.visalia.city) and at City Hall West (707 W. Acequia Ave.), City Hall East (315 E. Acequia Ave.), City Hall North (220 North Santa Fe Street), the Visalia Branch Library (200 W. Oak Ave.) and two community centers—Anthony Community Center (345 N. Jacob St.) and Visalia Senior Center (310 N. Locust St.)—in advance of a 30-day public review and comment period.  Residents have 30 days to review the Citizen Participation Plan from the date of the notice.  During the 30-day public review and comment period, the document will be available for review at City Hall West (707 W. Acequia Ave.), City Hall North (220 North Santa Fe Street), and copies of the document will be available to the public upon request.
 Residents may file comments in writing at City Hall West (707 W. Acequia Ave.) and/or via email at [email protected] during the 30-day period from the date of the notice.  The City Council will adopt the CPP at a public hearing.

Any change in the public participation process as outlined in this document will require an amendment to the CPP.
2025 Five Year Consolidated Plan and First Year Annual Action Plan

The steps outlined below provide opportunities for public involvement in the preparation of the Five-Year 2025 Consolidated Plan and the First Year Annual Action Plan:

The response to the surveys, community outreach and the Census Data collected for the City of Visalia are used to identify and prioritize which barriers to address which helps filter which programs to fund going forward. To solicit community input, which is essential to determining these needs and priorities, the City will:

 Consult with local public agencies that assist low- and moderate-income persons and areas, including City staff, state and federal agencies, neighboring local governments, and regional agencies.
 Consult with private agencies, including local nonprofit service providers and advocates such as the local public housing agency, health agencies, homeless service providers, nonprofit housing developers and social service agencies (including those focusing on services to children, the elderly,

Citizen Participation Plan

persons with disabilities, persons with HIV/AIDS, persons with substance abuse problems, etc.).  Place public notices in the Visalia Times-Delta, the Kings/Tulare Homeless Alliance listserv, on the City’s Web site (www.visalia.city) and at City Hall East (315 E. Acequia Ave.), City Hall West (707 W. Acequia Ave), City Hall North (220 North Santa Fe Street), the Visalia Branch Library (200 W.

Oak Ave.) and two community centers—Anthony Community Center (345 N. Jacob St.) and Visalia Senior Center (310 N. Locust St.)—30 days in advance of a meeting. The notice will include the amount of funds available, the range of activities that could be undertaken and the amount that would benefit LMI persons.
 Hold a minimum of two public hearings within the community to solicit input on needs and priorities for the Consolidated Plan and the Annual Action Plan.
 Hold a minimum of one public hearing before the City Council to solicit input on needs and priorities for the Consolidated Plan and the Annual Action Plan.
 Provide residents with 30 days to review the draft Consolidated Plan and/or the draft Annual Action Plan from the date of the notice.
 Provide residents with a 30-day period from the date of notice to file comments at City Hall West (707 W. Acequia Ave.) and/or via email at [email protected].  Present the Five-Year Consolidated Plan and First Year Annual Action Plan to City Council for adoption.
 Consider all comments and views expressed by the public, whether given as verbal testimony at the public hearing or submitted in writing during the review and comment period. The final documents will have a section that includes all comments, along with any explanations as to why any comments were not accepted.

Substantial Amendments to Five-Year Consolidated Plan and First Year Annual Action Plan Amendments to the Five-Year Consolidated Plan, Annual Action Plan are necessary whenever one of the following is proposed:

 To make a substantial change in the allocation priorities or a substantial change in the method of distribution of funds. A substantial change increases or decreases the amount allocated to a category of funding within the City’s entitlement grant programs by 75 percent or more.  To carry out an activity using funds from any program not covered by the Five-Year Consolidated Plan (including program income) not previously described in the Five-Year Consolidated Plan.  To substantially change the purpose, scope, location or beneficiaries of an activity.

The following procedures apply to Substantial amendments:

 The City will place public notices in the Visalia Times-Delta post on the City’s Web site (www.visalia.city); the Kings/Tulare Homeless Alliance listserv, and at City Hall West (707 W.

Acequia Ave.) City Hall East (315 E. Acequia Ave.), City Hall North (220 N. Santa Fe St.), the Visalia Branch Library (200 W. Oak Ave.) and two community centers—Anthony Community Center (345 N. Jacob St.) and Visalia Senior Center (310 N. Locust St.)—in advance of a 30-day public review and comment period.
 Residents have 30 days to review the proposed Substantial amendment from the date of the notice.  During the 30-day public review and comment period, the document will be available for review at the City’s Finance Department-Housing office. Copies of the document will be available to the public, upon request.
 Residents may file comments at City Hall West (707 W. Acequia Ave.) and/or via email at [email protected] during the 30-day period from the date of the notice.  The City will hold a minimum of one public hearing within the community to solicit input on the Substantial Amendment.

Citizen Participation Plan

 The City will hold a minimum of one public hearing before the City Council to solicit input on the Substantial Amendment.
 In preparing a final Substantial amendment, careful consideration will be given to all comments and views expressed by the public, whether given as verbal testimony at the public hearing or submitted in writing during the review and comment period. The final amendment will have a section that includes all comments, plus explanations as to why any comments were not accepted.

Annual Action Plan and Consolidated Annual Performance Evaluation Report (CAPER) The City must submit an Annual Action Plan and a Consolidated Annual Performance Evaluation Report (CAPER) to HUD.

Action Plan
The Annual Action Plan summarizes the activities that will be undertaken in the upcoming FY to meet the goals outlined in the Con Plan. The following steps outline the opportunities for public involvement in the Annual Action Plan:

 The City will place public notices in the Visalia Times-Delta, provide notice to the Kings/Tulare Homeless Alliance for inclusion in their listserv, post notice on the City’s Web site (www.visalia.city), at City Hall West (707 W. Acequia Ave.), City Hall East (315 E. Acequia Ave.), City Hall North (220 N. Santa Fe St.), the Visalia Branch Library (200 W. Oak Ave.) and two community centers—Anthony Community Center (345 N. Jacob St.), and Visalia Senior Center (310 N. Locust St.)—in advance of a 30-day public review and comment period.
 Residents will have 30 days to review the Annual Action Plan from the date of the notice.  During the 30-day public review and comment period, the document will be available for review at the City’s Finance Department-Housing office. Copies of the document will be available to the public upon request.
 Residents may file comments at City Hall North (220 N. Santa Fe St.) during the 30-day period from the date of the notice.
 The City will hold a minimum of one public hearing within the community to solicit input on needs and priorities for the Annual Action Plan.
 The City will hold a minimum of one public hearing before the City Council to solicit input on needs and priorities for the Annual Action Plan.
 In preparing the Action Plan, careful consideration will be given to all comments and views expressed by the public, whether given as verbal testimony at the public hearing or submitted in writing during the review and comment period. The final report will have a section that includes all comments, plus explanations as to why any comments were not accepted.

CAPER
The CAPER must describe how funds were actually used and the extent to which these funds were used for activities that benefited low- and moderate-income people. The following steps outline the opportunities for public involvement in the CAPER:

 The City will place public notices in the Visalia Times-Delta, on the City’s Web site (www.visalia.city at City Hall West (707 W. Acequia Ave.), City Hall East (315 E. Acequia Ave.), City Hall North (220 N. Santa Fe St.), the Visalia Branch Library (200 W. Oak Ave.) and two community centers—Anthony Community Center (345 N. Jacob St.), and Visalia Senior Center (310 N. Locust St.)—in advance of a 15-day public review and comment period.
 Residents will have 15 days to review the CAPER from the date of the notice.  During the 15-day public review and comment period, the document will be available for review at

Citizen Participation Plan

the City’s Finance Department-Housing office. Copies of the document will be available to the public upon request.
 Residents may file comments at City Hall West (707 W. Acequia Ave.) and/or via email at [email protected] during the 15-day period from the date of the notice.  In preparing the CAPER, careful consideration will be given to all comments and views expressed by the public, whether given as verbal testimony at the public hearing or submitted in writing during the 15-day review and comment period. The final report will have a section that includes all comments, plus explanations as to why any comments were not accepted.

Public Hearings
The City will hold public hearings for the Consolidated Plan, Annual Action Plan, CAPER, amendments made to the CPP, or Substantial amendments.

Consolidated Plan hearings will include City staffed community meetings and one City Council Public Hearing for the adoption of the Consolidated Plan and Annual Action Plan.

The City Council Public Hearing will be held at City Hall Council Chambers. Listening devices, interpretation services, and other assistance to disabled persons or those with limited English proficiency will be provided upon request, requiring up to five business days prior notification to the City Clerk. Requests for disability- related modifications or accommodations required to facilitate meeting participation, including requests for auxiliary aids, services or interpreters, require different lead times, of up to five business days. Please keep this in mind and provide as much advance notice as possible to ensure availability. Assistive Listening Devices (ALD’s) are available upon request.

Notice of Hearings and Review Periods
To allow the public to provide comments prior to the submission of approved documents to HUD, the City will hold a public review period of at least 30 days for each Con Plan, Annual Action Plan, CPP, and Substantial amendment.

The City will establish a public review period of at least 15 days for each CAPER to allow for public comments prior to the submission of approved documents to HUD.

Completed drafts of the Five-Year Consolidated Plan and First Year Annual Action Plan, CPP, and any Substantial amendments will be available for public review and comment for 30 days.

Completed drafts of the Subsequent Annual Action Plans will be available for public review and comment for 30-days.

Completed drafts of the CAPER will be available for public review and comment for 15 days.

Copies of these draft plans will be available to the public for review, at City Hall West (707 W. Acequia Ave) and on the City of Visalia website at www.visalia.city.

To ensure that all residents, including minorities, persons with limited English proficiency, persons with disabilities, residents of public housing, and LMI residents can participate in the public review process, the City will provide residents, public agencies and other stakeholders the following:

 Notice of opportunity to comment via e-mail, U.S. mail, and/or in person at public hearings on the Consolidated Plan, Annual Plan, CAPER, Substantial amendments, and CPP.  Notice of applicable public review period and public hearings using an email distribution list maintained by the City for those parties expressing interest in receiving information and updates related to the City’s Five-Year Consolidated Plan, Annual Action Plan, CAPER, Substantial

Citizen Participation Plan

amendments and CPP. To be added to this email distribution list, please submit a request to [email protected] with the subject line: Con Plan distribution list.  Notices will be distributed through various methods, including e-mail, websites, and newspaper postings.
 Public notices will announce the availability of relevant draft documents for public review and include an introduction of the document, its contents, and purpose. The notices will describe how to obtain a copy of the document for review and clearly list all scheduled hearings with dates, times, and locations. The notices will include information on how to access staff report and related documents online and list locations where hard copies will be available.  Notices of the availability of draft documents and the review periods will be distributed, published, and posted on the City of Visalia’s Finance Department-Housing website at www.visalia.city. Notices will be distributed and published at least 15-days for CAPER’s and 30-days for Con Plan, Action Plans, Substantial Amendments, and CPP before the final public hearing and will include information regarding how to request accommodation and services available for persons with disabilities who wish to attend the public hearings.
 Newspaper postings of the notices for the Consolidated Plan, Annual Action Plan, CAPER, Substantial amendments, and amendments to the CPP will be provided in the Visalia Times-Delta, or other local newspaper, and the Tulare Kings Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s newsletter.

Consolidated Plan and Action Plan notices will be sent to an e-mail distribution list maintained by the City’s Finance Department-Housing. Members of the public may be added to this distribution list by contacting [email protected]. Although the City will prioritize the use of email to distribute the public notices to residents, it will continue to send hard copies to the public via U.S. Postal Service to residents with no email access, upon request.

The City often combines notices complying with several individual requirements into one document for dissemination and publication. The City is receptive to suggestions for ways to improve its process for notifying the public of upcoming public hearings and the availability of draft documents for public review.

The City will consider comments and views expressed by residents, public agencies, and other stakeholders via email, writing, or orally at public meetings. In each Five-Year Consolidated Plan, Annual Action Plan, CAPER, Substantial amendment or CPP submitted to HUD, the City will provide an attachment that includes all written communications received and a summary of each oral comment during the applicable 30-day or 15-day public review period; the City's subsequent action; and the reasons for non-action, if none was taken. This information will also be available to the public as part of the final document.

Anti-Displacement Policy

As part of the CPP, the City must maintain a displacement policy. Displacement refers to the involuntary relocation of individuals from their residence due to housing development and rehabilitation paid for with federal funds. The City will continue to use existing federal and state relocation guidelines, as applicable, to minimize displacement and to alleviate the problems caused by displacement. Both the federal government and the State of California have specific requirements dictating the number of benefits and assistance that must be provided to lower income persons and households relocated from their homes as a result of displacement. Depending on the funding source, displaced persons may be offered one or more of the following:

 A rent subsidy for another unit
 A cash payment to be used for rent or a down payment on the purchase of a dwelling unit  Moving and related expenses

Citizen Participation Plan

The City’s rehabilitation programs may also incur relocation issues when they provide minor additions to existing dwellings to address overcrowding. Any temporary relocation costs, if applicable are included in the rehabilitation loan package offered to clients.

Availability of and Access to Records

Information on the City’s Consolidated Plans, CPPs, Annual Action Plans, CAPERs, and program regulations will be posted on the City’s Finance Department-Housing website at www.visalia.city and will be made available for public review during normal working hours at the City of Visalia, 707 W. Acequia Avenue, Visalia, CA 93291, and upon written request addressed to the City’s Finance Department-Housing Division or via email at [email protected]. If the City is unable to provide immediate access to the documents requested, the City will make every effort to provide the documents and reports within 10 business days from the receipt of the request. These documents are also posted on the City’s Finance Department-Housing website at www.visalia.city.

Comments/Complaints

Comments or complaints from residents, public agencies, and other stakeholders regarding the Consolidated Plan or related amendments and performance reports may be submitted in writing or orally to the City’s Finance Department-Housing Division at City of Visalia, 707 W. Acequia Avenue, Visalia, CA 93291 or via email at [email protected]. Written comments or complaints will be referred to appropriate City staff for consideration and response. The City will provide substantive, written responses to all comments or complaints within 10 business days.

A summary of public comments or complaints and a summary of any comments or complaints not accepted and the reasons thereto shall be attached to the respective final Consolidated Plan, any amendments to the plan, the Annual Action Plan or the CAPER.

Technical Assistance

The City will, to the extent practicable, respond to requests for technical assistance by groups representing persons of low- and moderate-income developing funding proposals for any program covered by the Consolidated Plan in accordance with grant procedures. This may include, but is not limited to, providing information regarding how to fill out applications, other potential funding sources, and referrals to appropriate agencies within and outside the City. "Technical assistance," as used here, does not include the provision of funds to groups requesting such assistance. Assistance will also be provided by the City’s Finance Department-Housing to interested individuals and resident groups who need further explanation on the background and intent of the Housing and Community Development Act, interpretation of specific HUD regulations, and project eligibility criteria for federal grants.

Citizen Participation Plan

2025-2029 ConPlan-Citizen Participation Summary
PR-15 Citizen Participation
Summary of citizen participation process/Efforts made to broaden citizen participation. Summarize citizen participation process and how it impacted goal- setting.

Community Needs Survey

To identify the highest priority needs of the City, a Community Needs Survey was designed and distributed to residents, workers, service providers, and businesses in the City. The public was informed that the City was in the process of preparing the 2025/26 - 2029/30 Consolidated Plan and community stakeholders were encouraged to complete the Community Needs Survey to help the City prioritize areas for investment using federal entitlement funds over the next five years.

Beginning in July 2024, the City implemented a comprehensive community engagement strategy to ensure broad and meaningful participation in the planning process. This strategy included:

 Surveying residents, local businesses, and community organizations;  Holding a Public Hearing during a City Council meeting (September 3, 2024);  Presenting at a monthly Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) meeting (September 4, 2024);  Facilitating a virtual public meeting (September 9, 2024); and  Leading two focus groups for organization consultations (September 25, and October 2, 2024).

Citizen and organization online questionnaires
To initiate its citizen participation process, the City created a 36-question Citizen Questionnaire (English and Spanish) and a 29-question Organization Questionnaire in Microsoft Forms designed to elicit feedback about community needs for housing, supportive service, economic and workforce development, planning and community development, and homelessness.

Both questionnaires were open for responses from July 12, 2024, to August 2, 2024, however the Organization Questionnaire was relaunched twice (August 12-16, 2024, and September 25-October 4, 2024) at the request of several organizations and in an effort to collect additional feedback. Additionally, the Citizen Questionnaire also relaunched between September 6-13, 2024, also to elicit additional resident feedback. Overall, the Organization Questionnaire Survey had 23 respondents, whereas the Citizen Questionnaire had 122 individual respondents. No responses were received for the Spanish Citizen Questionnaire.

The City’s Housing Division created two additional surveys to poll attendees at two events – the 2023 Farmworker Women’s Conference on housing and community development needs and the CAC meeting on September 4, 2024. These surveys asked about supportive service, housing, economic development, infrastructure, and community facility needs.

It is estimated that over 40,000 entities, organizations, or persons were informed of the preparation of the Consolidated Plan. Information on public forums was disseminated through the following methods:
 Information on the survey was shared on various social media pages. The survey link was posted to the City’s Facebook page (potential reach of 22K), City Instagram (potential reach of 19K) and Twitter page (potential reach of 6K), and the City’s “Inside City Hall” newsletter.  The survey link was emailed to approximately 1,000 entities, organizations, agencies, or individuals with a request to share the survey with their network, via the Kings/Tulare Homeless Alliance, the Community Care Coalition, and the Homeless Task Force listservs.  The survey link was sent to 800 members of the City’s Chamber of Commerce.

Citizen Participation Plan

 The survey link was sent to the City’s Community Center and Housing Resource Fair listservs.  The survey link was posted to the City’s webpage.
 Hard copy surveys and flyers were distributed to residents of the City at various locations, including public housing sites, school districts, health care providers, libraries, and community centers.

Focus groups

To prepare for the execution of the stakeholder focus groups, agencies were invited to register via Microsoft Forms to attend any of the two virtual focus groups being offered to provide their input. Focus groups were scheduled across a one-week timeframe for the following dates and times:

 Focus Group 1: Wednesday, September 25, 2024, 9:00 A.M. PST – 11:00 A.M. PST  Focus Group 2: Wednesday, October 2, 2024, 9:00 A.M. PST – 11:00 A.M. PST

A total of 46 agencies were invited to participate in the virtual focus group sessions; 14 individuals representing 11 agencies participated in at least one focus group. Agencies invited included, but were not limited to housing providers, health service providers, social service providers, organizations representing protected classes, fair housing, education agencies, and real estate organization. During the focus groups, a variety of open-ended questions were asked to address the following topics while increasing dialogue among the groups:

 Populations most in need of assistance
 Greatest unmet needs and gaps in services among qualifying populations  Potential project ideas that may be eligible under the CDBG and HOME programs

Public Hearing, CAC, and Public Meeting
The City hosted and presented at three public engagement events to gather community input A public hearing was held on September 3, 2024, a CAC meeting was held on September 4, 2024, and a virtual public meeting was held on September 9, 2024. The hearing and meetings were designed to solicit input regarding pressing community and housing needs throughout the City. Events include a public hearing (September 3, 2024), and CAC meeting (September 4, 2024), and a virtual public meeting (September 9, 2024). Designed to solicit feedback from both the general public and City Council members, these meetings were advertised across several platforms (i.e. email blast to 77 community organizations point of contacts, publication in a local newspaper, flyers, the City’s website and social media channels) to ensure broad participation. This comprehensive approach aimed to identify and prioritize the most pressing community and housing needs in Visalia, ensuring that the City's planning efforts were well-informed by diverse perspectives from residents and officials alike.

Citizen Participation Plan

Council Input and Direction

Staff identified and presented the need, clearly expressed by Visalia residents, and data analysis (HUD CHAS, Census, etc.). This will allow Council to reach a decision with full knowledge of community needs and provide staff with recommended priorities and activities for the next 5 years.

Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing
The Con Plan includes the AI, which assesses the extent of housing needs among specific income groups, evaluates housing choices, and analyzes conditions in the private and public sector that could impede a person’s access to such housing. The City is contracted with the Fair Housing Council of Central California (FHCCC) for fair housing education and testing. The results will be utilized by MBI in preparing the AI.

Preliminary AI information reflects barriers and goals related to:
 Lending practices
 Land Use Policies & Practices
 Regional Collaboration related to services
 Opportunity Indicators; and
 Housing Discrimination

As a result of the analysis to date, the City will work with its partners and consultants to provide fair housing education as well as to monitor discrimination. The City is currently working on the update of its Housing Element. The City shall continue to work with surrounding cities and non-profit providers, as well as the Continuum of Care to coordinate new programs and funding opportunities to address homelessness. The City recommends continued efforts in making programs, such as down payment assistance, available citywide to address segregation and concentration barriers, such as populations with lack of access to quality schools. MBI will also be conducting an analysis of Visalia’s market conditions, and a homeless needs assessment, as well as preparing the Strategic Plan and Action Plan, based on high priority needs identified through community outreach and City and Council input.

Housing Windshield Survey
On September 3-4, 2024, and September 18, 2024, Baker Tilly, in collaboration with City staff, conducted a windshield survey to evaluate housing conditions in real-time across five neighborhoods across Visalia. This survey assessed various housing aspects, including building types, overall neighborhood conditions, and specific elements such as roofs, siding, landscaping, fences, and right-of-way conditions. Baker Tilly and City staff conducted a drive-through survey of the identified neighborhoods, randomly selecting homes to evaluate. This approach ensured impartiality and provided a more accurate reflection of the neighborhood conditions. Neighborhoods (primarily identified by street boundaries) surveyed included:
 Oval Park Neighborhood
 Mooney to North Ben Maddox Way, bound by: North Mooney Boulevard to the west, West Riggin to the north, North Ben Maddox Way to the east, and West Houston Avenue to the south  North Shirk Road (Rd 92) to North Demaree Road, bound by: North Shirk Road to the west, West Goshen Avenue to the north, North Demaree Road to the east, and County Highway 198 to the south  South Akers Street to South Mooney Boulevard, bound by: South Akers Street to the west, County Highway 198 to the north, South Mooney Boulevard to the east, West Walnut Avenue to the south

Citizen Participation Plan

 South Mooney Boulevard to South Ben Maddox Way, bound by: South Mooney Boulevard to the west, County Highway 198 to the north, South Ben Maddox Way to the east, and West Walnut Avenue to the south

Homes located within these boundaries were considered a representative sample of conditions within each identified neighborhood. Using a rubric created jointly by Baker Tilly and City staff, the following variables were identified:

 Type of building (single
family/multifamily/mixed use)
 Overall neighborhood condition
 Roof condition
 Siding condition
 Landscaping condition
 Fence condition
 Right of way condition
 Average age of housing stock
The survey revealed that most of the analyzed areas (73.3%) were in good condition, with the remainder split between poor (12.4%) and fair (14.3%) conditions. The Oval Park neighborhood emerged as the area most in need of improvements, with 48% of its variables rated as poor. The South Mooney to South Ben Maddox neighborhood followed, with 45% of its variables considered fair.

Regarding building types, mixed-use neighborhoods showed the worst conditions overall, but this was largely due to the poor ratings in the Oval Park area. Multi-family buildings were found to be in the best condition, with 92% of areas predominantly featuring multi-family structures rated as good.

The survey also identified a notable concern regarding potential lead-based paint hazards in housing units throughout the city. While the average housing unit in Visalia was constructed in 1987, a substantial portion of the city's residential structures predates 1980. Specifically, 18,814 housing units, representing 39.9% of the total housing stock, were built before 1980. This is particularly important because lead-based paint was commonly used in residential construction before it was banned in 1978. Consequently, these older homes may pose health risks to occupants, particularly children and pregnant women, due to the potential presence of lead-based paint. This data highlights the importance of lead hazard assessment and mitigation efforts in Visalia's older neighborhoods to ensure safe and healthy living conditions for residents.

Overall, the windshield survey indicated that although Visalia’s neighborhoods are generally in good condition, there is potential for improvement in all areas, as no neighborhood was rated as "well-kept." Upon completion of the survey, Baker Tilly recommended that the City focus on economic development efforts primarily within the Oval Park neighborhood, followed by the South Mooney to South Ben Maddox area, with particular attention to roofing and siding improvements.

Citizen Participation Plan

Citizen Participation Outreach
Table 1 – Citizen Participation Outreach

Mode of
Outreach
Target of
Outreach
Summary of
Response/Attendance
Summary of
Comments
Received
Summary of
Comments Not
Accepted
and Reasons
URL (If
applicable)
Public meeting
Non-English
Speaking – Specify
other language:

Spanish
On November 16, 2023, the City’s
Housing Division survey 107 individuals
attending the 2023 Farmworker Women’s
Conference held at the Visalia
Convention Center on housing and
community development.

See attached. N/A N/A
Internet
Outreach
Non-targeted/broad
community
Community Needs Assessment public
notices and surveys shared on City social
media outlets reaching 22K on Facebook,
19K on Instagram, and 6K on Twitter.

Community Needs Survey and information
also shared on the City website and Inside
City Halll newsletter.

See attached. N/A N/A
Other
Non-targeted/broad
community

Citizen Needs Assessment public notices
and surveys on various email distribution
listservs including the Kings/Tulare
Homeless Alliance to 645 individuals, the
Homeless Task Force to over 200
individuals, and the Community Care
Coalition to over 200 individuals.

See attached. N/A N/A
Other
Non-targeted/broad
community

Citizen Needs Assessment public notices
shared at various locations City Hall West,
City Hall East, City Hall North, Visalia
Transit, Visalia Senior Center, Visalia
Library, and Visalia Parks & Recreation
locations.

See attached. N/A N/A

Citizen Participation Plan

Other Non-targeted/broad
community
Citizen community needs survey launched
from 7/12/24 – 8/2/24, and 9/6/24 –
9/13/24, and received 122 individual
respondents.

See attached. N/A N/A
Other Non-targeted/broad
community
Organization community needs survey
launched from 7/12/24 – 8/2/24, 8/12-
8/16/24, and 9/25/24-10/4/24, and
received 23 individual respondents.

See attached. N/A N/A
Newspaper Ad
Non-targeted/broad
community

Community needs assessment public
notice posted in the Visalia Delta-Times
newspaper on 8/27/24.

See attached. N/A N/A
Public Hearing
Non-targeted/broad
community

On September 3, 2024, a City Council
public hearing was held on the development of the ConPlan. See attached. N/A N/A Public Meeting
Non-targeted/broad
community
Other: Citizens
Advisory
Committee
On September 4, 2024, a Community
meeting was held on the development of
the ConPlan, and community needs
assessment. 25 individuals attended.

See attached. N/A N/A
Public Meeting
Non-targeted/broad
community

On September 9, 2024, a virtual
community meeting on the development
of the ConPlan and community needs
assessment. 10 individuals attended.

See attached. N/A N/A

Citizen Participation Plan

Public Meeting
Non-targeted/broad
community
Other:

Organizations
On September 25, 2024, a focus group
was held on the development of the
ConPlan, and community needs
assessment. 10 individuals attended from
various organizations.

See attached. N/A N/A
Public Meeting
Non-targeted/broad
community

Other:

Organizations
On October 2, 2024, a focus group was
held on the development of the ConPlan,
and community needs assessment. 12
individuals attended from various
organizations.

See attached. N/A N/A
Public Meeting
Non-targeted/broad
community

On December 3, 2024, a City Council
work session was held to discuss the
development of the 5-year ConPlan.

See attached. N/A N/A
Newspaper Ad
Non-targeted/broad
community

30-day public comment period public
notice was published in the Visalia Times
Delta on 3/21/25 and 4/1/25.

See attached. N/A N/A
Internet
Outreach
Non-targeted/broad
community
Draft 2025-2029 ConPlan and 2025
Action Plan were available on the City's
website from 3/21/24 - 4/21/25.

See attached. N/A N/A
Internet
Outreach
Non-targeted/broad
community

City social media posts on City's website
news page, Facebook, Instagram, and
Twitter pages.

See attached. N/A N/A
Listserv Notice Non-targeted/broad
community
The Kings Tulare Homeless Alliance and
Visalia Chamber of Commerce listserv
notices.

See attached. N/A N/A

Citizen Participation Plan

Public Notices Non-targeted/broad
community
Public notices posted at the following city
sites: City Hall, Community Development,
Administrative Office, Recreation, Senior
Center, and Visalia Transit from 3/21/25 -
4/21/25.

See attached. N/A N/A
Public Meeting Non-targeted/broad
community
Citizens Advisory Committee community
meeting to review draft and obtain public
comment held on 4/2/25.

See attached. N/A N/A
Public Hearing Non-targeted/broad
community
Public Hearing to review draft 2025-2029
ConPlan 2025 Action Plan and obtain
public comment held on 4/7/25.

See attached. N/A N/A
Public Hearing Non-targeted/broad
community
Public Hearing to approve the 2025-2029
ConPlan and 2025 Action Plan and
authorize submission of the plan to HUD
held on 4/21/25.

See attached. N/A N/A

Citizen Participation Plan

Community Needs Survey Results
A total of 23 organizations and 122 individuals responded to the Community Needs Survey between July 2024 to September 2024. This section provides an overview of the results of the City’s Community Needs Survey responses.

Overview
The Community Organization and Resident Surveys were used to gather feedback and information from organizations and residents within the community for the 2025/26-2029/30 Consolidated Plan. Both surveys were open for responses from July 12-August 2, 2024 (the Community Organization Survey reopened between August 12-16, 2024, and from September 25-October 4, 2024, to collect additional responses from selected organizations and solicit feedback from organizations that attended virtual focus groups; the Community Resident Survey reopened between September 6-13, 2024, in anticipation of a virtual community meeting). The Community Organization Survey had 23 respondents, and 122 individuals responded to the Resident Survey. No responses were logged for the Spanish Resident Survey.

Additionally, the City of Visalia Housing Division surveyed individuals during two other events – the 2023 Farmworker Women’s Conference on housing and community development needs and the Citizens Advisory Committee Meeting on the FY 2025/26 – FY 2029/30 Consolidated Plan. Details and results from both of these surveys are also presented.

Community Organization Survey Results
A variety of organizations responded to the Community Organization Survey, as shown in Table 1. The largest number of responses came from social service organizations (6) and community development corporations (3).

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.

A thorough analysis of survey responses showed that respondents repeatedly emphasized the need for more affordable housing, homeless, mental health, and job training services in the City. Affordable housing and specific housing types to support populations identified as underserved, i.e., individuals with disabilities and the elderly, were called out. Comprehensive homeless support services were cited as another major need. Public infrastructure and community services were generally found to be acceptable, except for public transportation, which was cited as a need related to accessing jobs and employment opportunities. Organizations emphasized the importance of partnerships for furthering their missions and addressing the identified needs.

Table 1: Community Organization Survey Respondents
No. Organization Name Respondent’s Role Type
1 Self-Help Enterprises Vice President
Community
development
corporation
2 Lindsay Healthy Start Family
Resource Center Director Social service
organization
3 Proteus, Inc. Planner Associate
Community
development
corporation
4 RH Community Builders LP Affordable Housing
Development Director
Social service
organization
5 Visalia Rescue Mission Director of Development Social service organization
6 Central CA Legal Services Chief Program Officer Legal aid services

Citizen Participation Plan

7 Tulare County Library-Visalia
Branch County Librarian Other public entity
8 Kaweah Health Foundation Director Health agency
9 Tulare County HHSA Deputy Director – Integrated
Services
Regional government
unit
10 Kingsview Case Manager/Housing
Navigator
Housing counseling
agency
11 Tulare County Office of Education
Foster and Homeless Youth
Services
Foster and Homeless Youth
Services Coordinator Other public entity
12 Tulare County Health & Human
Services Agency
Homeless Initiatives Program
Coordinator
Social service
organization
13 The Source LGBT+ Center Executive Director Civil rights organization
14 Visalia Senior Housing CEO
Community
development
corporation
15-16 Kings Tulare Homeless Alliance (2) Executive Directors (2) of Programs and Operations Continuum of Care
17 Community Services Employment
Training Executive Director Social service
organization
18 Housing Authority of the County of
Tulare
Deputy Executive Director –
Housing Management Public housing agency
19 Champions Recovery Alternative
Programs, Inc. Executive Director Social service
organization
20 TC Hope Board Member Other public entity
21-23 Anonymous (3)* --- ---
Total 23
*Three respondents did not include any identifying information.

Of the three, only two provided responses to the questions within the Organization Survey.

Citizen Participation Plan

What is the primary population your organization serves? Figure 1 - The organizations primarily serve homeless and low-income populations, followed by the youth and elderly.

Gaps
When asked to choose the most effective existing programs and services in Visalia, respondents overwhelmingly selected affordable housing services (15) and mental health services (12), followed by job training/education/job search services (8) and substance abuse/recovery services (7). The respondents were also able to make suggestions on how existing programs and services can be improved, as shown in Table 2 below.

Table 2: Organization Comments on Improving Existing Programs/Services Organization Name How can existing programs and services be improved to better serve the City of Visalia?
Self-Help Enterprises
Enhance case management and supportive services programs; recruit new providers to the area; invest a higher ratio of CDBG in housing supports.

Lindsay Healthy Start
Family Resource Center
Create more affordable housing, along with addressing homelessness that doesn’t split up families or require 12-year-old boys not to be with their parents. Re-evaluate rules… and are they poverty-informed? Proteus, Inc. Creating, initiating, and facilitating affordable housing for community members who are single parents with only one income.

RH Community Builders LP
The City of Visalia has been extremely supportive of supportive housing and affordable housing development. Additional funding for rental subsidies is necessary to support the continued development of these projects.

Visalia Rescue Mission There is a need to expand existing services, and to mobilize services into underserved areas.

Central CA Legal Services Increased funding to support legal aid services.

Kaweah Health Designated low barrier areas for homeless to congregate and get services.

Kingsview More funding.

Citizen Participation Plan

Tulare County Office of
Education Foster and
Homeless Youth Services
We need a housing navigator that walks someone experiencing homelessness through the steps of accessing the available resources.

The young adults I see experiencing homelessness need to be helped at every step of the way, from applying for programs to finding housing options.

Tulare County Health &
Human Services Agency
Visalia is a beautiful city with challenges faced by communities all across the state. We want to see economic growth and vitality but are constrained by resources. Developing a plethora of housing options (low/mid/high), educational pathways, and job training are all essential but hollow without economic development to help create the jobs these individuals will need to sustain themselves. Offering mental health, substance abuse recovery, and other social support programs helps people who have stumbled or fallen get back up and on a path to stability.

The Source LGBT+ Center General lack of awareness of what exists. Better marketing and outreach. Also how to access, not just what is available.

Visalia Senior Housing
Improved communications between support services, agencies caring for seniors. When reaching out to provide help for residents, they often go unanswered.

Kings Tulare Homeless
Alliance
I think the city needs more affordable housing and more housing choice vouchers. There also needs to be a rent cap. Currently, many renters pay more than 30% of their income toward rent.

Community Services
Employment Training
Continue to work and partner with non-profits to seek solutions that address the safety net needs of marginalized members of our community. Also, support for case management services is important.

Housing Authority of the
County of Tulare Continued collaboration with community partners to work together.

Champions Recovery
Alternative Programs, Inc.

Youth need gang intervention programs. None exist in the city.

Transitional housing options are lacking, making it difficult for people transitioning out of drug treatment, hospital, and institutions to avoid homelessness.

TC Hope
We need a "drop-in" center for those experiencing homelessness. More than a warming center, and more than a cooling center. A place police (the Hope Team) can bring those on the street for shelter.

Perhaps reflecting the nature of the populations served by the responding organizations, most organizations noted a shortage of affordable housing options (20) and insufficient homeless prevention programs (17) as the largest gaps in programs and services, but respondents also called out the limited availability of mental health services (15) as a major gap.

Citizen Participation Plan

What gaps do you see in the current programs and services in the City? Figure 2
A similar question regarding missing programs and services in the City indicates a need for mental health, economic development, senior and youth services, and job training/education/job search services.

What types of services or programs are missing in the City that should be developed? Figure 3

Citizen Participation Plan

Underserved populations in the City were identified via a ranking scale by organization respondents. Populations identified by respondents as having above average or very high degrees of underservice include socioeconomically disadvantaged individuals/families, the elderly, individuals with disabilities and others with access and functional needs, and people with limited English proficiency.

Housing
Several questions dug deeper into the nature of the housing gap in the City. Similar to responses in the previous section, roughly 80% of respondents rated the availability of affordable housing as below average or low. Specific housing types needed in the community were identified as affordable housing, permanent supportive housing, transitional housing, and shelters, evidencing a need to support the underserved populations identified in the previous section via housing services.

Organizations rated the top housing needs in the City of Visalia. As shown below in Figure 5, the five highest housing priorities in the City were:

1. Affordable rental housing

2. Permanent Supportive Housing

3. Transitional Housing

4. Shelters

5. Senior Housing

What do you believe are the top housing needs in the City of Visalia? Figure 4
On the topic of affordable housing, the biggest barriers to access were largely a limited availability, high rental costs, and homelessness and housing instability, underscoring the affordability and homelessness issues in the community. To address these issues, respondents recommended the strategies of affordable housing development, preservation, and comprehensive homeless prevention and support services.

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, with slightly more respondents finding access to public transportation, health and social services, and jobs and employment opportunities to be poor versus good. Respondents found the quality of public infrastructure like roads, parks, and utilities to be acceptable or good overall.

Citizen Participation Plan

However, several economic development issues were identified as pressing, including affordable housing development and workforce development. These results track the gaps previously identified in affordable housing and job training/education/job search services.

Rank the degree to which the economic development issues are pressing needs in the City.

Figure 5
Community Services
Access to health and social services for low-income residents was generally found to be moderate. However, when asked to select the primary barriers to accessing services like education and childcare, respondents noted issues with cost, transportation, limited availability of services, and a lack of flexible hours. A public transportation-specific question underscored a perceived issue with public transportation access, with the majority of respondents identifying access as very poor to acceptable.

Citizen Participation Plan

What are the primary barriers to accessing education and childcare services? Figure 6
Organizational Collaboration and Partnerships
Collaboration among community organizations was generally identified as good, with the primary barriers to effective collaboration being competition for funding, resource constraints, organizational silos, and communication.

Respondents felt that regular communications and meetings, as well as resource sharing, would enhance organizational partnerships.

In free-text responses, organizations further highlighted the need for partnerships, including the City working with schools, organizations, churches, and organizations partnering to address homelessness and other issues. One respondent noted they are unaware of planning sessions involving developers, builders, and city planners, and another said they would like to see new participants at the table.

Funding and Resource Allocation
Organizations identified unpredictable grant funding cycles and insufficient funding allocations as their most significant funding challenges, followed by matching fund requirements and complex grant requirements. The types of funding needed were operating grants and program/project-specific grants; organizations generally prioritized partnerships and collaboration as a way to improve the allocation of resources.

Citizen Participation Plan

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 demographics, housing, supportive services, economic and community development, and social and recreational services.

This survey generally demonstrated less consensus on priorities and needs in the City when compared to the Organization Survey. Respondents were fairly well distributed in age and by area of residence and tended to have relatively high income and education levels. Over 80% of respondents were homeowners. Roughly three-quarters of respondents were employed, and the average household size is 3.23, with most respondents living in two-parent households with children or couples with no children households. About 60% of respondents identified as White, and roughly a third of respondents identified as Hispanic.

Residents were not in agreement as to whether 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 stand- outs. Respondents identified a need for job creation/retention and job training programs, similar to the Organization Survey results.

For the needs identified in this survey, respondents overwhelmingly called out Oval (95) and North Visalia (65) as the geographic areas with greatest need.

Demographics
Almost 95% of respondents lived in the City limits, with the vast majority of respondents (85%) residing in Northwest Visalia (33), Southeast Visalia (27), Southwest Visalia (23), and Northeast Visalia (12). About 70% of respondents worked in Visalia. Respondents were generally equally distributed across council districts, with slightly more respondents residing in Districts 1 and 2.

What is your age?
Figure 7

Most respondents were between the ages of 35-54 and can generally be described as higher income earners.

About two-thirds of respondents lived in a dual income household. About 65% of respondents have a Bachelor’s degree or higher; the remainder of respondents have between a high school diploma and Associate’s degree, with only one respondent having no high school diploma. Most respondents (about 75%) were currently employed; about 65% of employed respondents work full-time for an employer, while about 10% were self-employed, and the remainder worked part-time for an employer or are retired.

The average household size is 3.23; about 45% of respondents lived in a two-parent household with minor children, while 23% lived as a couple without children, 13% were single-person households, and the remainder were senior households, related adults living together, single-parent households, unrelated adults living together, or homeless.

Citizen Participation Plan

The racial makeup of respondents was 60% White, 7% Multiracial, 4% Asian-American, 3% American Indian/Alaskan Native, 2% Black/African-American, and 1% Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, with the remainder choosing not to respond or selecting “Other.” About 32% of respondents identified as Hispanic.

What is your total household income?
Figure 8

Homeowners made up 80% of respondents, with an additional 15% being renters. Four respondents lived with someone else, and one respondent lived on the street, in a car, or in a homeless encampment.

Housing
Several questions asked respondents about housing needs in the City. Residents were roughly split on the question of whether there are areas of the City where low- to moderate-income households can afford rent, demonstrating a lack of consensus among residents on the topic of housing affordability in the City. If residents felt there were areas of the City where housing is affordable, about 63% of respondents said they would fear for their safety in those areas.

As evidenced below, there was no clear consensus 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. Similarly, there was a slight preference shown for affordable rental housing and permanent supportive housing for unhoused individuals with behavioral/mental health needs.

Citizens rated the greatest housing needs in the City of Visalia. As shown below in Figure 9, the five highest housing needs in the City are:

1. Senior Housing

2. Emergency Shelter

3. Permanent Supportive Housing

4. Construction of Affordable Housing

5. Rehabilitation of Affordable Housing

Citizen Participation Plan

What are the greatest housing needs in the City of Visalia? Figure 9
Citizens rated the level of priority should be give to the follow types of affordable housing development in the next 5-years. As shown below in Figure 10, the five types of affordable housing development solutions in the City are:

1. Senior Housing

2. Affordable Rental

3. Emergency Shelter

4. Affordable for Sale Housing

5. Permanent Supportive Housing

Citizen Participation Plan

What priority level should be given to the following types of affordable housing development solutions if implemented during the next 5 years?
Figure 10
Residents appeared to favor down payment assistance, home repair assistance for owners, rental assistance, and energy efficiency improvements. 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 need ranking.

What priority level should be given to the following types of affordable housing programs if implemented during the next 5 years?
Figure 11

Citizen Participation Plan

Community Services
Resident respondents also demonstrated a lack of consensus on priority support service needs, with potential standouts being mental health services, domestic violence services, and Homeless services.

What priority level should be given to the following services during the next 5 years? Figure 12
Residents generally felt neutral about the availability of public transportation routes connecting all areas of the City. Citizens rated the level of need for community services. The five highest priorities were:

1. Mental Health Services

2. Domestic Violence Services

3. Homeless Services

4. Youth Services

5. Job Training/Placement

Citizen Participation Plan

Economic and Community Development
Respondents were asked about priority economic development initiatives and demonstrated a preference for job creation/retention and job training programs.

What priority level should be given to the following types of economic development initiatives or projects if implemented during the next 5 years?
Figure 13
On the topic of challenges preventing individuals from getting jobs, residents selected lack of childcare, skills gap, educational barriers, lack of stable housing, and criminal background as top barriers.

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 14
When asked about infrastructure improvements, resident respondents appeared to favor street/road improvements most strongly, followed by parks.

Citizen Participation Plan

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 15
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- to moderate-income households, as well as the availability of recreational facilities in low- to moderate-income neighborhoods, with respondents skewing toward agreement that these opportunities and amenities are available.

There was generally equal priority given to programs that respondents felt were lacking for low- to moderate-income persons, but the top answers were:
 Childcare assistance (69)
 Workforce development/job training (56)
 Home repair and improvement grants/low interest loans (47)  Down payment assistance (43)
 Health and wellness (e.g. affordable healthcare, mental, and behavioral health) (43)

Farmworker Women’s Conference Survey Results
On November 16, 2023, the City of Visalia Housing Division surveyed 107 individuals attending the 2023 Farmworker Women’s Conference held at the Visalia Convention Center on housing and community development needs in the City. Nearly 65% of respondents were residents of Visalia, and an additional 28% worked or owned a business in the City. 93% of respondents were low-income households and eligible populations for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and/or HOME Investment Partnership Program (HOME) funds. Just over 30% of respondents completed the Spanish language survey, and nearly 85% were Hispanic or Latino. Respondents were equally split between homeowners and renters, with one respondent being homeless.

Citizen Participation Plan

What public services are most needed in the City of Visalia?

Figure 16
On the topic of service needs, respondents prioritized homeless and homeless prevention services as well as youth services. Respondents also indicated a strong preference for homeless housing when asked specifically about types of housing needed in the City but selected affordable rental housing and the most needed housing type.

What housing type is most needed in the City of Visalia? Figure 17
Similar to the Community Organization and Resident surveys, respondents indicated a need for job training/placement as well as job creation.
45889121213131717181919293039
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45LegalTransportationTenant/LandlordCrime AwarenessDomestic ViolenceTransportationHealthPersons With DisabilitiesSubstance AbuseChildcareMental HealthJob Training /PlacementSeniorFair HousingYouthHomeless PreventionHomeless 4891117212343540 10 20 30 40 50 60Rental RehabilitationHomeowner RehabilitationHousing for DisabledAged Out of Foster Youth HousingFarmworker HousingFirst-Time Homebuyer AssistanceSenior HousingHomeless HousingAffordable Rental Housing

Citizen Participation Plan

What Economic Development activity is most needed in the City of Visalia? Figure 18

What infrastructure improvements are most needed in the City of Visalia? Figure 19
Street improvements were identified as the most needed infrastructure improvement. When asked about community facility needs, respondents again identified homeless facilities as a high priority, followed by youth centers, which underscores respondents’ desire for homeless and youth services.

59111538520 10 20 30 40 50 60Commercial Infrastructure DevelopmentCommercial RehabilitationSmall Business AssistanceTechnical assistanceJob CreationJob Training/Placement 151515182527630 10 20 30 40 50 60 70Flood Drainage ImprovementsADA ImprovementsCode Enforcement ServicesWater/Sewer ImprovementsPark ImprovementsSidewalk ImprovementsStreet Improvements

Citizen Participation Plan

What facilities are most needed in the City of Visalia?

Figure 20
Survey results also indicate that senior services and housing are a fairly high need, but respondents appear to view homeless and youth as higher-need populations in the City.

Citizens Advisory Committee Meeting Survey Results
On September 4, 2024, the City of Visalia Housing Division surveyed 21 individuals in attendance during the Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC) meeting, which included the FY 2025/26 – FY 2029/30 Consolidated Plan in-person community meeting held at the City of Visalia Administration at 220 N. Santa Fe Street, Visalia, CA 93292. The meeting covered housing and community development needs in the City. Nearly 76% of respondents were Visalia residents, and the remaining 24% worked or owned a business in the City. Only 10% of respondents were low- income, and most were White or Caucasian (62%) while 20% were Hispanic or Latino. About 75% of respondents were homeowners, with the rest being renters.

What housing type is most needed in the City of Visalia?

Figure 20
Housing needs identified in this survey mirror those from the Farmworker Women’s Conference; respondents 412161920202535420 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45OtherParks/Recreational FacilitiesChildcare CentersNeighborhood FacilitiesHealth FacilitiesFacilities for DisabledSenior CentersYouth CentersHomeless Facilities 11112359130 2 4 6 8 10 12 14Farmworker HousingHousing for DisabledRental RehabilitationFirst-Time Homebuyer AssistanceHomeowner RehabilitationAged Out of Foster Youth HousingSenior HousingHomelessAffordable Rental Housing

Citizen Participation Plan

believe affordable rental housing, homeless housing, and senior housing are top priorities.

What housing type is most needed in the City of Visalia?

Figure 21
Housing needs identified in this survey mirror those from the Farmworker Women’s Conference; respondents believe affordable rental housing, homeless housing, and senior housing are top priorities.

What public services are most needed in the City of Visalia?

Figure 22
The CAC community meeting respondents identified a slightly different mix of service needs than the Farmworker Women’s Conference respondents, identifying mental health services as a top need in addition to homeless services, and substance. However, facility needs identified by the CAC meeting were the same (homeless facilities 11112359130 2 4 6 8 10 12 14Farmworker HousingHousing for DisabledRental RehabilitationFirst-Time Homebuyer AssistanceHomeowner RehabilitationAged Out of Foster Youth HousingSenior HousingHomelessAffordable Rental Housing 111123445568110 2 4 6 8 10 12ChildcareHealthTransportationLegalDisabilityFair HousingHomeless PreventionSeniorYouthJob Training/PlacementSubstance AbuseHomelessMental Health

Citizen Participation Plan

and youth centers).

What facilities are most needed in the City of Visalia? Figure 23

What infrastructure improvements are most needed in the City of Visalia? Figure 24
Street, sidewalk, ADA, and flood drainage improvements were the most needed infrastructure improvements in the City of Visalia identified for the CAC community meeting respondents.

222445890 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10Senior CentersNeighborhood FacilitiesParks and RecreationalChildcare CentersDisability FacilitiesHealth FacilitiesYouth CentersHomeless Facilities 23356790 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10Water/Sewer ImprovementsPark ImprovementsCode Enforcement ServicesFlood Drainage ImprovementsAmerican Disability Act (ADA)Sidewalk ImprovementsStreet Improvements

Citizen Participation Plan

What is the most needed Economic Development activity in the City of Visalia?

Figure 25
Job training and placement was identified as the most needed Economic Development activity in the City of Visalia, followed by small business assistance, job creation, commercial rehabilitation, and technical assistance in developing businesses for the CAC community meeting respondents.

Community Forum Results
During the development of the Consolidated Plan, the City held one public hearing on September 3, 2024, two community forums on September 4th, and September 9th, 2024. In addition, the City held two focus groups to gather public input regarding community needs that could potentially be addressed by utilizing federal entitlement program funding.

During the breakout groups, forum participants were asked to identify what they viewed as the highest priority community needs. Answers given were both what currently existed and what was needed. All answers were transcribed on flip charts and grouped and categorized. The number of times each item was identified, as a community need was recorded and counted to identify the most frequently stated needs (i.e. “mental health services” was mentioned multiple times throughout all four community forums). Below is a brief summary of the feedback received at the community forums during the dialogue breakout groups.

The needs listed below are findings from both the Community Outreach and the Housing surveys. Each point was cross-referenced with the top-rated needs from both surveys. Following the list of needs identified, is a more detailed list of other findings that scored lower but are important as well because a lower percentage of Visalia’s population experience the highest need.

Top Housing Needs

1. Senior affordable housing development and senior home repairs

2. Permanent supportive housing for people experiencing homelessness

3. Development of affordable rental housing, including for aged out foster youth.

4. Rehabilitation of single-family homes and apartments

5. Tenant-based rental assistance

1345130 2 4 6 8 10 12 14Technical assistance in developing businessesCommercial RehabilitationJob CreationSmall Business AssistanceJob Training/Placement

Citizen Participation Plan

Top Service Needs

1. Homeless services

2. Mental health services

3. Youth services

4. Job training/placement

5. Domestic violence services
Top Homeless Needs

1. Emergency shelter

2. Permanent supportive housing

3. Case management before and after housing placement

4. Tenant-based rental assistance

5. Mental health services

Community Outreach Public Comment Period for the Consolidated Plan The City of Visalia conducted a 30-day public comment period for review of the draft program year 2025-2029 Consolidated, Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice, Citizen Participation Plan, and 2025 Annual Action Plan. The 30-day public comment period was held from March 21, 2025, through April 21, 2025. The draft plans were available on the City’s website at www.visalia.city for the public to review. English and Spanish public notices were published in the Visalia Times Delta on March 18, 2025, March 21, 2025, and April 1, 2025. English and Spanish public notices were also posted on the City’s website (www.visalia.city) and at City Hall West (707 W. Acequia Ave.), City Hall East (315 E. Acequia Ave.), City Hall North (220 North Santa Fe Street), the Visalia Branch Library (200 W. Oak Ave.) and two community centers—Anthony Community Center (345 N. Jacob St.) and Visalia Senior Center (310 N. Locust St.), and the Kings/Tulare Homeless Alliance listserv to over 450 recipients. Public notices were also posted on the City’s social media outlets and newsroom. In addition, public comment was encouraged at the hearings listed below, and could be submitted in writing to the City of Visalia Housing Division, at the City Hall West, 707 W. Acequia Avenue, Visalia, CA 93291 or via email at [email protected].

Public Hearings/Community Meetings

The following public hearings and meetings were held during the 30-day public comment period:

 Community Meeting – April 2, 2025, at 5:30pm at 220 N. Santa Fe St., Visalia, CA 93292  Public Hearing Review – April 7, 2025, at 7:00pm at 707 W. Acequia Ave., Visalia, CA 93291  Public Hearing Adoption – April 21, 2025, at 7:00pm at 707 W. Acequia Ave., Visalia, CA 93291

Citizen Participation Plan

Attachments

Attachment “A”
Summary of comments received.

To be added following the end of 30-day public comment period.