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The City sought to encourage home ownership opportunities to promote neighborhood <br />stability. Even with historically low median purchase price of homes, homeownership still <br />remains a challenge for households earning less than 80% of county median income.8 <br />The sub-prime mortgage industry crash has also made it difficult for lower income buyers to <br />qualify for a mortgage. In response to the corresponding increase in mortgage defaults and <br />foreclosures Congress created the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP). The primary <br />objective of NSP is to stabilize neighborhoods that have been distressed by abandoned and <br />foreclosed properties. Between 2008 and 2009, the City received two NSP awards of <br />$5,795,151 and $10,000,000. In Fiscal Year 2010-1011, the City received a third NSP grant <br />award for $1,464,113. During 2011-2012 these funds were used to acquire, rehabilitate and <br />subsequently sell 19 housing units to qualified buyers. HUD has created a separate reporting <br />system for NSP funds. Reports regarding the use of Santa Ana's NSP funds may be viewed on <br />the City's website at http://www.santa-ana.org/cda/nsp.asp. <br />¦ The City linked rehabilitation incentives with coordinated Code Enforcement efforts. The City <br />made resources available to existing or prospective rental property owners to eliminate <br />building code deficiencies. Once improved, these units will expand the supply of standard <br />housing in the City. <br />• Neighborhood residents were encouraged to participate in the preparation and implementation <br />of neighborhood assessments and plans. Santa Ana's Neighborhood Improvement Program <br />provided the means to facilitate this participation. City staff members (i.e., District Managers) <br />are assigned to one of two geographic areas of the City. This staff is responsible for <br />coordinating the implementation of housing and community projects within their district and <br />interacting with the City's 64 neighborhood associations. This coordination includes working <br />with other city departments, public utilities, property owners, tenants, nonprofit agencies and <br />the school district. <br />5. ACTIONS TO IMPROVE PUBLIC HOUSING AND RESIDENTS INITIATIVES <br />There is no public housing in the City of Santa Ana. <br />6. ACTIONS TAKEN TO EVALUATE AND REDUCE LEAD BASED PAINT HAZARDS <br />Lead-paint hazards are typically found in buildings constructed prior to 1978 - the year lead based <br />paint was banned in the U.S. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) <br />approximately 250,000 U.S. children age 5 and younger remain at risk for exposure to harmful lead <br />levels (i.e., blood lead levels greater than the CDC recommended level of 10 micrograms of lead per <br />8 The Orange County Register reports that at the end of June 2012, the median home sales price in Santa Ana was <br />$316,000. <br />08/23/2012 25 <br />19C-33