HOUSING Despite pandemic-related support, Springfield still faces a shortage of high-quality, affordable housing.
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2021 UPDATE
A series of white papers on the report’s
11 primary topics will be published on
a rolling basis ahead of the 2021 edition.
For news, podcasts and more information,
visit springfieldcommunityfocus.org.
HOUSING
Despite pandemic-related support,
Springfield still faces a shortage
of high-quality, affordable housing.
PUBLISHED AUGUST 2021
PAGE 2 OF 4
2021 UPDATE: HOUSING
F FOR PODCASTS, NEWS AND MORE, GO TO SPRINGFIELDCOMMUNITYFOCUS.ORG
BLUE RIBBONS Collaborative spirit · Civic engagement · Influx of financial assistance
RED FLAGS Shortage of safe, affordable housing · Aging housing stock · Housing instability
Resources help blunt impact
of pandemic on housing
A
s the pandemic has taken an eco- Springfield has continued to make prog-
nomic toll and impacted people’s ress in addressing the various barriers
ability to meet their daily needs, to accessing safe, decent and affordable
the links between adequate employment, housing.
income and housing stability have never
been more apparent. BLUE RIBBONS
However, federal and state assis- “Safe,” “decent” and “affordable” are
tance has mitigated some of the nega- not just buzzwords among Springfield’s
tive impacts of the pandemic on housing housing advocates; such housing is the photo courtesy of community partnership of the ozarks
by providing much-needed financial target to actively work toward for our Members of Community Partnership of the Ozarks’ Housing Col-
relief and a moratorium on evictions. community. To help reach that goal, our laborative recognize Y Gardens, an affordable housing commu-
Amid the uncertainty, local collabora- local collaborative spirit fosters con- nity for youth who have been in foster care, with a 2021 Landlord
tion continued to be a bright spot for nections and creative solutions. Appreciation Award.
our community. With growing partner- Connections among agencies and
ships and enhanced access to resources, systems have become stronger since the
COVID-19 IMPACT
I
n March 2020, “home” became a differ- of COVID-19 among people experiencing rental arrears, 35.8% covered future real costs,
ent place for many. Those who had ade- homelessness in our community. and 19.7% covered utility arrears.
quate housing were suddenly isolated and While those who were unsheltered were An eviction moratorium, created to protect
forced to decide who was safe to allow inside fearful of contracting COVID, nursing home renters and tenants, depended on landlords
their residences, greatly affecting those who cases were on the rise. Many put their facilities and managers to be understanding while they
depended on caregivers. Others had to quickly on lockdown to reduce exposure and increase were faced with their own expenses. These
figure out how to work from home, and many safety. Empower: Abilities, formerly the South- short-term solutions helped people maintain
had to create online learning environments for west Center for Independent Living, kept its housing, but the long-term effects once federal
their children when schools shifted to virtual transition program going so those who wanted assistance ends are yet to be seen.
instruction. This homebound lifestyle resulted to return to a more independent life could. Despite COVID challenges creating a
in more home repairs and projects. The pan- Despite barriers stemming from the pandemic, sense of fear and unrest, our community col-
demic has also impacted home purchases, cre- Empower: Abilities provided the necessary laborated on a broad level to provide housing,
ating a seller’s market and demands for homes resources so 34 individuals could move out of shelter, and health resources in creative ways.
with larger spaces. nursing homes into their own homes. Virtual meetings became the new norm as
The pandemic highlighted the concept that Federal stimulus funds helped boost the housing advocates worked together to meet
housing is health care. When news first came economy and support renters, landlords and emerging needs; strategies changed constantly
out about the dangers of COVID-19, those homeowners, but the lack of affordable and based on new information. Emergency shelter
without homes became a priority. From April accessible housing continued to create barriers providers at Catholic Charities of Southern
2020 to April 2021, Community Partnership of to those looking for rental housing. As the lock- Missouri, Great Circle, Harmony House, Isa-
the Ozarks helped place more than 1,075 vul- down was slowly lifted, many returned to work, bel’s House, Safe to Sleep, Salvation Army, The
nerable individuals in area hotels to reduce but others were left without a steady income; Kitchen Inc. and Victory Mission continued
potential exposure. Housing programs, emer- renters fell behind and utility bills piled up. By to provide services while agencies including
gency shelters and supportive services started mid-July 2021, agencies in Greene County had Catholic Charities, CPO, OACAC and Salva-
taking extra precautions to increase the safety distributed $2,651,765.50 in Emergency Rental tion Army administered federal, state and local
of their staff and those they served. These Assistance Funds out of the $8,765,982.70 avail- relief funding.
efforts helped prevent a widespread outbreak able. Of the funds distributed, 45% coveredPAGE 3 OF 4
2021 UPDATE: HOUSING
F HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE SPRINGFIELD? SUBMIT YOUR RESPONSE AT SGFENGAGE.ORG
2019 Community Focus Report, even as Plan Act will provide further opportunity the various social and economic impacts
the COVID-19 pandemic changed the to meet local need. of the COVID-19 pandemic have only
ways that groups work together. Despite Our collaborative spirit helped make highlighted the need to continue to col-
restrictions caused by the pandemic, the allocation and distribution of funds lectively address them.
our community was able to realize a more efficient, allowing food pantries Springfield faces a critical short-
long-term goal with the opening of the to serve people who never needed age of safe, decent and affordable
Community Partnership of the Ozarks’ help before, providing loans to local housing, which is a recurring Red Flag.
O’Reilly Center for Hope. The center, at businesses to keep people employed According to annual counts conducted by
1518 E. Dale St., embodies this collabo- and ensuring shelter was available for Community Partnership of the Ozarks’
rative spirit through its creative model COVID-vulnerable individuals with Ozarks Alliance to End Homelessness,
that offers 20 on-site partner agencies nowhere else to go. The efficient use of approximately 500 people are experienc-
at one location to provide education and funds supported the path to recovery and ing homelessness in our community on
resources for affordable housing, finan- kept many people in their homes. any given night.
cial literacy and essential services. The local need for additional housing
Civic engagement at the individual RED FLAGS was exacerbated as the pandemic slowed
and local government level is an essential Although the Blue Ribbons refer- construction and then increased con-
element for success in overcoming hous- enced examples of how our community struction costs. At the same time, more
ing issues. The Springfield City Council’s is addressing housing needs, pressing college students sought off-campus
2021 priorities of quality of place and issues remain that require dedication apartments. All of these circumstances
economic vitality include the objectives and innovation. These issues have been have led to an increasingly competitive
of revitalization for safe, friendly neigh- previously identified as Red Flags, and housing market.
borhoods and affordable options for
high-quality housing.
Throughout the pandemic, direct ser- SUCCESS STORY
I
vice agencies remained open and united
to provide needed assistance. Seeing n Springfield, agencies regularly
livelihoods affected by unemployment, collaborate with resources and vol-
loss of child care or school closures, unteers to help residents who need
new donors, businesses and volunteers help with housing.
stepped in to address needs and provide One such example: The City of
resources to help sustain their neighbors. Springfield’s Homeowner Emergency
For those without housing, the com- Loan Program, which facilitates con-
munity came together to support emer- nections between agencies to assist
gency hotel placements and Crisis Cold with home repairs for low- to moder-
Weather Shelter sites. ate-income homeowners living within
The COVID-19 pandemic created certain areas of the city.
an unusual funding dynamic where our After serving in the military for 13
community saw an influx of financial years, Springfield resident Warren Dake photo courtesy of Habitat for Humanity
assistance for housing and supportive worked in home renovation and con- Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri and Habitat for
services, and leaders were tasked with struction. He lives on a limited income, Humanity of Springfield, Missouri, partnered to repair Warren
identifying the most critical needs to and though he has the skills and knowl- Dake’s home through the City of Springfield’s Home Emer-
address in the early stages of the pan- edge to make repairs on his home, he gency Loan Program.
demic. Besides stimulus payments to doesn’t have the funds to do so.
individuals, funds allocated at the sys- Dake applied for assistance through HELP. siding, a rebuilt back porch and a new room.
tem level continue to assist and support Through this program, Catholic Charities of “It meant a whole lot,” Dake said of the help. “I
the local community through rent, utility, Southern Missouri and Habitat for Humanity of like the house. It will be perfect once it has a few
and mortgage assistance for individuals Springfield, Missouri, partnered to complete the things done. It won’t have any problems, and I’ll
and families. necessary repairs to Dake’s home. Habitat for keep it that way.”
At the time of publication, over Humanity was able to extend the HELP funds by Other community partners of the city’s
$10,855,000 in federal assistance funds applying to have the new roof installed through HELP include Council of Churches’ Connections
has been allocated to local social service the Habitat for Humanity Roof Deployment Handyman Service and Ozarks Area Community
agencies through the City of Springfield, Project for Veterans. In addition to the new roof, Action Corp. Funding is made possible by the U.S.
Greene County, and Missouri Housing Dake’s house now has new windows, doors, gut- Department of Housing and Urban Development’s
Development Commission. Future funds ters, downspouts and smoke detectors, replaced Community Development Block Grant Program.
allocated through the American RescuePAGE 4 OF 4
2021 UPDATE: HOUSING
F FOR PODCASTS, NEWS AND MORE, GO TO SPRINGFIELDCOMMUNITYFOCUS.ORG
In addition to simply not having
enough housing available, the region LEGISLATIVE IMPACT
M
also faces a shortage of accessible hous-
ing and rental opportunities for rent- any different facets affect housing and This legislation expanded on previous protec-
ers with evictions or low credit scores. how it influences the health and well-be- tions to ensure that individuals are not evicted
Moreover, property owners who accept ing of communities. Legislative actions because they survived domestic violence, sex-
federal assistance rental funds available over the last two years addressed concerns across ual assault or stalking and that victims of these
through the Department of Housing and the housing spectrum, from micro-level protec- crimes have the ability to terminate their lease
Urban Development are required to work tions for individual tenants to macro-level state if there is risk to their safety.
through complicated processes. and federal funding supports for affordable hous- F In 2019 and 2020, legislation to shorten the
Our aging housing stock also con- ing: timeline on eviction finalization from 10 days
tributes to housing challenges. While F Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, which sup- to five days was stopped.
Springfield boasts several historic neigh- port affordable housing developments through At the local level, the Springfield City Coun-
borhoods and homes, these homes often the Missouri Housing Development Commis- cil passed ordinances in 2019 to support the
require additional maintenance — which sion, were reinstated in 2020, after being ended enforcement of Nuisance and Housing Code.
can be cost-prohibitive even when con- in 2017 by former Gov. Eric Greitens. These changes allow the city to more effectively
struction costs are not high — causing F In 2019, a bill was passed that allowed victims and proactively address chronic nuisance proper-
residents to live in potentially unsafe and of certain sexual and domestic violence crimes ties through expedited court proceedings and an
unsanitary conditions because they have to break their lease without a significant fee. increased number of code enforcement officers.
no other housing options.
Many assistance programs that relied
on volunteers to build wheelchair ramps KEY METRICS
and repair homes had fewer volunteers,
Estimated Housing Occupancy Cost-burdened Households
increased construction costs and a lim-
in Springfield in Springfield
ited labor market. According to the U.S.
90K 60%
Census Bureau, the five-year rolling
80K
average of Springfield residents living in
70K 50%
owner-occupied housing had dropped to
60K
HOUSING UNITS
42.3% in 2019 from 46.2% in 2015. Rental
40%
properties, if owned by absentee land- 50K
lords, can quickly turn into chronic nui- 40K
30%
sance properties that affect the health 30K
and safety of both the people living in the 20K 20%
homes and the neighborhoods surround- 10K
ing them. 0 10%
The Red Flag of housing instability 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
encompasses other topics of the Com- T Owner-occupied — Owner-occupied
munity Focus Report — Business & Eco- T Renter-occupied — Renter-occupied
nomic Development, Early Childhood, T Unoccupied
Education and Transportation — and Source: 2019 American Community Source: 2019 American Community
speaks to the fact that so many in our Survey, u.s. Census bureau Survey, u.s. Census bureau
community are one unexpected expense
away from losing housing. Although we
boast a cost of living lower than the children, access to nutritional food, and
national average, an individual in Greene other indicators of overall community
County would have to work 68 hours per health and well-being.
week at minimum wage to afford a 2-bed-
room rental home at a fair-market rent The Housing 2021 Update was produced by
payment of $836 a month. Amanda Stadler of Community Partnership
Low-earning households trying to of the Ozarks with input from: Bob Jones,
meet all of their needs often have to Shelby Butler, Angie Perryman, Jason
choose which needs to meet first, result- Elmore and Abby Glenn.
ing in stress and instability that can
impact job readiness and long-term
employment, educational success forYou can also read
