Chattanooga's ten year plan to eliminate substandard housing

The purpose of this study is to provide information which can be used by cities considering a comprehensive housing strategy. The primary research question was “Has implementation of the ‘Chattanooga 10-Year Program to Make All Housing Fit and Livable’ improved the quality of low and moderate cost housing in Chattanooga?”

The results of two housing surveys were compared to determine if the number of houses in certain central city locations had improved during the ten-year period between studies. The first study, by The Enterprise Group in 1985, tabulated conditions of housing in 25 neighborhoods. The samples were randomly selected based on sample stratification by neighborhood size (proportional number of units). The second study was completed by the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning Commission in 1995 and tabulated housing conditions in 26 central city neighborhoods. A comparison of the two studies found that the number of units needing rehabilitation had decreased substantially: but the number of housing units needing to be demolished had increased.

In addition to the two housing studies, this research answered several secondary research questions regarding the details of the Ten-Year Plan and the implementation phase of the Plan to include organizational structure, funding sources, types of programs offered, and total production. Sources of information included updated community housing plans, reports, and interviews with key persons in the community.

Based on the findings of this research, it is believed that the implementation of the plan was successful in raising the consciousness of the community regarding housing needs, total production of new houses, and assisting home purchasers. Less success was achieved in rental rehabilitation and meeting the needs of special needs populations. Factors which contributed to the successful implementation of the plan included the organizational structure of Chattanooga Neighborhoods Enterprise, substantial financial backing from the city and private sources, availability of mortgage loans from conventional lenders for low-income persons, and strong backing from the community.