Title
Community Needs for Community Development Block Grant FY 2021-22
Body
To: Honorable President Christine Chilcott and Members of the Social Service Human Relations Board
BACKGROUND
As part of the Annual Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) process, the City holds a public comment period on housing and community development needs, concluding with a public hearing at a City Council meeting, tentatively scheduled for February 16, 2021. The purpose of this staff report is to:
1. Provide an overview of the CDBG process
2. Review priority needs
3. Propose the schedule and timeline of CDBG activities
At the meeting, CDBG staff will briefly review the Community Development Block Grant program and the Needs Hearing process. After the presentation, the Board will hear public comment and confirm the Needs Statement for the FY 2021-22, which will be presented to the City Council during the February 16, 2021 Public Hearing.
DISCUSSION
Overview of the Community Development Block Grant Process
As an entitlement jurisdiction, the City of Alameda receives Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). CDBG regulations require that an annual public hearing be held to obtain community input on current housing and community development needs. This meeting provides an opportunity for input on the Annual Action Plan for Fiscal Year 2021-22. Alameda’s FY 2021-22 Action Plan will identify local priorities and uses of CDBG funds to address needs in eligible categories.
Every five years, the City is also required to prepare a Five-Year Consolidated Plan, which outlines the housing and community development priority needs that will inform CDBG funding decisions for the upcoming five-year period. Last fiscal year, the City of Alameda prepared the Five-Year Consolidated Plan (2020-2025), which is the foundation for identifying the priority housing and community development needs of the community and is used to guide the development of Annual Action Plans during the five-year period covering FYs 20-25. Priority needs in the Consolidated Plan included the following:
• Preserving and increasing affordable housing and supportive services;
• Reducing housing discrimination;
• Preventing and addressing homelessness;
• Addressing non-housing community development needs such as neighborhood improvements, public services, accessibility improvements and economic development.
Alameda’s FY 2021-22 Action Plan will identify local priorities and uses of CDBG funds to address needs in eligible categories. Eligible activities include property acquisition and rehabilitation, public facilities improvements, public services, accessibility improvements, economic development, and planning and administrative activities. At least 70 percent of CDBG funds must benefit low- and moderate-income residents or neighborhoods. A limited amount of funds may also be used to eliminate blight in selected areas.
The purpose of the public meeting is to support the City’s effort to identify the social service needs of the community and prepare a recommendation for the FY 2021-22 Needs Statement for approval by the City Council. The approved needs statement will be included in the upcoming CDBG FY 2021-22 Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA)/ Request for Proposals (RFP).
Past Performance
Five years of data is available for four of the public service funding applicants. See below:
|
|
Five Year Consolidated Plan |
|
Sub-recipient |
Annual Goal |
15-16 |
16-17 |
17-18 |
18-19 |
19-20 |
|
Alameda Food Bank |
2,000 |
4,458 |
4,944 |
4,857 |
4,465 |
2,392 |
|
Building Futures |
150 |
125 |
208 |
82 |
68 |
72 |
|
Family Violence Law Center |
25 |
27 |
37 |
46 |
32 |
55 |
|
Legal Assistance for Seniors |
45 |
50 |
39 |
47 |
73 |
65 |
In general, the sub-recipients exceeded their annual goals. Building Futures, who operates Midway Shelter and provides temporary housing, experienced challenges because the lack of affordable housing coupled with the growing demand for it resulted in longer stays and fewer unique individuals served. More detailed information about Midway Shelter, the services it offers, and the challenges that it has experienced during the last five years was detailed in the March 26, 2020 staff report to SSHRB.
COVID-19 and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act
On March 27, 2020, the President of the United States signed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act into law. The City has received two allocations in the amounts of $683,116 and $597,112 for a total of $1,280,228. Through the CARES Act, HUD has been authorized to loosen some of the constraints for CDBG allocations for FY 2019-20 and FY 2020-21, including suspending the 15% cap on public services. Consequently, the City has awarded 100% of its CARES Act funds to nonprofit service providers. As of the writing of this report, no announcement has been made regarding waivers for FY 2021-22.
Staff is proud to report that the COVID-19 Emergency Rent Relief Program has assisted 62 households as of December 30, 2020. Building Futures is currently processing the applications that were submitted by the December 20, 2020 deadline. The accomplishments of the CARES Act subrecipients will be reported at a future SSHRB meeting.
Priority Needs
The Social Service Human Relations Board (SSHRB) conducts a citywide needs assessment every four to five years as part of its chartered mandate. SSHRB’s most current needs assessment was conducted in 2017. Staff from the City’s Community Development Department and the Alameda Housing Authority conferred to conduct a short, three-question survey to review the community and social service priorities identified by community members from the 2017 Community Needs Assessment. The results of the mini-survey were presented at the November 21, 2019 SSHRB Special Meeting.
Exhibit 1 contains the Consolidated Plan goal and activities that were determined to address the identified priority needs. Those priority needs include: Affordable Housing, Homelessness, and Non-Housing Community Development, which is addressed through Public Services, Economic Development and Public Facilities and Infrastructure.
Proposed Schedule and Timeline
The FY 2021-22 NOFA is tentatively scheduled to be released in February 2021.
Last year, SSHRB recommended that the two-year funding cycle for the City’s CDBG public services funding recipients resume with the adoption for the Five Year Consolidated Plan. Because current public service providers are in the first year of two year agreements, the NOFA will solicit proposals only for the categories other than public services. Consequently, SSHRB members will not receive public service applications to review and score this year.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the Board hear the presentation, receive public comments, and direct the preparation of a Needs Statement to confirm the ongoing needs for the FY 2021-22 Annual Action Plan. The Board should also designate the President and/or another Board member to review the statement and represent the Board at the February 2021 City Council Needs Hearing.
Respectfully submitted,
Lisa Fitts, Community Development Program Manager
Exhibits:
1. Consolidated Plan Priorities & Goals
2. Action Plan FY 2021-22 Schedule