Title
Public Hearing to Consider Approving the Housing and Community Development Needs Statement for the Community Development Block Grant Annual Plan for Fiscal Year 2025-26.
In accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), this action is categorically exempt from further environmental review pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15262 (Feasibility and Planning Studies). (City Manager 20361840)
Body
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Jennifer Ott, City Manager
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The purpose of the public hearing is to consider approving the housing and community development needs for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025-26 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Annual Action Plan, which will be presented to City Council in May 2025. As an entitlement recipient of CDBG funds, the City of Alameda (City) receives approximately $1,150,000 per year from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). CDBG regulations require that an annual public hearing be held to obtain views on current housing and community development needs relating to the Action Plan (Action Plan) described below.
BACKGROUND
The City is an entitlement recipient of CDBG funds from HUD. Each year the City receives an entitlement allocation of approximately $1,150,000 of CDBG funding. CDBG funds programs and activities that benefit low- and moderate-income persons and households while helping prevent or eliminate slums and blight. To receive CDBG funding, the City submits an Action Plan to HUD detailing the programs, activities, and resources to address the housing and community development needs identified in the Consolidated Plan, which is a planning document required by HUD to be submitted by all jurisdictions that directly receive HUD funds.
CDBG regulations require that an annual public hearing be held to obtain input on current housing and community development needs relating to the Action Plan. This hearing provides an opportunity for public input for FY 2025-26. The Action Plan will identify local priorities and uses for two sources of federal funds: CDBG and HOME Investment Partnership Program (HOME) funds. Eligible activities include housing development, property acquisition and rehabilitation, public facility capital improvements, public services, accessibility improvements, economic development, as well as planning and administrative activities. At least 70 percent of CDBG funds must benefit low- and moderate-income residents or neighborhoods. In addition, the total amount of CDBG funds obligated for public services activities must not exceed 15 percent of the annual entitlement allocation and prior year’s program income.
In 2020, the City prepared its Five-Year Consolidated Plan (Consolidated Plan), a planning document required by HUD, which is designed to assist the City with assessing its affordable housing and community development needs and market conditions so that it may make data-driven, place-based investment decisions. The Consolidated Plan identified the following priorities: affordable housing, preventing and addressing homelessness, reducing housing discrimination, and non-housing community development (public services, economic development, and public facilities). The current Consolidated Plan ends June 30, 2025.
In 2023, the Social Service Human Relations Board (SSHRB) completed the 2023 Community Needs Assessment (2023 CNA). The 2023 CNA was reviewed and accepted by City Council at its May 2, 2023 meeting. The 2023 CNA confirmed the continued need for the CDBG-funded services. The next CNA will be conducted and brought to City Council in 2028.
On October 24, 2024, SSHRB heard a presentation and public comment on the Fiscal Years (FY) 2025-2026 through 2029-2030 Consolidated Plan (Exhibit 2), discussed the housing and community needs, and directed the preparation of the FY 2025-26 Needs Statement, which identifies the City’s priority public service needs (Needs Statement) for approval by City Council (Exhibit 1). Staff invited 39 non-profit organizations that are active in Alameda to the SSHRB meeting to comment on the Consolidated Plan. The SSHRB board voted unanimously to recommend the following priority areas:
• Mental Health Services
o Promotion of healthy relationships
o Implementation of crisis intervention
o Domestic violence awareness
• Food Security and Nutrition Programs
o Emphasis on serving unhoused, low-income, seniors, and persons with disabilities
o Accessibility to healthier food options
• Access to Housing
o Increase housing affordability and supply
• Advocacy & Coordination
o Wraparound services to support marginalized and underserved communities
• Age Friendly Communities
o Inclusion model of engagement
o Integrated with Disability and Equity initiatives
o Livable Alameda for people of all ages
• Social connectedness
o Community building, diversity and inclusivity
All citizen participation requirements have been met for the public hearing, with publication of the notice on the City website and in the November 4, 2024 Alameda Journal as well as in Chinese, Vietnamese, Tagalog and Spanish-language newspapers. Accommodations are available for non-English speaking residents and persons with disabilities to participate in the public comment process.
DISCUSSION
Overview of the Community Development Block Grant Process
As an entitlement jurisdiction, the City receives CDBG funds from HUD. CDBG regulations require that an annual public hearing be held to obtain community input on current housing and community development needs. The Consolidated Plan contains a five-year goal for public services, 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 FY 2025-26 through FY 2029-30. Priority needs in the Consolidated Plan include 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
The City’s FY 2025-26 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.
The purpose of the public meeting is to support the City’s effort to identify the social service needs of the community and recommend the FY 2025-26 Needs Statement for approval. The approved Needs Statement will be included in the upcoming CDBG FY 2025-26 Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA).
CDBG Past Performance
Listed below are the current, CDBG-funded public service providers, their service offerings, annual goal of people served, and number of persons who benefited from the program in FY 2020-21, FY 2021-22, FY 2022-23 and FY 2023-24:
|
Service Provider |
Service Offering |
Annual Goal of People Served |
FY 2020-21 Persons |
FY 2021-22 Persons |
FY 2022-23 Persons |
FY 2023-24 Persons |
|
Alameda Family Services |
Mental Health Counseling |
55 |
55 |
32 |
44 |
39 |
|
Alameda Food Bank |
Emergency Food Distribution |
3,000 |
10,537 |
11,731 |
6,302 |
8,921 |
|
Building Futures |
Shelter & Counseling |
85 |
120 |
62 |
66 |
95 |
|
Eden Council for Hope & Opportunity (ECHO) |
Fair Housing & Housing Counseling |
125 |
69 |
67 |
103 |
149 |
|
Eden Information & Referral |
Information & Referral |
350 |
397 |
402 |
459 |
495 |
|
Family Violence Law Center |
Family Violence Prevention |
32 |
43 |
62 |
37 |
37 |
|
Legal Assistance for Seniors |
Legal Assistance for Alameda Seniors |
45 |
50 |
294 |
39 |
55 |
Nearly all service providers exceeded their annual goals. Following is a brief summary of some of the outcomes and challenges the providers faced.
Although the table shows that Alameda Family Services (AFS) served 39 clients, they actually met their annual goal of providing school-based mental health services to 55 youth in the City throughout FY 2023-24. AFS collects demographic data, but it has been a challenge to obtain income attestations for youth drop-in appointments or crisis response. The numbers in the table are for reporting to HUD and require this income verification. The program goals are to decrease hospitalizations, reduce mental health crisis, and provide individual therapy to students. There were no hospitalizations amongst youth, and an increase in functioning and stabilization.
Building Futures (BF) exceeded their goal by serving 95 homeless clients in FY 2023-24. As an example of the volume of assistance provided by Midway Shelter, in Quarter 4, they provided 2,241 bed nights and 6,723 meals. In addition to providing bed nights and 3 meals a day, the staff at Midway conducts weekly meetings that covers various and vital topics such as parenting, domestic violence support, housing workshops, employment workshops, basic life skills and children activities.
Legal Assistance for Seniors (LAS) program scope of work for FY 2023-24 is to provide free legal services to 45 seniors. They have additional subgoals to reach 300 or more individuals through its Community Education Program and provide 50 seniors with free, unbiased health insurance counseling program (HICAP). Cases ranged between housing, health law and elder abuse. Specifically, the HICAP Program served a total of 110 individuals which is more than double that subgoal.
ALTERNATIVES
• Hear public comment at this annual public hearing and approve the FY 2025-26 Needs Statement in support of the Consolidated Plan Priorities & Goals.
• Modify the Needs Statement to include additional priorities or remove proposed priorities prior to acceptance as this complies with the CDBG regulation to discuss these views during an annual public hearing.
• Decline to accept the Needs Statement, which may cause the City to be out of compliance with HUD requirements, potentially jeopardizing the City’s ability to receive these funds.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
There is no financial impact from conducting a public hearing to determine FY 2025-26 housing and community development needs.
MUNICIPAL CODE/POLICY DOCUMENT CROSS REFERENCE
This project is consistent with the Housing and Community Development HUD CDBG/HOME 24 CFR Part 91 Five-Year Consolidated Plan requirement.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
In accordance with CEQA, this action is categorically exempt from further environmental review pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15262 (Feasibility and Planning Studies).
CLIMATE IMPACT
There are no identifiable climate impacts or climate action opportunities associated with the subject of this report.
RECOMMENDATION
Hold a public hearing and, following the public hearing, approve the Housing and Community Development Needs Statement and Priority Needs and Objectives for the CDBG Annual Plan for fiscal year 2025-26.
Respectfully submitted,
Amy Wooldridge, Assistant City Manager
By,
C’Mone Falls, Housing and Human Services Manager
Andre Fairley, Management Analyst
Financial Impact section reviewed,
Margaret O’Brien, Finance Director
Exhibits:
1. Needs Statement
2. Consolidated Plan Priorities & Goals
3. Stakeholder Identified Needs
4. FY 2025-26 Action Plan Schedule
cc: Social Service Human Relations Board