Title
Recommendation to Direct the Preparation of a Needs Statement to Confirm the Ongoing Community Needs for the Fiscal Year 2027-28 Community Development Block Grant Annual Action Plan; to Designate the President of the Social Service Human Relations Board and another Board Member to Review the Statement and Represent the Board at the City Council Public Hearing; and to Determine That CDBG Public Services, Based on Funding Availability.
Body
To: Honorable President Gerald Bryant and Members of the Social Service Human Relations Board
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In June 2026, the City of Alameda (City) prepared and submitted its Annual Action Plan (Action Plan), which identified the following priorities:
• Support programs for very low- and low-income residents, preserving safety net services, and providing support and coordination for families and individuals who are vulnerable or “in crisis”.
• Improve access to food and reduce food insecurity.
• Support services that provide mental health care or support services for those residents experiencing mental health challenges.
• Fund and support overnight shelter, crisis housing, and public services for homeless families and individuals.
• Fund supportive services, including case management and outreach, at organizations that serve homeless families and individuals.
• Fund economic development initiatives and support services that help job seekers to receive additional training or enter the job market, including microenterprise assistance.
• Create new affordable housing throughout the City.
• Substantial Rehabilitation to preserve existing inventory of affordable housing and/or to convert underutilized structures into affordable rental units.
• Offer financing for owner occupied/residential rehabilitation projects.
• Clean-up and secure unsafe structures and sites that pose a health and safety threat.
• Make improvements, including those for ADA accessibility, to public facilities, such as curbs and sidewalks, neighborhood parks and recreational improvements, tree planting, homeless facilities, and other improvements.
• Improve the administration of funding and coordination among project providers.
• Support fair housing efforts in the community, including providing assistance to individuals facing challenges with acquiring housing.
Each year, the City holds a public hearing to get input on housing and community development needs. This action will support the City’s effort to identify the community’s most critical needs and direct the preparation of the Needs Statement for the upcoming fiscal year (FY). The Needs Statement will be presented to City Council for approval at the public hearing, and this item is scheduled for December 1, 2026. The approved Needs Statement will be included in the upcoming Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) FY 2027-28 Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA)/Request for Proposals (RFP). The Action Plan Schedule is attached as Exhibit 2.
City staff and SSHRB use Community Needs Assessment (CNA) data as a baseline to assess and identify Alameda’s community needs.
BACKGROUND
As part of the annual 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. 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, and
4. Propose methodology for FY 2027-28 funding recommendations.
At the October 22, 2026, Social Service Human Relations Board (SSHRB) meeting, staff will briefly review the CDBG program and the process. After the presentation, SSHRB will review the current community needs and direct the preparation of the Needs Statement for FY 2027-28, which will be presented to the City Council during the December 1, 2026, Public Hearing.
The U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) typically announces CDBG allocations in the winter or spring. If funding becomes available, staff will present recommendations for funding to City Council during the first meeting in May 2027.
DISCUSSION
Overview of the Community Development Block Grant Process
As an entitlement jurisdiction, the City receives CDBG funds from the United States 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. The October 22 SSHRB meeting provides an opportunity for input on the Annual Action Plan for FY 2027-28. Alameda’s FY 2027-28 Action Plan will identify local priorities and uses of CDBG funds to address needs in eligible categories.
Every five years, the City is required to prepare a Consolidated Plan, which outlines the housing and community development priority needs that will inform CDBG funding decisions for the entire five-year period. An overview of the City’s priority needs for FYs 2025-29 Consolidated Plan includes:
• Preserving and increasing affordable housing and supportive services;
• Creating opportunities and educating individuals on fair housing;
• Preventing and addressing homelessness; and
• Addressing non-housing community development needs such as neighborhood improvements, public services, accessibility improvements and economic development.
Alameda’s FY 2027-28 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 families. Funding 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 2027-28 Needs Statement for approval by the City Council at the public hearing on December 1, 2026. The approved Needs Statement will be included in the upcoming CDBG FY 2027-28 NOFA/RFP.
CDBG Past Performance
Listed below are the current CDBG-funded public service providers, their service offerings, annual goal of people served, and number of people who benefited from the program in FYs 2025-29:
|
Service Provider |
Service Offering |
Annual Goal of People Served |
FY 2025-26 Persons |
|
Alameda Family Services |
Mental Health Counseling |
70 |
70 |
|
Alameda Food Bank |
Emergency Food Distribution |
4,093 |
11,954 |
|
Building Futures |
Shelter & Counseling |
85 |
67 |
|
Eden Council for Hope & Opportunity (ECHO) |
Fair Housing & Housing Counseling |
125 |
137 |
|
Eden Information & Referral |
Information & Referral |
350 |
356 |
|
Family Violence Law Center |
Family Violence Prevention |
29 |
43 |
|
Spectrum Community Inc. |
Seniors Meals Program |
176 |
209 |
The Statement of Work Progress Reports from the last quarter of FY 2025 contracts are attached as Exhibit 3 for reference and provide additional information to supplement the data shown above. Following is a brief summary of some of the goals, accomplishments, and/or challenges each provider faced.
Alameda Family Services (AFS) met their annual goal of providing school-based mental health services to 70 youth in the City of Alameda throughout FY 2025-26. The program goals are to decrease hospitalizations, reduce mental health crisis, and provide individual therapy to students. In Quarter 4, AFS provided services to 8 students at school-based health centers at three AUSD high schools within the City. In addition to meeting the quantitative goal of 70 total students served, AFS also met their qualitative goals around reducing mental health crisis in the high school populations and increasing functioning and mental health of students in therapy.
The Alameda Food Bank (AFB) easily surpassed their organizational goals by providing emergency food distribution for individuals and families facing challenges with food security. In FY 2025-26, AFB far exceeded their annual goal by reaching 11,954 individuals and families. AFB provided consistent access to nutritious food, serving over 1,600 households each week through the Island Community Market and other distribution programs. We expanded services by partnering with Alameda Family Services to host their bimonthly diaper distribution at our facility, with remaining diapers made available to our clients, and continued to grow our Beyond the Market program by offering weekly CalFresh outreach alongside regular on-site services from Alameda Family Services and the Alameda Housing Authority.
In FY 2025-26, Building Futures’ (BFWC) Midway Shelter served 67 clients which means they were short of meeting their annual goal of 80 individuals and/or families served. BFWC did not meet their annual goal due to residents’ length of stay. Clients remain in shelter until they are housed. Due to high rents, clients being low income, and unit availability, BFWC did not take in new clients. BFWC will continue to support clients with housing support by connecting them to as many housing programs that they qualify for. Midway Shelter will also continue to provide all the necessary services such as case management, housing workshops, therapy groups, and workforce development.
Eden Council for Hope and Opportunity’s (ECHO) annual goals consist of responding to fair housing inquiries, investigating fair housing complaints, conducting fair housing audits, administering fair housing sessions and tenant/property management mediation. In FY 2024-25, ECHO exceeded their annual goal by assisting 137 clients residing in Alameda. In Q4 alone, ECHO was able to provide services to 42 unduplicated households. For the Fair Housing component, ECHO received 9 inquiries and 13 complaints regarding physical disability (2), age (2), familial status (1), source of income (13) and race (2).
In 2025-26, the Family Violence Law Centers (FVLC) program succeeded by meeting their annual goal of reaching 43 clients. During Quarter 4, 12 unduplicated clients received legal services to assist them in achieving safety and avoiding homelessness. Legal services may include advice and counsel, preparing the necessary paperwork for court orders, representing survivors in court hearings, preparing restraining orders after hearing, and assisting with service of court orders.
Also, FVLC’s Crisis Services Manager has historically participated in the Alameda Domestic Violence Task Force (Alameda DVTF) and the Alameda Collaborative for Children, Youth and their Families (ACCYF), both of which provide opportunities to share information on FVLC services, to learn about other resources available in Alameda, and to encourage new collaborations to improve service delivery to domestic violence victims in the City of Alameda. FVLC attended the DV Task Force meeting on May 4, 2026, and we were not invited to attend any ACCYF meetings during this quarter. FVLC continued following the ACCYF’s Facebook page, which provides ongoing updates and reviews of pertinent news and activities.
Spectrum Community Inc. is a non-profit organization that administers a senior meal program for elderly individuals with mobility challenges. As a first-time recipient of CDBG funds, Spectrum exceeded their annual goal by supporting 209 households providing nutritious meals in FY 2025-26. In Q4, Spectrum served 4,350 meals to 131 unduplicated seniors, including 23 new participants. No eligible senior was turned away and participants continued to receive monthly nutrition education.
Priority Needs
The Social Service Human Relations Board (SSHRB) conducts a citywide CNA every three to five years as part of its chartered mandate. In 2023, staff conducted a survey to review and verify the community and social service priorities identified by community members from the 2023 CNA. This year, the Housing and Human Services Division conducted a thorough needs assessment as part of their strategic planning process. The SSHRB President and Vice President participated in the process through the community stakeholder gatherings and provided feedback. The Board was also provided access to the results of the communitywide survey to understand the needs reflected through the survey responses. Based on the findings from the needs assessment, staff recommend:
1. The SSHRB review and evaluate all CDBG NOFA/RFP related responses; and
2. Agree to fund qualified and eligible social service organizations with FY 2027-28 CDBG awards
Exhibit 1 contains the Consolidated Plan goal and activities that the Board previously 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, Residential Rehabilitation and Public Infrastructure Improvements.
Proposed Schedule and Timeline
The FY 2027-28 NOFA is tentatively scheduled to be released in January 2027. As done in 2025, HHS staff plan to recommend funding current social service providers on a two-year funding cycle with the adoption of the 2026 Annual Action Plan. The proposed Action Plan schedule is attached as Exhibit 2.
Depending on the number of applications received, staff may once again recommend that either fair housing or information & referral services be classified as an administrative expense in order to expand the funding made available to local nonprofit organizations. SSHRB members will be asked to review and score all other public service applications. Assuming that the NOFA/RFP is due in early February 2027, then members of the Board will be asked to submit their scoring for the public service applicants by late February 2027 so that staff may present recommendations at the time of the May 2027 public hearing.
Funding Availability
Funding for the next fiscal year is derived from two sources: entitlement funds that are allocated by HUD and program income that is generated from CDBG loan repayments. HUD requires that Public Services funding be capped at 15 percent of the current year’s grant allocation plus program income received in the previous fiscal year. At the time the staff report was written, the federal government had not yet adopted the budget for the next fiscal year. As a result, HUD had not yet published its allocations for CDBG FY 2027-28. Therefore, the amount of entitlement funds that will be available is not known at this time. Because the program income will continue to be received through June 30, 2027, the actual amount of program income will not be known before the end of the current fiscal year.
In January 2018, HUD published guidance that entitlement jurisdictions continue to adhere to the CDBG regulations and requirements, including the timeline for submitting the Action Plan, even absent confirmed funding amounts. Consequently, staff are proposing funding allocations, using the following estimations:
|
Funding Type |
Assumed Amount |
15% of Amount |
|
City of Alameda Entitlement |
$990,000 |
$148,500 |
|
FY 2025-26 Program Income |
$60,000 |
$9,000 |
|
Total Estimated Funds Available |
$1,050,000 |
$157,500 |
The actual funding determinations for FY 2027-28 will become available when HUD announces CDBG allocations for FY 2027-28. Furthermore, staff will continue to monitor the receipt of program income and adjust the numbers accordingly prior to submitting the final Action Plan to HUD in May 2027.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommend that the Board hear the presentation, review current community needs, and direct the preparation of a Needs Statement to confirm the ongoing needs for the FY 2027-28 CDBG Action Plan. The Board should also designate the President and/or another Board member to review the statement and represent the Board at the December 1, 2026, City Council Needs Public Hearing.
Respectfully submitted,
Andre Fairley, HHS Management Analyst
Exhibits:
1. FY 2025-29 Consolidated Plan Goals
2. FY 2027-28 Action Plan Schedule
3. Statement of Work Progress Reports
a. Alameda Family Services
b. Alameda Food Bank
c. Building Futures with Women and Children
d. Eden I & R
e. Eden Council for Hope and Opportunity
f. Family Violence Law Center
g. Spectrum Community Inc.
4. FY 27-28 Needs Presentation