Title
Review and Approve Community Development Block Grant Public Services Funding Recommendations for Fiscal Year 2023-24
Body
To: Honorable Acting President Scott Means and Members of the Social Service Human Relations Board
BACKGROUND
On February 27, 2023, the federal Department of Housing and Community Development (HUD) allocated $1,123,711 of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds to the City of Alameda. As part of the annual CDBG process, the City released the CDBG Fiscal Year (FY) 2023-24 Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) and Request for Proposals (RFP) on January 10, 2023. Seven nonprofit organizations submitted applications for public services funding. Staff provided the Social Service Human Relations Board (SSHRB) with electronic access so that its members may review and score each of the applications. The scores are included in this report as Exhibit 1 (FY 2023-24 CDBG Evaluation Summary).
At the March 23, 2023 SSHRB meeting, staff will briefly review the CDBG funding amounts and staff recommendations. After the presentation, the SSHRB will hear public comment and recommend the organizations and funding amounts for public services funding. Staff will present the recommendations to City Council at the May 2, 2023 Public Hearing.
DISCUSSION
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. Program income will continue to be received through June 30, 2023. Therefore, the actual amount of program income will be determined at a later date.
Staff is proposing funding allocations using the following assumption:
|
Funding Type |
Amount |
15% of Amount |
|
City of Alameda Entitlement |
$1,123,711 |
$168,556 |
|
FY 2022-23 Program Income (estimated) |
$80,000 |
$12,000 |
|
Total Estimated Funds Available |
$1,203,711 |
$180,556 |
Staff will continue to monitor the receipt of program income and adjust the numbers accordingly prior to submitting the final Action Plan to HUD by May 15, 2023.
Public Services Applications Received
Following is a summary of the Public Services applications that were received, the FY 2022-23 funding amount, and the FY 2023-24 funding request.
|
Applicant In alphabetical order |
Services Offered |
Goal Unduplicated Persons Served |
FY 2023-24 Request |
|
Alameda Family Services |
Mental Health for Youth |
55 |
$68,600 |
|
Alameda Food Bank |
Emergency Food Distribution |
3,000 |
$28,000 |
|
Building Futures with Women and Children |
Midway Shelter, crisis prevention, Domestic Violence education |
85 |
$105,505 |
|
Eden Council for Hope and Opportunity (ECHO) |
Fair Housing Counseling & Tenant/Landlord Mediation |
125 |
$25,290 |
|
EDEN I&R |
Housing Information and Referral Services |
350 |
$26,000 |
|
Family Violence Law Center (FVLC) |
Family Violence Prevention Project |
32 |
$25,000 |
|
Legal Assistance for Seniors |
Legal Assistance and Education for Alameda Seniors |
395 |
$25,000 |
|
|
TOTAL |
4,042 |
$303,395 |
Assuming estimated funding of $180,556, funding request of $303,395 exceeds the funds available by $122,839. Yet, all of the applicants provide CDBG-eligible services that have been identified as a priority by SSHRB.
Proposed Public Services Funding for FY 2023-24
Below is a summary of the Public Services applications received, the average score from SSHRB, the FY 2023-24 funding request, and staff’s recommendation for FY 2023-24 funding levels (see Exhibit 1 for the detailed scores provided). In the SSHRB staff report for the December 1, 2022 meeting, staff presented information about past performance for all seven public service applicants. It was also recommended that the public service provider agreements to be entered into following the selection of providers through the Notice of Funding/Request for Proposal (NOFA/RFP) process be for a single year with the option to extend the agreements for another year. If the priority needs remain the same next year, there will be no need to release a NOFA/RFP for FY 2024-25. In summary, all applicants are eligible and recommended for funding at the levels requested for FY 2023-24 with an option to extend for a second year.
[See table on the following page.]
|
Applicant Listed in order of Score |
Score |
Staff’s Recommended Funding |
|
Alameda Food Bank |
97.3 |
$28,000 |
|
Building Futures for Women and Children |
94.8 |
$105,505* |
|
Family Violence Law Center (FVLC) |
90.0 |
$30,000* |
|
Legal Assistance for Seniors |
88.8 |
$25,000 |
|
Eden Council for Hope and Opportunity (ECHO) |
88.8 |
$25,290 |
|
Alameda Family Services |
85.8 |
$68,600 |
|
Eden I & R |
N/A** |
$26,000* |
|
|
|
$308,395 |
* See the following section for information about the specific sources of funds.
** SSHRB reviewers were not asked to score Eden I & R as it provides a needed service and is the sole provider of information and referral services in Alameda County.
Availability of Funds Exceeds Availability
As the funding requests exceed the CDBG funds that are available, staff proposes to supplement the CDBG funding with other sources so that all of the proposed, eligible, and much needed services may be funded. To support Midway Shelter operations and depending on the amount of program income available by June 30, up to $3,000 will be paid out of CDBG and the remaining balance will be funded with Permanent Local Housing Allocation (PLHA) funds for this fiscal year and next. Using PLHA funds for Midway Shelter frees up CDBG funds to support the remaining public services. Like last year, staff proposes that Eden I & R be funded using CDBG administrative funds instead of CDBG public service funds, which will reduce the number of service providers that are subject to the CDBG public services cap. Lastly, FVLC currently has $24,191.30 of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funds remaining for its Emergency Shelter program. To ensure use of funds within HUD timeliness requirements, staff will reduce $10,000 from CDBG-CV and add $5,000 of CDBG funds for FY 23-24 and for FY 24-25. It should be noted that additional funding sources may not be available in the future and that all organizations are encouraged to raise additional funds to leverage the CDBG funds in the future.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the following:
1) Fund the public services at the levels proposed in the previous section.
2) Fund Building Futures with Women and Children, using up to $3,000 of CDBG funds and using PLHA funds to fund the remaining balance.
3) Fund Eden Information & Referral, using CDBG administrative funds.
4) Move $10,000 of FVLC funding from CDBG-CV to CDBG public services to be allocated $5,000 per year for the next two fiscal years.
5) In the event that the projected CDBG program income for the current fiscal year is more/less than $80,000, then staff recommends the funding for all service providers be increased/decreased on a pro rata basis.
Respectfully submitted by,
Lisa Fitts, Community Development Manager
Amanda Olson, Community Development Program Manager
EXHIBITS
Exhibit 1: City of Alameda FY 2023-24 CDBG Evaluation Summary