REPORT TO THE HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION
March 14, 2018
FROM: JENNIFER CLARK, Director
Development and Resource Management Department
THROUGH: KELLI FURTADO, Assistant Director
Development and Resource Management Department
BY: Thomas Morgan, Housing Manager
Development and Resource Management Department
SUBJECT
Title
Public Hearing - FY 2019 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), HOME Investment Partnerships Program Tenant Based Rental Assistance (HOME TBRA), Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) and Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS/HIV (HOPWA) Applicant Presentations, Scoring, Tabulation and Ranking of Applications by Commissioners, Report on the Results of the Staff Scoring Component, and Approval of a Recommendation to the Mayor for allocating federal entitlement funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) related to the FY 2019 Annual Action Plan.
Body
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the Housing and Community Development Commission (HCDC) conduct a public hearing for Applicant presentations on their request for FY 2019 CDBG, HOME TBRA, ESG and HOPWA funding. Staff further recommends that the Commission close the public hearing following the conclusion of the final Applicant presentation, and:
1. Reviews and scores applications based on the criteria established in the respective application packets;
2. Receive the results of the staff scoring component for each FY 2019 application;
3. Validate the tabulation and ranking of the overall application scoring results;
4. Approve staff’s submission of HCDC’s recommended CDBG, HOME TBRA, ESG and HOPWA activities/projects and HOME Affordable Housing Development and Substantial Rehabilitation (HOME AHD/SR) and Community Housing Development Organization (CHDO) Setaside funding allocations to the Mayor and City Council for consideration.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The City of Fresno is the annual recipient of federal entitlement program funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). As a condition of receiving these funds, the City is required to prepare an Annual Action Plan detailing program expenditures and the benefit to low and moderate-income persons.
One of the steps in developing the Annual Action Plan is for HCDC to review: 1) applications submitted for CDBG, HOME TBRA, ESG, and HOPWA funding, 2) staff scoring results for each application, 3) staff recommendations for HOME AHD/SH and CHDO funding allocations, and 4) provide funding recommendations to the Mayor and City Council. This item requests that HCDC conduct a public hearing to consider these matters and provide funding recommendations to the Mayor and City Council.
BACKGROUND
The City of Fresno is the annual recipient of federal entitlement funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). These funds are provided through the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), the HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME); the Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG), and the Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS/HIV (HOPWA) programs. As a condition of receiving these funds, the City is required to prepare an Annual Action Plan detailing the uses of the federal dollars and the benefits to low and moderate income persons.
Citizen Participation
City staff began preparation of the FY 2019 Annual Action Plan by conducting Community Workshops on January 9, 2018 and January 18, 2018. The workshops provided basic information on the CDBG, HOME, ESG and HOPWA programs, the citizen participation process, and the steps and anticipated timeline for identifying and selecting activities for FY 2019 funding. These two workshops were followed by a Community Needs Public Hearing at HCDC’s January 24, 2018. The process continued with the release of the Consolidated Notice of Funding Availability and Information Guide on February 1, 2018. Applications requesting CDBG, HOME TBRA, ESG and HOPWA funding were due on March 1, 2018 and applicants will make oral presentations to the HCDC during the Public Hearing to be conducted on March 14, 2018. HCDC will review, evaluate and score CDBG, HOME TBRA, ESG and HOPWA applications. Additionally, HCDC will receive the results of the staff scoring component. HOME AHD/SH and CHDO scoring results will be presented at a future to-be-determined HCDC meeting. (Note: HUD requires the completion of extensive due diligence and underwriting requirements prior to the City committing HOME AHD/SH and CHDO funds). HCDC will provide CDBG, HOME TBRA, ESG and HOPWA funding recommendations to the Mayor and City Council as part of the Annual Action Plan process. HOME AHD/SH and CHDO funds will be set-aside for HOME eligible activities in the Annual Action Plan, but specific awards will be made following the completion of underwriting and due diligence.
FY 2018-2019 Federal Entitlement Funding
Because HUD has not yet announced the annual allocation, the City of Fresno cannot predict its annual allocation amounts. However, the City’s estimated allocation amount expected to be received for FY 2019 entitlement funding is listed below:
− CDBG: $6,422,423
− ESG: $569,903
− HOPWA: $441,305
− HOME: $2,204,672, including $667,000 in TBRA; $1,751,650 in AHD/SH; and $481,650 in CHDO funding
Scoring Process
Applicants who submitted funding requests for CDBG, HOME TBRA, ESG and HOPWA funding have been invited to present the merits of their respective projects to HCDC on March 14, 2018. A book of submitted funding requests was provided to the HCDC commissioners prior to the March 14, 2018 meeting. Applicants will be eligible to receive up to 100 points on their applications.
Prior to the March 14, 2018 meeting, staff reviewed and evaluated the applications, determined threshold eligibility and provided a score of up to 20 points based on the qualifying criteria. During the Public Hearing, HCDC Commissioners will review and evaluate the applications and score up to 80 points based upon the standards previously discussed during a workshop at HCDC’s February 2018 meeting. The scoring results will be tabulated and ranked during the HCDC meeting.
Attachment:
Exhibit A - 2018-2019 Funding Requests-Book A: Applicants
Exhibit B - 2018-2019 Funding Requests-Book B: Requests