REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
April 22, 2021
FROM: JENNIFER CLARK, Director
Planning and Development Department
THROUGH: THOMAS GAFFERY, Assistant Director
Planning and Development Department
KAREN JENKS, Administrative Manager
Housing and Community Development Division
BY: EDWARD CHINEVERE, Senior Management Analyst
Housing and Community Development Division
SUBJECT
Title
Actions pertaining to the 2021-2022 Annual Action Plan:
1. HEARING to obtain public comments regarding the Draft 2021-2022 Annual Action Plan; and
2. ***RESOLUTION - Adopting the 2021-2022 Annual Action Plan; approving submission to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for application of $7,079,887 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), $3,289,681 HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME), $606,586 Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG), and $714,258 Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS/HIV (HOPWA) program funds; providing for subrecipient agreements; and Authorizing the City Manager to sign all implementing documents required by HUD as approved to form by the City Attorney (Subject to Mayor’s veto)
Body
RECOMMENDATIONS
Staff recommends the City Council conduct a public hearing and thereafter adopt the 2021-2022 Annual Action Plan application to the HUD CPD entitlement grant programs including CDBG, HOME, ESG, and HOPWA; and authorize the City Manager to sign all reasonably required implementing documents, instruments, and funding agreements required by HUD as approved to form by the City Attorney.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
City staff implemented a citizen engagement, planning, and application process beginning in December 2020 to develop the 2021-2022 Annual Action Plan. The plan will be deemed approved 45 days after HUD receives the submission, unless HUD notifies the City before that date that the plans are disapproved. The City will submit the plans as early as feasible following City Council adoption to allow for timely approval at the start of Fiscal Year 2022.
BACKGROUND
2021-2022 Annual Action Plan Process
In order to qualify for and receive federal grant funding through HUD, the City is required to prepare an Annual Action Plan detailing the projects proposed for funding through CDBG, HOME, ESG, and HOPWA programs, and the benefits to low- and moderate-income persons. The 2021-2022 Annual Action Plan covers the period from July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022 and is the second year of the five-year Consolidated Plan. HUD requires that the Annual Action Plan be consistent with the City’s five-year Consolidated Plan and incorporate input from the community needs assessment conducted annually in support of each year’s plan.
To support these requirements, the City conducted two virtual community needs workshops to introduce residents to the goals of the Consolidated Plan and Annual Action Plan, and to request specific input on projects and activities to be considered for funding. A community needs public hearing was conducted at the January 28, 2021 meeting of the City Council. Additionally, a community needs questionnaire was distributed to all organizations who had participated in the development of the Consolidated Plan or Annual Action Plan over the past two years. Spanish, Hmong, and ASL interpretation was provided at all meetings and hearings.
Following the community needs assessment, staff prepared a Consolidated Notice of Funding Available (NOFA) to request applications from qualifying non-profit organizations, units of local government, and City departments. The activities requested in the NOFA were selected to meet the goals of the five-year Consolidated Plan, and additional consideration was given to applications that addressed specific needs identified during the annual needs assessment. Four technical assistance workshops were held to aide non-profits in applying for the NOFA. Staff evaluated the applications to ensure eligibility with the federal funding sources and scored the applications according to the evaluation criteria published with the NOFA. The results were reviewed with an ad hoc committee of the City Council, and the draft funding allocation was presented in the Annual Action Plan for a 30-day public review from March 19, 2021 through April 20, 2021. Public comments may be found in the 2021-2022 Annual Action Plan Appendix B: Citizen Input and Public Comment. At the time of drafting the staff report, the 30-day public comment period had not concluded, and the April 22, 2021 City Council public hearing had not occurred. A summary of comments received by the City through the April 22, 2021 public hearing will be considered and included in the final 2021-2022 Annual Action Plan submitted to HUD.
Citizen Participation
A list of meeting, public review, and key notice dates is provided below. An exhaustive list of promotional and outreach activities is provided in the appendices of the 2021-2022 Annual Action Plan.
• December 23, 2020 - Notice of upcoming meetings and planning process published in the Fresno Bee, City Clerk website, Housing and Community Development Division (HCDD) website, emailed to a list of 500+ persons who have requested to receive updates from HCDD, and posted to social media
• December 30, 2020 - Spanish-language public notice published in Vida en el Valle
• December 30, 2020 (week ending) - Public notice read on-air in Hmong on radio station KBIF
• December 23, 2020 through January 15, 2021 - Workshops and public hearings promoted on social media; through digital flyers distributed to Fresno, Central, and Sanger Unified school district students and parents; on media calendars maintained by KMPH, KFSN, YourCentralValley, Valley Public Radio, and KFCF; and through email
• January 21 & 22, 2021 - Community needs virtual workshops conducted on Zoom platform; recordings and presentations posted to the HCDD website
• January 28, 2021 - Community needs public hearing conducted at City Council meeting
• February 5, 2021 - Consolidated Notice of Funding Available (NOFA) posted to request applications for Owner-Occupied Home Repair, Homeless & Homelessness Prevention, Community Services, and Infrastructure & Facility Improvement activities
• February 17, 18, & 19 - NOFA technical assistance webinars held; recordings published to HCDD website
• March 19, 2021 - 2021-2022 Annual Action Plan published for public review and comment to the website of the City Clerk and HCDD; availability was promoted on social media and by email
• April 20, 2021 - End of written public comment period
• April 22, 2021 - City Council Annual Action Plan public hearing & consideration
• May 15, 2021 - Annual Action Plan due to HUD
• May 17, 2021 - Release of Affordable Housing Development and Substantial Rehabilitation NOFA
• May 17, 2021 - Release of Fair Housing Services NOFA
2021-2022 Entitlement Program Allocation
|
Program |
2020-2021 |
2021-2022 |
Difference |
|
CDBG |
$7,112,639 |
$7,079,887 |
$(32,752) |
|
HOME |
$3,255,075 |
$3,289,681 |
$34,606 |
|
ESG |
$610,018 |
$606,586 |
$(3,432) |
|
HOPWA |
$636,124 |
$714,258 |
$78,134 |
|
Totals |
$11,613,856 |
$11,690,412 |
$76,556 |
Entitlement funds primarily address housing and community development needs of low-and moderate-income households, and as such the limited resources are prioritized to meet the greatest need. Activities that are multi-year in nature such as planning activities, infrastructure improvements, and rehabilitation programs that take more than one year to complete may be carried over into the next fiscal year. It is important to note that for timeliness reasons, it is essential that projects utilizing entitlement funds be implemented efficiently.
The City received 23 applications for funding. Staff reviewed the applications according to the evaluation criteria published with the NOFA and presented the applications to an ad hoc committee of the City Council. The activities recommended for funding in the 2021-2022 Annual Action Plan include investments in street and sidewalk improvement projects as well as investments in public services administered by the City and by local non-profit agencies. A summary of the activities to be funded can be found in the attached Annual Action Plan under AP-35, Project Summary.
The 2021-2022 Annual Action Plan reflects funding for three Marjaree Mason Center safe house rooms, given that two of the five rooms for which funding was requested were indicated to be funded through State homelessness funds also administered by the City. Marjaree Mason Center has since requested that their application be evaluated to include supportive services for the original five safe house rooms, indicating that ‘although we indicated an anticipated loss in funding through the HEAP program in our proposal, there are many more than 7 unfunded rooms in the Fresno Safe House. The 5 safe house rooms included in the CDBG proposal will not be supported through the HEAP program.’
Upon adoption of the resolution, the City will use the subrecipient agreements as approved to form by the City Attorney to enter into agreements with subrecipients for activities approved for funding by this resolution.
ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS
This is not a project for purposes of CEQA pursuant to CEQA guidelines Section 15378. These plans, strategies and studies are an exempt activity under HUD NEPA Requirements (24 CFR 58.34 (1)).
LOCAL PREFERENCE
Local preference is not applicable because of the use of federal funding.
FISCAL IMPACT
Adoption of the 2021-2022 Annual Action Plan is required to allow the City to receive $11,690,412 of new entitlement funding.
Attachments: Resolution
2021-2022 Annual Action Plan for HUD CPD Entitlement Grant Funding - Public Review
Proposed Funding Allocation Summary
Applications for Funding
Subrecipient Agreements
Presentation