Santa Clarita is on track to receive a nearly 4% increase in federal Community Development Block Grant funds compared to last year, officials announced Tuesday.
When developing the city’s 2019-2020 annual action plan, city staff used last year’s estimated budget of $1,212,260 because the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development had not yet released the new year’s allocation, said Erin Lay, city housing program administrator.
“We found out today that our allocation is 3.6% more than we thought it was going to be,” she said. “So, the actual fund availability is $1,256,382.”
The announcement came during her presentation before the City Council during its regular meeting, where they unanimously voted to submit the required documents (a five-year Consolidated Plan, the Annual Action Plan, and a five-year Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice) in order to receive CDBG funds.
Every year, Santa Clarita has received an average of $1.2 million from HUD. The city uses the grant dollars for its five-year strategic plan, known as the Consolidated Plan, which studies the local economy, the housing market and homelessness. Current focus areas include affordable housing, supportive services, infrastructural improvements and expanding businesses and job training.
During her presentation, Lay provided a breakdown of the funds, saying that a maximum of $251,276 would go toward administration services (personnel and fair housing services) and capital projects would receive a maximum of $816,849. For public services, which are offered by local nonprofits, a maximum of $188,257 has been set.
Out of 70 notices the city sent out to local-serving organizations, nine program proposals were received from six nonprofits. For the 2019-2020 year, beneficiaries include Bridge to Home for its community access services and homeless outreach, Carousel Ranch for its Ready to Work and Project Special Children of the Valley program, and Family Promise’s clinical case management services.
For its Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice, which seeks to identify ways the city can improve its fair housing options, Lay shared a summary of Santa Clarita’s plan. Actions include improving access to fair housing information and evaluating possible changes to city development standards to promote fair housing.
