|
Date: |
October 27, 2026 |
19 |
Title
Noticed Public Hearing:
Receive Public Input on Housing and Community Development Needs and Approve the Fiscal Year 2027-28 Annual Plan Strategy [Noticed Public Hearing - Community Input for Fiscal Year 2027-28 Annual Plan Strategy for the Community Development Block Grant, Home Investment Partnerships, Emergency Solutions Grant, and Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS] (Districts: All)
End
Overview
The County of San Diego (County), as a recipient of United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) entitlement program funding, develops a five-year Consolidated Plan to guide long-term planning and investment of housing and community development activities that serve residents across the region. On March 11, 2025 (08), the San Diego County Board of Supervisors (Board) approved the Fiscal Years (FYs) 2025-29 Consolidated Plan. The Consolidated Plan establishes goals for the four entitlement programs locally administered by the County’s Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA), Housing and Community Development Services (HCDS). The four entitlement programs are the Community Development Block Grant, HOME Investment Partnerships, Emergency Solutions Grant, and Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS.
The adopted 2025-29 Consolidated Plan requires an annual planning process consisting of three key documents: (1) the Annual Plan Strategy, (2) the Annual Plan, and (3) the Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report. The Annual Plan Strategy is developed through extensive community engagement and sets forth the priorities for the activities that will be funded in the upcoming year’s Annual Plan. HCDS conducted robust community engagement efforts, including community input sessions and an online survey, to inform the development of the Annual Plan Strategy. Driven by the community input received, the FY 2027-28 Annual Plan will prioritize: (1) building and preserving affordable housing; (2) improving access to housing; and (3) expanding housing with support services.
Today’s action requests that the Board hold a public hearing to receive public input on housing and community development needs and approve the FY 2027-28 Annual Plan Strategy. This item advances the County’s vision of a just, sustainable, and resilient future for all residents, with a particular focus on low-income communities and households. This action aligns with the County’s ongoing commitment to the regional Live Well San Diego vision of healthy, safe, and thriving communities by ensuring low-income residents have access to suitable living environments and by enhancing quality of life through decent and affordable housing. Additionally, this action supports the County’s Housing for All Initiative by ensuring funding supports programs across the homeless-to-housed continuum for San Diego’s most vulnerable residents.
Body
Recommendation by Chief Administrative Officer:
1) Hold this public hearing to receive public input on the housing and community development needs and the draft 2027-28 Annual Plan Strategy.
2) Approve the 2027-28 Annual Plan Strategy.
End
Equity Impact Statement
The Community Development Block Grant, HOME Investment Partnerships, Emergency Solutions Grant, and Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS programs were designed to address the housing, community development, and public service needs of the county’s most vulnerable residents. These programs specifically serve low- and moderate-income households and allow the County to invest in tailored interventions such as services for individuals with special needs, nutritional meal delivery services, short-term emergency and permanent housing solutions, and essential home repairs that improve health and safety.
Sustainability Impact Statement
Today’s action advances the County of San Diego’s Sustainability Goals. Goal #1, to engage the community in meaningful ways, will be achieved through engagement opportunities that inform the development of the Fiscal Year 2027-28 Annual Plan and set clear priorities through annual community input. The planning process emphasizes accessible participation by providing multiple ways for community members to engage and share their input, including surveys, virtual sessions, and in-person sessions. Goal #2, to provide just and equitable access to County services, is supported by prioritizing programs that expand access to affordable housing, public recreation, shelter, and supportive services for San Diego County’s most vulnerable residents. Goal #4, to protect the health and well-being of residents, will be accomplished through community engagement and thoughtful practices that foster trust and inclusion.
Fiscal Impact
There is no fiscal impact associated with this action. There will be no change in net General Fund costs and no additional staff years.
Business Impact Statement
N/A
Advisory Board Statement
N/A
Background
As a recipient of United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) entitlement program funding, the County of San Diego (County) Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA), Housing and Community Development Services (HCDS) develops a five-year Consolidated Plan. The Consolidated Plan serves as the County’s strategic and guiding document for prioritizing activities funded through its four federal entitlement programs:
1. Community Development Block Grant (CDBG): Supports housing, public services, and community development activities benefiting low- and moderate-income residents
2. HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME): Supports local strategies to expand affordable housing through development, acquisition and/or rehabilitation of affordable housing, first-time homebuyer activities, and rental assistance
3. Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG): Funds the initial steps in a continuum of care to prevent and address homelessness through street outreach, emergency shelter, homeless prevention, and rapid rehousing
4. Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA): Provides housing and services for low-income individuals living with HIV/AIDS and their families,
The Consolidated Plan includes a demographic profile of County residents, an assessment of housing and community development needs, and a strategy to address those needs through these four programs. The current Consolidated Plan goals which cover Fiscal Years 2025-29 (July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2030) are 1) Expanding affordable housing options by increasing the supply and improving the affordability of existing housing; 2) Promoting housing stability for the region’s most vulnerable populations through programs that span the homeless-to-housed continuum; 3) Enhancing quality of life by improving access to vital services, community infrastructure, and economic opportunities.
The Consolidated Plan was developed through a combination of community input and analysis of local data indicators. It describes community needs, existing services, goals for addressing unmet needs, and funding priorities to be implemented through Annual Plans. The geographic scope of the Consolidated Plan includes the jurisdictions within the San Diego County Consortium, dependent on the entitlement program in which each jurisdiction serves:
• Urban County (CDBG and ESG programs): The unincorporated areas of San Diego County and the participating cities of Coronado, Del Mar, Imperial Beach, Lemon Grove, Poway, and Solana Beach
• HOME Consortium (HOME program): The Urban County plus the additional participating cities of Carlsbad, Encinitas, La Mesa, San Marcos, Santee, and Vista
• Regional (HOPWA program): Includes the entire region of San Diego County
In 2026, Congress enacted the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, modernizing HUD entitlement programs to accelerate housing production, improve flexibility, and strengthen local delivery. For the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, the Act adds new affordable housing construction as an eligible activity and introduces performance‑oriented production incentives. For the HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME) program, the Act reauthorizes and updates the program, raising income eligibility from 80% up to 100% of AMI, expanding eligible uses to include housing‑adjacent infrastructure for jurisdictions without direct CDBG, and streamlining environmental reviews for small infill, rehabilitation, and certain new construction for projects typically under 15 units. For the Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) program, the Act allows grantees to request waivers of the statutory 60% cap on emergency shelter and street outreach to better align spending with local needs. The Act does not include explicit statutory changes to the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) program, which continues to operate alongside these reforms within the County’s homeless‑to‑housed continuum to connect individuals to supportive services, stabilize housing placements, and promote long-term housing retention. These reforms are only a few high-impact highlights of the Act, focusing on changes most relevant to these programs. The County is still awaiting implementation guidance and further details on how these changes will be applied to our entitlement programs from HUD.
Annual Process
The five-year Consolidated Plan operates on an annual cycle, following the County’s fiscal year calendar, producing three key documents each year: the Annual Plan Strategy, the Annual Plan, and the Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER). The Annual Plan Strategy (first stage) is informed by robust community input and establishes funding priorities for the upcoming fiscal year. The Annual Plan (second stage) proposes specific projects and activities for funding that align with the Annual Plan Strategy and the Consolidated Plan’s goals. The CAPER (third stage) reports on the outcomes and accomplishments of the prior year’s Annual Plan activities.
Annual Plan Strategy Community Engagement Process
Community input is foundational to developing the Annual Plan Strategy and the Annual Plan. HCDS conducts engagement in two key stages, each offering opportunities for public participation. The first stage involves broad community engagement to identify priorities and needs that will guide funding decisions for the coming year. In June 2026, HCDS conducted a series of community engagement activities to support the development of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2027-28 Annual Plan Strategy. In June 2026, HCDS hosted in-person community input sessions in Spring Valley, Del Mar, Ramona, Fallbrook, and Imperial Beach, as well as two virtual sessions to increase accessibility. Outreach was promoted through social media, targeted emails to stakeholders, community organizations, and community planning groups, advertisements in newspapers, newsletters, and social media, and collaboration with other County departments such as presentations at County Community Leadership Team meetings to encourage broad awareness and participation. Additionally, HCDS posted public notices and surveys in the County’s ten threshold languages online, in various newspapers, and provided via hard copy to libraries in communities with a high population of native speakers in each threshold language to reduce language barriers and improve accessibility. HCDS also invited each County Supervisor to share district-specific priorities through an online survey.
Community Feedback Results
Through these efforts, HCDS reached over 13,000 residents and stakeholders via its email distribution lists, generated more than 21,000 social media impressions, and received 207 community member responses. Respondents identified the most pressing affordability challenges as high rent prices and lack of affordable options, followed by lack of rental assistance, limited paths to homeownership, and poor housing conditions needing repair. The top priority populations identified by respondents included families with children, extremely low‑income households, seniors, individuals experiencing homelessness, and people with disabilities. Additional details on community input can be found in Attachment A.
Annual Plan Strategy Funding Priorities
Based on key themes that emerged through community engagement and consistent with the Consolidated Plan, the FY 2027-28 Annual Plan Strategy will prioritize funding activities that:
• Build and preserve affordable housing: Speed up new affordable rental housing development and fix low‑income units that need repair.
• Improve access to housing: Support move-in costs, deposits, and rental assistance and reduce barriers to accessing rental assistance where feasible.
• Expand housing with support services: Increase permanent supportive housing and rapid rehousing; broaden emergency housing options when feasible; integrate case management and behavioral health connections.
Public Comment Process
HCDS conducted a 30-day public comment period for the FY 2027-28 Annual Plan Strategy, from September 25, 2026, through October 27, 2026. During this period, the Strategy was made available online with public notices translated into each of the County’s ten threshold languages. Printed copies were also available for public viewing at the HCDS office. Public notices were published in local newspapers, including the San Diego Union-Tribune, Voice and Viewpoint, El Latino, Asian Journal, Beirut Times, Saigon Times, and Nguoi Viet, inviting residents to submit comments during the review period. Today’s hearing also provides an opportunity for the Board to receive public comments on the Strategy. A second public comment period and hearing will occur during the Annual Plan development stage in Spring 2027 to gather input on specific funding recommendations included in the draft FY 2027-28 Annual Plan.
Linkage To The County Of San Diego Strategic Plan
Today’s action supports the County of San Diego’s 2026-31 Strategic Plan Initiatives of Sustainability (Economy and Resiliency), Equity (Housing and Economic Opportunity), and Community (Engagement, Quality of Life, and Partnership). Additionally, today’s action supports the regional Live Well San Diego vision of healthy, safe, and thriving communities by supporting community development and housing reflective of priorities identified by County residents and the Board through various means of engagement. This item also aligns with the Housing for All Initiative, by ensuring funding supports programs across the homeless-to-housed continuum and advances the County’s broader policy goals to address the housing crisis.
Respectfully submitted,
Ebony N. Shelton
Chief Administrative Officer
Attachment(s)
Attachment A - County of San Diego Consortium 2027-28 Annual Plan Strategy