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DATE: |
October 22, 2024 |
26 |
SUBJECT
Title
NOTICED PUBLIC HEARING:
2025-29 CONSOLIDATED PLAN AND FISCAL YEAR 2025-26 ANNUAL PLAN STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT FOR THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT, HOME INVESTMENT PARTNERSHIPS, HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES FOR PERSONS WITH AIDS AND EMERGENCY SOLUTIONS GRANT (DISTRICTS: ALL)
Body
OVERVIEW
As a recipient of United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) entitlement grant funding under the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME), Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA), and Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) programs, the County of San Diego (County) develops a five-year Consolidated Plan. The primary purpose of the Consolidated Plan is to:
1. Identify priority housing and community development needs in the County’s jurisdiction through market analysis, community input, and stakeholder consultation, and;
2. Strategically establish five-year goals that address priority community needs and potential federal, state, local, or private funding sources that could be leveraged with HUD entitlement funding.
Today’s hearing serves as an opportunity for the San Diego County Board of Supervisors (Board) to receive public comment on the draft 2025-29 Consolidated Plan Strategy, included as Attachment A. The 2025-29 Consolidated Plan Strategy proposes overarching 2025-29 Consolidated Plan goals, which sets priorities and numeric targets that guide the use of HUD entitlement funding, based on feedback gathered through in-person and virtual community input sessions, an online questionnaire, stakeholder consultations, and an analysis of community data indicators. Ultimately, the 2025-29 Consolidated Plan goals will help address needs related to housing, homelessness, and community development, and guide investments in the jurisdiction’s low- and moderate-income communities.
Following today’s hearing, the full 2025-29 Consolidated Plan will be drafted, including quantitative, measurable goals linked to the strategic goals established here today. The 2025-29 Consolidated Plan will be presented to the Board of Supervisors in Spring 2025 and will also include the 2025-26 Annual Plan, which recommends projects for funding. For each subsequent year of the Consolidated Plan, HCDS realigns goals through the Annual Plan Strategy, which sets project priorities for the Annual Plan for the upcoming fiscal year based on community engagement, progress towards 5-year goals, and previous program performance. Progress towards five-year goals is measured and reported through the Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER).
This item aligns to the County Framework for Ending Homelessness by ensuring the County continues to receive funding that creates permanent affordable and emergency housing options for San Diego County’s most vulnerable residents. Finally, today’s recommended Consolidated Plan goals support the Housing Blueprint by prioritizing programs across the housing solutions spectrum. Additionally, today’s action supports the County vision of a just, sustainable, and resilient future for all, specifically those communities and populations in San Diego County that have been historically left behind, as well as the ongoing commitment to the regional Live Well San Diego vision of healthy, safe, and thriving communities. This will be accomplished by ensuring low-income residents have access to suitable living environments and enhancing quality of life for residents by encouraging decent and affordable housing.
RECOMMENDATION(S)
CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER
1. Hold this public hearing to receive public input on the housing and community development needs and approve draft goals and strategies for the development of the 2025-29 Consolidated Plan Strategy.
EQUITY IMPACT STATEMENT
The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME), Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA), and Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) programs were established to meet the community development, housing, and public service needs of low-income and moderate-income households and individuals with special needs. The County of San Diego (County) has seen an increased need for housing and community development investment needs throughout the region, particularly among the region’s most vulnerable residents. According to the most recent and available 2020 United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy (CHAS) data, 49.7% of low- to moderate-income households experience some form of severe housing problem, such as overcrowding, nonfunctional facilities, or severe housing cost burden, defined as spending more than 50% of income on housing costs. CHAS data demonstrates the extent of housing problems and housing needs, particularly for low-income households. The most common, severe housing problem is housing cost burden above 50% of income. However, for renters earning 50% to 100% HUD Area Median Family Income, overcrowding is the most common severe housing problem.
In Fiscal Year 2023-24, the CDBG, HOME, HOPWA and ESG programs provided housing, support services, resource referral, or data collection for more than 50,000 individuals. These services particularly aid those in the unincorporated areas of San Diego County or participating cities that traditionally do not have access to as many funding sources as larger cities. These programs allow the County to provide tailored interventions, such as meal and nutrition delivery services, emergency, short-term, and permanent housing interventions, and home repairs for health and safety improvements. Additionally, of the population served, more than 90% qualified as extremely low-income, earning less than 30% of the Area Median Income.
As the administrator of HUD entitlement programs in the region, County Housing and Community Development Services (HCDS) works to expand and improve the community engagement efforts in eligible jurisdictions to ensure residents, including low-income and historically marginalized populations and groups can provide input. Additionally, HCDS deploys innovative strategies to ensure information is readily available and accessible to reduce barriers of participation for engagement. The input received from the community engagement efforts guides the County in determining the highest priority housing needs and how to best utilize the entitlement funds equitably. Engagement efforts include establishing a project page on the Engage San Diego County website, administering online surveys, hosting community input sessions in historically underrepresented communities, and utilizing County News Center and County social media platforms.
The proposed goals and strategies drafted for the 2025-29 Consolidated Plan Strategy serve to narrow the gap in housing and supportive services for residents in eligible jurisdictions. Strategies taken and goals proposed support fair access to housing, community services and economic opportunities to ensure all San Diego County residents thrive.
SUSTAINABILITY IMPACT STATEMENT
Today’s action supports the County of San Diego (County) Sustainability Goal #1 to engage the community, Sustainability Goal #2 to provide just and equitable access, and Sustainability Goal #4 to protect health and well-being of residents. Sustainability Goal #1 will be accomplished by providing diverse and meaningful engagement opportunities to shape the development of the Consolidated Plan, as well as priorities determined through annual community engagement. Sustainability Goal #2 will be achieved by ensuring programs prioritize and create opportunities for affordable housing, public recreation, shelter, and supportive services for the most vulnerable residents in San Diego County. Sustainability Goal #4 will be undertaken through building safe and affordable neighborhoods with access to community amenities, assisting non-profits who provide care and services to residents in need, and supporting access to diverse housing options as a social determinant of health. These efforts are designed to improve the overall health and well-being, and reduce barriers for underserved populations, which benefits individuals and communities at large.
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
Details
ADVISORY BOARD STATEMENT
N/A
BACKGROUND
As a recipient of United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) entitlement funding, County of San Diego (County) Housing and Community Development Services (HCDS) develops a five-year Consolidated Plan. The Consolidated Plan serves as a strategic plan and guiding document for activities funded with the County’s federal entitlement funding. HCDS administers four federal entitlement programs, including:
• Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) - Supports community development activities for low- and moderate-income persons to address a variety of housing, public service, and community development needs.
• HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME) - Supports local housing strategies to increase the supply of affordable housing, such as development of housing and rental assistance.
• Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) - Supports housing and services for low-income people living with HIV and AIDS. HOWPA activities are also guided by the Joint San Diego City/County HIV Housing Committee.
• Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) - Supports the first step in a continuum of assistance to prevent homelessness through street outreach, emergency housing, and rapid rehousing.
Five-Year Consolidated Plan
The Consolidated Plan describes a strategy for addressing housing and community development funding needs through the County’s four entitlement programs. The primary purpose of the Consolidated Plan is to:
1. Identify priority housing and community development needs in the County’s jurisdiction through market analysis, community input, and stakeholder consultation, and;
2. Strategically establish five-year goals that address priority community needs and potential federal, state, local, or private funding sources that could be leveraged with HUD entitlement funding.
The current Five-Year Consolidated Plan covers the period of July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2025, and was approved by the San Diego County Board of Supervisors (Board) on April 7, 2020 (2). The 2025-29 Consolidated Plan will be in effect July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2030 and will be presented to the Board in Spring 2025.
The Consolidated Plan is developed from feedback gathered through in-person and virtual community input sessions, an online questionnaire, stakeholder consultations, and an analysis of community data indicators. Utilizing this feedback, the Consolidated Plan describes community needs, services to address those needs, and goals established to address unmet needs. Additionally, it sets funding priorities to be addressed by activities recommended in the related Annual Plans, which determine viable projects for the upcoming fiscal year. The Consolidated Plan’s geographic focus is the jurisdiction within the San Diego County Consortium, which includes:
• Urban County (CDBG and ESG): composed of the San Diego County unincorporated area and the participating cities of Coronado, Del Mar, Imperial Beach, Lemon Grove, Poway, and Solana Beach.
• HOME Consortium (HOME): composed of the Urban County and six additional participating cities of Carlsbad, Encinitas, La Mesa, San Marcos, Santee, and Vista.
• San Diego County (HOPWA): The County administers HOPWA funding for the entire geographic county.
Consolidated Plan Strategy Community Engagement Process
Community input is vital to the County efforts in determining how funding is directed and for the development of the 2025-29 Consolidated Plan goals. The needs and goals for the upcoming five years have been determined utilizing a combination of community input, stakeholder engagement, and data collection, particularly related to those living in or working with unincorporated areas of San Diego County. As part of this process, the County is working in consultation with both the community-at-large through 12 community input sessions and an online community input questionnaire, as well as with stakeholder organizations that serve low- and moderate-income populations. Community input received is compiled and presented in the Consolidated Plan Strategy (Attachment A).
Organization Consultations
As part of the Consolidated Plan process, jurisdictions are required to consult with organizations that provide relevant services, such as affordable housing providers and developers, non-profits that provide public services, homeless service providers, organizations that enforce fair housing laws, and County departments that provide services to vulnerable populations. HUD emphasizes consultations with the Housing Authority and Continuum of Care for the region. As of August 15, 2024, 41 organizations have provided feedback. Any additional feedback received will be incorporated into the final Consolidated Plan. Based on the feedback from organizations in the region, insufficient inventory of safe and affordable housing was identified as the greatest concern in the community by approximately two-thirds (26) of organizations that provided feedback. Other primary needs identified include homeless services and prevention, cost of living, and improving access to community amenities such as transportation, childcare, healthcare, and community centers. Additional information on consultation feedback can be found in Attachment A.
Community Input
In June and July 2024, HCDS conducted a variety of community engagement activities to gather vital feedback and identify strategic goals for the Consolidated Plan. Feedback was gathered through 10 in-person and two virtual community forums, as well as through an online survey. Both were promoted widely through various methods including social media, emails, and news stories. A key change in this year’s outreach efforts to promote the survey and community forums included establishing a project page on the Engage San Diego County website and outreach through other County engagement offices, such as the County Office of Strategy and Innovation and the County Department of Homeless Solutions and Equitable Communities, Office of Equitable Communities newsletter. HCDS community engagement efforts yielded more than 75,000 impressions and 242 resident responses.
Members of the public also identified housing and homelessness as key priority areas for their communities, with approximately 60% of the individuals that participated in the engagement process identifying these as the most important issues facing the community. Other primary needs identified include infrastructure improvements, especially those related to community facilities such as childcare and community center, repairs to damage due to flooding, and broadband connection systems. Additional information on community feedback can be found in Attachment A.
Current Noticing and Public Comments
Today’s hearing serves as an opportunity for the Board to receive public comment on the goals and strategies for the development of the 2025-29 Consolidated Plan through the Consolidated Plan Strategy. A public notice was published in local newspapers, including San Diego Union Tribune, Voice and Viewpoint, El Latino, Asian Journal, Beirut Times, Saigon Times, and Nguoi Viet. The current public notice period began on September 20, 2024, and concludes with today’s hearing. Written and oral public comments received prior to the end of the public comment period will be included in the final 2025-29 Consolidated Plan. During this public comment period, the draft 2025-29 Consolidated Strategy has been posted online with a public notice in each of the County’s threshold languages. Documents were also available for public viewing at the HCDS office, located at 3989 Ruffin Road, San Diego, CA 92123.
A second comment period and public hearing will occur later in the Annual Plan development process in Spring 2025 when the full draft 2025-29 Consolidated Plan will be presented to the Board. Presented with the 2025-29 Consolidated Plan will be the 2025-26 Annual Plan, which serves as the first of five subcomponent plans for the new Consolidated Plan cycle. The Annual Plan will identify recommended projects for funding that align to the goals brought forward as part of today’s action. The proposed goals for the 2025-29 Consolidated Plan cycle are:
• Invest in housing options that both expand the affordable housing stock and increase efficiency and affordability within the existing housing supply.
• Strengthen and support housing stability amongst the region’s most vulnerable populations by supporting programs across the homeless to housed continuum.
• Improve quality of life throughout communities by improving access to vital services, community infrastructure, and economic development opportunities.
This item aligns to the County Framework for Ending Homelessness by ensuring the County continues to receive funding that creates permanent affordable and emergency housing options for San Diego’s most vulnerable residents. Finally, today’s recommended 2025-29 Consolidated Plan goals support the Housing Blueprint, a broad policy document approved by the Board on August 27, 2024 (14) structured around five essential policy goals known as the 5 Ps, focused on addressing the root causes of the housing crisis. Proposed 2025-29 Consolidated Plan goals support the Housing Blueprint across these 5 Ps by prioritizing programs across the housing solutions spectrum.
Upon approval of these five-year strategic goals, HCDS will develop specific policy strategies and numeric targets for these strategies. Details of eligible strategies are available in Attachment A, Appendix A. At the conclusion of each year in the 2025-29 Consolidated Plan cycle, HCDS will publish the Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report that evaluates progress towards these goals. Numeric goals corresponding to the strategic goals will be presented to the Board with the full 2025-29 Consolidated Plan in Spring 2025.
LINKAGE TO THE COUNTY OF SAN DIEGO STRATEGIC PLAN
Today’s action supports the County of San Diego 2024-29 Strategic Plan Initiatives of Sustainability (Economy and Resiliency), Equity (Housing and Economic Opportunity), and Community (Engagement, Quality of Life, and Partnership). Furthermore, 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 San Diego County residents, as well as the San Diego County Board of Supervisors.
Respectfully submitted,
ebony n. shelton
Chief Administrative Officer
ATTACHMENT(S)
Attachment A - 2025-29 Consolidated Plan Strategy