HomeMy WebLinkAbout2/18/2025 Item 6f, Tway - Staff Agenda CorrespondenceCity of San Luis Obispo, Council Memorandum
City of San Luis Obispo
Council Agenda Correspondence
DATE: February 18, 2025
TO: Mayor and Council
FROM: Timmi Tway, Community Development Director
VIA: Whitney McDonald, City Manager
SUBJECT: ITEM 6F - APPROVAL OF THE 2025-26 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
BLOCK GRANT RECOMMENDATIONS
Staff received the following questions regarding 2025-26 Community Development Block
Grant (CDBG) Recommendations. The questions are below with staff’s response shown
in italics:
1) Why was the CAPSLO minor home repair program denied? Is it
essentially funded by the DOE Green Buildings prize amount of $125,000
referred to in item 7A?
The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding recommendations
provided by staff and approved by the HRC were in line with the ranked
priorities established by Council as follows:
1. Provide emergency and transitional shelter, homelessness prevention
and services.
2. Develop and enhance affordable housing for low- and very low-income
persons.
3. Enhance economic development (to include seismic retrofit, economic
stability, low- and moderate-income jobs).
4. Promote accessibility and/or removal of architectural barriers for the
disable and elderly.
As such, the allocation of funding to support the 40 Prado Homeless Services
Center (HSC) and 5Cities Homeless Coalition’s (5CHC) rapid
rehousing/homelessness prevention were recommended over CAPSLO’s
Minor Home Repair and PSHH Supportive Housing Services in alignment with
the established priorities.
CAPSLO’s Minor Home Repair program, which is administered county-wide,
has a diverse funding stream, including CDBG funding allocations from other
cities in the County and the County itself, the Area Agency on Aging, LIHEAP,
and others. The Minor Home Repair Program assists seniors countywide for
items including smoke and CO detectors, and minor plumbing, carpentry, etc.
Item 6f. 2025-26 Community Development Block Grant Recommendations Page 2
to increase accessibility. The DOE Green Buildings Up program, referenced in
item 7A, is a separate program and specific to electrifying space heating and
water heating in up to ten additional mobile homes in the City. This DOE
program would not necessarily overlap with the programming that is provided
by CAPSLO’s Minor Home Repair program, because the DOE program is more
focused on electrifying systems, not necessarily assisting with repairs and
maintenance.
The 40 Prado HSC and 5CHC’s homeless prevention programs are more
limited in the available funding sources, particularly federally-assisted
programs. CAPSLO’s application for CDBG funding for 40 Prado HSC
identified that CAPSLO still struggles with sustaining the growing operations of
the Prado HSC, and depends on federal, state, and local government funding
for operational expenses. 5CHC identified a similarly limited funding stream in
their application.
2) Can you please provide more context or examples of what the capacity
building allocation will potentially be used for? See excerpt below.
The City’s capacity building allocation will be used to support staff time in
furthering implementation of the City’s Housing Element programs, particularly
those programs that support the City’s continued participation in regional
solutions to address homelessness. This includes staff time meeting on
projects such as the Welcome Home Village and Calle Joaquin Homekey,
implementation of the Rotating Overnight Safe Parking Program, and
continued collaboration with regional and local stakeholders to identify project
sites and funding opportunities for homeless-serving housing developments.