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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020-12-07 City Council Agendas (2) City of Palo Alto (ID # 11701) City Council Staff Report Report Type: Informational Report Meeting Date: 12/7/2020 City of Palo Alto Page 1 Summary Title: CAPER for CDBG Program for FY 2019-20 Title: Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER) for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program for Fiscal Year 2019-20 From: City Manager Lead Department: Planning and Development Services This is an informational report and no Council action is required. Background The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires the city to submit a Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER) to obtain Federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds. The City will submit Attachment A to HUD by December 27, 2020. This report is intended to provide Council with a year-end update of the CDBG program. Discussion This CAPER represents the fifth year of the City’s 2015-2020 Five-Year Consolidated Plan and summarizes the accomplishments under the CDBG program from July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2020. As required, the CAPER consists of specific program narratives, an assessment of annual performance, and an assessment of progress toward meeting the Consolidated Plan goals and objectives. This CAPER summary report is intended to inform the public on how the CDBG funds administered by the City during the 2019-20 Fiscal Year have been expended and describes how the activities funded through the grant have been carried out. The amount funded to specific activities is reported the year they are funded. However, due to the nature of certain projects, it is common for projects to overlap program years and accomplishments are reported when the project has been completed and, in some cases, when the housing units become occupied. City of Palo Alto Page 2 Summary of Accomplishments CDBG funds supported public services and economic development activities. Palo Alto has five primary CDBG program activity areas in which to allocate funds: (1) Public Services, (2) Planning and Administration, (3) Economic Development, (4) Housing Rehabilitation, and (5) Public Facilities. The City allocated funds in accordance with the goals and objectives set forth in the 2015-2020 Consolidated Plan. The major accomplishments include the following: • Downtown Streets Team connected 25 employers with 30 individuals who were meaningfully employed; 75% of individuals remained employed for three months or longer. • Project Sentinel assisted 16 individuals in investigating their fair housing complaints, 12 residents received individual consultation relating to specific fair housing questions, and 139 individuals were assisted through outreach and presentations. • LifeMoves, at the Opportunity Services Center, addressed the basic human service needs of 326 homeless or very-low income persons. Additionally, 26 residents received intensive case management services. • Catholic Charities, through the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program, assisted 317 mostly low- or moderate- income elderly residents at the three Palo Alto long-term facilities that mainly serve low-income residents: Lytton Gardens Skilled Nursing, Palo Alto Nursing Center, and Lytton Gardens Community Care (Assisted Living). Additionally, the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program resolved 82 complaints made by, or on behalf of, low-income elderly residents of the above-mentioned facilities. • Alta Housing, formerly known as Palo Alto Housing Corporation, provided one-on-one counseling, case management, and educational activities at Alma Place and Barker Hotel to 140 persons through the Single-Room Occupancy (SRO) Resident Support Program. • The YWCA Support Network Program provided 20 clients with counseling, therapy, and/or legal advocacy services. Crisis Counselors provided crisis line assistance to 40 callers from Palo Alto. • Silicon Valley Independent Living Center (SVILC) assisted 20 adults with disabilities in developing an independent living plan for housing that resulted in improved accessibility to decent affordable housing. In addition, SVILC provided 83 low-income disabled residents with training and education to find and secure affordable housing, or housing- related support. City of Palo Alto Page 3 • Ravenswood Family Health Network (formerly MayView Community Health Center) completed its improvement project. Through CDBG funding, the overall safety, cleanliness, and aesthetics of the clinic were enhanced. This clinic served 1,892 Palo Alto residents with medical care in fiscal year 2019-20. The CAPER, Attachment A, provides a detailed description of the various programs and project accomplishments within the fiscal year. Human Relations Committee Review At its regularly scheduled meeting on November 12, 2020, staff provided the HRC an informational update on the Draft CAPER. The HRC staff report and video link to the meeting is available on the HRC’s website: https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/civicax/filebank/documents/79119. Resource Impact The total investment of CDBG funds in Palo Alto approved for Fiscal Year 2019-20 was $724,578. Of this amount, $90,663 was directed to public service activities, $361,473 for Economic Development, $145,259 for public facilities rehabilitation, $37,940 for Fair Housing Services, and $89,243 was allocated for administration activities. Next Steps Staff will submit the final CAPER to HUD by December 27, 2020, meeting the required deadline for submittal. Environmental Review For purposes of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), this action itself is not a project; therefore, no environmental impact assessment is necessary. Prior to commitment or release of funds for each of the proposed projects, staff will carry out the required environmental reviews or assessments and certify that the review procedures under CEQA, HUD, and NEPA regulations have been satisfied for each project. Attachments: Attachment A: FY2019-20 Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER) (PDF) FY 2019-20CONSOLIDATED ANNUAL PERFORMANCE AND EVALUATION REPORT (CAPER) JULY 1, 2019 THROUGH JUNE 30, 2020 PUBLIC COMMENT PERIODOCTOBER 27, 2020 –NOVEMBER 11, 2020 ADMINISTERED BY: PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT SERVICES | Table of Contents CR-05 - Goals and Outcomes .............................................................................................................. 1 CR-10 - Racial and Ethnic composition of families assisted. .................................................................. 4 CR-15 - Resources and Investments 91.520(a) ..................................................................................... 5 CR-20 - Affordable Housing 91.520(b) ................................................................................................ 7 CR-25 - Homeless and Other Special Needs 91.220(d, e); 91.320(d, e); 91.520(c) ................................ 9 CR-30 - Public Housing 91.220(h); 91.320(j) ....................................................................................... 12 CR-35 - Other Actions 91.220(j)-(k); 91.320(i)-(j) ................................................................................ 13 CR-40 - Monitoring 91.220 and 91.230 .............................................................................................. 17 CR-45 - CDBG 91.520(c) .................................................................................................................... 18 Table of Figures Table 1 – Accomplishments – Program Year &Strategic Plan to Date ......................................................... 1 Table 2 – Table of assistance to racial and ethnic populations by source of funds ........................................ 4 Table 3 – Resources Made Available .............................................................................................................. 5 Table 4 – Identify the geographic distribution and location of investments .................................................. 5 Table 5 – Number of Households .................................................................................................................... 7 Table 6 – Number of Households Supported. ................................................................................................. 7 Table 7 – Number of Persons Served ............................................................................................................... 8 Table 8 – Adjustments/Improvements to Affordable Housing Strategies .................................................... 13 CAPER 1 OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 06/30/2018) CR-05 - Goals and Outcomes Progress the jurisdiction has made in carrying out its strategic plan and its action plan. 91.520(a) Below is a description of the progress the City of Palo Alto has made in achieving the goals outlined in its strategic plan and annual action. In fiscal year 2019-20, the City achieved most of its annual goals and met the five (5) year goals outlined in the Consolidated Plan. Comparison of the proposed versus actual outcomes for each outcome measure submitted with the consolidated plan and explain, if applicable, why progress was not made toward meeting goals and objectives. 91.520(g) Categories, priority levels, funding sources and amounts, outcomes/objectives, goal outcome indicators, units of measure, targets, actual outcomes/outputs, and percentage completed for each of the grantee’s program year goals. Goal Category Source / Amount Indicator Unit of Measure Expected – Strategic Plan Actual – Strategic Plan Percent Complete Expected – Program Year Actual – Program Year Percent Complete Affordable Housing Affordable Housing CDBG: $891,193 Rental units rehabilitated Household Housing Unit 300 244 81.33% Affordable Housing Affordable Housing CDBG: $259,967 Homeowner Housing Rehabilitated Household Housing Unit 0 5 Economic Development Non-Housing Community Development CDBG: $1,615,719 Jobs created/retained Jobs 125 130 104.00% 30 30 100.00% Fair Housing Non-Housing Community Development CDBG: $128,667 Public service activities other than Low/Moderate Income Housing Benefit Persons Assisted 100 68 68.00% CAPER 2 OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 06/30/2018) Fair Housing Non-Housing Community Development CDBG: $37940 Other Other 0 0 15 16 106.67% Homelessness Homeless CDBG: $63,663 Public service activities other than Low/Moderate Income Housing Benefit Persons Assisted 0 166 167 166 99.40% Homelessness Homeless CDBG: $322,119 Public service activities for Low/Moderate Income Housing Benefit Households Assisted 2500 2143 85.72% 0 0 Strengthen Neighborhoods Non-Homeless Special Needs Non-Housing Community Development CDBG: $145,259 Public Facility or Infrastructure Activities other than Low/Moderate Income Housing Benefit Persons Assisted 500 1892 378.40% 350 1892 540.57% Strengthen Neighborhoods Non-Homeless Special Needs Non-Housing Community Development CDBG: $113,955 Public service activities other than Low/Moderate Income Housing Benefit Persons Assisted 2500 2494 99.76% 299 357 119.40% Table 1 - Accomplishments – Program Year and Strategic Plan to Date CAPER 3 OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 06/30/2018) Assess how the jurisdiction’s use of funds, particularly CDBG, addresses the priorities and specific objectives identified in the plan, giving special attention to the highest priority activities identified. The City of Palo Alto was able to achieve all of its goals outlined in the 2019 Action Plan and 2015-2020 Consolidated Plan. In total, the City’s CDBG program assisted 2461 persons in this fiscal year, far exceeding the goal of 861. Of these persons, 742 were extremely low-income, 826 were low income and 893 were persons with incomes above 80% of AMI. During the 2019-2020 program year, the City’s CDBG subrecipients continued to provided vital services to extremely low-, very low-, low- and moderate-income households while addressing the priorities and needs of the community as explained in the City’s 2015-2020 Consolidated Plan. The majority of the CDBG funded programs/activities meet their annual goals despite the COVID-19 pandemic and the County of Santa Clara’s shelter in place order which has been in effect (and currently remains in effect) since March 16, 2020. With its CDBG funds, the City was able to fund the rehabilitation of a local community health center. Additionally, with CDBG funds, 30 individuals were able to secure meaningful and often times essential employment. Three hundred and seventeen (317) elderly seniors residents were contacted by Ombudsmen through regular visitation and phone outreach at the three Palo Alto long-term facilities that mainly serve low income residents: Lytton Gardens Skilled Nursing, Palo Alto Nursing Center, and Lytton Gardens Community Care (Assisted Living) and 46 low income households were provided case management services to secure employment and/or affordable housing. The City funded Project Sentinel, provided fair housing and tenant/landlord mediation services to 16 Palo Alto residents , through its CDBG funds. The City also funded YWCA Silicon Valley through the CDBG funds. The YWCA Silicon Valley program provides counseling, therapy and legal services to lower income Palo Alto residents and their children who are victims of domestic violence. Additionally, through the CDBG funds, the City funded Palo Alto Housing Corp (SRO Resident Support Program.) CAPER 4 OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 06/30/2018) CR-10 - Racial and Ethnic composition of families assisted Describe the families assisted (including the racial and ethnic status of families assisted). 91.520(a) CDBG White 1,517 Black or African American 62 Asian 319 American Indian or American Native 3 Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 122 American Indian/Alaskan Native and Black 1 American Indian/Alaskan Native and White 3 Black or African American/White 25 Asian and White 49 Others 360 Total 2,461 Hispanic 1,054 Not Hispanic 1,407 Table 2 – Assistance to racial and ethnic populations by source of funds Narrative Table 2 generated in IDIS includes five racial categories and does not reflect all of the racial categories served by the City's CDBG funded agencies. The modified Table 2 (shown above) includes the correct racial categories for individuals served in FY 2019-20. In total, the City’s CDBG program served 2461 individuals. Of those individuals, approximately 62% were White; 3% were African American; 13% were Asian; 5% were Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; 2% were Asian and White; 1% were were either American Indian/American Native, American Indian/Alaskan Native and Black, American Indian/Alaskan Native and White, Black or African American/White; 15% were Other. Approximately, 43% were Hispanic. CAPER 5 OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 06/30/2018) CR-15 - Resources and Investments 91.520(a) Identify the resources made available Source of Funds Source Resources Made Available Amount Expended During Program Year CDBG public - federal 724,578 Table 2 - Resources Made Available Narrative Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the County of Santa Clara’s Shelter in Place Order, three of the City’s subrecipients, Catholic Charities, YWCA Silicon Valley and Downtown Streets Team, were unable to utilize all of their grant funds.. The remaining unused funds from the three grants total $ 47,660.96. These funds will be added to the City’s unused funds from previous years and will be allocated as part of the 2021-22 Notice of Availability of Funding in late fall/early winter. Identify the geographic distribution and location of investments Target Area Planned Percentage of Allocation Actual Percentage of Allocation Narrative Description Table 3 – Identify the geographic distribution and location of investments Narrative The City considers the provisions of all types of housing assistance on a citywide basis consistent with the policies of the Comprehensive Plan. Palo Alto does not have specific target areas for housing activities; instead the City attempts to provide housing affordable to lower-income persons throughout the City. Minority concentration includes areas in the City where the concentration of racial and ethnic minority population is 10% or higher than their total citywide representation. There are only a few areas that are considered to have a concentration of minority populations or low-income residents in Palo Alto. The CDBG Program defines low-income concentration as any census block group where 51% or more residents earn 80% of Median Family Income (MFI) or less. An exception exists for a jurisdiction that does not have any areas meeting this definition, such as Palo Alto, which includes the highest quartile of all areas in the City in terms of degree of concentration, is used. However, Palo Alto does not qualiFY activities under the low- and moderate- income (LMI) area benefit category. CAPER 6 OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 06/30/2018) Leveraging Explain how federal funds leveraged additional resources (private, state and local funds), including a description of how matching requirements were satisfied, as well as how any publicly owned land or property located within the jurisdiction that were used to address the needs identified in the plan. Palo Alto leverages federal and private housing funds to the greatest extent feasible consistent with the goals identified in the 2015-2020 Consolidated Plan. Moreover, the City continues to encourage non-profit organizations to seek other local, state, and federal funding for both housing and non-housing community development activities. HUMAN SERVICES RESOURCE ALLOCATION PROCESS (HSRAP): The City of Palo Alto provided $1,559,277 General Funds during fiscal year 2019-2020 to address primary human service needs in the community. These funds include multi-year agreements allocated by HSRAP and administered by the Office of Human Services in the Community Services Department. Funded projects addressed the Human Relations Commission’s priority needs in the following categories: early child care and education, youth programs, senior nutrition and social services, homelessness, and basic needs such as health care and mental health. HOUSING IN-LIEU: The City of Palo Alto maintains a local housing fund consisting of two subfunds: the “Commercial Housing Fund” and the “Residential Housing Fund.” Palo Alto, under Chapter 16.65 of the Municipal Code, requires commercial and industrial development projects to pay a housing mitigation fee. The fees are deposited in the “Commercial Housing Fund”, and the accumulated fees and interest earned on the fund are made available for the creation of new low and moderate-income housing units under the “Affordable Housing Fund Guidelines” adopted by the City Council. As of June 30, 2020, the Commercial Housing Fund had a preliminary available balance of approximately $216,000. Pursuant to Program H-3.1.2, the Below Market Rate Program of the City’s Housing Element, Palo Alto collects housing in-lieu fees from residential development when it is infeasible to provide below market rate units on-site. The accumulated fees and interest earned on the fund and other miscellaneous revenues related to housing, are placed in a special fund; “The Residential Housing Fund”. This fund is used to provide funding for acquisition or rehabilitation of low and moderate-income housing, but may also be used for assistance to new housing construction projects. As of June 30, 2020, the Residential Housing fund had a preliminary available balance of approximately $260,000. These are the only local sources of funding and subsidies available for affordable housing within the City. They are used to provide matching funds, pay for expenses which exceed HUD income and cost limits, to fund the cost of features and amenities classified as ineligible under federal housing programs, pre development expenses, feasibility studies, site acquisition, and other similar purposes. CAPER 7 OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 06/30/2018) CR-20 - Affordable Housing 91.520(b) Evaluation of the jurisdiction's progress in providing affordable housing, including the number and types of families served, the number of extremely low-income, low-income, moderate-income, and middle-income persons served. One-Year Goal Actual Number of Homeless households to be provided affordable housing units 0 0 Number of Non-Homeless households to be provided affordable housing units 0 0 Number of Special-Needs households to be provided affordable housing units 0 0 Total 0 0 Table 5 – Number of Households One-Year Goal Actual Number of households supported through Rental Assistance 0 0 Number of households supported through The Production of New Units 0 0 Number of households supported through Rehab of Existing Units 0 0 Number of households supported through Acquisition of Existing Units 0 0 Total 0 0 Table 4 – Number of Households Supported Discuss the difference between goals and outcomes and problems encountered in meeting these goals. In FY 2019-20, Ravenswood Family Health Network (former: MayView Community Health Center) exceed its annual goal of providing medical care to 350 low income Palo Alto residents. Ravenswood provided 1892 Palo Alto residents with medical care in fiscal year 2019-20. In FY 2019-20, LifeMoves planned to provide 36 unduplicated homeless and/or very low income individuals case management services at the Opportunity Services Center to secure housing and/or job. However, assistance was provided to 26 unduplicated Palo Alto residents with intensive case management, as indicated by a case plan and case notes; lower number of clients provided with intensive case management in second half of FY20 attributable to reduction in direct person-to-person case management services due to COVID-19 concerns, clients and staff prioritizing distribution of emergency financial assistance following implementation of Shelterin- Place orders; and fewer clients reporting Palo Alto address as last place of residence due to extremely high cost of housing. CAPER 8 OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 06/30/2018) Silicon Valley Independent Living Center is another agency that encountered problems in meeting their annual goal. During the fiscal year, SVILC provided housing assistance or housing-related support to a total of 20 unduplicated low-income Palo Alto residents with disabilities, falling just short of the fiscal year goal of 24, due to the challenges of COVID-19 and county-wide sheltering in place during the last quarter. Finally, although Downtown Streets Team (DTST) were able to assist 30 individuals with employment, DTST was not able to achieve its goal of assisting 32 indivudals due to the outbreak of COVID-19 and Santa Clara County’s Shelter in Place Order. The agency experienced challenges connecting those they work with to employment. Discuss how these outcomes will impact future annual action plans. This is the City’s last year reporting on the goals outlined in the 2015-2020 Consolidated Plan. The agencies that encountered problems in meeting their annual goals, in previous years have exceeds their annual goal therefore the City do not see any negative impact of these outcomes on future annual action plans. Include the number of extremely low-income, low-income, and moderate-income persons served by each activity where information on income by family size is required to determine the eligibility of the activity. Number of Households Served CDBG Actual HOME Actual Extremely Low-income 742 0 Low-income 826 0 Moderate-income (Above 80% AMI) 0 Non Moderate-income 893 0 Total 2461 0 Table 7 – Number of Households Served Narrative Information In total, two thousand four hundred and sixty one (2461) persons were served through the City’s CDBG funded services. Of the individuals/households served, 742 were extremely-low income, 826 were low income and 893 were non-moderate (above 80% AMI). It should be pointed out that out of 893 non moderate residents, 143 of the persons/households that were above moderate were served at the three Palo Alto long-term facilities and were elderly; one disabled resident; one victim of domestic violence, and three served had fair housing complaints, therefore they fall within HUD’s presumed benefit category. CAPER 9 OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 06/30/2018) CR-25 - Homeless and Other Special Needs 91.220(d, e); 91.320(d, e); 91.520(c) Evaluate the jurisdiction’s progress in meeting its specific objectives for reducing and ending homelessness through: Reaching out to homeless persons (especially unsheltered persons) and assessing their individual needs The City’s entitlement amount for FY 2019-2020 was $499,868. The City had estimated $136,049 in program income and $88,661 in uncommitted funds from previous years. In total, the City provided $670,434 in direct CDBG funding and $1,559,277 in HSRAP funding. The following details the accomplishments of the CDBG funded subrecipients targeted to benefit persons who are low income, homeless, or at risk of homelessness. Addressing the emergency shelter and transitional housing needs of homeless persons The following agencies received funding from the City of Palo Alto to provide emergency shelter and/or transitional housing for homeless persons. LIFEMOVES - OPPORTUNITY SERVICES CENTER, CDBG $31,832: The Opportunity Services Center (OCS) continued to provide services to homeless individuals and those at-risk of becoming homeless. Services include food, showers, laundry, internet access, transportation assistance, shelter referral and placement, stable housing placement, SSI/SSDI application assistance, among other services. Further, the OSC provided intensive case management to a total of 95 clients (including the 26 verified residents of Palo Alto). The services offered at the OSC are designed to provide case management and services to meet the basic needs of homeless people, and to help homeless families and individuals make the transition from living on the streets, in vehicles or other places not fit for human habitation in and around Palo Alto, into stable housing. PALO ALTO HOUSING CORPORATION – SRO RESIDENT SUPPORT, CDBG $31,831: Palo Alto Housing Corporation provided one-on-one counseling, case management, and educational activities at Alma Place and Barker Hotel. The one-on-one sessions provided by the Resident Service Coordinator affords a systematic manner of addressing a diversity of issues these residents face. The SRO Resident Services Coordinator works closely with residents with severe mental health issues to ensure compliance with treatment guidelines and to reduce the risk of relapse. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand of services onsite at Alma Place and the Barker Hotel increased and shifted. The need for support counseling services, financial assistance, rental emergency assiatnce, assistance in applying for unemployment and other government benefits increased dramatically. The PAHC developed new strategies to maintain and build connections with residents and get them the services they need to maintain health and wellness, while keeping both staff and residents safe from COVID-19. PAHC in partnership with other local non profits established and process and continue to provide hot meauls three times a week. Resident Services Staff personally deliver the food at the doorsteps of residents. PAHC in partnership with LifeMoves at Opportunity Center referred their residents for rental assistance. They also assisted their residents in applying for unemployment benefits, social security benefits, food stamps, disability insurances for COVID-19 related illness, among other. CAPER 10 OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 06/30/2018) Helping low-income individuals and families avoid becoming homeless, especially extremely low-income individuals and families and those who are: likely to become homeless after being discharged from publicly funded institutions and systems of care (such as health care facilities, mental health facilities, foster care and other youth facilities, and corrections programs and institutions); and, receiving assistance from public or private agencies that address housing, health, social services, employment, education, or youth needs The following agencies received funding from the City of Palo Alto to help low income individuals and families avoid becoming homeless. CATHOLIC CHARITIES - LONG TERM CARE OMBUDSMAN, CDBG $10,000: During the program year 317 unduplicated, majority, of whom are low- or moderate-income elderly residents were contacted by Ombudsmen through regular visitation and phone outreach at the three Palo Alto long-term facilities that mainly serve low-income residents: Lytton Gardens Skilled Nursing, Palo Alto Nursing Center, and Lytton Gardens Community Care (Assisted Living). The objective was to promote the interests, well-being, and rights of elderly residents. Additionally, The Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program received, identified, investigated, and resolved 82 complaints made by, or on behalf of the low-income elderly residents of the above-mentioned facilities. DOWNTOWN STREETS INC. WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM, CDBG $361,473: During the program year Downtown Streets Team connected 25 employers with 30 individuals into meaningful employment. Seventy five percent of individuals remained employed for three months or longer. LIFEMOVES - OPPORTUNITY SERVICES CENTER, CDBG $31,832: During the program year, at the Opportunity Services Center, LifeMoves provided 26 unduplicated Palo Alto residents with intensive case management, as indicated by a case plan and case notes. The services offered at the OSC are designed to provide case management and services to meet the basic needs of homeless people, and to help homeless families and individuals make the transition from living on the streets, in vehicles or other places not fit for human habitation in and around Palo Alto, into stable housing. Helping homeless persons (especially chronically homeless individuals and families, families with children, veterans and their families, and unaccompanied youth) make the transition to permanent housing and independent living, including shortening the period of time that individuals and families experience homelessness, facilitating access for homeless individuals and families to affordable housing units, and preventing individuals and families who were recently homeless from becoming homeless again The following agencies received funding from the City of Palo Alto to help homeless persons make the transition to permanent housing and independent living. YWCA SILICON VALLEY DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SERVICES, CDBG $5,000: The YWCA Support Network Program provides domestic violence support services including counseling, case management, crisis counseling, and legal assistance. During the program year the Support Network Program provided 20 unduplicated clients with counseling, therapy and/or legal advocacy services. Crisis Counselors provided crisis line assistance to 40 callers from Palo Alto that received crisis counseling services. SILICON VALLEY INDEPENDENT LEARNING CENTER - HOUSING and EMERGENCY SERVICES, CDBG $12,000: During the program year, Silicon Valley Independent Living Center (SVILC) assisted 20 unduplicated Palo Alto adults with disabilities in developing an independent living plan for housing which CAPER 11 OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 06/30/2018) resulted in improved accessibility to decent affordable housing. In addition, SVILC provided 83 unduplicated low-income Palo Alto residents with disabilities, training and education to find and secure affordable housing, or housing-related support. PROJECT SENTINEL - FAIR HOUSING SERVICES, CDBG $37,940: During the program year, Project Sentinel provided community education and outreach regarding fair housing law and practices, investigation, counseling and legal referral for victims of housing discrimination. In total, 16 fair housing complaints were investigated by Project Sentinel. Twelve (12) residents were provided individual consultation relating to specific fair housing questions and one hundred and 139 individuals were assisted through outreach and presentations. CAPER 12 OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 06/30/2018) CR-30 - Public Housing 91.220(h); 91.320(j) Actions taken to address the needs of public housing The Housing Authority of the County of Santa Clara (HACSC) owns and manages four public housing units, which are all located in the City of Santa Clara. Actions taken to encourage public housing residents to become more involved in management and participate in homeownership While the majority of their units have been converted to affordable housing stock, HACSC is proactive in incorporating resident input into the agency’s policy-making process. An equitable and transparent policy making process that includes the opinions of residents is achieved through the involvement of two tenant commissioners, one being a senior citizen, on the HACSC board. HACSC has been a Moving to Work (MTW) agency since 2008. In this time the agency has developed 31 MTW activities. The vast majority of its successful initiatives have been aimed at reducing administrative inefficiencies, which in turn opens up more resources for programs aimed at Low and Moderate Income (LMI) families. As mentioned previously, there are no public housing facilities in the City of Palo Alto. Actions taken to provide assistance to troubled PHAs Not applicable. CAPER 13 OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 06/30/2018) CR-35 - Other Actions 91.220(j)-(k); 91.320(i)-(j) Actions taken to remove or ameliorate the negative effects of public policies that serve as barriers to affordable housing such as land use controls, tax policies affecting land, zoning ordinances, building codes, fees and charges, growth limitations, and policies affecting the return on residential investment. 91.220 (j); 91.320 (i) The City of Palo Alto has undertaken a number of actions to eliminate barriers to the development of affordable housing including participation in a county-wide effort to provide additional affordable housing units; programs in the 2014-2023 Housing Element Update to increase the supply of affordable housing; and the development impact fees for housing. Housing Trust Silicon Valley (Housing Trust):The Housing Trust, formerly the Housing Trust Fund of Santa Clara County (HTSCC), was created to provide additional financial resources to address the County’s affordable housing deficit. The Housing Trust’s mission is to make Silicon Valley a more affordable place to live. Loans and grants are issued to increase the supply of affordable housing, assist first-time home buyers, prevent homelessness and stabilize neighborhoods. Palo Alto was among the contributors during its founding and has continued to allocate funding. A provision was added to ensure the City’s funds be used exclusively for qualiFYing affordable housing projects within the City of Palo Alto. The most recent included $200,000 from the City’s Residential Housing Fund for Fiscal Year 2014/2015. Participation in the Housing Trust has increased the available housing funding for a number of Palo Alto. Projects as summarized in the table below. In addition, the Housing Trust has invested over $100,000 assisting 16 households to purchase homes in Palo Alto through its first-time homebuyer program. Table 8 –Adjustments/Improvements to Affordable Housing Strategies 2015-2023 Housing Element Update: The Palo Alto Housing Element, which is part of the City’s Comprehensive Plan is the chief policy document describing the City’s housing needs and the policies and programs the City will use to meet those needs. The 2015-2023 Housing Element Update has been certified by the California State Department of Housing and Community Development. Development Impact Fees for Housing: The City’s impact fees are comprised of four categories: Housing, Traffic, Community facilities, and Parkland dedication. The City has completed Nexus Studies for Residential and Commercial Development. The studies served as a basis for an update to both residential CAPER 14 OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 06/30/2018) and non-residential housing fees and became effective on June 19, 2017. The housing fee for non residential development is $22.40 per square foot for retail and hotel uses. The fee for commercial uses increased to $38.48 per square foot. The fee rate applies to all net new commercial square footage on a site. Full payment is required at building permit issuance with some exemptions including hospitals and convalescent facilities, private education facilities, public facilities and private clubs, lodges and fraternal organizations. Actions taken to address obstacles to meeting underserved needs. 91.220(k); 91.320(j) The City’s CDBG program diligently works with other purveyors of funding to provide the most value per dollar. This is actualized by partnering with other City resources such as HSRAP and leveraging dollars invested in site acquisition for low-income housing with a multitude of other funding sources. However, Palo Alto is at a disadvantage in removing or eliminating obstacles to meeting underserved needs due to the consistently shrinking amount of CDBG funds available in recent years. To address this, the City supplements its CDBG funding with other resources and funds, such as: • During FY2019-20, the City’s Human Service Resource Allocation Process (HSRAP) provided approximately $1,559,277 from the General Fund in support of human services. The HSRAP funds, in conjunction with the CDBG public service funds, are distributed to local non-profit agencies. • The Palo Alto Commercial Housing Fund is used primarily to increase the number of new affordable housing units for Palo Alto’s work force. It is funded with mitigation fees required from developers of commercial and industrial projects. • The Palo Alto Residential Housing Fund is funded with mitigation fees provided under Palo Alto’s BMR housing program from residential developers and money from other miscellaneous sources, such as proceeds from the sale or lease of city property. • The City’s Below Market Rate Emergency Fund was authorized in 2002 to provide funding on an ongoing basis for loans to BMR owners for special assessment loans and for rehabilitation and preservation of the City’s stock of BMR ownership units. • HOME Program funds are available on an annual competitive basis through the State of California HOME program, and the County’s HOME Consortium. Actions taken to reduce lead-based paint hazards. 91.220(k); 91.320(j) Lead poisoning can cause permanent damage to the brain and many other organs, and can result in reduced intelligence and behavioral problems in young children. More than eighty thousand (80,000) children younger than six years old living in the United States have lead in their blood that is above the level of concern set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A significant number of these children are in families of low income and are living in old homes with heavy concentration of lead-based paint and lead-contaminated dust and soil in the environment. The City’s housing and CDBG staff provides information and referrals to property owners, developers, and nonprofit organizations rehabilitating older housing about lead-based paint (LBP) hazards. Any house to be rehabilitated with City financial assistance is required to be inspected for the existence of LBP hazards. The City will provide financial assistance for the abatement of LBP hazards in units rehabilitated with City CAPER 15 OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 06/30/2018) funding. The City also requires that contractors are trained and certified in an effort to decrease the risk of potential use of LBP in new units. All development and rehabilitation projects must be evaluated according to HUD’s Lead Safe Housing Rule 24 CFR Part 35.[1] Actions taken to reduce the number of poverty-level families. 91.220(k); 91.320(j) The City, in its continuing effort to reduce poverty, prioritized funding agencies that provide direct assistance to the homeless and those in danger of becoming homeless. In FY 2019-2020, these programs included the following: The Workforce Development Program provided transition from unemployment and homelessness to regular employment and housing through case management, job training, mentoring, housing, and transportation assistance. Downtown Streets Team is a nonprofit that works to reduce homelessness through a “work first” model. Downtown Streets Team utilized their community connections to provide training and job opportunities to homeless people, specifically in the downtown area. The Downtown Streets Team has helped over 1139 team members in maintaining employment for 90 days or more and housed 1092 individuals, including 789 team members since its inception. The Downtown Streets Team has initiatives in Palo Alto, Redwood City, San Jose, Sunnyvale, San Francisco, Santa Cruz, San Rafael, Novato, Petaluma, Salinas, Sacramento, West Sacramento, Modesto, Oakland, Berkeley and Hayward. As mentioned previously, the City provided LIFEMOVES with $31,832 in CDBG funds in FY 2019-20. At the Opportunity Services Center, the agency provided services to homeless individuals and those at-risk of becoming homeless. During the program year 26 unduplicated individuals received monthly case management services including assistance with housing/job search, referral and mentoring; and 326 unduplicated homeless or very-low income persons received services at the Opportunity Services Center. Services includes showers and laundry facilities, lockers, light snacks, information and referral, transportation assistance, a clothes closet, medical and psychiatric screening and referral, inter-faith chaplaincy, and fellowship. Actions taken to develop institutional structure. 91.220(k); 91.320(j) The City continues to participate with other local jurisdictions in sharing information and resources regarding CDBG and other housing programs. Meetings take place on a biweekly basis. Additionally, when projects are funded by multiple jurisdictions, the jurisdictions involved cooperate in an effort to reduce duplication of work and reduce project monitoring costs. City staff will continue the following collaborative efforts to improve institutional structure: • Joint jurisdiction RFP and project review committees • Coordination on project management for projects funded by multiple jurisdictions • HOME Consortium between member jurisdictions for affordable housing projects CAPER 16 OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 06/30/2018) Actions taken to enhance coordination between public and private housing and social service agencies. 91.220(k); 91.320(j) The City benefits from a strong jurisdiction and region-wide network of housing and community development partners, such as Regional Housing Working Group and the Continuum of Care (CoC). To improve intergovernmental and private sector cooperation, the City participated with other local jurisdictions and developers in sharing information and resources. In addition to the actions listed above, the City will continue to coordinate with the City’s HSRAP funding efforts to comprehensively address community needs. Identify actions taken to overcome the effects of any impediments identified in the jurisdictions analysis of impediments to fair housing choice. 91.520(a) The City makes every effort to affirmatively further fair housing in compliance with the adopted Analysis of Impediments. The following is a list of actions taken to affirmatively further fair housing: • The Department of Housing and Community Development has certified the City’s 2015-2023 Housing Element update. • The City targeted the majority of its CDBG and local housing funds to increasing and preserving the supply of affordable housing. • The Office of Human Services regularly met with the County of Santa Clara Housing Authority to place homeless individuals with section 8 vouchers. • Affordable housing information and referral services were provided by the Office of Human Services • In a joint effort with the County of Santa Clara and Cities, the City is currently updating its Assessment of Fair Housing (AFH) Plan. The Palo Alto AFH Plan Is expected to be completed in Winter/Spring 2021. During Fiscal Year 2019-20, the City continued to support actions to affirmatively further fair housing choice through a subrecipient agreement with Project Sentinel, a non-profit organization dedicated to assisting individuals with housing problems. Project Sentinel responded to and investigated 16 cases of housing discrimination in Palo Alto during the fiscal year. Additionally, 139 Palo Alto residents and service providers through outreach presentations were provided information relating to fair housing laws. Finally, thirteen 13 low-income Palo Alto residents and/or housing providers were provided extended fair housing consultation sessions to tenants. In addition, 1,002 brochures were distributed throughout the City of Palo Alto to create awareness and information relating to fair housing laws. CAPER 17 OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 06/30/2018) CR-40 - Monitoring 91.220 and 91.230 Describe the standards and procedures used to monitor activities carried out in furtherance of the plan and used to ensure long-term compliance with requirements of the programs involved, including minority business outreach and the comprehensive planning requirements The City continues to actively monitor all subrecipients and projects ensuring compliance with program and comprehensive planning requirements. Monitoring involves review of semi annual and annual performance reports, invoices with backup material, and review of agency audit reports. Biennial on-site monitoring is carried out for all CDBG subrecipients and consists of reviewing client files, financial records, policies, procedures and compliance with federal requirements as detailed in the subrecipient. In fiscal year 2018-19, the City completed on-site monitoring of four non-profit organizations. Since the City operates under a two-year funding cycle there are some subrecipients that receive funding for two years and are only required to have one on-site monitoring during this time. However, starting FY2017-18 the City Staff conducted annual monitoring of the Downtown Streets Program due to the large amount of funding that the organization receives annually. Typically, subrecipients who have had trouble implementing projects or have been identified as having compliance issues in a previous monitoring are selected for the annual monitoring. There were no major deficiencies identified during the previous monitoring. The City will be conducting on-site monitoring of four subrecipients in Winter 2020 consistent with the Subrecipient Monitoring Plan. Citizen Participation Plan 91.105(d); 91.115(d) Describe the efforts to provide citizens with reasonable notice and an opportunity to comment on performance reports. Draft CAPER was made available on the City website: (https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/gov/depts/pln/long_range_planning/community_development_block_ grant/default.asp) for the required 15 days public comment period from October 27 through November 11, 2020. An advertisement was placed in The Daily Post, a newspaper of general circulation on October 26, 2020, advertising the availability of the CAPER for public review and comment. The draft CAPER was posted on the City’s website on October 26, 2020. Due to COVID-19, copies of the CAPER could be mailed or e-mailed to citizens free of charge. The Human Relations Commission also conducted a virtual public hearing on November 12, 2020 to discuss the CAPER and to allow the public an opportunity to comment on the CAPER. The City Council will `receive a copy of the final CAPER along with any public comments received in December 2020. CAPER 18 OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 06/30/2018) CR-45 - CDBG 91.520(c) Specify the nature of, and reasons for, any changes in the jurisdiction’s program objectives and indications of how the jurisdiction would change its programs as a result of its experiences. Not applicable. The City does not plan to change the CDBG program objectives. Does this Jurisdiction have any open Brownfields Economic Development Initiative (BEDI) grants? No, there are no open Brownfields Economic Development Initiative (BEDI) grants. [BEDI grantees] Describe accomplishments and program outcomes during the last year. Not applicable.