HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 14773 (2)
City of Palo Alto (ID # 14773)
City Council Staff Report
Report Type: Information Reports Meeting Date: 11/14/2022
City of Palo Alto Page 1
Summary Title: CDBG CAPER FY2022 Year-end Report
Title: Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) FY2022 Year-end Report -
Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER)
From: City Manager
Lead Department: Planning and Development Services
Recommendation:
This is an informational report and no action is required.
Executive Summary:
The City is required to report annually to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development (HUD), accomplishments for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)
program. This report, the Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER),
summarizes the City’s CDBG accomplishments and expenditures for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2021-22
CDBG funding cycle. The City funded a total of eight projects, summarized below, in FY2021-22.
The CAPER (Attachment A) was submitted to HUD by the September 28, 2022 deadline.
Background:
The City of Palo Alto receives funds annually from HUD as an entitlement city under the CDBG
program. As a recipient of CDBG funds, the City is required to prepare a Consolidated Annual
Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER) at the end of the fiscal year. The CAPER describes
the City’s progress implementing the activities identified in the Annual Action Plan1 and the
goals and objectives of the Consolidated Plan2.
1 Annual Action Plan: An annual report listing the activities the City intends to undertake with CDBG funds to
address the needs and implement the strategies identified in the Consolidated Plan.
2 Consolidated Plan (Con Plan): A five-year strategic plan that addresses the housing and non-housing community
development needs of lower income persons and establishes annual goals and objectives to meet the identified
needs. https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/civicax/filebank/blobdload.aspx?t=68967.94&BlobID=76579
City of Palo Alto Page 2
Discussion:
During FY2021-22, the City’s CDBG subrecipients continued to provide vital services to
extremely low, very low, low, and moderate-income households while addressing the priorities
and needs of the community and the City’s funding priorities; including strategies to address
COVID-19 related impacts, using funds from the CDBG CARES Act (CDBG-CV).
The City achieved several goals as outlined in the 2021 Annual Action Plan (AAP) through CDBG
and CDBG-CV funding. A total of $746,715 was available for funding projects and programs
during the 2021 program year. The City received $536,756 from the federal CDBG program,
approximately $136,049 in program income, and $73,910 in reallocated funds from previous
years.
Through the combination of CDBG and CDBG-CV funds, in total, 935 persons were assisted in
this program year. Of the 935 persons, 383 were extremely low-income, 421 were low income
and 131 were moderate income. Approximately 40% of all persons were assisted through the
COVID-19 related activities. The CAPER, Attachment A, provides a detailed description of the
programs and project accomplishments. The major accomplishments include the following:
1. Catholic Charities, through the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program, assisted 262
mostly low- or moderate- income elderly residents at the Palo Alto long-term care
facilities that mainly serve low-income residents. Additionally, the Long-Term Care
Ombudsman Program resolved 47 complaints made by, or on behalf of, low-income
elderly residents of the facilities. [Goal: Assist 50 individuals]
2. Alta Housing had on-site counseling services available to the residents of the 131 units
of the Single-Room Occupancy (SRO) Resident Support Program at Alma Place (25 units)
and Barker Hotel (106 units). Services were provided to 151 residents. [Goal: Assist 131
individuals]
3. LifeMoves, at the Opportunity Services Center, provided case management services
including assistance with housing and job searches, referrals, and mentoring to 56
homeless and/or very low-income Palo Alto residents. [Goal: Assist 30 individuals]
4. Project Sentinel (Fair Housing Services) assisted 17 individuals in investigating their fair
housing complaints; 21 residents received individual consultation relating to specific fair
housing questions. [Goal: Assist 15 individuals]
5. Silicon Valley Independent Living Center (SVILC) (Housing and Emergency Services)
assisted 26 adults with disabilities in developing an independent living plan for housing
City of Palo Alto Page 3
that resulted in improved accessibility to decent affordable housing. [Goal: Assist 24
individuals]
6. Rebuilding Together Peninsula (Safe at Home) assisted six households with home
rehabilitation. [Goal: Assist five households]
7. Downtown Streets Team (Workforce Development) connected employers with seven
individuals who were meaningfully employed. [Goal: Assist 14 individuals]
The Workforce Development program was eligible for CDBG funding for July and August
2021 only, due to a change in the organization’s Community Based Development
Organization (CBDO) status. The City agreed to assist the program with reimbursements
for the remaining CDBG-related costs for FY2022 and FY 2023. At year-end, the program
assisted 15 individuals with job placement.
8. Ravenswood Family Health Network requested a time extension to complete the
project for a new ADA Accessible Clinic Entrance and Exit at the Palo Alto Clinic. The new
completion timeline is June 2023.
Other CDBG Program Updates
The Ravenswood Family Health Network Mobile Clinic was put into service in September 2021
and has been used to provide vaccination and booster COVID-19 vaccines. The Mobile Clinic has
assisted 403 individuals. This was a CV funded project in FY2021.
Timeline:
As required by HUD, the FY2021-22 CAPER was submitted by the September 28th deadline.
Stakeholder Engagement:
An advertisement was published in The Daily Post on August 24, 2022 announcing the
availability of the draft CAPER for public review and comment. The draft CAPER was posted on
the City’s CDBG webpage3 (https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/cdbg) from August 24, 2022 through
September 7, 2022. On September 8, 2022 the Human Relations Commission (HRC) conducted
a public hearing to review the CAPER and allow for public comment.
There were two speakers that provided the following comments at the meeting:
3 The City’s CDBG webpage https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/cdbg
City of Palo Alto Page 4
• Alexis Crews-Holloway, a Project Manager with Downtown Streets Team, stated
Downtown Streets exceeded their goal by 107% of the contract goal by serving 15
individuals for the entire fiscal year and believed the CAPER did not reflect this.4
• Carol Conn, the Executive Director at Project Sentinel, wanted to reiterate that they
have a robust landlord/tenant mediation program that assists in keeping people housed
and living in harmony; this a very big component of what Project Sentinel does for the
City of Palo Alto.
Environmental Review:
Council action on this item is not a considered a project as defined by CEQA because the
Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report is for informational purposes only
with no action required by the Council.
Attachments:
Attachment A: CDBG CAPER 2021-2022 (PDF)
4 The accomplishments reported in the CAPER reflect the two months that this program was eligible for CDBG
funding.
CONSOLIDATED ANNUAL PERFORMANCE AND EVALUATION
REPORT (CAPER)
PROGRAM YEAR: JULY 1, 2021 THROUGH JUNE 30, 2022
PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD: AUGUST 24, 2022 THROUGH SEPTEMBER 7, 2022
ADMINISTERED BY: PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT SERVICES
DRAFT - SEPTEMBER 2022
1
Table of Contents
CR-05 - Goals and Outcomes ........................................................................................................................ 2
CR-10 - Racial and Ethnic composition of families assisted .......................................................................... 8
CR-15 - Resources and Investments 91.520(a) ............................................................................................. 9
CR-20 - Affordable Housing 91.520(b) ........................................................................................................ 12
CR-25 - Homeless and Other Special Needs 91.220(d, e); 91.320(d, e); 91.520(c) .................................... 14
CR-30 - Public Housing 91.220(h); 91.320(j) ............................................................................................... 17
CR-35 - Other Actions 91.220(j)-(k); 91.320(i)-(j) ........................................................................................ 18
CR-40 - Monitoring 91.220 and 91.230 ....................................................................................................... 22
CR-45 - CDBG 91.520(c) .............................................................................................................................. 23
CR-58 – Section 3 ........................................................................................................................................ 24
Public Comments ........................................................................................................................................ 26
ANNUAL ACTION PLAN FY2020-21: CDBG-CV SUBSTANTIAL AMENDMENT .............................................. 27
CAPER 2021-2022 2
CR-05 - Goals and Outcomes
Progress the jurisdiction has made in carrying out its strategic plan and its action plan. 91.520(a)
This could be an overview that includes major initiatives and highlights that were proposed and executed throughout the program year.
Below, as shown in Table 1 - Accomplishments – Program Year & Strategic Plan to Date, 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 plan. In Program Year 2021-22, the City achieved the majority of its
annual goals and is on track to meet most of the five-year goals outlined in the Consolidated Plan.
1.Catholic Charities, through the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program, assisted 262 mostly low- or moderate- income elderly residents at the
Palo Alto long-term care facilities thatmainly serve low-income residents.
2.Alta Housing had on-site counseling services available to the residents of the 131 units of the Single-Room Occupancy (SRO) Resident Support
Program at Alma Place (25 units) and Barker Hotel (106 units). Services were provided to 151 residents.
3.LifeMoves, at the Opportunity Services Center, provided case management services including assistance with housing and job searches,
referrals, and mentoring to 56 homeless and/or very low-income Palo Alto residents.
4.Project Sentinel (Fair Housing Services) assisted 17 individuals in investigating their fair housing complaints; 21 residents received individual
consultation relating to specific fair housing questions.]
5.Silicon Valley Independent Living Center (SVILC) (Housing and Emergency Services) assisted 26 adults with disabilities in developing an
independent living plan for housing that resulted in improved accessibility to decent affordable housing.
6.Rebuilding Together Peninsula (Safe at Home) assisted six households with home rehabilitation.
7.Downtown Streets Team (Workforce Development) connected employers with seven individuals who were meaningfully employed,
expending $27,408 in first quarter. The Workforce Development program was eligible for CDBG funding for July and August 2021 only, due to a
CAPER 2021-2022 3
change in the organization’s Community Based DevelopmentOrganization (CBDO) status. The City has agreed to assist the program with
reimbursements for the remaining CDBG-related costs for FY2022; the program assisted eight more individuals with job placement, for a total of
15.
8.Ravenswood Family Health Network requested a time extension to complete the project for a new ADA Accessible Clinic Entrance and Exit at
the Palo Alto Clinic. The new completiontimeline is June 2023.
Program Year 2020-21 Annual Action Plan Substantial Amendment
The City was informed by the CDBG subrecipient LifeMoves that they no longer needed the remaining funds allocated to them in Program Year
2020-21. These funds supported a Rental Assistance Program and specifically came from CDBG-Coronavirus (CDBG-CV) grants. The remaining
funds totaled $194,501. Staff investigated other funding opportunities for eligible CDBG-CV activities for the reallocation of the $194,501 and
plan to fund $160,300 for Move Mountain View to support a safe parking program and $34,201 for LifeMoves to administer a COVID-19 testing
program.
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.
CAPER 2021-2022 4
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: $0 Rental units rehabilitated
Houshold
Housing
Unit
107 0 0.00% 0 0 0
Affordable
Housing
Affordable
Housing
CDBG:
$65,340
Homeowner Housing
Rehabilitated
Household
Housing
Unit 40 6 15.00% 6 6 100
CAPER 2021-2022 5
Economic
Development
Non-Housing
Community
Development
CDBG: $0
Public service activities
other than
Low/Moderate Income
Housing Benefit
Persons
Assisted
0 0
Economic
Development
Non-Housing
Community
Development
CDBG: $ Homeless Person
Overnight Shelter
Persons
Assisted 0 0 0 0
Economic
Development
Non-Housing
Community
Development
CDBG:
$160,477 Jobs created/retained Jobs 150 28 18.00% 15 7 46.67%
Fair Housing
Non-Housing
Community
Development
CDBG:
$33,698
Public service activities
other than
Low/Moderate Income
Housing Benefit
Persons
Assisted 75 41 22.67% 16 24 105%
Homelessness Homeless
CDBG:
$48,556 /
CDBG-CV:
$
Public service activities
other than
Low/Moderate Income
Housing Benefit
Persons
Assisted 850 222 26.12% 167 222 132.93%
Homelessness Homeless
CDBG: $0
/ CDBG-
CV: $
Tenant-based rental
assistance / Rapid
Rehousing
Households
Assisted 60 54 90.00% 90.00%
Homelessness Homeless CDBG:
$31,545 /
Homeless Person
Overnight Shelter
Persons
Assisted 100 99 99.00% 38 56 147%
CAPER 2021-2022 6
Table 1 - Accomplishments – Program Year & Strategic Plan to Date
Please note, these activities and the goals listed in the table are related to the City’s 5-Year Consolidated Plan. Where there is funding listed in the table
above, these goals were set as priorities for PY2021-22.
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.During Program Year 2021, the City’s CDBG subrecipients continued to
provide vital services to extremely low, very low, low and moderate-income households while addressing: (1) the priorities and needs of the
CDBG-CV:
$
Homelessness Homeless
CDBG: $0
/ CDBG-
CV: $
Overnight/Emergency
Shelter/Transitional
Housing Beds added
Beds 0 0 0 0
Homelessness Homeless
CDBG: $0
/ CDBG-
CV: $
Homelessness Prevention Persons
Assisted 0 0
Strengthen
Neighborhoods
Non-Homeless
Special Needs
Non-Housing
Community
Development
CDBG: $ /
CDBG- CV:
$300,000
Public Facility or
Infrastructure Activities
other than
Low/Moderate Income
Housing Benefit
Persons
Assisted 1200 0 0.00%
Strengthen
Neighborhoods
Non-Homeless
Special Needs
Non-Housing
Community
Development
CDBG: $ /
CDBG-CV:
Public service activities
other than
Low/Moderate Income
Housing Benefit
Persons
Assisted 1345 1286 95.00% 403
CAPER 2021-2022 7
community as explained in the City’s adopted 2020-25 Consolidated Plan; and (2) the City’s funding priorities and strategies to address COVID-19
related impacts, using funds from the CDBG CARES Act (CDBG-CV).
The City has achieved a number of goals as outlined in the 2021 Annual Action Plan (AAP) through CDBG and CDBG-CV funding. A total of
$746,715 is available for funding projects and programs during the 2021 Program Year. The City received $536,756 from the federal CDBG
program, approximately $136,049 in program income and $73,910 in reallocated funds from previous years. At the time of this reporting, the
City has spent approximately $186,934. However, this will significantly increase in the next few months. Due to turnover and lack of staffing,
three of the organizations have requested an extension of the reporting deadline and in one case an extension in contract.
Through the combination of CDBG and CDBG-CV funds, in total, 935 persons were assisted in this Program Year. Of the 935 persons, 383 were
extremely low-income, 421 were low income and 131 were moderate income of the total. Approximately 40 percent of all persons were assisted
through the COVID-19 related activities.
With the CDBG annual formula grant, Catholic Charities, through the Ombudsman Program, assisted 262 senior residents through visitation and
phone outreach at the local long-term facilities, and LifeMoves, at the Opportunity Services Center, provided case management services
including assistance with housing and job searches to 56 homeless/very low-income community residents. Project Sentinel provided fair housing
and tenant/landlord mediation services to 24 local residents. Additionally, through the CDBG funds, Alta Housing was able to offer on-site
counseling services to 151 residents of the Single-Room Occupancy (SRO) Resident Support Program. Additionally, Rebuilding Together
Peninsula was able to assist six households (eight persons) with home rehabilitation to help assist in the City’s goal of affordable housing.
Ravenswood Family Health Network, a local health clinic, administered COVID-19 tests for 403 community residents through the CDBG annual
formula grant through the pop-up vaccination events and booster COVID-19 vaccines.
CAPER 2021-2022 8
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 416
Black or African American 109
Asian 146
American Indian or American Native 2
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 3
Total 676
Hispanic 54
Not Hispanic 622
Table 2 – Table of assistance to racial and ethnic populations by source of funds
Narrative
Table 2 generated in IDIS has only five racial categories and does not reflect all of the racial categories
served by the City's CDBG funded activities. To accurately report the racial and ethnic breakdown, Table
2 is edited and provided as an attachment in the “Narrative” section. The updated table shows the
accurate racial and ethnic categories of total individuals served in PY2021-22 through CDBG and CDBG-
CV funds. Total number (935) also includes 403 individuals assisted through the COVID-19 related
activities. In total, the City’s CDBG program served 935 individuals in PY2021-22. Of those individuals,
approximately 44% were White; 27% were African American; 36% were Asian; less than 1% were either
American Indian/American Native, Native Hawaiian, American Indian/Alaskan Native and Black,
American Indian/Alaskan Native and White, Black or African American/White. Fifty six percent of
individuals reported as “Other.”
CAPER 2021-2022 9
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 746,715 186,934
Other public - federal 0
Table 3 - Resources Made Available
Narrative
Almost all of the City’s CDBG subrecipients were able to utilize all of their grant funds in PY2021-22 with
the exception of Silicon Valley Independent Living Center (SVILC) Rental Assistance Program and
Ravenswood Family Health Network: ADA Accessible Clinic Entrance and Exit at the Palo Alto Clinic; both
COVID-19 (CARES-ACT) projects.
• Silicon Valley Independent Living Center (SVILC) Rental Assistance Program has $47,085 remaining in
this grant. SVILC has continued to face challenges with the shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic
and their inability to provide in-person services to residents at the Palo Alto Opportunity Services
Center. Additionally, the State’s extended eviction moratorium has postponed many residents’ acute
concerns about being behind on rent. The City has worked with SVILC and provided them an extension
of six additional months, through December 2021, to utilize the remaining grant funds because the
agency expects that after the state's eviction moratorium ends, there will be an increase demand for
rental assistance. SVILC reported that they have assisted 6 people and their goal was 10 for the year.
• For Ravenswood Family Health Network (ADA Accessible Clinic Entrance and Exit at the Palo Alto
Clinic), the project was funded $300,000 but the project had a number of issues in regards to
architectural design and plan check approval. They are nearing completion for all of the preliminary
items and will be putting the project out to bid soon. Once a contractor is chosen and construction
begins, they estimate the work to last about 2-3 months. A combination of County plan check delays and
supply chain issues were causing the overall delay of the project resulting is a request for a time
extension to June 2023 to complete the work.
Every year, the City tracks a sub-recipient’s spending with the goals that have been established. In some
cases, a sub-recipient/organization is not able to spend the remaining funds. These funds are then
added to the City’s unused funds from previous years and are considered roll over funds to be allocated
as part of the following program year. The anticipated rollover funds from program year 2021 were
included in the planning process for program year 2022. The Notice of Availability of Funding (NOFA)
was published in Winter 2021.
In the case that SVILC and Ravenswood are not able to spend the remaining funds, these funds will be
added to the City’s unused funds from previous years and will be allocated as part of the 2023-24 Notice
CAPER 2021-2022 10
of Availability of Funding (NOFA) to be published in Winter 2022.
In October 2020, Staff published NOFA for the second round of available CDBG-CV funds ($451,504) and
received two applications Ravenswood Vaccination Van, and LifeMoves Hotel De Zink Program.
• Hotel De Zink provided emergency shelter to homeless clients from January 2021 through June 2021.
After fully funding the two requests, the City still had $43,000 to allocate to an activity/project. In
February 2021, staff re-published NOFA for the remaining $43,000 and received only one application
from LifeMoves for the same Hotel De Zink program (provide emergency shelter to homeless clients
from July 2021 through December 2021). Staff amended the original contract and added $43,000 and
extended the term of performance from June 2021 to December 2021. The organization fully utilized the
additional $43,000 by December 2021.
• Ravenswood Vaccination Van was funded through a combination of PY2020 CDBG annual formula
grant ($149,950) and CDBG-CV ($204,600) funds. This activity’s goals were achieved. According to their
reporting, the Ravenswood organization assisted 403 persons with vaccination and or testing in program
year 2021-2022.
Identify the geographic distribution and location of investments
Target Area Planned Percentage of
Allocation
Actual Percentage of
Allocation
Narrative Description
Table 4 – 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 affordable housing 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 2021-2022 11
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 2020-2025 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 $549,306 in
General Funds during PY2021-22 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 childcare 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 sub funds: 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 April 12, 2022, the
Commercial Housing Fund had a preliminary available balance of approximately $1,451,109.
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: “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 April 12, 2022, the Residential
Housing Fund had a preliminary available balance of approximately $731,838.
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,
predevelopment expenses, feasibility studies, site acquisition, and other similar purposes.
No publicly owned land or property was used to address needs identified in the Annual Action Plan.
CAPER 2021-2022 12
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 6 6
Number of households supported through
Acquisition of Existing Units 0 0
Total 6 6
Table 6 – Number of Households Supported
Discuss the difference between goals and outcomes and problems encountered in meeting these goals.
The City has partnered with Rebuilding Together - Peninsula and introduced a “Safe at Home” Program.
Through this program, critical health and safety related home repair needs were provided to six low-
income homeowners. This is the first year that this program has been implemented and had trouble
initially establishing environmental process through the City. However, despite these initial setback,
Rebuilding Together – Peninsula was able to exceed their initial goals and will also be funded in the next
program year.
Discuss how these outcomes will impact future annual action plans.
CAPER 2021-2022 13
The City has partnered with Rebuilding Together - Peninsula and introduced a “Safe at Home” Program.
Through this program, critical health and safety related home repair needs were provided to six low-
income homeowners. All six households served were extremely low-income. As previously mentioned,
the City has decided to continue to support Rebuilding Together – Peninsual in the upcoming program
year. The organization has continued to provide essential services to residents and this partnership will
continue to support the affordable housing goals contained in both the Consolidated Plan and 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 6 0
Low-income 0 0
Moderate-income 0 0
Total 6 0
Table 7 – Number of Households Served
Narrative Information
CAPER 2021-2022 14
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
Providing services for the unhoused in Palo Alto and ultimately ending homelessness has been a long-
standing local concern. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to be present, the strain on individuals and
households has increased the number of people experiencing homelessness, challenged service
providers to find new ways to deliver services, and makes this topic even more relevant.
Every two years, during the last ten days of January, communities across the United States conduct
comprehensive counts of the local population experiencing homelessness. The last Point-in-Time Count
was done in 2019 and it showed 313 Total Unhoused in Palo Alto (299 unsheltered and 14 sheltered)
which is an increase from 2017, when the count was 276. The County was unable to complete a count in
PY 2021 due to COVID-19; a Point-in-Time Count was completed in 2022 and County is working on
finalizing 2022 numbers.
The City of Palo Alto supports services to the unhoused as well as homelessness prevention through
three main funding sources: HSRAP, CDBG, and Emerging Needs Fund. At a high level, funding for the
unhoused is geared towards unhoused support and homelessness prevention. Unhoused Support
includes: workforce development, basic needs stipends for work experience, food, seasonal homeless
shelter, school supplies for homeless children, case management, tele-medicine equipment, and
shower/laundry services.
Homelessness Prevention Support includes: Provision of emergency rent and utility funding assistance
through LifeMoves and Silicon Valley Independent Living Center. Additionally, there are local and State
rental assistance programs available to local residents during the COVID pandemic. LifeMoves –
Opportunity Center is designated by the County as the Emergency Assistance Network Agency for
financial assistance for Palo Alto.
The Opportunity Services Center (OSC) in Palo Alto exclusively serves homeless individuals. LifeMoves at
the OSC, provides intake services to all the clients they serve to assess their needs and provide the
appropriate resources and referrals. They also provide basic need services such as access to restrooms,
showers, laundry, used clothing, hygiene supplies, health care, mail/telephone services, food,
transportation assistance, information and referral services, counseling, and other critical services. As a
result, through support from CDBG and funding from the County’s office of supportive housing, in
PY2021-22, they have served 56 unduplicated individuals.
Palo Alto will continue to explore its funding strategy and collaborate with other South County cities to
ensure that limited federal and local resources are targeted to pressing community needs such as
homelessness.
CAPER 2021-2022 15
Addressing the emergency shelter and transitional housing needs of homeless persons
The following activity received funding from the City of Palo Alto to provide emergency shelter and/or
transitional housing for homeless persons
LifeMoves – Hotel De Zink, CDBG $ 31,545: Through the Hotel de Zink activity, LifeMoves, offered longer
hours of support to the homeless population of Palo Alto. The hours of operations of the Hotel de Zink
emergency shelter were extended by 55% from 9 PM through 6 AM, to 5PM through 7 AM. This allowed
these vulnerable clients to have a greater portion of their day in a safe and supportive environment
where they could receive the assistance they so desperately needed. The longer Hotel de Zink hours,
and increased communication via the electronic signage are a few factors attributed to not having a
widespread outbreak of COVID-19 within the Opportunity Services Center and/or Hotel de Zink
emergency shelter. The organization is continuing the extended hours of operations.
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.
Alta Housing; CDBG $24,535: Alta Housing had on-site counseling services available to residents of the
131 units of the Single-Room Occupancy (SRO) Resident Support Program at Alma Place and Barker
Hotel. Majority of the residents are low-income, disabled, elderly, veterans, and formerly homeless
adults. Many residents have difficulty managing daily living skills, such as managing finances,
maintaining their heath (mental and physical) and apartments, and gettingalong with others. Without
onsite support, such issues can become so severe that tenants risk losing their housing. Case
management was provided to 151 residents.
LifeMoves; Case Management; CDBG $31,545: The organization provided 1:1 case management service
including assistance with housing and job searches, referrals, and mentoring to 56 unduplicated
homeless and/or very low-income Palo Alto residents.
Silicon Valley Independent Living Center; Rental Assistance Program; CDBG $58,233: Through this grant,
the organization was able to address rent increases, utility payments, emergency situations, and other
market forces due to COVID-19 to 6 residents. The target population of this activity were the lower
income (80% or less AMI) residents with disabilities, veterans and older adults, aged 55 and over.
CAPER 2021-2022 16
The City follows the guidance of Santa Clara County's CoC as it relates to individuals who may be
discharged from publically funded institutions and systems of care. Currently, neither the CoC nor the
City have a written policy that specifically addresses discharges, but the CoC actively works with health
care facilities, hospitals, and correction programs and institutions when individuals are discharged to
provide referrals to shelters.
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.
Silicon Valley Independent Living Center; Case Management; CDBG $14,021: SVILC is highly recognized
for its Housing Workshops. The Housing Workshops cover many important topics such as: credit
readiness and credit repair; types of low-income housing and eligibility; application and interview
preparation; tenant and landlord rights and responsibilities; fair housing and home modifications laws
and resources; security deposit and rental assistance programs; long term services and supports.
Through the PY2021-22 CDBG funding, 26 unduplicated Palo Alto residents with disabilities received
one-on-one assistance and developed an independent living plan for housing which resulted in
improved accessibility to decent affordable housing. Their annual goal was 24.
Project Sentinel; Fair Housing Services; CDBG $33,698: 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, 17 fair housing complaints were investigated by Project
Sentinel and 24 residents were provided individual consultation relating to specific fair housing
questions.
CAPER 2021-2022 17
CR-30 - Public Housing 91.220(h); 91.320(j)
Actions taken to address the needs of public housing
Not applicable. The Housing Authority of the County of Santa Clara (HACSC) owns and manages four (4)
public housing units, which are all located in the City of Santa Clara. There is no public housing in Palo
Alto.
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.
Actions taken to provide assistance to troubled PHAs
Not applicable.
CAPER 2021-2022 18
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 2015-2023 Housing Elementto increase the supply of affordable housing;
and increase 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.
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 and non-residential housing fees and became effective on June 19, 2017. The housing impact
fees are updated anuually. 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:
CAPER 2021-2022 19
• During PY2021-22, the City’s Human Service Resource Allocation Process (HSRAP) provided
approximately $549,306 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; and
• 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 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 funding. The City also requires that contractors are trained and certified in an
effort to decrease the risk of potential use of LBP innew 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 PY2021-2022, these programs
included the following:
Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County, through the Ombudsman Program, assisted 262 senior
residents through visitation and phone outreach at the local long-term facilities.
CAPER 2021-2022 20
LifeMoves, at the Opportunity Services Center, provided case management services including assistance
with housing and job searches to 56 homeless/very low-income community residents LifeMoves
provides basic necessities for persons who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. The
Opportunity Services Center is a comprehensive, one-stop, multi-service, day drop-in center that
provides critical services for homeless Palo Alto residents. Specifically, the facility provides showers,
laundry, clothing, snacks, case management, and shelter/housing referral services.
Alta Housing provided counseling and supportive case management services for low-income residents of
single-room occupancy facilities to help them maintain housing stability. Activities included financial
counseling, health maintenance, information and referral, problem solving, employment assistance,
crisis intervention, and case management. Alta Housing was able to provide services to 151 individuals.
Downtown Streets Team is a nonprofit in the City 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 Workforce Development
Program provided transition from unemployment and homelessness to regular employment and
housing through case management, job training, mentoring, housing, and transportation assistance. The
Downtown Streets Team connected seven individuals who were meaningfully employed.
As mentioned previously, the City provided LifeMoves with $31,545 in CDBG funds in PY2021-22. During
the fiscal year 56 homeless and/or very low-income Palo Alto residents received case management
services including assistance with housing/job search, referral and mentoring.
Actions taken to develop institutional structure. 91.220(k); 91.320(j)
The City is striving to improve intergovernmental and private sector cooperation to synergize efforts and
resources and develop new revenues for community service needs and the production of affordable
housing. Collaborative efforts include:
• Regular bi-weekly meetings between entitlement jurisdictions at the CDBG Coordinators;
• Meeting and Regional Housing Working Group;
• Joint jurisdiction Request for Proposals and project review committees;
• Coordination on project management for projects funded by multiple jurisdictions; and
• HOME Consortium meetings between member jurisdictions for affordable housing projects.
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 the County 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
CAPER 2021-2022 21
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 local housing funds to increase and preserve 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;
and
• 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 2023.
During PY2021-22, 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 exceeded their goal of 15 individuals served through
case work. They served 24 individuals via casework. They also exceeded their goal of 12 consultations.
They completed 16 extended fair housing consultations, and reached 1,147 Palo Alto residents and
service providers through outreach. They updated their fair housing manual for housing providers and is
readily available on their website. They also met their goal of distributing a minimum of 1000 pieces of
literature. They exceeded their goal of reaching 50 people through intake and referral and instead
reached 53 people.
CAPER 2021-2022 22
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 semiannual and annual
performance reports, review of reimbursement requests and submitted backup documentation,
agency’s audit reports etc. Biennial on-site monitoring is carried out for all CDBG subrecipients and
consists of reviewing client files, project objectives and conformance with agreement, administrative
management, financial management/internal controls etc.
For the program year 2021-22, the City anticpiates completing the monitoring in by end of 2022.
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.
The program year 2021-2022 Draft CAPER was made available on the City website
(https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/CDBG) for the required 15 days public comment period from August
24th through September 7, 2022. An advertisement was placed in The Daily Post, a newspaper of
general circulation, on August 24, 2022, advertising the availability of the CAPER for public review and
comment. The draft CAPER was posted on the City’s website on August 24, 2022. Due to COVID-19,
copies of the CAPER were available electronically. The Human Relations Commission held a virtual public
hearing on September 8, 2022 to discuss the CAPER and to allow the public an opportunity to comment
on the CAPER. Public comments were not received during the 15-day public review/comment period.
Two (2) public comments were received during the HRC meeting held on September 12, 2022 (see page
26 of this document).
Per the City’s adopted Citizen Participation Plan, the City offers translation services when a significant
number of non-English speaking residents can be reasonably expected to participate, or when a
reasonable request for such an accommodation is made. Non-English speaking residents requiring
translation assistance or residents requiring any accommodations are advised to submit their request as
soon as possible but no later than 48 hours in advance of a scheduled meeting, program, or service.
CAPER 2021-2022 23
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
[BEDI grantees] Describe accomplishments and program outcomes during the last year.
CAPER 2021-2022 24
CR-58 – Section 3
Identify the number of individuals assisted and the types of assistance provided
Total Labor Hours CDBG HOME ESG HOPWA HTF
Total Number of Activities 0 0 0 0 0
Total Labor Hours
Total Section 3 Worker Hours
Total Targeted Section 3 Worker Hours
Table 8 – Total Labor Hours
Qualitative Efforts - Number of Activities by
Program
CDBG HOME ESG HOPWA HTF
Outreach efforts to generate job applicants who are
Public Housing Targeted Workers
Outreach efforts to generate job applicants who are
Other Funding Targeted Workers.
Direct, on-the job training (including
apprenticeships).
Indirect training such as arranging for, contracting
for, or paying tuition for, off-site training.
Technical assistance to help Section 3 workers
compete for jobs (e.g., resume assistance,
coaching).
Outreach efforts to identify and secure bids from
Section 3 business concerns.
Technical assistance to help Section 3 business
concerns understand and bid on contracts.
Division of contracts into smaller jobs to facilitate
participation by Section 3 business concerns.
Provided or connected residents with assistance in
seeking employment including: drafting
resumes,preparing for interviews, finding job
opportunities, connecting residents to job
placement services.
Held one or more job fairs.
Provided or connected residents with supportive
services that can provide direct services or referrals.
CAPER 2021-2022 25
Provided or connected residents with supportive
services that provide one or more of the following:
work readiness health screenings, interview
clothing, uniforms, test fees, transportation.
Assisted residents with finding child care.
Assisted residents to apply for, or attend
community college or a four year educational
institution.
Assisted residents to apply for, or attend
vocational/technical training.
Assisted residents to obtain financial literacy
training and/or coaching.
Bonding assistance, guaranties, or other efforts to
support viable bids from Section 3 business
concerns.
Provided or connected residents with training on
computer use or online technologies.
Promoting the use of a business registry designed to
create opportunities for disadvantaged and small
businesses.
Outreach, engagement, or referrals with the state
one-stop system, as designed in Section 121(e)(2) of
the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.
Other.
Table 9 – Qualitative Efforts - Number of Activities by Program
Narrative
CAPER 2021-2022 26
Public Comments
Human Relations Commission
Meeting – September 8, 2022
FY 2021-2022 CAPER
Public comments were not received during the 15-day public review/comment period.
Two (2) public comments were received during the HRC meeting held on September 12, 2022.
Speaker #1 – Alexis Crews-Holloway, Project Manager with Downtown Streets Team
• First off, I would like to thank HRC, City staff and the City’s CDBG consultants Maria and
Maria for all their hard work on this and our continued partnership. We are so
appreciative of you all. I would like to call to everyone’s attention to the memo that will
be attached to the CAPER as a separate attachment when it is submitted to HUD. It does
state that our program assisted 15 individuals with job placement at year end, which is
accurate and that we have achieved 107% of our contract goal. Our goal was to assist 14
individuals, so we actually have exceeded our contract goal even though what is reported
in the CAPER does not reflect this. I’m here if anyone has questions, although we still have
questions ourselves hoping to have answered soon from City’s CDBG consultants. So,
thank you to the HRC and everyone involved in this reporting process. I hope you all have
a good evening.
Speaker #2 – Carol Conn, Executive Director Project Sentinel
• Just want to thank the HRC Commission and otherwise all the staffing that goes into the
work to make the fair housing piece of the services sing. We are thankful for the
partnership with the City of Palo Alto. We, in addition to fair housing and the significant
work we put forward there. We also have a very robust landlord/tenant mediation
program that the goal for which is to keep people housed and living in harmony and that
is also a very big component of what Project Sentinel does for the City of Palo Alto. Just
wanted to reiterate our appreciation and thanks to the City for the continued support.
Thank you.
CAPER 2021-2022 27
CITY OF PALO ALTO - CDBG
ANNUAL ACTION PLAN FY2020-21: CDBG-CV SUBSTANTIAL AMENDMENT
City Council Approved June 20, 2022
INTRODUCTION:
The City of Palo Alto’s Annual Action Plan details the funding strategy for the Community
Development Block Grant (CDBG) program each year. Through the Annual Action Plan, the
City implement its Five-Year Consolidated Plan. The City’s Citizen Participation Plan (CPP)
describes the efforts that the City will take to encourage its residents to participate in
developing these plans. It also provides requirements for public process when a “substantial
amendment” to the Annual Action Plan is proposed. The following changes constitute a
substantial amendment and require public notice as described in the CPP:
• A change in the use of CDBG funds from one eligible activity to another;
• The implementation of an activity not previously identified in sufficient detail to
provide affected citizens an opportunity to submit comments; or
• A change in an activity’s program budget which exceeds ten percent of the City’s
latest annual entitlement grant.
The information provided in this attachment qualifies as a substantial amendment because
it meets all three criteria of a substantial amendment as described in the City’s CPP.
BACKGROUND:
The United States Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act
(CARES Act) on March 27, 2020. The CARES Act expedites the use of CDBG funds to prevent
and respond to COVID-19. Through the CARES Act, the City received a total of $746,413 in
two separate grant allocations. These funds are to be used specifically for responding to the
COVID- 19 pandemic.
On June 15, 2020, Council allocated a portion of the first allocation of CARES Act funding
(CDBG-CV1) in the amount of $294,900 to LifeMoves to provide rental assistance to eligible
low-income Palo Alto families (i.e. 80% Area Media Income and below) who have suffered
documented income loss due to COVID-19. Of this amount, LifeMoves was able to spend
$99,499.50, and is now giving the remaining $194,500.50 back to the City to reallocate.
The purpose of this substantial amendment to the City of Palo Alto’s FY 2020-21 Annual
Action Plan is to reallocate a portion of the CDBG-CV funds that was returned by a
subrecipient to two new COVID-19 related projects and provide a summary of the
recommended projects/activities.
DISCUSSION:
The City will re-allocate $194,500.50 in CDBG-CV funds that was returned from LifeMoves
Rental Assistance Program. The LifeMoves Rental Assistance Program was funded in FY 2020-
CAPER 2021-2022 28
21 under the CDBG public services category to provide eligible households who are unable
to meet their monthly financial obligations as a result of the COVID-19 emergency with rental
assistance. Individuals and families in danger of becoming homeless or losing their homes,
will be able to remain in their homes. LifeMoves informed the City that they would be unable
to spend the remaining funds that they received for this program and are therefore returning
the funds to the City to be reallocated towards different COVID-related activities. Table 1
provides an overview of the recommended re-allocation of the $194,500.50 from the FY
20/21 program year.
Table 1. Staff Recommendation for the Reallocation of CDBG-CV Funds
Agency – Name of Program Amount
1. MOVE Mountain View – Safe Parking Program
$160,300
2. LifeMoves – COVID-19 Testing Program $34,200.50
TOTAL $194,500.50
Public Outreach Process for the Reallocation of CDBG-CV Funds
The City circulated the amendment to the FY 2020-21 Annual Action Plan for a 30-day public
comment period from May 20, 2022 through June 20, 2022. After the public comment period
concludes, the City Council will hold a public hearing on June 20, 2022.
A brief description of programs that will be funded with the City’s reallocated CDBG-CV funds
is provided below. The CDBG-CV funds will provide a valuable funding source for the City and
its non-profit partners to address the community needs in the wake of the COVID-19
pandemic.
Project Name MOVE Mountain View – Safe Parking Program
Goals Supported and Needs
Addressed
COVID-19 Response
Funding Amount CDBG-CV: $160,300
Description The program provides reserved off-street parking for
participants, as well as permanent housing solutions through
intensive case management. The Geng Road Safe Parking Lot
is where MMV will utilize the grant. There are 12 RV safe
parking spaces with eight spaces for client commuter car
parking. A unique resource on this lot is the presence of two
buildings. A library, laundry, kitchen, showers, and office
spaces will create many options for service to the clients in
the program.
CAPER 2021-2022 29
Estimate the number and type
of families that will benefit from
the proposed activities
Approximately eight Palo Alto residents will be served.
Location Description Citywide (Palo Alto)
Project Name LifeMoves – COVID-19 Testing Program
Goals Supported and Needs
Addressed:
COVID-19 Response
Funding Amount CDBG-CV: $34,200.50
Description LifeMoves will use this funding to purchase CUE Health Tests
that test for COVID-19 and deliver accurate results in 20
minutes. They can be administered to anyone at any time
that the Opportunity Services Center is open, whether the
client is symptomatic or asymptomatic.
Estimate the number and type
of families that will benefit
from the proposed activities
Approximately 450 Palo Alto residents will be served.
Location Description Citywide (Palo Alto)