Fremont City Council Meeting: 06/06/23 07:00 PM
3300 Capitol Avenue Div/Dept: Human Services Department Fremont, CA 94538 Category: Agreements and Contracts
SCHEDULED
Sponsors:
COUNCIL STAFF REPORT (ID # 4928) DOC ID: 4928
Updated: 6/1/2023 2:42 PM by Susan Gauthier Page 1
PARTICIPATION IN COUNTY HOME PROGRAM - Request for Continued Participation in the Alameda County HOME Investment Partnership Act (HOME) Program Consortium
Contact Persons:
Name: Robert Lopez Suzanne Shenfil
Title: CDBG Administrator Director
Div/Dept: Human Services Department Human Services Department Phone: 510-574-2043 510-574-2051
E-Mail: [email protected] [email protected]
Executive Summary: Alameda County has received Federal HOME Investment Partnership Act (HOME) funds since 1990. Through the Alameda County HOME Program Consortium, the County provides equitable distribution of funding to local cities for affordable housing programs. Staff recommends the City Council approve the City’s continued participation in the Alameda County HOME Program Consortium of contiguous jurisdictions for Federal Fiscal Years 2024/25, 2025/26, 2026/27 for the purpose of securing federal HOME funding. Staff also recommends the City Council adopt a resolution approving participation in the Alameda County HOME Program Consortium and authorizing the City Manager to execute the participation agreement between the City of Fremont and Alameda County to take all actions necessary for the City’s participation in the Consortium.
BACKGROUND: Title II of the Cranston-Gonzales National Affordable Housing Act of 1990 created the HOME Program to provide flexible funding to states and local governments for affordable housing programs for lower income households. In general, HOME funds can be used to acquire, rehabilitate, finance, and construct affordable housing, as well as provide tenant-based rental assistance.
Since 1991, the City of Fremont has participated in the Alameda County HOME Program Consortium. Participation has historically been renewed for three-year periods. On July 14, 2020, the City Council approved Fremont’s participation in the Consortium through June 2024. Members of the Consortium include the cities of Fremont, Alameda, Hayward, Livermore, Pleasanton, San Leandro, Union City and Alameda County, representing the unincorporated portions of the county and the cities of Albany, Dublin, Emeryville, Newark and Piedmont. The City may now continue participation in the HOME Program for Federal Fiscal Years 2024/25, 2025/26 and 2026/27. Alameda County HOME Consortium staff is requesting advance approval from each participating jurisdiction to ensure continued participation in the Consortium.
HOME Funds Uses: The historic use of HOME funds during the last ten years is illustrated in Table 1 below. These allocations have included project types such as very low-income housing, units for those with mental disabilities, units for veterans, and expenditures for tenant-based rental assistance programs like the Family Resource Center Stay Housed program and Abode Services’ Rapid Rehousing program.
Council Staff Report (ID # 4928) Meeting of June 6, 2023 Updated: 6/1/2023 2:42 PM by Susan Gauthier Page 2
Table 1: Historic Uses of HOME funds
Project
Allocation
Year
Project Sponsor
Projects & Programs
HOME Funds
Number
of Units
Population Served
2006 Abode Services Project
Independence II
$207,409 Provide
up to 45
rental
subsidies
Extremely low-income
young adults
emancipated or aged
out of the foster care
system
2007 Eden Housing Peralta
Senior Housing
$1,400,000 98 units Extremely low and
very low-income
seniors
2009 Abode Services Main
Street Village
$1,059,991 63 units Extremely low and
very low-income
families
2011 Abode Services Project
Independence III
$340,000 Provide
up to 60
rental
subsidies
Extremely low-income
young adults
emancipated or aged
out of the foster care
system
2012 Abode Services Rapid
Rehousing
$50,000 Provide
up to 14
rental
subsidies
Very low-income
homeless families
2012 Fremont Family
Resource Center –
Homeless Prevention
$150,000 Provide
up to 25
rental
subsidies
Very low-income
families
2013 Abode Services Rapid
Rehousing
$50,000 Provide
up to 14
rental
subsidies
Very low-income
homeless families
2013 Fremont Family
Resource Center
Homeless Prevention
$100,000 Provide
up to 20
rental
subsidies
Very low-income
families
2014 Laguna Commons $387,000 64 units Extremely low and very low-income
families
2015 Abode Services Rapid
Rehousing
$50,000 Provide
up to 14
rental
subsidies
Very low-income
homeless families
2016 Fremont Family
Resource Center
Homeless Prevention
$150,000 Provide at
least 12
rental
subsidies
Very low-income
families
Council Staff Report (ID # 4928) Meeting of June 6, 2023 Updated: 6/1/2023 2:42 PM by Susan Gauthier Page 3
2016 Abode Services Project
Independence III
$63,000 Provide
up to 5
rental
subsidies
Extremely low-income
young adults
emancipated or aged
out of the foster care
system
2016 Eden Housing Mission
Court
$538,000 90 units Extremely low and
very low-income
seniors
2017 Abode Services Project
Independence IV
$60,000 Provide
up to 5
rental
subsidies
Extremely low-income
young adults
emancipated or aged
out of the foster care
system
2017 Abode Services Rapid
Rehousing
$75,000 Provide
up to 15
rental
subsidies
Very low-income
homeless families
2017
Fremont Family
Resource Center
Homeless Prevention
$171,430 Provide at
least 13
rental
subsidies
Very low-income
families
2018 Abode Services Project
Independence V
$35,000 Provide
up to 4
rental
subsidies
Extremely low-income
young adults
emancipated or aged
out of the foster care
system
2019 Abode Services Rapid
Rehousing
$75,000 Provide
up to 15
rental
subsidies
Very low-income
homeless families
2020 Fremont Family
Resource Center
Homeless Prevention
$171,430 Provide at
least 13
rental
subsidies
Very low-income
families
2020 Abode Services Rapid
Rehousing
$75,000 Provide
up to 15
rental
subsidies
Very low-income
homeless families
2021 Fremont Family
Resource Center
Homeless Prevention
$171,430 Provide at
least 13
rental
subsidies
Very low-income
families
2021 Abode Services Rapid
Rehousing
$75,000 Provide
up to 15
rental
subsidies
Very low-income
homeless families
2021 Bell Street Gardens
Affordable Apartments
$1,000,000 Develop
128 units
Very low income and
extremely low-income
homeless families
Council Staff Report (ID # 4928) Meeting of June 6, 2023 Updated: 6/1/2023 2:42 PM by Susan Gauthier Page 4
2022 Fremont Family
Resource Center
Homeless Prevention
$171,430 Provide at
least 13
rental
subsidies
Very low-income
families
2022 Abode Services Rapid
Rehousing
$75,000 Provide
up to 15
rental
subsidies
Very low-income
homeless families
DISCUSSION/ANALYSIS: To be eligible to receive federal HOME funds, Fremont must continue its participation in the Alameda County HOME Program Consortium of contiguous jurisdictions. Under federal law, Fremont cannot receive a separate entitlement grant because it does not meet the minimum threshold, which is based on the percentage of population at the poverty level. It is anticipated that all cities currently participating in the Alameda County HOME Program Consortium will continue to participate for the next three- year period. Involvement in the Consortium does not commit the City to any particular project or activity, and all projects undertaken in the City must have prior approval of the City Council. If the Council approves participation in the Consortium, Fremont could receive approximately $440,000 per year based on prior allocations; however, HOME fund allocations are dependent on the HOME program appropriation levels established by Congress.
Under federal regulations, participating jurisdictions may allocate up to 10% of HOME funds for program administration. Participating jurisdictions in the Alameda County HOME Program Consortium pay the County an administrative fee of 5% of the jurisdiction’s share of the HOME funds; the remaining 5% can be used by each jurisdiction to pay for program administration.
FISCAL IMPACT: Match funding of 25% of the grant amount is required. Each project sponsor is responsible for meeting the match requirement. The City is the project sponsor of the Fremont Family Resource Center Homeless Prevention program. Operating budgets for Fiscal Years 2024/25, 2025/26 and 2026/27 would allocate amounts in the City Funded Affordable Housing Fund and the Family Resource Center Operating Fund to meet the matching requirement.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW: Action on this resolution is exempt from CEQA pursuant to, without limitation, CEQA Guidelines Section 15378(b)(2), 15378(b)(4) and 15378(b)(5).
Individual projects are exempt from further CEQA review pursuant to, without limitation CEQA Guidelines Section 15183 (projects consistent with general plan or zoning) and/or 15162 (none of the circumstances necessitating preparation of subsequent environmental review are present.
ATTACHMENTS:
• DRAFT Resolution - Authorizing Continued Participation in County HOME Consortium
RECOMMENDATION: Adopt a resolution:
1. Approving the City’s continued participation in the Alameda County HOME Program Consortium for the next three Federal Fiscal Years 2024/25, 2025/26 and 2026/27 for Council Staff Report (ID # 4928) Meeting of June 6, 2023 Updated: 6/1/2023 2:42 PM by Susan Gauthier Page 5
the purpose of securing federal HOME funds and making findings of CEQA exemption; and
2. Authorizing the City Manager or her designee to execute the participation agreement between the City and Alameda County, to take all actions necessary for participation in the Consortium, and to execute the necessary documents to maintain the eligibility of the Consortium for HOME program funds in accordance with the National Affordable Housing Act of 1990.