Fremont City Council Meeting: 05/05/26 07:00 PM
3300 Capitol Avenue Div/Dept: Human Services Department Fremont, CA 94538 Category: Agreements and Contracts
SCHEDULED
Sponsors:
COUNCIL STAFF REPORT (ID # 5693) DOC ID: 5693
Updated: 5/1/2026 11:06 AM by Dina Lewis Page 1
Participation in Alameda County Home Program - Request for Continued Participation in the Alameda County HOME Investment Partnership Act (HOME) Program Consortium
Contact Persons:
Name: Robert Lopez Arquimides Caldera
Title: CDBG Administrator Human Services Director
Div/Dept: Human Services Department Human Services Department Phone: 510-574-2043 510-574-2056
E-Mail: [email protected] [email protected]
Executive Summary: Alameda County (County) has received Federal HOME Investment Partnership Act (HOME) funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) since 1990 and serves as the lead agency for the Alameda County Home Consortium (Consortium). Through the Consortium, the County equitably distributes funding to participating local cities for the acquisition, rehabilitation, and new construction of affordable housing, as well as for tenant-based rental assistance.
The City is currently a member of the Consortium and to secure future HOME funding in the future, Staff recommends the City Council adopt a resolution approving the City’s continued participation in the Alameda County HOME Program Consortium for Federal Fiscal Years 2027/28, 2028/29, 2029/30, and delegating authority to the City Manager, or designee, to execute a Cooperative Agreement between the City of Fremont and Alameda County and to take all other actions necessary to ensure City’s participation in the Consortium.
Background: Title II of the Cranston-Gonzales National Affordable Housing Act of 1990 created the HOME Investment Partnership Program (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 to provide tenant-based rental assistance.
Since 1991, the City of Fremont has participated in the Alameda County HOME Program Consortium (Consortium). Participation in the Consortium has historically been renewed for three-year periods. On June 6, 2023, the City Council approved Fremont’s participation in the Consortium through June 2027. Members of the Consortium include the cities of Fremont, Council Staff Report (ID # 5693) Meeting of May 5, 2026 Updated: 5/1/2026 11:06 AM by Dina Lewis Page 2
Alameda, Hayward, Livermore, Pleasanton, San Leandro, Union City, and Alameda County, representing the unincorporated portions of the County, as well as the cities of Albany, Dublin, Emeryville, Newark, and Piedmont. The City wishes to continue participating in the HOME Program for Federal Fiscal Years 2027/28, 2028/29 and 2029/30, and the Alameda County HOME Consortium staff has requested advance approval from each participating jurisdiction to ensure continued participation in the Consortium.
HOME Funds Uses: The City’s 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.
Table 1: Historic Uses of HOME funds
Project
Allocation
Year
Project
Sponsor
Projects &
Programs
HOME
Funds
Number of
Units
Population
Served
2016 Fremont Family
Resource Center
Homeless
Prevention
$150,000 Provide at
least 12
rental
subsidies
Very low-income
families
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
Council Staff Report (ID # 5693) Meeting of May 5, 2026 Updated: 5/1/2026 11:06 AM by Dina Lewis Page 3
Project
Allocation
Year
Project
Sponsor
Projects &
Programs
HOME
Funds
Number of
Units
Population
Served
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 # 5693) Meeting of May 5, 2026 Updated: 5/1/2026 11:06 AM by Dina Lewis Page 4
Project
Allocation
Year
Project
Sponsor
Projects &
Programs
HOME
Funds
Number of
Units
Population
Served
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
2023 Fremont Family
Resource Center
Homeless
Prevention
$171,430 Provide at
least 13
rental
subsidies
Very low-income
families
2023 Abode Services
Rapid Rehousing
$75,000 Provide up
to 15 rental
subsidies
Very low-income
homeless
families
2024 Fremont Family
Resource Center
Homeless
Prevention
$171,430 Provide at
least 13
rental
subsidies
Very low-income
families
2024 Abode Services
Rapid Rehousing
$75,000 Provide up
to 15 rental
subsidies
Very low-income
homeless
families
2025 Fremont Family
Resource Center
Homeless
Prevention
$171,430 Provide at
least 13
rental
subsidies
Very low-income
families
2025 Abode Services
Rapid Rehousing
$75,000 Provide up
to 15 rental
subsidies
Very low-income
homeless
families
Discussion/Analysis: To be eligible to continue receiving Federal HOME funds, Fremont must continue its participation in the Alameda County HOME Program Consortium of contiguous jurisdictions. Under federal law, Fremont is not eligible to receive an independent entitlement of HOME grant funds because it does not meet the minimum threshold, which is based on the percentage of jurisdiction’s population at the poverty level. It is anticipated that all cities currently participating in the Consortium will continue to participate for the next three-year period. Continued participation in the Council Staff Report (ID # 5693) Meeting of May 5, 2026 Updated: 5/1/2026 11:06 AM by Dina Lewis Page 5
Consortium does not commit the City to any particular project or activity, and all projects undertaken in the City with HOME funds must have prior approval of the City Council. If the Council approves continued participation in the Consortium, Fremont could receive approximately $377,733 per year based on prior allocations; however, HOME fund allocations are dependent on the HOME Program appropriation levels established by Congress. This funding is considered an important source to support homelessness prevention efforts, as prioritized in the City’s Homeless Response Plan.
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, but the remaining 5% can be used by each jurisdiction to pay for HOME-related program administration.
Fiscal Impact: Sponsors of HOME funded projects or programs must provide a funding match equal to 25% the awarded HOME funds. The City is the project sponsor of the Fremont Family Resource Center Homeless Prevention program. Operating budgets for Fiscal Years 2027/28, 2028/29 and 2029/30 would allocate amounts in the City-Funded Affordable Housing Fund and the Family Resource Center Operating Fund to meet the matching requirement.
Environmental Review: The proposed action is exempt from and not subject to review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) either because it is not a “project” as defined in CEQA Guidelines Section 15378(b), or because it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the action may have a significant effect on the environment as specified in CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3), each as a separate and independent basis for CEQA compliance.
ATTACHMENTS:
• res. 2026-xx 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 (2027/28, 2028/29 and 2029/20) for the purpose of securing Federal HOME funds; and
Council Staff Report (ID # 5693) Meeting of May 5, 2026 Updated: 5/1/2026 11:06 AM by Dina Lewis Page 6
2. Delegating authority to the City Manager, or designee, to execute a Cooperative Agreement with Alameda County, as well as any other documents required for the City’s continued participation in the Alameda County HOME Consortium, and to take all actions necessary to maintain the City’s eligibility for the Consortium and HOME funding in accordance with the National Affordable Housing Act of 1990.