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CITY OF GLENDALE, CALIFORNIA
REPORT TO THE JOINT MEETING: GLENDALE CITY COUNCIL AND
GLENDALE HOUSING AUTHORITY
AGENDA ITEM
Report: Status of Program Planning for the FY 2026-2027 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG), and HOME Investment Partnerships Act (HOME) Annual Action Plan.
1. City Council Motion approving the FY 2026-2027 CDBG program priorities, and FY 2026-2027 Proposed CDBG Funding Allocation Plan by Funding Category; and issuance of an RFP to community agencies for CDBG public social services and CDBG capital improvement projects.
2.Housing Authority Motion approving the FY 2026-2027 CDBG program priorities, and FY 2026-2027 Proposed CDBG Funding Allocation Plan by Funding Category; and issuance of an RFP to community agencies for CDBG public social services and CDBG capital improvement projects.
COUNCIL ACTION
Item Type: Action Item
Approved for November 18, 2025 calendar
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Program planning for the FY 2026-2027 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG), and HOME Investment Partnership (HOME) Annual Action Plan includes determining program priorities (Exhibit 1), a proposed CDBG Funding Allocation Plan (Exhibit 3), and a Request for Proposal (RFP) to issue to community agencies for CDBG public social services and CDBG capital improvement project funding (Exhibit 4). The ESG Funding Allocation Plan is included in the report as Exhibit 5.
Staff is seeking City Council approval of the FY 2026-2027 CDBG program priorities; a FY 2026-2027 Proposed CDBG Funding Allocation Plan by Funding Category; and issuance of an RFP to community agencies for CDBG and ESG public social services and CDBG capital improvement projects.
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RECOMMENDATION
That the City Council and Housing Authority approve the FY 2026-2027 CDBG program priorities; FY 2026-2027 Proposed CDBG Funding Allocation Plan by Funding Category; and issuance of an RFP to CDBG community agencies for public social services and capital improvement projects.
ANALYSIS
Each year, the City of Glendale receives approximately $3,105,000 in formula entitlement funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to administer community development, housing, and homeless programs in the community. The City is tasked with developing an annual action plan for the use of these funds, consistent with a five-year strategic plan (Consolidated Plan) on file with HUD, based on a comprehensive community needs assessment. The most prominent program in the plan development process, with a proposed annual allocation of $1,700,000, is the CDBG program. This program has the greatest level of community participation, local discretion, and demand for service. Therefore, this report is focused on program planning for the FY 2026-2027 CDBG program.
The City has received CDBG funds since the inception of the program in 1974. The Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) program was added in 1987, and the HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME) program was added in 1992.
The national and local objectives of the CDBG program are to: 1) eliminate conditions of slums and blight; 2) provide programs and services that benefit low- and moderate- income persons, including the homeless; and 3) meet an urgent need.
The primary objectives of the ESG program are to: 1) engage homeless individuals and families living on the street; 2) rapidly re-house homeless individuals and families; 3) help operate and provide essential services in emergency shelters for homeless individuals and families; and 4) prevent individuals and families from becoming homeless.
The objective of the HOME program is to provide and preserve affordable housing for low-income households.
To receive CDBG, ESG, and HOME entitlement funds, the City is required to develop a Five-Year Consolidated Plan (a long-term, community-based strategic plan). The current Five-Year (2025-30) Consolidated Plan (ConPlan) was approved by the City Council in June 2025 and was since approved by HUD.
The ConPlan provides a profile of the City and outlines the City’s long-term strategy for addressing identified local community development, homelessness, housing and economic development needs and priorities; funding strategies; and proposed outcomes based on a comprehensive community needs assessment with extensive community input and data analysis. FY 2026-2027 program planning is incorporated as Year Two of the Annual Action Plan.
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CDBG Advisory Committee:
In developing the Annual Action Plan and the ConPlan, HUD requires that the City involve citizens in the plan development and approval process. As a result, the City Council appoints a citizen CDBG Advisory Committee, the responsibility of which is to help oversee the CDBG planning process. The Committee’s current responsibilities include:
Reviewing and commenting on the annual community needs assessment strategy; Recommending program priorities, based on findings from the needs assessment, as well as input from the City Council;
Reviewing sub-recipient performance, such as site visits and outcome reviews; Evaluating funding proposals;
Interviewing community agencies and City departments that submit project proposals;
Recommending projects for funding;
Reviewing and approving revisions or amendments to projects throughout the program year; and
Reviewing and recommending reprogramming of CDBG funds.
The current CDBG Advisory Committee is comprised of the following members:
Armik Avedisian
Lea Awni
Anita Quiñonez-Gabrielian
Ronnie Gharibian (Chair)
Marina Manoukian (Vice Chair)
Community Needs Assessment:
The ConPlan is the main planning document that HUD uses to measure the City’s effectiveness and to approve the submission of Annual Action Plans and other funding applications to HUD. The ConPlan must be broad-based, examining statistical and analytical information, and community-based, relying on direct input from the community (especially residents in low- and moderate-income HUD eligible census tracts) to identify needs and priorities and long-term strategies to meet those needs.
In the Fall of 2024, staff conducted an extensive Community Needs Assessment, through outreach, data analysis, and preparation of a Community Needs Survey to determine program priorities. The results of this data were part of the 2025-2030 Consolidated Plan (ConPlan) and are being considered for FY 2026-2027 Annual Action Plan.
FY 2026-2027 program planning included an in-person community meeting, email and telephone option. The community meeting was held on Wednesday, October 1, 2025, at the Adult Recreation Center, offering wide-reaching marketing strategies, including free onsite childcare. Outreach efforts included the City newsletters, social media posts, requesting GUSD to distribute through PeachJar to all schools, City/department website, email distribution list, Glendale Community College, and emails to local nonprofit organizations. Despite these efforts, residents did not attend the in-person meeting and instead chose to provide direct input via email. A total of six emails were submitted. 24 25-89088
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Key demographic indicators were updated from multiple sources and reviewed. Typically, an analysis using the U.S. Census American Community Survey (ACS) would be conducted; however, due to the government shutdown, the ACS website has not yet been updated with 2024 data. As a result, the Key Demographic Indicators are based on the 2023 ACS 1-year estimates. Staff evaluated the results of community input alongside these data estimates, compared them with current program priorities, and established program priorities for FY 2026-2027.
Program Priorities:
Based on the CDBG Advisory Committee’s evaluation of community input, the needs and priorities identified by residents—and supported by census data—were found to align with the City’s current program priorities. Accordingly, the CDBG Advisory Committee recommends that the program priorities be approved by the City Council and published in the upcoming RFP. The proposed FY 2026-2027 program priorities, listed in alphabetical order, are presented in Exhibit 1 for the City Council’s consideration and approval.
Hud Eligible Target Areas:
Generally, capital and neighborhood improvement projects and social services that serve an area benefit must be in HUD eligible, low-income areas and neighborhoods with physical conditions of slums and blight. Therefore, in addition to surveys and a community meeting, another aspect of the Community Needs Assessment is a demographic analysis of the City to ascertain which area of the City has the highest concentration of low-income households and the physical conditions that would be eligible for CDBG funds.
Based on 2023, one-year estimates of ACS, the percentage of persons below the poverty level in Glendale is 13.4%, with certain census tracts containing more than one-third of the population under the poverty level. Specifically, low-income families are concentrated in certain south Glendale and west Glendale census tracts that would be considered HUD-eligible target areas for public improvements, parks, and community centers. Target areas include residential zones, schools, and commercial areas. (See Exhibit 2) Funding Allocation Plan:
Each year the CDBG Advisory Committee recommends a Proposed CDBG Funding Allocation Plan (based upon the City’s best estimate of federal funding levels and available reprogrammed funds) to the City Council, which establishes parameters for funds available to community agencies in the different funding categories under the RFP process. Staff estimates that the FY 2026-2027 HUD CDBG entitlement will be $1,700,000.
The Advisory Committee reviewed the FY 2026-2027 Proposed CDBG Funding Allocation Plan by Funding Category presented in Exhibit 3 on October 27, 2025, and has recommended it to City Council for approval. A summary of the FY 2026-2027 Proposed Funding Allocation Plan as recommended by the CDBG Advisory Committee is as follows:
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Program Administration$340,000
Public Social Service Programs$255,000
Capital Improvement Projects$1,105,000
Community Organizations CIP $1,105,000
Pre-designated City CIP Projects $0
Total $1,700,000
The CDBG Advisory Committee and/or City Council can revise the capital improvement funding allocations after receiving and evaluating capital improvement project proposals from the community.
Program Administration:
HUD allows jurisdictions to use 20% of their CDBG entitlement funds for administration of the CDBG program to ensure that they have the capacity to comply with the HUD requirements and minimize financial risks, especially as they relate to working with non- profit agencies. The core functions of CDBG administration are planning (including program planning and procurement); monitoring; contract compliance; financial management; and project coordination. Based on the federal government’s emphasis on accountability and transparency, HUD is becoming stricter in requiring more low-income documentation from the City’s sub-recipients to show eligibility for CDBG funds. This translates to greater financial risk and need for management and oversight. The proposal includes allocation of $340,000 in FY 2026-2027 for planning, program management and oversight of the CDBG and ESG programs, in addition to coordination of HUD compliance with the Community Development Department-Housing Division.
Public Social Services:
HUD limits the amount of funds that can be spent on social services to 15% of the entitlement amount. CDBG funds are eligible to be used for social services provided they are used for a new or expanded level of service at the time an agency first applies for the funds. Services must be shown to benefit primarily low- and moderate-income families.
To meet this requirement, agencies are required to collect back-up income documentation on 10% of the persons served, as a sampling of income eligibility. The proposal includes allocation of $255,000 in FY 2026-2027 for social services to community agencies via an RFP process. This represents approximately the same amount of funding as in the current year.
Capital/Neighborhood Improvement Projects:
Generally, capital improvement funds represent 65% of entitlement funds, plus any available reprogrammed funds—which can only be used for capital projects. This funding category applies to community centers, such as parks, libraries, recreation centers, senior centers, youth centers, employment centers, health centers, and social service centers; handicapped accessibility projects anywhere in the City; and public improvements in low- 26 25-89088
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income neighborhoods, such as streets, alleys, curbs, sidewalks, parkways, lighting and traffic calming and economic development projects. Community parks, health centers, and libraries must be located in low-income census tracts and/or must demonstrate that they serve primarily low- and moderate-income persons.
Historically, the City Council has expressed a preference for City Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) to receive funding separately from the competitive RFP process. However, the proposed CDBG Funding Allocation Plan by Funding Category for FY 2026-2027 does not identify any City CIP project as a pre-designated recipient of funding outside the competitive RFP process. Staff will return at a later date with a separate request for funding for a pre-designated City CIP project.
The proposal includes allocation of $1,105,000 in FY 2026-2027 for capital improvement projects to community agencies.
Total capital improvement funds available: $1,105,000
Total (undesignated) funds for community CIP projects: $1,105,000 Total pre-designated funds for City CIP project(s): $0
Request For Proposal (RFP) Process:
Subject to approval of the program priorities and a CDBG Funding Allocation Plan by Funding Category, staff recommends that the City Council and Housing Authority authorize the issuance of an RFP for both social service programs and CIP projects. (See Exhibit 4)
Any non-profit agency that meets the pre-qualification requirements is eligible to apply for and receive CDBG funds, provided that the project meets one of the three broad national objectives of: 1) serving low-income persons; 2) preventing or eliminating conditions of slums and blight; and 3) meeting an urgent need. In addition, funded projects are required to primarily serve Glendale residents and not to discriminate in the provision of services.
Further, projects that meet the established program priorities are given preference for funding.
Staff recommends that proposals for social service funds ($255,000) be solicited from community agencies and City departments under a competitive RFP process, and that proposals for undesignated CIP funds ($1,105,000) be solicited to community agencies only.
ZoomGrants Online Grant Management System:
ZoomGrants online grant application system will continue to be used to submit grant proposals in FY 2026-2027. The RFP packet, which is included as Exhibit 4, has been generated through the ZoomGrants online system.
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Subject to City Council and Housing Authority approval, the RFP for the CDBG program is scheduled to be released on November 19, 2025, with the due date of January 9, 2026.
A mandatory Technical Assistance Meeting will be held on December 8, 2025, for all agencies applying for CDBG social service and CIP funds.
Proposal Evaluation Process:
Historically, under the open, competitive RFP process, the City receives an estimated 15 funding proposals. Of the 15 proposals received, typically 12 are for social services and three are for community CIP projects. Once proposals are received, a staff analysis will be prepared in January 2026 to indicate strengths and weaknesses or discrepancies relative to the requirements of the RFP and the evaluation criteria, including financial data and budget worksheets. The analysis is then sent to each agency, which has one week to submit a response to each weakness. The responses are then attached to the proposals. The proposals, staff analyses, and agency responses are forwarded to the CDBG Advisory Committee members for review. In February/March 2026, the Committee, in one full-day and one half-day session, will interview each community agency requesting funds, deliberate and develop funding recommendations. The funding recommendations are published in the newspaper, a public hearing is held, and then in May 2026, the recommendations will be submitted to the City Council and Housing Authority for final approval.
ESG Program:
The FY 2026-2027 ESG Program (estimated at $155,000) follows the same process as CDBG, in terms of identification of homeless priorities, except that the ESG funding plan is a two-year plan, and the funding recommendations are approved by the Continuum of Care (CoC) Board of Directors. FY 2026-2027 will be a two-year funding plan (FY 2025- 2027). Programs approved during the initial round of funding (FY 2025-2026) that meet outcomes and performance goals may be recommended for renewal for FY 2026-2027, rather than pursuant to another RFP process.
The current CoC Board is comprised of the following members:
Board Member Agency
1. Chief Jeffrey Brooks (Chair) - Glendale Fire Dept.
2. Capt. Alex Krikorian - Glendale Police Dept.
3. Melissa Younesian (Vice Chair) - Verdugo Jobs Center
4. Hagop Eulmessekian - Glendale Unified School District
5. Vacant - Lived Expertise
HOME Program:
The HOME program funding plan will be determined by the Housing Authority as part of the Housing Authority’s review and approval of the annual affordable housing strategy, with consideration given to input received during the CDBG, ESG and HOME community needs assessment, which includes a HUD-required discussion of housing needs. An estimated $1,250,000 in HOME funds will be available for the City in FY 2026-2027. 28 25-89088
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It is important to note that the proposed funding allocation plan is preliminary. The entitlement allocation is based on the City’s best estimate of the previous year’s funding.
Congress has not approved a federal budget for HUD and the government is shutdown at the time this report was written; therefore, the City will not be notified of its final entitlement until Spring 2026.
Summary:
When HUD issues final allocations for the CDBG, ESG, and HOME programs for 2026, staff will return to City Council and Housing Authority with a final Annual Action Plan report that includes the final entitlement amounts, which will be part of the 2026-2027 budget process.
The City’s projected funding for the FY 2026-2027 CDBG, ESG and HOME Annual Action Plan is as follows:
FY 2025-2026 FY 2026-2027 Inc./Dec
CDBG Entitlement: $1,738,811 $1,700,000 - 2.283%
ESG Entitlement: $152,328 $155,000 +1.754%
HOME Entitlement: $1,245,430.65 $1,250,000 + 0.3667% TOTAL: $3,136,569.65 $3,105,000 - 1.01%
STAKEHOLDERS/OUTREACH
As part of the development of the FY 2026-2027 Annual Action Plan, multiple platforms and methods were used to assess community need and gather community input to determine program priorities for the upcoming year which included an in-person community meeting held at the Adult Recreation Center on October 1, 2025, email and telephone call-in option from September 29, 2025, through October 3, 2025.
The community meeting was advertised through the City/department website, City Connection, CSP newsletter, email distribution list, Glendale Unified School District, Glendale Community College, non-profit email distribution list, and social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, X, and Nextdoor).
Six emails were received and provided by residents.
Staff determined program priorities for FY 2026-2027 using data estimates and community input provided for the 2025-2030 ConPlan. The Key Demographic Indicators and Public Hearing Comments are included as part of Exhibit 6.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact associated with this report at this time. When HUD issues the final allocations for the CDBG, ESG, and HOME programs, staff will return to the City Council and Housing Authority with a final Annual Action Plan report that includes the 29 25-89088
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final entitlement amounts, which will be budgeted as a part of the FY 2026-2027 budget process.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW (CEQA/NEPA)
The item under consideration does not constitute a “project” within the meaning of CEQA pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15378(b)(2), as it constitutes continuing administrative or maintenance activity, namely, general policy and procedure making, and section 15378(b)(5), as it constitutes organizational or administrative activities of the government that will not result in direct or indirect physical changes in the environment; thus, it is not subject to CEQA pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15060(c)(3).
CAMPAIGN DISCLOSURE
This item is exempt from campaign disclosure requirements.
ALTERNATIVES TO STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Alternative 1: Do not approve FY 2026-2027 CDBG program priorities, FY 2026- 2027 Proposed CDBG Funding Allocation, or issuance of a CDBG RFP, which will risk the City losing HUD funds.
Alternative 2: Consider any other alternative not proposed by staff.
ADMINISTRATIVE ACTION
Submitted by:
Bradley Calvert, Director of Community Development
Onnig Bulanikian, Director of Community Services & Parks Prepared by:
Arsine Isayan, Deputy Director of Community Development/Housing Maggie Kavarian, Community Services Manager
Tereza Aleksanian, Assistant Director of Community Services & Parks Pamela Jackson, Housing Coordinator
Approved by:
Roubik R. Golanian, P.E., City Manager
EXHIBITS/ATTACHMENTS
Exhibit 1: 2026-2027 Program Priorities
Exhibit 2: Low-Income Census Tract Map
Exhibit 3: FY 2026-2027 CDBG Proposed Funding Allocation Plan by Funding Category
Exhibit 4: FY 2026-2027 CDBG RFP for Public Social Services and Capital Improvement Instructions and Funding Application
Exhibit 5: FY 2026-2027 ESG Funding Allocation Plan by Glendale Continuum of Care Board
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Exhibit 6: Key Demographic Indicators and Public Hearing Comments