COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Chenin Dow, Community Development Director
DATE: April 7, 2026
SUBJECT: Proclamation Proclaiming April 6 through 10, 2026, as “National Community Development Week”
The City Council will p resent a Proclamation proclaiming April 6 through 10, 2026, as “National Community Development Week” to celebrate and showcase the programs and projects which are funded by federal grant programs like Community Development Block Grants and HOME Investment Partnership.
BACKGROUND:
This year marks the 52nd anniversary of the Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) Program. Since then, CDBG has provided the City of Santa Maria with an important funding source to address various needs, primarily for low- to moderate-income residents. This includes assisting those experiencing homelessness, at -risk youth, seniors, individuals with special needs, public improvements, and affordable housing.
For 36 years, since 1990, the HOME Investment Partnership (HOM E) program has helped communities provide access to affordable housing for low -income households.
The City has participated in the HOME program as part of a consortium with the County of Santa Barbara since the consortium’s inception in 1995. HOME also fun ds the City’s successful Tenant -Based Rental Assistance (TBRA) Program, which provides up to $2,500 in rental deposit assistance to qualifying households.
DISCUSSION:
The City receives an average of $1.4 million annually in CDBG funds. These funds help dozens of non-profit agencies offer a variety of programs, including senior, legal, youth, substance abuse, homelessness, mental health, health, and domestic violence services.
Non-profit agencies have also assisted with Capital funding for improvements to their public facilities, providing minor home repairs to residents in Santa Maria, and revitalizing existing neighborhoods.
The City receives an average of $300,000 annually in HOME funding and has historically contributed to local affordable housing projects. It also funds the TBRA program. Since 2010, t he TBRA program has successfully provided security deposit assistance to extremely low- and very low-income families in Santa Maria. There is no other program of its kind in the City.
2 CDBG and HOME are adm inistered nationally by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). These programs are needed more than ever to help the City’s most vulnerable residents and improve the overall condition of the City’s neighborhoods.
Every dollar of CDBG an d HOME funding leverages more than five dollars in other funding, bringing additional vital resources to communities.
Proclamation Requested by: Rosie Rojo, Community Programs Manager
Attachment(s): Proclamation