Jill Smith, program manager with Neighborhood Services at Austin Public Health, presented the monthly CSBG (Community Services Block Grant) update to the Community Development Commission, reporting several program metrics and programmatic notes.

Smith said the department had helped 457 people avoid eviction, provided utility assistance to 151 people, and distributed food to 55,722 people as of August. For rental assistance, she reported spending $603,305 from January through September. She told the commission that a monitoring visit by the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) in July reviewed finances, administration and client records and "had no findings identified," and that the monitoring team was "really complimentary of our services."

Smith described the local flu vaccination program: the department was allotted 300 regular-dose flu vaccines and 100 high-dose doses (intended primarily for seniors) and expected to run clinics through November; staff expected to use most of the allotment in the coming weeks. On eligibility for an Austin Energy Plus 1 program referenced by commissioners, Smith said the program is available to any Austin Energy customer with household income under 200% of poverty and that applicants typically provide an Austin Energy bill, pay stubs and an ID; staff said alternative documentation or self-declaration processes are used when pay stubs are not available.

On the CSBG metric described as "transitioning clients out of poverty," Smith said that definition comes from the federal Community Services Block Grant guidance: a documented income above 125% of poverty for three consecutive months.

Commissioners asked whether staff saw atypical demand from special populations (including veterans); Smith said the program is seeing increased food need generally but that because of limited funds it can be difficult to infer broad trends from the population served. Commissioners thanked Smith and asked follow-up questions about program eligibility documentation and coordination with other providers.