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Commission holds public hearing on $7.5 million Neighborhood Investment Plan; fair-housing and nonprofit funding concerns raised
Summary
City staff presented the Neighborhood Investment Plan recommendations totaling $7.5 million in CDBG, HOME, ESG and other funds and opened a public hearing. Commenters urged increased local funding for fair-housing enforcement and asked the commission to review a terminated public-safety award to Seeds of Promise.
City staff presented the proposed Neighborhood Investment Plan and held a public hearing on the plan's recommended allocations of roughly $7.5 million in federal and local funding for housing and community-development projects. The plan bundles Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME), Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG), justice assistance grants and opioid settlement dollars, along with Affordable Housing Fund allocations, as part of the city's annual action plan required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
Staff overview: Miss Bohach (community development staff) said the city followed the HUD-required five-year consolidated plan framework (covering July 1, 2021'June 30, 2026) and solicited applications after outreach and technical-assistance workshops. She said the solicitation produced 21 full project applications requesting more than $25 million while about $7.5 million was available. The public comment period opened March 25 and runs through April 24; final awards were scheduled to be considered by the commission on May 13, and staff will forward written public comments to the commission for that vote.
Public concerns and requests: Nancy Haynes, executive director of the Fair Housing Center of West Michigan and a First Ward resident, told the commission her organization provides housing discrimination investigation, education and outreach and that the center receives $75,000 annually from the city but serves a high volume of cases in Grand Rapids. She said federal funds that support parts of the center's work are at risk and itemized contracts that are ending soon: one $100,000 contract previously terminated (litigation and TRO referenced); enforcement grant funding of $425,000 ends May 31; an education and outreach grant of $125,000 ends May 31; another $115,000 contract ends in November. Haynes asked the commission to consider increasing local support to avoid a service cliff if federal funding is reduced.
Reginald Thomas, representing Seeds of Promise, asked the commission to review community development decisions that terminated a $55,000 public-safety (CVI) award to his organization and to restore the award or allow future application eligibility. He specifically requested "an immediate review of all decisions made out of the community development department that has affected our funding for this year."
Staff response and process constraints: Bohach said the neighborhood investment process is competitive, widely advertised, and built on an application timeline that began in October with workshops and notices; she advised against reallocating funds outside the established solicitation at this late stage, citing process integrity and fairness to applicants. The city manager later clarified that the commission retains the prerogative to amend allocations prior to final approval if a majority wishes to do so.
Other details: Bohach said contingency plans were included in the recommendations to handle potential federal award variations. She emphasized that the recommendations align with HUD rules and the city's consolidated plan and strategic priorities. The public hearing record remains open for written comments through April 24 before the commission is scheduled to consider final awards on May 13.
