Hamilton County outlines $5 million HUD plan; CDAC recommends $2.2 million in HOME awards for affordable housing

Hamilton County's Community Development Division presented its draft annual action plan for program year 2025 and a set of HOME funding recommendations during the April 8 commissioners' staff meeting.

"HUD requires us to complete a consolidated plan every 5 years to outline our funding priorities," Katie Veil, senior program manager for the Community Development Division, told commissioners as she described outreach, analysis and the department's proposed uses for CDBG, HOME and ESG funds. Veil said the division expects roughly $5,000,000 in combined formula funding for 2025, with an estimated $3,380,000 in CDBG, about $1,300,000 in HOME and roughly $300,000 in ESG, subject to HUD's final allocations.

Veil summarized the county's citizen-engagement work, including online and paper surveys (which she said produced more than double the responses compared with the previous consolidated-plan outreach), two public hearings and a public comment period that runs through May 2. She described the grant caps HUD sets: CDBG planning and administration capped at 20 percent, HOME administration capped at 10 percent and ESG administration capped at 7.5 percent.

Tanya Hill, program manager for the division, presented CDAC's recommended awards from a $2,200,000 HOME funding round (the $2.2 million combines the county's 2024 HOME allocation plus roughly $1,000,000 of reallocated funds from prior rounds tied to LIHTC-contingent projects). CDAC recommended funding four applications totaling roughly $2.2 million; four of six applicants were recommended for awards.

Recommended awards described by Hill:

- Habitat for Humanity — $300,000 for new construction of four owner-occupied single-family affordable homes in Colerain and Springfield townships (county new-development funding line).

- Kingsley (Kinsey Lofts) — $750,000 for Kinsey Lofts, a new construction senior housing development with 52 one- and two-bedroom apartments in Cincinnati's Walnut Hills; HOME funds would be used for a portion of units and the development is structured with low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) and other financing.

- Sims Village (Episcopal Retirement Services / Affordable Living LLC / Urban Sites) — $750,000 for rehabilitation and conversion of an existing building into 64 senior units; Hill said the award is contingent on a 9% LIHTC allocation and local jurisdictional approvals, and funding could be reallocated if that LIHTC award is not secured.

- Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) — $400,000 for rehabilitation of 17 units at Crotty Court in Anderson Township to address HVAC, plumbing, safety, weatherization and unit interior upgrades; Hill said no more than 10 HOME-funded units would be charged per project where HOME limits apply.

Hill said CDAC did not recommend funding for HERC (Homesteading and Urban Redevelopment Corporation) because reviewers noted timeliness and capacity concerns tied to prior awards; CDAC recommended applicants complete previously awarded phases before receiving additional HOME funds. CDAC also did not recommend Kingsley's separate Hurt redevelopment (a second LIHTC application) because CDAC prioritized project and recipient diversity and funding availability.

No board action was required at the meeting; Veil said the department will accept written comments through May 2, hold two public hearings (April 10 and May 1) and return with a final annual action plan for board approval in early May so the plan can be submitted to HUD by the mid-May deadline or within the 60-day window HUD provides once allocations are announced. Hill said contracts with awarded agencies will require subsequent board action once terms are finalized.

Commissioners asked about public participation numbers (Veil said the survey response total was more than double the previous cycle, which had "a little over 600" responses) and whether administrative caps could be reduced to direct more funding to programming. Veil and Hill described internal administration caps (CDBG and HOME admin are county-managed; ESG administration is managed by Strategies to End Homelessness) and said allocation alternatives will be considered if final HUD allocations differ from estimates.