Palm Springs council hears HUD five‑year consolidated plan; first‑year CDBG allocations set for housing rehab and legal aid workshops

At a March 12 Palm Springs City Council public hearing, city staff and consultant Daryl Stamps of the Ramsey Group presented the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) five‑year consolidated plan, an Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice (AI), and the city’s 2025 annual action plan. The presentation outlined five strategic priorities for the consolidated plan and recommended specific first‑year uses of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds.

"The plan provides a comprehensive strategy for how the city will use its community development block grant funding," Daryl Stamps said, listing the city’s five recommended priorities: affordable housing development and preservation; homelessness prevention and housing support; community development and public services; economic development; and fair housing and anti‑discrimination efforts.

City staff described the AI recommendations, which include targeted fair‑housing education for underserved populations (racial and ethnic minorities, LGBTQ+ people and persons with disabilities), creation of a tenant‑landlord mediation program, a legal counsel program for low‑income residents, and encouraging affordable housing in areas with access to services.

The council discussed the first‑year annual action plan and approved allocations outlined in the staff presentation. Staff said the expected 2025 CDBG entitlement is $344,683. The proposed uses for the first year were: - Public services (including fair‑housing and legal clinics): $51,000 (to support legal services, Riverside Legal Aid was cited as the contracted provider); - Residential rehabilitation program: $292,981.

Council and staff also discussed administrative limits. HUD allows up to 20% of an entitlement to cover administrative expenses; staff recommended using available administrative dollars — described in the presentation as about $68,000 — to increase funding for the residential rehab program rather than retaining those funds for administration.

Council members asked for details about demand and capacity. Staff said the residential rehab program had a multi‑year wait list and that last year’s pilot drew strong interest; staff reported active work with four households and expectations to serve additional households if bids and construction timing allow. Staff also reported there were no outstanding HUD findings or audit issues with the city’s CDBG program.

Council member Garner and Mayor DeHart emphasized the persistent local need for legal aid and the shortage of pro bono attorneys in the Coachella Valley; council members discussed outreach to regional legal groups and the value of public workshops. Staff confirmed that the city contracted with Riverside Legal Aid, which maintains an office in Indio and provides an on‑staff attorney to support legal help for low‑income residents.

Council voted to adopt the annual action plan as presented (motion and vote were taken on the item during the hearing). The action plan documents will be used to submit the city’s CDBG entitlement application to HUD and to implement the first‑year programs described above.

Staff also noted ongoing efforts to pursue additional grants (for example, a Santiago grant application) and to use transient‑occupancy‑tax revenue and other available funds for housing programs; councilmembers requested more durable distribution of workshop materials online so residents can access information beyond scheduled events.

No council member identified a formal change to the plan in the hearing; the presentation and council direction will be incorporated into the city’s formal consolidated plan and annual action plan submission to HUD.