Board approves FY24–25 CAPER, highlights $1M in HOME funds and new affordable units

The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors on Sept. 16 approved the county's Fiscal Year 2024–25 Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report, the HUD-required CAPER that documents use of CDBG and HOME funds and summarizes the county’s housing and public-service accomplishments.

KJ Kaminski, director of the Office of Supportive Housing, described the CAPER as a HUD-format report that “reflects the great work of not only the county team, but also our partners,” and said staff would submit the draft to HUD by the Sept. 28 deadline.

Why it matters: the CAPER is the primary accountability document to HUD that records how federal CDBG and HOME funds were spent. Approval clears the way for continued entitlement funding and signals the county’s recent progress on affordable housing, shelter, home repair and fair-housing services.

County staff reported that the FY25 annual action plan approved in May allocated roughly $4,000,000 in CDBG and HOME funds for a mix of public services, housing rehabilitation and housing development. For FY25, about $1,000,000 of program funds were expended on public services, housing rehab and fair-housing services; a $300,000 city capital project in Morgan Hill experienced construction delays and is now expected to finish in FY26.

The report lists program accomplishments in FY25 and the five-year 2020–2025 consolidated planning period. Highlights in staff presentations and the draft CAPER include: - Assisted 40 low-income homeowners with deferred maintenance or emergency repairs. - Provided shelter, legal services, counseling and other supports to 2,148 low-income people during FY25. - Handled 88 fair-housing inquiries for low-income residents during the year. - The Meridian (formerly Sunnyvale Block 15) completed construction and has leased all 89 affordable units. - Mitchell Park Place (Palo Alto) received $1,000,000 in HOME funds and is under construction; together the Meridian and Mitchell Park Place will provide roughly 140 affordable units, including 48 units set aside for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families.

Over the five-year consolidated plan cycle, county staff reported that CDBG funds supported 86 public-service agreements serving 11,217 low-income individuals for services such as legal aid, shelter and senior programs; 230 low-income homeowners received repairs; 607 individuals received overnight shelter; and roughly $7.1 million of CDBG funds were leveraged to acquire three affordable housing properties (Hillview Court in Milpitas, Royal Oak Village in Morgan Hill, and Distal Court in Los Altos).

Natalie Monk, housing and community development division manager, told the board the full list of FY25 expenditures and program accomplishments is included in the draft CAPER that staff submitted for the board’s approval.

The board took one procedural vote to accept the report. Supervisor Abakova moved approval; Supervisor Ellenberg seconded. The motion passed unanimously.

Looking ahead: staff said the delayed Morgan Hill capital improvement will be completed in FY26 and that the full CAPER will be transmitted to HUD by the Sept. 28 submission deadline. The draft CAPER is posted as Attachment A to the staff report for detailed line‑item expenditures and program narratives.