Council approves amendments to annual action plans, directs staff to create CDBG application and considers stopgap funding for victim services

The San Bernardino City Council on April 16 approved a substantial amendment to the city’s annual action plans to reallocate previously unspent HOME and Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds toward affordable housing and public facilities projects.

Housing staff summarized recommendations to move unspent HOME funds from 2020–2024 to increase support for Arrowhead Grove Phase 4 (proposed increase cited to about $4.9 million) and for a Jamboree Housing project (cited to increase from approximately $124,000 to $2,000,000). The staff presentation also identified earlier programming of CDBG funds for community centers and public works projects and said the city would formally describe those projects in the amended action plan. Staff said the HOME program requires funds be committed or expended within 24 months unless a HUD extension applies; staff also said they would return in June with recommendations for an outstanding $409,000 in unallocated HOME funds.

Two community speakers urged support for more affordable housing and for nonprofit services. Christian Shaughnessy spoke in favor of increasing affordable housing stock. Annie (Partners Against Violence) described services the nonprofit provides and said Partners Against Violence has not recently received CDBG funding despite operating in downtown San Bernardino.

Councilmember Sanchez moved approval of staff’s recommendations and asked staff to return with two additional steps: (1) a recommendation to create a transparent application process so nonprofit agencies can apply for CDBG funding in future cycles, and (2) for staff to return with an item to provide a $25,000 stopgap allocation from the city’s budget to Partners Against Violence until the next CDBG cycle. Councilmember Canals seconded. The motion passed unanimously. Councilmembers and staff said the proposed HOME funding is a relatively small portion of each project’s total financing and that the city’s investment leverages larger private and state funding sources.

Staff noted that some projects previously shown in earlier annual action plans required more time to demonstrate financial viability and that periods of delay and COVID‑era suspensions had left HOME funds unspent. The amended plans are intended to comply with HUD rules, to identify specific CDBG projects for public transparency, and to move eligible funds toward shovel‑ready affordable housing and infrastructure work.

Staff will return in June with detailed recommendations on the remaining funds and with the formal regulatory documents required to commit the HOME funds to the named projects.