City housing staff brief committee on HUD action-plan and federal grant priorities

City of Austin housing staff on March 2025 told the Mayor's Committee for People with Disabilities they are preparing the city’s annual action plan to apply for four federal formula grants and asked the committee for feedback on priorities, data needs and program accessibility.

Rocio Pena Martinez, grants program manager in the city’s housing department, and Julie Smith, the department’s community engagement specialist, explained the action-plan process and emphasized that the grant planning is part of a five-year consolidated plan. “I'm Rocio Pena Martinez. I'm the grants program manager for housing department,” Pena Martinez said. “I'm here today to talk to you a little bit about our HUD grants, process that we're currently in called the action plan.” Smith said her role is to listen and to fold commission feedback into ongoing engagement: “I'm the community engagement specialist with the housing department. I'm here primarily to listen, and first just wanted to help set the stage for know, why we're here and what we'd like to hear from you.”

The staff listed the four federal formula grants that feed the action-plan process: the Community Development Block Grant…