Victorville holds HUD CDBG public hearing as nonprofits seek funding for food, housing and services

The Victorville City Council on March 4 opened a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) public hearing to collect comments for the city's 2025'26 annual action plan under the city's Consolidated Plan, hearing appeals from more than two dozen nonprofit organizations seeking Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), HOME and public-services funding.

City Manager Matt Metzler told the council staff's current estimate for the entitlement award is "about $1,900,000," and that a council-appointed committee (Mayor Becerra and Councilmember Jones) will review applications and bring formal recommendations to council in April or May.

The hearing drew a long line of requests from local service providers. Pastor Josh Gerbrach of Feed My Sheep (First Assembly of God Victorville) asked the council to fund an expansion of his food-distribution program and a holiday meal kit program; he told the council his program distributed "over 600,000 pounds of food" last year and asked the city to support holiday meal kits and a community Thanksgiving meal. "Our mission is simple but powerful, to meet basic needs, bring hope, and build a stronger and compassionate community," Gerbrach said.

Other presenters described specific proposals and service gaps: - Sunrise Church / Sunrise Life Development said it has operated food banks locally since 2012 and served 17,000 Victorville residents in the past year; it asked for funds to expand meal distribution and hire part-time help. - High Desert Homeless Services requested construction-component CDBG support to make its parking lot ADA accessible and to support a youth drop-in center and transitional-age-youth services. - Burning Bush Church and Volunteers of America described a proposed 100-unit affordable housing development on 8 acres at Sunset and Green Tree, asking for assistance to support the first 25-unit phase; the speaker said the total project cost for 100 units was estimated in their pro forma at about $30,000,000 and the first phase at about $6,000,000, with $1.5 million secured toward predevelopment costs. - Goodwill Southern California and other workforce providers asked for funding to expand job-readiness and youth employment programs. - Partners Against Violence, Assistance League of Victor Valley, Victorville Senior Citizens Club, Rolling Start (center for independent living), Simba Center (health services), Community Health Action Network (utilities assistance) and numerous other local nonprofits described programmatic needs ranging from shelter, utilities assistance and medical/behavioral-health services to minor home modifications that allow people with disabilities to remain in their homes.

Speakers repeatedly described populations they serve (seniors, transitional-age youth, veterans, people experiencing homelessness, people with disabilities, low-income families) and urged the city to direct federal entitlement dollars to maximize local impact. Several nonprofits said they would leverage other funding sources (philanthropy, Feeding America, USDA, partners such as retailers) if city funding were available.

No final action was taken at the hearing. Metzler and planning staff said the council-appointed review committee will score and prioritize applications and return a recommended annual action plan and appropriation ordinance in a future meeting.

Why it matters: CDBG, HOME and public-services awards are the primary federal entitlement dollars the city can deploy for housing preservation, homelessness services, accessibility upgrades and workforce programs. Local nonprofits emphasized that federal support can unlock additional investments and fill immediate service gaps in Victorville.

Speakers quoted or cited in this report spoke during the public hearing portion of the March 4 council meeting; no appropriations were approved at that session.