Evansville releases draft 2025–2029 consolidated plan and 2025 action plan; 30-day public comment open

Haley Hale, community development coordinator for the Department of Metropolitan Development, presented the City of Evansville’s draft 2025–2029 consolidated plan and the city’s 2025 action plan and opened a 30-day public comment period on the documents.

“The consolidated plan is essentially the plan that the city puts out for use of the city's CDBG, ESG, and HOME funds over the next five years,” Hale said, summarizing the documents’ purpose.

The consolidated plan sets priorities and measurable goals for federally funded housing and community-development activity and informs the allocation of three HUD formula grants: the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) and HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME). The city said the 2020–2024 plan period ends June 30, 2025, and the draft consolidated plan and the 2025 action plan will be submitted to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on July 12, 2025. Public comments are being accepted through July 5, 2025.

Hale described data sources that informed the plan: an assessment of fair housing (AFH), a community needs assessment, a housing needs assessment (HNA) and the Commission on Homelessness’s strategic plan, Destination Home. The city noted that a recent executive order ended the federal requirement to include a detailed AFH report but that Evansville is still required to certify that it is affirmatively furthering fair housing and may adopt voluntary fair-housing strategies.

Key priorities identified from the community needs assessment—based on 367 survey responses—are housing affordability, basic needs, homelessness and housing accessibility. The housing needs assessment finds a citywide housing gap of 6,321 units (a rental shortfall of 2,907 units and a for-sale gap of 3,414 units). The city reported an aging population and continued demand for affordable rental and homeownership options.

The Commission on Homelessness’s strategic plan, to begin July 1, 2025, reported that more than 2,800 unique individuals experience homelessness in the Evansville region annually and that a single-night count in January 2024 recorded 535 people experiencing homelessness. The COH’s goals listed in the presentation include building a coalition structure in 2025, reducing unsheltered homelessness by 20% by 2028, and longer-term goals to reduce homelessness and achieve functional zero for chronic, veteran and family homelessness by 2030.

Funding amounts and illustrative allocations in the draft action plan: - ESG: 2025 allocation $225,602. Proposed subrecipient awards listed in the presentation total approximately $225,602, including $129,963 for emergency homeless services and $95,639 proposed for rapid rehousing. Examples: Albion domestic violence shelter $20,000 (est. 360 served); Aurora rapid rehousing $95,639 (est. 40 served); Evansville Rescue Mission emergency shelter $10,000 (est. 130 served). Hale noted ESG recipients must consult with the local Continuum of Care. - CDBG: five-year total reported for 2020–2024 was $12,545,136; the draft 2025 CDBG allocation (including program income) is $2,520,225. The presentation summarized CDBG accomplishments from 2020–2024 (owner-occupied rehab, rental rehab, public facilities improvements) and listed proposed 2025 CDBG public service and program allocations across categories such as food and nutrition, youth services, disabled services and neighborhood projects. Specific line items and estimated beneficiaries were shown in the presented spreadsheet. - HOME: 2025 HOME allocation $581,355.93. HOME funding is presented for homebuyer and rental development projects, CHDO operating reserves and administration; city staff said HOME projects receive allocations only when projects are shovel-ready.

Neighborhood Revitalization Strategy Areas (NRSAs): the city described three neighborhood strategies. Haney’s Corner (Arts District) will not be renewed; Jacobsville (census tracts 19, 20, 25 and part of 21) remains an NRSA and has an updated master plan; the city proposed a new Center City NRSA covering census tracts 13, 14, 15 and part of 17, estimating 77.4% of that area’s residents qualify as low- to moderate-income and linking the NRSA to existing federal designations (Promise Zone, Promise Neighborhood) to leverage additional tools such as Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, Blight Elimination Program funds and Tax Increment Financing.

Public engagement and next steps: the Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC), a 5–7 member advisory body appointed by the mayor, reviewed service proposals and provided budget recommendations to the mayor; the mayor then forwarded recommendations to city council, which has final authority. City staff said the council’s first reading of the federal grants budget was scheduled for June 9, with final action on June 23; the action plan and consolidated plan submissions to HUD are scheduled for July 12, 2025. Hale said the city experienced a delay in HUD’s allocation announcement this year and that HUD allowed deadline waivers to accommodate the schedule.

Hale closed by inviting public comment through July 5, 2025, and provided a web link and contact information for the Department of Metropolitan Development’s draft documents: evansville.in.gov/conplan. She gave her contact as Haley Hale, community development coordinator, hhale@evansville.in.gov and office phone (812) 436-7808, and noted the DMD office at Room 306, Civic Center Complex, 1 NW Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

The presentation included tables of specific subrecipient proposals and estimated beneficiaries; the draft consolidated plan, action plan and supporting reports are posted on the city website for review.