Neighborhood services reports CSBG progress: food distribution, rent assistance and volunteering remain high
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Summary
City staff reported Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) activity: officials said the neighborhood services unit has spent roughly 70% of its contract budget, served many thousands with food distribution and rent assistance, and expects center re‑openings and elections for low‑income seats.
Sanchez Zambrano, Neighborhood Services Unit manager at Austin Public Health, reported monthly CSBG performance to the Community Development Commission on Jan. 14.
Zambrano described the unit’s mission to connect Austin and Travis County residents experiencing poverty to services including basic needs, public‑health nursing, employment supports and case management. He said the department had expended about 70% of its 2024 contract budget and noted there is an extension through March 2025 to finish spending the award.
Zambrano highlighted outcomes: he said the program met its transition‑out‑of‑poverty goal for the past year, reported nearly 90,000 unduplicated people served through food distribution (about 170,000 if duplicates are counted), and said staff assisted roughly 1,200 households with rent payments. He also emphasized the unit’s volunteer resources: about 25,100 volunteer hours reported.
Operational updates included an expected reopening of the South Austin Neighborhood Center in February, ongoing renovations at Rosas Zaragoza Neighborhood Center, and that the Dove Springs Neighborhood Center has opened and began food pantry operations. Zambrano said public‑health nursing services have run outreach clinics at several community sites and that staff are preparing for low‑income seat elections for the commission.
Ending: Zambrano asked commissioners to publicize seat elections in their neighborhoods and encouraged commissioners to visit neighborhood centers to see services in person.