St. Louis committee recommends 2026 HUD action plan, allocating CDBG, HOME, ESG and HOPWA funds

The St. Louis Housing, Urban Development and Zoning Committee voted to give Board Bill 84 a do-pass recommendation to authorize the mayor to submit the city's 2026 Annual Action Plan to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and to execute HUD grant agreements for CDBG, HOME, ESG and HOPWA funding.

Noel Pfeffer, director of the Community Development Administration, told the committee that the action plan follows the city's five-year consolidated plan and the annual process of soliciting proposals, scoring applications and appropriating funds. "This is an annual appropriation," Pfeffer said, summarizing the presentation.

Why it matters: the plan sets how the city will spend federal entitlement dollars in 2026 and includes funding for housing production and preservation, homeowner assistance, public services and neighborhood improvements. Pfeffer warned that federal uncertainty could reduce the city's CDBG allocation by roughly 5% based on Senate proposals and a paused federal appropriations process.

Key allocations and program limits - CDBG (most flexible): roughly $17.5 million (estimate), with statutory requirements that at least 70% benefit low- and moderate-income (under 80% AMI) households and limits on administrative and public-services spending. - HOME: roughly $3.0 million; HOME funds may only be used to produce housing. - ESG and HOPWA: targeted to serve people experiencing…