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Council adopts HUD consolidated plan and 2025–26 CDBG/HOME action plan; Deaf center highlights interpreting needs
Summary
Council approved the city's 2025–29 HUD consolidated plan and the 2025–26 one‑year action plan for CDBG and HOME funding. Staff emphasized housing cost burden, special needs populations, and low‑income census tracts; the Deaf & Hard of Hearing Center urged continued funding for interpretation and emergency accessibility training.
The City Council on Aug. 6 adopted Resolution 214‑25, authorizing submission of the 2025–29 HUD consolidated plan and the 2025–26 one‑year action plan that guides Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME Investment Partnership funding priorities. Planning staff presented key findings from the needs assessment and stakeholder outreach, and the citizen advisory board recommended funding levels for service providers for the coming program year.
Findings and priorities: staff summarized the consolidated plan’s findings, including that housing cost burden affects 25.4% of Cape Coral households, a sizable number of residents are severely cost‑burdened, and multiple low‑income block groups exist in the city. The plan highlights affordable housing, public services, economic opportunity programs, public facility improvements and program administration as priority areas for federal funds over the plan horizon.
Public comment: Amy Turner, executive director of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Center, thanked council for prior awards and described how the one‑year action plan funds enable the center to provide interpreter training for emergency personnel and basic sign language training for first responders. Turner noted the center’s unique regional role and said funding helped the center train Cape Coral police recruits and fire/EMS personnel on effective interaction with Deaf residents.
Next steps and administration: staff will submit the consolidated plan and action plan to HUD by the Aug. 14 deadline. If HUD approves the submission, subrecipient agreements will be executed and funded agencies may begin activities in the program year. Council adopted the resolution unanimously.
