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Council hears Fair Housing Advocates' data as housing department proposes $45,000 CDBG subaward
Summary
Housing staff proposed a direct CDBG subaward of $45,000 to Fair Housing Advocates of Northern California (FANCI); FANCI presented testing and enforcement data showing disproportionate housing discrimination complaints from Vallejo residents and urged continued local support.
City staff recommended a direct award of $45,000 in CDBG public-service funds to Fair Housing Advocates of Northern California (FANCI) to deliver fair-housing outreach, testing and complaint services in Vallejo.
Housing Director Alicia Jones explained HUD guidance allows subrecipient direct awards and said staff recommended FANCI because of prior experience and the program’s alignment with the city’s housing element goals. "Those funds can be used for eligible activities that align with the national objectives," Jones said.
FANCI Executive Director Carolyn Petey gave an overview of services and local data: in recent grant years, 91% of FANCI clients were low or very low income, 50% were Black, 27% Latinx and a large share had disabilities; FANCI reported conducting audit and complaint-based testing that revealed discriminatory practices, including source-of-income and criminal-background screening issues. Petey said FANCI has conducted 76 audit tests in Vallejo since 2020 with 36 showing evidence of discrimination and urged continued local funding to replace gaps left by reduced federal enforcement capacity.
Council thanked staff and FANCI and asked several policy and operational questions, including how the city will monitor subrecipient compliance. Staff said the city will monitor program compliance and financial management as required by CDBG rules.
