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Alameda staff outline FY 2026–27 CDBG award plan after small federal funding cut
Summary
City housing staff told the Social Service & Human Relations Board that HUD’s entitlement allocation for Alameda will be $1,080,816 for FY 2026–27 (about $15,400, or ~1.4%, less than the current year). Staff proposed allocations and told the board that council will consider the annual action plan on May 5; the public comment period ends May 3.
Andre Fairley, a management analyst in Alameda’s Housing and Human Services division, told the Social Service & Human Relations Board on April 23 that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has listed Alameda’s FY 2026–27 Community Development Block Grant entitlement at $1,080,816. “HUD recently announced that the city will be receiving $1,080,816 in entitlement funding,” Fairley said, noting that this is a roughly $15,400 reduction from the current year’s $1,096,362 allocation.
The funding recommendation Fairley presented breaks anticipated spending into four priority areas — non-housing public services, non-housing public improvements, economic development/residential rehabilitation, and general administration — and follows HUD rules that limit spending. Fairley highlighted that only 15% of entitlement funding (plus program income) may be used for non-housing public services, and up to 20% may cover general administration costs. He said staff will present the draft annual action plan to the city council on May 5 and that the public comment period for the draft closes May 3.
Board members pressed staff on the scale of cuts and contingency plans. One board member noted the action-plan draft allocates about $154,000 to public-safety-net services and asked how gaps would be filled if federal funds fell short. Fairley replied that the net reduction is about 1.4% and said staff would “go back to the drawing board,” consult division leadership and the assistant city manager, and consider alternative gap funding such as general-fund revenue where appropriate. He added that some line items show modest dollar decreases — for example, Alameda Family Services was shown at roughly $20,400 for the coming year, about $388 less than the prior year under the draft.
Fairley also said non-housing public service providers submit quarterly outcome data, which will be summarized in the annual action plan and the CAPER once submitted to HUD. If city council approves the recommendations, staff will notify the organizations selected and execute grant agreements before awards become effective.
Next steps: staff will present the annual action plan and funding recommendations to the City Council on May 5, and the board will continue to review program outcomes as part of its oversight role.
