Commission hears CAPER update on HUD grants as staff readies tenant-based rental assistance and alley paving programs

Nicole Crutchfield, planning department, presented Fargo's Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER) for HUD entitlement programs (CDBG and HOME). She said Fargo receives roughly $1.4 million annually in HUD funding, and that year‑one reporting focuses on establishing policies, procedures and environmental review required before spending on capital and program activities.

Crutchfield described three main activities moving forward: an alley paving program with procurement and bidding expected later this year, a tenant‑based rental assistance (TBRA) program being set up with local action agencies, and targeted street‑outreach grants for public health partners. "We are working with the local action agency and the Coalition to End Homelessness to map the whole system," she said, adding that environmental review for the current activities began last week and could take about six months.

Commissioners asked how TBRA would intersect with local eviction trends; Commissioner Strand specifically asked whether the program would address the roughly reported 30 evictions per month. Crutchfield said evictions are within the set of conditions to be addressed and that the TBRA program will be designed to complement regional systems. Commissioner Strand and others also raised concern for subgroups such as youth leaving foster care; Crutchfield said staff are tracking vulnerable segments and will return with program details.

As a public hearing, no public speakers addressed the CAPER at this meeting and the commission moved to accept staff's report and recommended next steps into the action plan process.