City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: APRIL 16, 2024
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
THROUGH: JAMES F. PARAJON, CITY MANAGER /s/
FROM: HELEN S. MCILVAINE, OFFICE OF HOUSING
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
Consideration and Receipt of the Draft City Fiscal Year 2025 Action Plan for Housing and Community Development.
BODY
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ISSUE: Consideration and receipt of the Draft City Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Action Plan for Housing and Community Development.
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council:
1. Receive the Draft FY 2025 Action Plan for Housing and Community Development (“Draft Action Plan”), containing the City’s draft application for FY 2025 funding for an estimated $1,094,483 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) monies and an estimated $712,411 in Home Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) monies;
2. Approve the Plan; and
3. Authorize the City Manager to execute any documents required to facilitate receipt of these and any related federal grant funds.
BACKGROUND: The City of Alexandria’s 2022 to 2026 Consolidated Plan for Housing and Community Development has been prepared in accordance with regulations set forth by the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). These regulations require that participants in certain HUD programs including, but not limited to, the CDBG and HOME programs, submit an annual Action Plan to provide a concise summary of the actions, activities, and the specific federal and non-federal resources that will be used each year of its current five-year Consolidated Plan period, to address the priority needs and specific goals identified by the Consolidated Plan.
The Draft Action Plan describes the City’s specific objectives to be undertaken or accomplished during FY 2025 to address the overall needs for affordable housing, shelters and services for the homeless, housing for persons with special needs, and community and economic development. The Draft Action Plan is the fourth Action Plan prepared for the FY 2022 to 2026 Consolidated Plan period and is consistent with on-going program activities as well as core services included in the City Manager’s Proposed FY 2025 Budget. A Resident Summary of the Draft Action Plan is provided as an attachment.
DISCUSSION: The Office of Housing prepares the information included in the Action Plans in consultation with City departments, such as the Department of Community and Human Services, the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority (ARHA), the City of Alexandria Partnership to Prevent and End Homelessness, and numerous agencies and nonprofit organizations that provide services for very low-, low- and moderate-income persons. Several Plans adopted by City Council and other Boards and Commissions (e.g., Housing Master Plan, ARHA Strategic Plan, Aging Plan, Child and Youth Master Plan), provide an excellent roadmap of the activities, services, and resources the City will be dedicating funds to for various objectives of interest to HUD.
The Draft FY 2025 Action Plan and Draft Amendment were released on March 18 for the required 30-day public comment period, which will end on April 19. The Draft Action Plan also contains the City’s applications for an estimated $1,094,483 in CDBG funds and an estimated $712,411 in HOME Program funds. The majority of CDBG funds ($727,688) are proposed for the use of two building rehabilitation programs: the Home Rehabilitation Loan Program, which assists low-income homeowners with extending the useful life of their homes, and the Rental Property Rehabilitation Program, which provides affordable apartment buildings with funding to rehabilitate those buildings and maintain their affordability. HOME funds are proposed to be split between the Housing Opportunities Fund Program, which funds affordable housing production, and the Home Loan Rehabilitation Program. The remaining use of the CDBG and HOME funds is described on page 5 of the Resident Summary.
The FY 2025 CDBG and HOME funding levels presented in the Draft FY 2025 Action Plan and Resident Summary are based on the Federal Fiscal Year 2024 Approved Budget. The federally required 25% local matching funds for the HOME program will be accomplished by pairing federal HOME funds with the City’s Housing Trust Fund.
The release of Alexandria’s Draft Action Plan was announced by notices placed in local newspapers, on the City’s Affordable Housing eNews mailing list, and on social media. The Draft Resident Summary of the Action Plan was distributed to a host of interested parties on March 18 via email. This document is a concise summary of the objectives and anticipated outcomes in the Draft Action Plan. It has been prepared to provide highlights of planned federally funded program activities, as well as to demonstrate the City’s anticipated initiatives to leverage local, state, federal and private resources to support programs that serve and empower the very low-, low-, and moderate-income targeted populations in the Alexandria community, as reported in the FY 2022 to 2026 Consolidated Plan that was submitted online to HUD in May 2021.
The Draft Resident Summary and the complete Draft Action Plan are posted on the City’s website at www.alexandriva.gov/Housing, and hard copies will be distributed upon request by the Office of Housing. The Draft Resident Summary was provided to the Alexandria Housing Affordability Advisory Committee (AHAAC) at their April 4 meeting, at which time a Public Hearing was held to discuss the Plan. Comments were also submitted directly or online to the Office of Housing. The proposed Action Plan is required to be filed with HUD by May 15 (forty-five days before the beginning of the program year).
FISCAL IMPACT: Upon its approval of the FY 2025 Action Plan for Housing and Community Development, HUD will appropriate an estimated total of $1,806,894 in new federal funding to the City for FY 2025, including $1,094,483 in CDBG funds and $712,411 in HOME Program funds. The proposed uses and funding levels are consistent with the City Manager’s FY 2025 proposed budget.
ATTACHMENT: Resident Summary of the Draft FY 2025 Action Plan for Housing and
Community Development
STAFF:
Emily A. Baker, Deputy City Manager
Eric Keeler, Deputy Director, Office of Housing
Kimberly Cadena, Housing Analyst, Office of Housing