Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program

About the CDBG Program

Each year the Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) provides funds to local jurisdiction through the Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG) for local community development, housing activities, and public services. The primary objective of the HUD CDBG Program is the development of viable communities by providing decent housing, a suitable living environment, and expanded economic opportunities primarily focused on low- and moderate-income person and neighborhoods. HUD regulations governing the CDBG Program and the distribution of CDBG funds to local service providers and capital improvement projects require that each activity undertaken meet one of the following three broad national objectives: Benefit people with low and moderate incomes, Aid in the prevention or elimination of slums and blight, or Meet an urgent need (such as earthquake, flood, or hurricane relief).

HUD’s national objectives of the CDBG Program were established to assist local communities with funding activities focused primarily on: Eliminating slums and blight, preventing deterioration of property, providing needed neighborhood community facilities, provisions of supportive services; Preserving and improving the supply for affordable housing through improvement of low- and moderate-income housing; Acquisition, design, construction, and installation of needed public facilities, improvements, and accessibility measures; Creation and retention of jobs for low- and moderate-income persons through the expansion of business opportunities and the provision of financial incentives to businesses.

Overview of the City of South Gate CDBG Program

As a direct recipient of CDBG funds from HUD, the City is required to make strategic choices on how they administer and fund their local programs. The City’s planning, implementation, and evaluation of its use of CDBG funds are guided by the framework established by HUD’s CDBG regulations and are integrated into the following plans:

Consolidated Plan (Con Plan)

The Con Plan is a five-year plan that consists of various components that assess the City’s current housing market, analyze demographic, ethnic, and socio-economic conditions, and identify populations within the City who have the greatest community and housing needs, including seniors, families, persons who are homeless or at-risk of homelessness, and persons with disabilities. It also defines the City’s priority needs, strategies, and objectives for reducing the most prevalent barriers to housing and services in our community.

Annual Action Plan

The Annual Action Plan is a yearly plan that identified the specific activities and projects to be undertaken with CDBG Program funds during that program year. The Action Plan contains a complete list of service providers and capital improvement projects that are being funded and an outline of the process used to develop the annual funding recommendations.

Citizens Participation Plan

HUD entitlement cities such as South Gate are required to adopt a citizen participation plan. The City of South Gate previously adopted its Citizen Participation Plan in September 2004. To view the Draft updated Citizen Participation Plan, please click the link below.

Analysis of Impediments To Fair Housing Choice (AI)

The Analysis of Impediments (AI) for Fair Housing Choice provides a review of policies, procedures, and practices within the community, (in the public and private sectors) that affect the location, availability, and accessibility of housing and current residential patterns and conditions related to fair housing choice. The goal of a completed AI is to help jurisdictions become fully aware of the existence, nature, extent, and causes of fair housing problems and the resources available to solve them. HUD suggests that local jurisdictions conduct or update their AI concurrently with the Consolidated Plan cycle.

Valuable input to the AI was provided by the following:

  • Residents who responded to the Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice Survey
  • Fair Housing Foundation
  • Los Angeles County Office on Aging
  • California Tax Credit Allocation Committee (CTCAC)
  • California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH)
  • California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD)
  • National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA)
  • U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Los Angeles Field Office
  • U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development – Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO), San Francisco Regional Office
  • Draft- Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice (AI)(PDF, 3MB)

Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER)

The CAPER reports the City’s completion of projects and activities as outlines within the Consolidated and Action Plans and the expenditure of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) at the end of each program year.

Below are the DRAFT CAPER reports that include the City`s completion of CDBG/HOME projects.

CDBG Funding

How Funds are Used

Federal regulations require that CDBG funds be used for eligible activities that meet one of three national objectives: Benefit to low- and moderate-income persons, Aid in the prevention or elimination of slums or blight, Meet a need having a particular urgency.

The City of South Gate uses its annual CDG allocation to fund projects and activities undertaken by city departments and community-based service providers specifically to address the housing and community development needs of low- and moderate-income persons in the City of South Gate. CDBG funding can be used for a variety of activities to meet HUD's statutory goals including but not limited to:

Decent Housing

  • Assisting homeless persons obtain affordable housing
  • Assisting persons at risk of becoming homeless
  • Retention of affordable housing stock
  • Increasing the availability of affordable permanent housing in standard condition to low-income and moderate-income families, particularly to members of disadvantaged minorities without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status, or disability
  • Increasing the supply of supportive housing which includes structural features and services to enable persons with special needs (including persons with HIV/AIDS) to live in dignity and independence; and that is accessible to job opportunities.

A Suitable Living Environment

  • Improving the safety and livability of neighborhoods
  • Increasing access to quality public and private facilities and services
  • Reducing the isolation if income groups within areas through spatial deconcentration of housing opportunities for lower income persons and the revitalization of deteriorating neighborhoods
  • Restoring and preserving properties of special historic, architectural, or aesthetic value
  • Conservation of energy resources

Expanded Economic Opportunities

  • Job creation and retention
  • Establishment, stabilization and expansion of small business (including micro businesses)
  • The provision of public services concerned with employment
  • The provision of jobs to low-income persons living in areas affected by those programs and activities or jobs resulting from carrying out activities under programs covered by the plan
  • Access to capital and credit for development activities that promote long-term economic and social viability of the community
  • Empowerment and self-sufficiency for low-income persons to reduce generation poverty in federally assisted housing and public housing

Eligibility

The City of South Gate will consider funding proposals for CDBG eligible activities that serve primarily low- and moderate-income persons residing in the City of South Gate. Funded activities or facilities must be available to all eligible persons in the general public. Not more than 15% of these funds can be used for public service projects.

Eligible CDBG Activities

Please note this list is not inclusive of all types of activities that may be eligible under the CDBG Program:

  • Acquisition, construction or rehabilitation of neighborhood facilities for public use*
  • Acquisition, construction or rehabilitation of facilities for persons with special needs* (e.g. homeless persons, battered spouses, frail elderly, disables adults, abused children, etc.)
  • Rehabilitation of housing units for low-moderate-income persons*
  • Economic development activities that create full-time jobs for low-and moderate-income persons
  • Health care and substance abuse services
  • Child care and after-school programs
  • Transitional housing and supportive services for the homeless
  • Crime prevention activities
  • Parks, playgrounds, and recreational facilities
  • Senior and disables centers, except 24-house care facilities
  • Removal of architectural barriers, which restrict mobility of persons with disabilities

*Please note that applicants for capital projects funding must own the property to be assisted.

Ineligible CDBG Activities

Please note this list is not inclusive of all types of activities that may be ineligible under the CDBG Program:

  • General government expenses
  • Political activities
  • Religious activities
  • Purchase of construction equipment
  • Purchase of equipment*, fixtures, motor vehicles, furnishing, or other personal property that is not an integral structural fixture

*Equipment is defined as nonexpendable, tangible personal property having a useful life if more than one year and an acquisition cost of $5,000 or more.

Citizen Participation

The City of South Gate encourages citizen participation in the CDBG process through a series of public meetings, as well as through a published announcement prior to final project and program selection. Throughout the program year, citizens are given an opportunity to comment on all aspects of the City’s CDBG Program uses and performance. The City is required to prepare both an annual Action Plan and accomplishments through funded activities, programs, and projects. These reports are available for public review.

In 2020, the City developed its Five-year Consolidated Plan identifying priorities for the use of CDBG funding resources through 2025. CDBG regulations require that jurisdiction set forth policies and procedures to encourage citizen participation during the development of these plans and during the overall administration of the City’s CDBG program.

South Gate’s Five-Year Consolidated Plan was developed with a strong emphasis on community input. As part of the process for developing the Consolidated Plan, City Staff provided a number of opportunities for public input including surveys, public meeting, newspaper notices, and the 30-day draft public review and comment period. All public comments provided to the City either verbally or in writing were included in the appendices of the document submitted to HUD for final approval. The objectives and priorities of the Consolidated Plan are listed below:

  • High Priority
    • Domestic Violence Counseling/Prevention
    • Graffiti Removal
    • Senior Services
    • Substance Abuse Services
    • Youth Services
  • Medium Priority
    • Crime Awareness and Prevention Services
    • Emergency Management Preparedness
    • Employment Training Services
    • Food Banks
    • Services for Individuals with Disabilities
  • Low Priority
    • Legal Services
    • Social/Health Resource Education
    • Tenant/Landlord Counseling

Citizens Advisory Committee

The Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) was established by the City Council to provide advice and funding recommendations on the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program, discussed in the City's Consolidated Plan and Annual Action Plan.

Grant Application Process

The annual funding application is available to all participants that attend a mandatory CDBG Application Workshop held in November of each year.

The City has an extensive process to allocate CDBG funds. Each year the City notices the availability of CDBG funds, holds community meetings, and solicits funding applications from interested service providers.

The following is the Public Notice of Available Funds for FY 2023-2024 and Request For Proposals:

Public-Hearing-South-Gate-NOFA-2023-2024-rev.pdf(PDF, 167KB)

AVISO-PÚBLICO-South-Gate-NOFA-2023-2024-SPANISH.pdf(PDF, 124KB)

CDBG Request for Proposals

The Request for Proposal (RFP) was published on the South Gate Press on Thursday, October 28, 2022. All RFPs for Fiscal Year 2023-24 must be submitted on or before Wednesday, November 29, 2022.

FY-23-24-Application-Checklist.pdf(PDF, 167KB)

FY-23-24-Non-Public-Services-Application.pdf(PDF, 393KB)

FY-23-24-Public-Services-Application.pdf(PDF, 593KB)

South-Gate-NOFA-2023-2024-SPANISH.pdf(PDF, 123KB)

South-Gate-NOFA-2023-2024.pdf(PDF, 166KB)

 CDBG Interest List

If you would like to be added to the City’s CDBG RFP interest list or have any inquiries regarding CDBG funding, please send a message to Ana LeNoue, HUD Compliance Consultant, and provide your email and mailing address. Ana can be reached at alenoue@sogate.org

Playing by the Rules: CDBG Handbook

The "Playing by the Rules(PDF, 518KB) " handbook aims to help subrecipients understand the administrative requirements that apply to the use of Federal funds for the delivery of CDBG programs and activities.

Schedule

The following is a summary of tentative dates for the awarding of annual funds.

DATE
(Dates subject to change)
Activity
July 1, 2023  CDBG FY2023-24 program begins 
 June 30, 2024  CDBG FY2023-24 contract ends 

HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME)

The HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) is designed exclusively to create affordable housing for low-income households. The intent of the HOME program is to provide decent affordable housing to lower-income households, expand the capacity of nonprofit housing providers, strengthen the ability of the state and local governments to provide housing, and leverage private sector participation in housing projects.

At least 15% of HOME funds must be set aside for specific activities to be undertaken by a special type of nonprofit called a Community Housing Development Organization (CHDO). A CHDO is a private nonprofit, community-based organization that has staff with the capacity to develop affordable housing for the community it serves. In order to qualify for designation as a CHDO, the organization must meet certain requirements pertaining to their legal status, organizational structure, and capacity and experience.