Community Development Consulting Services

The vendor is required to provide community development consulting services for include:
a. Community development block grant (CDBG) program
•    County has been awarded CDBG funds on an annual formula basis since the inception of CDBG program in 1974 to provide households with low and moderate income (LMI) with viable communities, including decent housing, a suitable living environment and expanded economic opportunities. 
•    Department defines LMI as a household with income that is less than 80% of area median income. 
•    Eligible activities include community facilities and improvements, public infrastructure, and public services, with 20% of each funding year entitlement reserved for planning and administration. 
•    To continue participation in this program, the county contractually agrees with department to implement the housing and community development act of 1974 and related CDBG program regulations contained in 24 cfr 570 as well as all cross-cutting regulations.
b. Home investment partnerships (HOME) program
•    Home program provides formula grants to fund a wide range of activities including building, buying, and rehabilitating affordable housing for rent or homeownership to people with low incomes. 
•    Home funds are typically used in partnerships with private developers, local nonprofit groups, and community housing development organizations (CHDOS), to finance a variety of affordable housing production activities. 
•    According to home regulations, at least 15% of each program year funding must be set aside for projects owned, sponsored and developed by community housing development organizations (CHDOS) and 10% is reserved for administration and planning.
•    department published the new home final rule on January 6, 2025 (home final rule), with an original effective date of February 5, 2025, but the implementation was delayed to April 20, 2025. 
•    Further delays have been implemented for specific provisions which are now scheduled to become effective on October 30, 2025. 
•    The home final rule makes several significant changes to the implementation of the home program and represents the first major regulatory update since the 2013 home final rule. 
•    The home final rule revises the home program regulations to update, simplify, or streamline requirements, better align the program with other federal housing programs, and implement recent amendments to the home program statute. 
•    The home final rule also includes minor revisions to the regulations for CDBG housing choice voucher programs consistent with the changes to the home program. 
•    Major provisions include tenancy addenda that create tenant protections for residents of HOM assisted rental housing and recipients of home tenant-based rental assistance, changes to maximum per-unit subsidy limits, changes to periods of affordability, updated guidance and policy changes for HUD-assisted homebuyer housing, and several provisions intended to streamline participation in the home program
c. Emergency solutions grant (ESG) program
•    ESG funds may be used for five program components: street outreach, emergency shelter, homelessness prevention, rapid re-housing assistance, and HMIs; as well as administrative activities (up to 7.5% of a recipient’s allocation can be used for administrative activities).
•    The county did not receive its fy-2025 allocation of the ESG funds but may consider administering the ESG program in the future within the time frame relevant hereto.
d. Community development block grant – disaster recovery (CDBG-DR) program
•    Unlike other recovery assistance programs, CDBG-DR assistance is not permanently authorized. 
•    To presidentially declared disasters, congress may appropriate additional funding for the CDBG program as disaster recovery grants to rebuild the affected areas and provide crucial seed money to start the recovery process. 
•    CDBG-DR assistance may fund a broad range of recovery activities to help communities and neighborhoods that otherwise might not recover due to limited resources, subject to availability of supplemental appropriations. 
•    CDBG-DR appropriation statutes typically grant the secretary of department the authority to waive statutes or regulations administered by department, except for requirements related to fair housing, nondiscrimination, labor standards, and the environment.
•    Statutory requirements of CDBG-DR appropriations, recovery needs of grantees, and waivers granted by department may change from one disaster to the next. 
•    CDBG-DR grants are subject to the department act, which governs all CDBG programs; CDBG regulations at 24 cfr part 570, unless modified by waivers;
- Budget: $2.7 million

- Contract Period/Term: 1 year
- Questions/Inquires Deadline: October 1, 2025