The City of Escondido receives federal funding on an annual basis from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for two formula block grant programs: Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program and HOME Investment Partnership Act (HOME) Program.
The CDBG program is the Federal Government's primary program for promoting community revitalization throughout the country. The CDBG program has three general National Objectives:
- Benefit low- and moderate-income persons
- Aid in the prevention or elimination of slums or blight
- Meet other community development needs that present a serious and immediate threat to the health or welfare of the community
CDBG funds are used for a wide range of community development activities directed toward neighborhood revitalization, economic development, and improved community facilities and services. Activities that can be funded with CDBG dollars include, but are not limited to, acquisition of real property, acquisition and construction of public works and facilities, code enforcement, reconstruction and rehabilitation of residential and nonresidential properties, homeownership assistance, micro-enterprise assistance, and the provision of public services such as employment, crime prevention, childcare, health, drug abuse, education, and fair housing counseling.
The remainder of this Overview is divided into the following sections.
- CDBG Application Process
- Citizen Participation
- Annual Action Plan
- Five-Year Consolidated Plan
- Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER)
- Regulations Governing CDBG Program
- How to be Included in Notification List for CDBG Activities
Five-Year Consolidated Plan
Every five years, the City of Escondido prepares a Five-Year Consolidated Plan, which identifies the Housing and Community Development needs and priorities of the City of Escondido and action steps necessary to meet those needs and address those priorities. The current Consolidated Plan is available here:
Programs and projects seeking CDBG funding from the City of Escondido must address one or more of the Community Development Priorities set forth in the Five-Year Consolidated Plan, in addition to meeting the National Objective of benefiting low- and moderate-income residents.
Citizen Participation
Citizen participation is a high priority for the City of Escondido. The City has developed a Citizen Participation Plan as a part of the Five-Year Consolidated Plan that sets forth the policies and procedures to encourage citizen's participation in the CDBG and HOME Program planning and implementation processes. The Citizen Participation Plan has been created in accordance with HUD regulations. This Plan also describes the process the City will use to amend the Action Plan when needed and can be accessed here:
Annual Action Plan
Each year, the City of Escondido outlines the specific steps that will be taken during the year to address both the community development and housing priorities of the Consolidated Plan through a One-Year Action Plan and any subsequent Amendments. The Action Plan identifies how the CDBG and HOME Program funds will be utilized and leveraged with other local, state, federal and private monies to provide programs and projects that benefit low and moderate-income households and neighborhoods. The current Annual Action Plan can be found here:
Programs and projects seeking CDBG funding from the City of Escondido must address one or more of the Community Development Priorities set forth in the Five-Year Consolidated Plan, in addition to meeting the National Objective of benefiting low- and moderate-income residents.
CDBG Application Process
Please Note: Applications for funding will be updated and released on an annual basis upon approval of the City Council in early Spring. The City of Escondido will accept applications for eligible non-profit organizations and/or public entities for funding to provide (1) public services projects and programs, or (2) public facilities/capital improvement projects. All programs and projects funded with Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds must benefit primarily Low-to-Moderate Income (LMI) individuals and families. Technical assistance in meeting the Community Development Priorities and National Objectives is available upon request. Please email HNelson@escondido.org or call (760) 839-4518 for an appointment after thoroughly reviewing this section and the CDBG Proposal Guidelines and Funding Application in its entirety.
To be included in the Notification List for notice of all public hearings, meetings, events, and other information which relates to and affects the CDBG Program, please forward your contact information (including an e-mail address) to:
City of Escondido Neighborhood Services
Attention: CDBG Notification List
or dsalazar@escondido.org
CDBG Process and Timeline. In the early spring, a Public Hearing is conducted before the City Council wherein the Council is asked to review and make changes to, or re-affirm, the Community Development Priorities established in the Consolidated Plan. Also, at this Public Hearing, Council will direct staff on the allocation process to be used for the following program year and may also review the previous year's performance.
If directed by the City Council, the Housing and Neighborhood Services Division notifies the public and requests Funding Applications from public and private agencies to implement projects and programs that will benefit the community, specifically low and moderate-income residents of Escondido. The proposed projects and activities must meet one of HUD's National Objectives and other requirements, as set forth in the regulations and as summarized in the CDBG Proposal Guidelines and Funding Application materials, to be considered for funding.
Then, in late spring, a second Public Hearing is conducted during which the City Council adopts the specific funding allocations for projects and services which best address the housing and community development priorities as well as the National Objectives. These specific funding allocations are compiled into the Annual Action Plan which is submitted to HUD in mid-May. Following HUD's approval, the program year begins on July 1 and ends on June 30 of the following year. A visual summary of the annual CDBG process for the City of Escondido is available here. Please Note: All dates are approximate.
The City reserves the right to change this adoption schedule at any time. Notices of specific hearing and other meeting dates will be posted on this Website and published in the local newspaper, and direct Notice will be given (via e-mail) to agencies and individuals who specifically advise of their interest via the Notification List procedures.
Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER)
Within 90 days of the end of each fiscal year, the City of Escondido prepares a CAPER Report, which is an evaluation of the City's progress toward meeting the goals and objectives as outlined in the City's Annual Action Plan and Five-Year Consolidated Plan. This report is developed in accordance with HUD's guidelines.
The CAPER reports on the City’s progress, outcomes, and expenditures from FY 2022-23. This is the third year of a five-year strategic plan known as the Consolidation Plan from FY 2020 – 2024. The CAPER report for FY 2022-23 will also highlight the City’s accomplishments in regard to CDBG-CV funds.
Further information about the contents of these reports is available by calling the Housing and Neighborhood Services Division at 760-839-4841.
Regulations Governing CDBG Program
The regulations governing the CDBG program can be found in Title 24 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 570. The regulations governing the submission of the Consolidated Plan are found in Title 24, Part 91.
- CDBG Regulations
- Consolidated Plan Regulations