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File Number: 20-220 <br />stimulus funds to prevent, prepare for, and respond to COVID-19. There are three major goals <br />identified for the funds under the Housing and Community Development Act from which the <br />CDBG Program originated: <br />·Provide decent housing; <br />·Provide a suitable living environment; and <br />·Expand economic opportunity. <br />In addition, CDBG funds must be used to meet one of three national objectives: <br />1) benefit low- and moderate-income persons; <br />2) aid in the prevention of slum and blight; or <br />3) meet an urgent need. <br />Given that all CDBG-CV activities must still meet one of three National Objectives of the CDBG <br />Program noted in the current FY2015-2020 five-year Consolidated Plan document, the City must <br />document COVID-19 as an Urgent Need National Objective. In order to do this, an Urgent Need <br />Certification must be provided to HUD with the current five-year Consolidated Plan and Annual <br />Action Plan for the year of the Urgent Need activities. Documentation and evidence the City <br />certified that the CDBG activity was designed to address the urgent need must be maintained as <br />part of the permanent CDBG records for all applicable activities. See Attachment B: City of San <br />Leandro Justification of Urgent Need. <br />Analysis <br />The U.S. Department of Housing and Community Development (HUD) awarded the City of San <br />Leandro $451,972 in Community Development Block Grant-Coronavirus (CDBG-CV) funds to <br />prevent, prepare for, and respond to COVID-19. The CARES Act allows for reimbursement of <br />costs incurred prior to the date of enactment of this legislation in addition to removal of the <br />spending caps normally in place for Public Services expenditures as long as those costs are in <br />response to COVID-19. (Note that the removal of the Public Services expenditure caps are only <br />allowed for the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 Annual Action Plan Program Years.) Additionally, the <br />CARES Act allows HUD to waive or specify alternative requirements to expedite distribution of <br />funding in response to COVID-19. <br />Soon after the signing of the CARES Act, HUD issued guidance that allows cities to shorten the <br />public comment period for amending prior 5-Year Consolidated Plans or Annual Action Plans to <br />maximize the use of CDBG and CDBG-CV funds allocated to entitlement jurisdictions. HUD has <br />also required CDBG grantees to make specific administrative changes to their federally <br />mandated Citizen Participation Plans. <br />On April 13, 2020, the City of San Leandro received a waiver that permits a reduced period for <br />public noticing and public comment on these Amendment Documents. Specifically in the <br />2019-2020 Annual Action Plan for the period of July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2020 the City is taking <br />this opportunity to re-allocate prior year unspent CDBG funds for Americans with Disabilities Act <br />(ADA) Transition Plan improvements to City facilities and program new stimulus funding, <br />CDBG-CV, towards COVID-19 emergency services. The City may also allocate additional funds <br />as they are available. <br />Page 2 City of San Leandro Printed on 6/10/2020 <br />27