The action plan, which outlines how the federal allocations from the Department of Housing and Urban Development will be spent, was approved following a public hearing during the July 22 meeting. This year’s allocation is around $2.08 million, according to a council memo.
What you need to know
Annually, council members are required to approve an action plan detailing how the city will spend funds for federal grants, including the Home Investment Partnerships Program and Community Development Block Grants. Both grant programs are required to target low- and moderate-income households, per city documents.
For the community development block grant funds, the city cannot allocate more than 15%, $248,595, for public services such as employment services, crime prevention, education programs and more. Director of Neighborhood Services Curtis Howard said the city will use the Home Investment Partnerships Program to provide educational material to first-time homebuyers and fund home rehabilitation projects or emergency repairs.
“I have challenges with the amount that we spend on housing rehabilitation and that we use it for first-time homebuyer assistance at all,” Council member Shelby Williams said. “For Community Development Block Grants, there are a number of things we can spend the money on that have a better effect for a community like ours. Homelessness prevention is something I would like to see the lion’s share, if not all of the funds we have put toward it.”
The specifics
According to city documents, organizations receiving funding from the city include:
- Plano Grant Administration
- Plano Housing Rehabilitation
- Plano First Time Homebuyer
- Plano Homelessness Prevention Program
- Texas Muslim Women’s Foundation
- Samaritan Inn
- City House
- The Family Place
- Habitat for Humanity of Collin County
The city’s action plan is required to be filed with the federal government Aug. 15, Howard said. Funding for the final year of the program is available starting Oct. 1, which coincides with the start of the 2024-25 fiscal year for the city.
City Manager Mark Israelson said planning for the next five-year consolidated plan for federal funds will begin soon.
