CARLSBAD — The City of Carlsbad prioritized programs at home with its Community Development Block Grant priorities for fiscal year 2026-27.
The city is set to receive $535,326 in CDBG funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Nicole Piano-Jones, a senior planner with the city’s Housing and Homeless Services Division, said the funds Carlsbad receives are “entitlement funds, which means we don’t necessarily have to go through a competitive process.”
This allows the city to play a larger role in how the funds are spent, rather than applying for HUD grants on a project-by-project basis.
CDBG funds are designed to meet a variety of housing, community development and other needs for low- and moderate-income residents.
The city’s plan, approved unanimously by the City Council at its April 28 meeting, allocates the maximum allowable amounts to public service activities, 15%, and program administration and fair housing, 20%, according to city documents. The remaining 65% is earmarked for affordable housing and facility improvement activities.
For public service activities, the city received four applications totaling $237,428, according to the documents.
City staff recommended not funding the Los Angeles Wealth & Opportunity Institute program due to the size of the $65,000 request and “because the organization is not yet established in Carlsbad,” among other reasons, according to the documents.
Staff also recommended not allocating CDBG funds to the Women’s Resource Center because the organization is already set to receive $10,000 from the city’s general fund under the Homelessness Action Plan’s funding plan, according to the documents.
The bulk of the $80,298 designated for fiscal year 2026-27 public service activities is set to go to Interfaith Community Services, which would receive $55,178. The remaining funds are slated for the Community Resource Center’s homelessness-prevention programs in Carlsbad.
The city also plans to allocate $30,110 in CDBG funds to the Legal Aid Society of San Diego for fair housing services and $76,955 to the City of Carlsbad for program administration, according to the documents.
The city recommended using the full $347,963 allocated to affordable housing and facility improvement activities in its Affordable Housing Fund.
The city also received a request from Casa de Amparo for $13,950 to replace doors at its administrative office in Oceanside. City staff recommended not funding the project due to its scope and because “services are also not provided in Carlsbad and there is an unknown benefit for Carlsbad youth,” according to the documents.
Councilmember Teresa Acosta noted an approximate 5% reduction in CDBG funds compared with the fiscal year 2025-26 amount and said the plan aligns with community needs.
“I think our staff have done a really wonderful job in figuring out what the best places are to make the biggest impact in our community to help,” Acosta said to Piano-Jones. “So I just want to thank you and your team for all the hard work.”
Contracts for approved projects and activities in Carlsbad will be executed following HUD review and approval.
