SAN MARCOS — City leaders have approved allocations of around $710,000 in Community Development Block Grant funds, including over $100,000, to support various local organizations in the upcoming fiscal year.
San Marcos is using last year’s allocation total as an estimate because the federal government has yet to confirm the exact CDBG allocations for cities for the 2024-25 fiscal year.
Funds will become available on July 1.
“CDBG funds are used primarily to support public services, program administration, affirmatively furthering fair housing, and public facility or capital improvement projects,” said Sylvia Daniels, the city’s Housing & Neighborhood Services Manager.
Last week, the City Council agreed to allocate 20% of the total funds, or $142,000, toward administration costs and earmarked $461,636 for planning and construction related to the Senior Activity Center HVAC capital improvements project.
For the $106,000 available in public service grants, the city approved allotments to six different organizations out of a list of 13 total applicants.
This includes $20,000 each for the Legal Aid Society of San Diego, the Boys and Girls Club of San Marcos summer day camp for low-income youth, and Meals on Wheels; $10,000 for the city Parks and Recreation Department’s senior nutrition program; $24,500 for the Community Resource Center’s Latino victim advocacy program; and $12,000 for ElderHelp housing placement and support services for low-income and disabled seniors.
Applicants that were not recommended to receive funds this cycle included Casa de Amparo, Interfaith Community Services, Mission Edge, Lifeline Community Services, San Marcos Prevention Coalition, Project Next (formerly known as San Marcos Promise), and Veterans Village of San Diego.
Richard Radosh, grants and contractors manager at Community Resource Center, thanked the City Council for considering the agency’s application. He said the Latino advocacy program that will be supported by the block grant aims to increase access to culturally appropriate services for victims of crime and abuse.
“Our program fits the CDBG priority of community services, such as nutrition, crime prevention and mental health care. Our program provides trauma-informed victim advocacy services to economically insecure unserved and underserved Latino victims and survivors of crime, including those that have experienced intimate partner violance, sexual assault, elder or child abuse,” Radosh said.
Radosh noted that the center operates many of its programs out of One Safe Place along Los Vallecitos Boulevard.
Dave Forbes of Meals on Wheels of San Diego County said the funds will be used to help deliver meals to the homes of at-risk and food-insecure seniors in San Marcos. The organization also provides safety checks, rides to doctors’ appointments, wheelchair replacements and other services for participating seniors.
“Funding of $25,000 will cover the food and packaging costs for 8,223 meals, which will contribute to the goal to provide 153 San Marcos seniors with 18,207 meals,” Forbes said.
City Councilmember Maria Nuñez asked whether the Legal Aid Society grant would replace the city’s existing contract with the organization, which offers tenants rights advocacy, a 24-hour access line, and support for residents experiencing issues with their landlord in San Marcos.
Daniels said the grant funds would cover one year of Legal Aid services and that the city is preparing a new request for proposals for another five-year contract.
The city is also using over $1.2 million in leftover CDBG funds from prior years to fund projects. This includes nearly $840,000 for Phase 2 improvements at Richmar Park, including a shade structure, half basketball court, sidewalk and landscaping. The project is expected to go out to bid in the coming months.
Another $405,500 has been allocated to support the senior activity center HVAC project. Staff estimate that the total project cost will exceed $1 million to maintain the facility as a designated San Marcos “cool zone.”
