To: Board of Supervisors
From: Finance Committee
Report Title: Substantial Amendment to the County’s FY 2024/25 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Annual Action Plan - Lions Center for the Visually Impaired Revised Allocation and Nurturing Independence through Artistic Development New Allocation
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☒ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
1. APPROVE a Substantial Amendment to the County's FY 2024/25 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Annual Action Plan for the following actions, as recommended by the Finance Committee:
i. Increase a previous CDBG funding allocation to the Lions Center for the Visually Impaired (LCVI from $95,000 to $167,000 for the rehabilitation and accessibility improvements for the bathrooms at LCVI’s facility located at 175 Alvarado Avenue, in the City of Pittsburg; and
ii. Provide a CDBG funding allocation in an amount of $60,000 to Nurturing Independence through Artistic Development (NIAD) to improve and modernize the fire alarm system at NIAD’s facility located at 551 - 23rd Street, in the City of Richmond.
FISCAL IMPACT:
No General Fund impact. CDBG funds are federal funds provided to the County on a formula allocation basis through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
CFDA Number: 14.218
BACKGROUND:
(1) Lions Center for the Visually Impaired (LCVI)
On May 9, 2023, the Board of Supervisors approved the Contra Costa County CDBG Action Plan for the use of FY 2023/24 CDBG funds. Under the Infrastructure/Public Facilities (IPF) category, LCVI was awarded $95,000 of CDBG funds to assist with the improvement/rehabilitation of the restrooms within LCVI’s facility, located at 175 Alvarado Avenue in the City of Pittsburg, and to make them ADA compliant.
LCVI is a Pittsburg-based nonprofit, and is the only organization in Contra Costa County with more than 70 years experience providing living skills training for the visually impaired community. LCVI’s program provides services for blind and visually impaired throughout all of Contra Costa County and serves the vulnerable population of visually impaired adults, including seniors, that are at or below poverty level and often are managing other chronic illnesses. LCVI’s services include:
• In-Home Assessment/Individual Services
• Group Classes/Activities
• Early Detection/Intervention
LCVI’s bathroom rehabilitation/improvement project was put out to bid by LCVI in December 2024. However, the bids received were all higher than the original construction estimate, leaving a project gap of $72,000. LCVI does not have the reserves to cover the unanticipated funding gap without impacting services; however, on June 25, 2024, the Board approved the FY 2024/25 CDBG Action Plan in which LCVI was awarded $112,500 in CDBG funds to assist with a kitchen remodel project within the same facility.
To not adversely impact LCVI’s reserves, LCVI requested, and County CDBG staff recommended, to move $72,000 of the $112,500 that was awarded for LCVI’s kitchen remodel project to LCVI’s bathroom rehabilitation/improvement project to help cover the higher construction cost of the bathroom rehabilitation/improvement project. The remaining $40,500 left from the allocation to LCVI’s kitchen remodel project will be recaptured by the County’s CDBG Program to allocate in future CDBG allocation processes.
(2) Nurturing Independence Through Artistic Development (NIAD)
On June 25, 2024, the Board of Supervisors (Board) approved the Contra Costa County Annual Action Plan for FY 2024/25 CDBG funds. As part of that Action Plan, the Board approved allocating $369,196 to four (4) non-profit community organizations, in the IPF category, to rehabilitate or improve their facilities where they provide their services to the community.
On December 5, 2024, during the FY 2025/26 CDBG application cycle, Nurturing Independence Through Artistic Development (NIAD) submitted a CDBG application requesting $60,000 in CDBG funds to assist with a shovel-ready project: the modernization of their fire alarm system at their service facility, located at 551 - 23rd Street, the City of Richmond. NIAD’s current system is outdated and is now required to be updated to a system that can be remotely monitored and that features both visual and auditory alerts. NIAD’s timeline for the modernization of the fire alarm system indicates that the project would be completed in four to six weeks.
Due to the proposed timeline for NIAD’s fire alarm system project, CDBG staff recommended that $60,000 in recaptured CDBG funds from previously completed or cancelled projects be allocated to this project, for use and expenditure during the current fiscal year (FY 2024/25). Therefore, if the requested amount of $60,000 in CDBG funds for this project is approved by the Board of Supervisors, the total number of approved FY 2024/25 CDBG projects in the IPF category will be five (5), and $429,196 will be the total amount of approved CDBG funds in the IPF category.
NIAD is a Richmond-based nonprofit, with more than 30 years of experience, dedicated to providing arts programs that promote creative expression, independence, dignity and community integration for persons with disabilities. NIAD is the only five-day arts provider serving those with intellectual or developmental disabilities in Contra Costa County. NIAD program participants typically also receive services from the Regional Center of the East Bay in Contra Costa County, a regional non-profit organization that works in partnership with many individuals and agencies to plan and coordinate services and supports for people with developmental disabilities, family members and community leaders in Contra Costa County. NIAD currently serves over 60 adults with disabilities with an arts studio program that imparts both artistic and independent living skills.
Finance Committee
Staff’s recommendations to increase LCVI’s previous CDBG allocation to $167,000 for the bathroom rehabilitation/improvement project and for NIAD’s allocation of $60,000 for the fire alarm modernization project were forwarded to the Finance Committee for their consideration. The Finance Committee met on February 18, 2025, to consider staff’s recommendations. After some brief discussion and public comments, the Finance Committee approved both recommendations to be considered by the Board of Supervisors.
Substantial Amendment to FY 2024/25 CDBG Action Plan
As required by the County’s CDBG Citizen Participation Plan and as required by HUD, an increase to a previous allocation of CDBG funds to a previously awarded project (LCVI) or an allocation of CDBG funds to a new project that was not in the original CDBG Action Plan (NIAD) for that program year requires a Substantial Amendment to the CDBG Action Plan for that program year. Therefore, the approval of a Substantial Amendment to the County FY 2024/25 CDBG Action Plan is part of the Board’s action to approve the increase allocation of CDBG funds to LCVI and the allocation of CDBG funds to NIAD.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
Not approving the Substantial Amendment will delay and/or prevent critical improvements to LCVI’s and NIAD’s community facilities.