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Community Development Block Grant Program

General Information

(Last updated March 8, 2024)

The City's Community Development Division in the Economic Development Department administers the City's Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program, which is federally funded by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The program allows the City to fund a variety of housing and community/economic development projects that benefit low- to moderate-income (LMI) citizens. Information on current and past projects funded, as well as additional resources to learn more about the program may be found below.

In addition to the CDBG program, the Community Development Division also coordinates with the San Diego Housing Commission and the County of San Diego to administer the following HUD entitlement programs covered by the City's Consolidated Plan:

  • The HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) is the largest federal block grant to state and local governments designed exclusively to create affordable housing for low-income households. The intent of the HOME program is to provide decent affordable housing to lower-income households, expand the capacity of nonprofit housing providers, strengthen the ability of the state and local governments to provide housing, and leverage private sector participation in housing projects. The San Diego Housing Commission administers this program for the City per a Memorandum of Understanding.
  • The Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) Program is an entitlement grant program that assists local communities in developing affordable housing opportunities and related supportive services for low-income person(s) living with HIV/AIDS. HOPWA-eligible activities include: direct housing, support services, information and referral, resource identification, technical assistance, and administration expenses. The County of San Diego administers this program for the City per a Memorandum of Understanding.
  • The Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) Program supports outreach and shelters for homeless individuals and families who have been living on the streets and other places not meant for people to live. The ESG program also supports programs that prevent or rapidly re-house homeless San Diegans. The San Diego Housing Commission administers this program for the City per a Memorandum of Understanding.

Program Information

Allocations

 

Performance Report Cards

The City evaluates the performance of it partner organizations upon completion of CDBG-funded projects. Fiscal, administrative, and programmatic performance is considered in the evaluation, and performance indicators and standards in those areas are used to assign performance scores to the organizations (poor performance results in negative scores). Should these same organizations reapply for CDBG funding, past performance scores are factored into the evaluation of their subsequent project proposals. Available below are the performance report cards by fiscal year and project category. (Note that "MPR" refers to the "Monthly Programmatic Report" that organizations submit to the City to provide a status update on the implementation of their CDBG-funded projects. "RFR" refers to the "Request for Reimbursement" that organizations submit to the City to report on their project expenditures and justify the portion of those expenditures that should be covered by CDBG funding.)

Geographic Targeting

Geographic Targeting is a way for the City to help stabilize and improve neighborhoods in San Diego by directing HUD Program funds, including capital improvement, economic development, and community services, to specific areas identified by an analysis. These areas may experience higher unemployment, lower income levels, and other such economic and demographic indicators at rates that demonstrate a higher level of need than other areas. Such analysis also takes into account "existing conditions" like housing stock, public infrastructure, and facilities. While HUD Programs are primarily intended to serve individuals and areas that are low to moderate income as defined by HUD, the City's Geographic Targeting strategy uses data to create impact in geographic areas with the most need.

HUD-Eligible LMI Census Block Group Maps

The information on low/moderate-income (LMI) census block groups from the maps below was taken from the U.S. Census American Community Survey. For more information about the Survey data, visit their website.

Resources