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Record of Proceedings

Cleveland City Council CDBG Budget Hearing (Day 2) – October 23, 2026

City Council Meetings — Friday, October 23, 2026
BodyCleveland, Ohio
SessionCity Council Meetings
DateFriday, October 23, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:29:03

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Speaker 1

9:32

Please note that uh councilwoman uh Santiana's absence is uh excuse, she um can't be here today.

9:40

So I'm gonna pick it up and we're gonna keep going from where we left off.

9:46

I believe we had agreed we had page numbers and we jumped uh we were on page I think sixty-eight on process improvement, and then we skipped ahead, or do we skip ahead to page 68?

Speaker 2

10:03

Uh to the councilman or to the chair, we did skip ahead to page 60.

10:07

Okay, so we're on.

10:08

This is now this would take 46.

10:12

How does 46 work?

10:14

46 or close to it.

10:15

I think my numbers might be up.

Speaker 1

10:17

All right.

10:18

Um, and does everybody have their presentation?

10:21

It's all on day one on our tab.

Speaker 2

10:24

Okay,

Speaker 1

10:25

um, I think we're ready to rule.

10:31

Is everybody following along with what we're doing here?

10:34

We got it.

Speaker 2

10:36

Um to the chair.

10:38

If I might begin with a procedural question, uh we do have legislation coming on, I believe it'll be read on Monday for ex uh to expend the grant.

10:52

Um will we need to do another DPS uh committee meeting?

Speaker 1

11:01

Uh for which legislation

Speaker 2

11:03

for our permission to expend the grant.

11:06

Yes, I believe we will.

11:08

Okay.

Speaker 1

11:09

Um we have DPS scheduled for Tuesday.

11:11

Do you know the number?

11:13

It might already be on there.

11:15

Do you know which uh ordinance number it is?

Speaker 2

11:17

Uh it just came yesterday,

Speaker 1

11:19

I think.

11:24

What was that?

11:26

It will be.

11:28

It'll be introduced on Monday night.

Unassigned speaker

11:30

So

Speaker 1

11:30

whether we can get it on the agenda for Tuesday is probably unlikely.

11:34

Or

Unassigned speaker

11:37

is it not?

Speaker 1

11:41

So we'll read it Monday night, and it'll be up to the administration whether we can get it on to the table on Tuesday, but if it's uh emergency, I can certainly try to make room for it on Tuesday.

11:52

I don't think the Tuesday docket is full of too many huge, huge issues.

11:58

So

Speaker 2

12:00

okay, we can.

Speaker 1

12:01

Well, it's not being read till Monday, so that's the beginning of the timeline.

Speaker 2

12:06

Um, so I can ask about that.

12:11

Okay, great.

12:12

Um, so here we are on day two of our block grant presentation.

12:19

We are hopeful that um we can spend the bulk of this day talking about programs and programmatic concerns.

Unassigned speaker

12:26

Um

Speaker 2

12:27

there we do still have um an openness to discussing process things.

12:32

There's a little bit about uh a little bit more in the presentation about how the neighborhood development activities will shift, um and we can uh come back to that as we get through.

12:42

Um so just to start, uh we do have um some sort of uh accomplishments to to share.

12:54

Um the data on this slide, we our our collection processes for data are uh not exactly as as buttoned up as as we would like them to be.

13:09

Um our data for a variety of reasons, it's a little bit noisy and fragmented.

13:14

Um I'm finding things where we have sort of piled accomplishments together, but it's uh measurements of different things.

13:22

Like we serve this many people in this many homes, but it's in one number.

13:26

Um so it's it's a little bit confusing, and we're still sort of sorting through how we can do this the most um effective and and uh effective way possible in a way that actually communicates something.

13:37

Um I think the most that we can say about this data is that there are some things that are functioning the way that they're that they're supposed to, uh, and many things that are not, and we are aware of that.

13:48

Um what is clear is that the team has been working hard in a pretty broken system.

Unassigned speaker

13:53

They're doing what's being asked of them, and they're making do with underperforming technology, but um again, this is one of those things that makes that one-to-one alignment between goals, programs, projects, and activities so important, is that we have to have clarity on what we're trying to accomplish so that we can manage performance across all of these projects more effectively.

Speaker 2

14:17

So today we're gonna talk about what is essentially our annual action plan.

14:22

So yesterday we talked about the difference between the consolidated plan and the action plan, just as a little bit of a refresher here.

14:39

The goals are measured in accomplishments, but those accomplishments are generated by the projects and activities in the annual action plan.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Homelessness████████████████████████24%
Housing█████████████████17%
Public Health Awareness████████████████16%
Affordable Housing██████████████14%
Budget Equity Analysis██████6%
Grant Management█████5%
Public Works█████5%
Procedural████4%
Community Engagement███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Cleveland City Council CDBG Budget Hearing (Day 2) – October 23, 2026

This was the second day of the annual Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) budget hearing, convened by the city council committee responsible for CDBG oversight. The meeting focused on detailed presentations and discussion of programs funded through CDBG and related HUD grants, including HOPWA, Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG), the Department of Aging Chore Program, and the HOME program. Council members and administration staff addressed program performance, data challenges, federal funding cuts, homelessness, housing equity, and the need for improved metrics.

Procedural Matters

  • The chair noted Councilwoman Santiana’s excused absence.
  • A procedural question was raised about upcoming legislation to expend a grant; it was determined that a separate DPS committee meeting would likely be needed after the legislation’s introduction.

Data and Process Challenges

  • An assistant director explained that data collection for CDBG-funded activities is “noisy and fragmented,” with challenges aligning goals, programs, projects, and activities.
  • National objectives for CDBG were outlined: benefit low-/moderate-income persons, eliminate slum/blight, or meet urgent needs.
  • Internal caps: administrative costs cannot exceed 20% of total grant; public services cannot exceed 15%; 70% of dollars must benefit low/moderate-income persons.
  • Emphasis on proper setup of activities in HUD’s data tracking system to avoid compliance issues.

HOPWA (Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS) Presentation

  • Lita Wills (Department of Public Health) presented HIV/AIDS housing and prevention programs funded by HOPWA and CDBG.
  • Services include rent/mortgage assistance, utilities, food, transportation, case management, and wraparound supports.
  • Partner agencies: NEAC, Joseph’s and Mary’s Home, AIDS Task Force of Greater Cleveland, Nueva Luz, Eden, and CDPH.
  • Administrative cap for HOPWA is 10% (CDPH uses approximately $70,000 admin, well under cap).
  • Funding distribution (ballpark): Eden and AIDS Task Force ~$900,000 each, NEAC ~$350,000, Nueva Luz ~$270,000, St. Joseph’s ~$38,000.
  • CDBG provides about $275,000 (10% match) to HOPWA.
  • Fast Track Cities initiative: Cleveland and Cuyahoga County joined to reduce HIV infections 95% by 2030; group meets biweekly to coordinate and advocate.
  • Concern about Medicaid cuts affecting HIV treatment access; task force formed to mitigate impact.
  • Council members questioned whether administrative burden of block grants could be reduced; Wills noted client-level data stays with provider agencies.

Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) Presentation

  • David Steinmüller (Manager, Emerging Programs) presented ESG and related CDBG-funded homeless services.
  • Annual ESG allocation: $1.76 million (expected to be $1.72 million in coming year due to federal cuts).
  • 2025 point-in-time count: 1,655 homeless individuals in Cuyahoga County; 18.8% under 18, 8.2% over 64, 68% Black, 21.5% white.
  • ESG funded emergency shelter (4,056 individuals) and rapid rehousing (278 people/91 households).
  • CDBG supplements: shelter (150 individuals/night), street outreach (~150 individuals), food distribution (208,371 meals to 7,723 individuals).
  • Programs operate in coordination with the county as Continuum of Care lead.
  • 20 applications received for next grant cycle; determinations pending.
  • Council members raised concerns about shelter capacity (full shelters, no beds), the end of emergency housing vouchers (approximately 475 units at risk), and lack of a coordinated plan to address the gap.
  • Director noted that city council controls 40% of CDBG, limiting strategic flexibility.

Department of Aging Chore Program

  • Director Mary McNamara presented the chore program (grass cutting, leaf raking, snow path shoveling) funded in part by CDBG ($280,000) plus general fund (total over $400,000).
  • 1,259 unduplicated clients received 11,056 services in the past year.
  • The program uses staff and contractors (including court community services) and has a volunteer component (Snow Heroes).
  • Council members praised the program and discussed expansion, including a hybrid model with CDCs (Community Development Corporations) funded by ward council members.
  • CDBG public services cap (15%) limits further expansion.

HOME Program Presentation

  • Ben Trimble (Housing Development Manager) and Joe Rose Bordeaux Small (Director of Development) presented the HOME Investment Partnerships Program.
  • HOME annual allotment ~$4–6 million; program income varies.
  • 2025 accomplishments: 511 total affordable units produced; city investment $9.6 million; leveraged private investment $176.9 million.
  • 59 units directly funded by HOME; others leveraged.
  • Admin cap for HOME is 10%; positions moving to general fund next budget.
  • Most funds used as gap financing for Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) projects (multifamily rental).
  • Councilman Jones expressed frustration about lack of homeownership opportunities in his ward (Ward 1), arguing that HOME investments predominantly go to rental housing, not owner-occupied. He advocated for lease-to-own requirements and more equity in distribution.
  • Councilman Shaw raised the Cleveland Housing Plan 2030 and its “Housing Report Card” metrics, requesting annual progress reports. Director acknowledged the plan’s goals but said the current framework is insufficient for measurement and would require a year of development to produce meaningful data. Shaw pushed for a better system and offered to collaborate.
  • Councilman Davis asked about the location of HOME units and future funding outlook; Trimble reported a 15% decline in HOME funding this fiscal year.

Key Outcomes

  • A DPS committee meeting will be scheduled to consider legislation for grant expenditure (likely the upcoming week).
  • No formal votes were taken during this hearing; discussion was informational.
  • Director committed to providing council with information on the housing report card metrics and exploring a better accountability framework.
  • The hearing was recessed for lunch at 11:50 AM and was scheduled to resume at 12:20 PM with continued discussion of community development programs.

Meeting Transcript

Please note that uh councilwoman uh Santiana's absence is uh excuse, she um can't be here today. So I'm gonna pick it up and we're gonna keep going from where we left off. I believe we had agreed we had page numbers and we jumped uh we were on page I think sixty-eight on process improvement, and then we skipped ahead, or do we skip ahead to page 68? Uh to the councilman or to the chair, we did skip ahead to page 60. Okay, so we're on. This is now this would take 46. How does 46 work? 46 or close to it. I think my numbers might be up. All right. Um, and does everybody have their presentation? It's all on day one on our tab. Okay, um, I think we're ready to rule. Is everybody following along with what we're doing here? We got it. Um to the chair. If I might begin with a procedural question, uh we do have legislation coming on, I believe it'll be read on Monday for ex uh to expend the grant. Um will we need to do another DPS uh committee meeting? Uh for which legislation for our permission to expend the grant. Yes, I believe we will. Okay. Um we have DPS scheduled for Tuesday. Do you know the number? It might already be on there. Do you know which uh ordinance number it is? Uh it just came yesterday, I think. What was that? It will be. It'll be introduced on Monday night. So whether we can get it on the agenda for Tuesday is probably unlikely. Or is it not? So we'll read it Monday night, and it'll be up to the administration whether we can get it on to the table on Tuesday, but if it's uh emergency, I can certainly try to make room for it on Tuesday. I don't think the Tuesday docket is full of too many huge, huge issues. So okay, we can. Well, it's not being read till Monday, so that's the beginning of the timeline. Um, so I can ask about that. Okay, great. Um, so here we are on day two of our block grant presentation. We are hopeful that um we can spend the bulk of this day talking about programs and programmatic concerns. Um there we do still have um an openness to discussing process things. There's a little bit about uh a little bit more in the presentation about how the neighborhood development activities will shift, um and we can uh come back to that as we get through. Um so just to start, uh we do have um some sort of uh accomplishments to to share. Um the data on this slide, we our our collection processes for data are uh not exactly as as buttoned up as as we would like them to be.

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