PALMDALE — The city has unused federal funding, some provided as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, that is unspent largely because restrictions on spending it meant that city officials could not find qualified candidates for the aid.
The City Council, on Wednesday, reviewed the annual report required by the Department of Housing and Urban Development showing how funding has been spent toward meeting the city’s stated goals.
Palmdale was awarded $1.54 million in Community Development Block Grants, $577,747 in Home Investment Partnership funds, additional CDBG and HOME funds carried over from last year and $1.93 million in COVID-related funds for 2021-2022, according to the report.
Mayor Pro Tem Richard Loa questioned why all the allocations had not been spent, specifically citing the $320,000 in CDBG funds for economic opportunity programs and $300,000 for rental assistance.
“Although the funds are there, sometimes it’s hard to find individuals that we can work with to allocate the funds to,” Neighborhood Services Director Mike Miller said. “We just have not had the ability to find individuals to utilize the funds.”
“Sometimes these funds are so restrictive that it’s hard to find businesses that qualify,” Economic and Community Development Director Luis Garibay said, despite extensive outreach efforts.
In many cases, other, less restrictive funding was found for businesses that did not qualify, he said.
Funds that were not used will be reallocated to other programs, Miller said, with a plan for such reallocations expected to be brought to the Council, in October.
Loa also questioned how the city is responding to the crisis in homeless individuals and addressing mental health issues involved.
Palmdale’s population of homeless residents increased slightly, to 309, in the 2022 count, released by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, on Thursday. This is a slight increase over the 2020 count of 289 people.
City staff work with a number of partners to address the issue, Miller said.
“We strive for zero homelessness,” he said, but the low number also impacts funding for such programs.
The city is working toward having a winter shelter, this year, with service providers on site to capture those who need services such as health care, mental health and substance abuse treatment.
Although the city strives for zero homeless, “basically we have almost run out of housing in this area to place people. It’s a struggle,” Miller said.
This is part of the five-year homeless plan under development, he said.
“I know the need is big, we all know that, but this report shows how many people actually benefited from these types of programs,” Councilmember Juan Carrillo said. “We know the need is greater, but we’re doing the best we can.”
