Each year, the City of Los Angeles receives federal grant funds to assist businesses to create jobs; provide job training for adults and youth; improve neighborhoods through projects that eliminate slum and blight; provide affordable housing, domestic violence shelters, and fair housing services. These grant funds are limited and need to be prioritized and targeted in a way that will provide the most benefit to the most people. Once our needs and goals are prioritized, they will be submitted to the federal government. The annual Action Plan, beginning April 1, 2015, will cover the third year of the City’s five-year, transit-oriented Housing and Community Development Consolidated Plan.

Los Angeles receives four annual entitlement grants: (1) Community Development Block Grant (CDBG); (2) HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME); (3) Emergency Shelter Grant (ESG); and (4) Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA). These entitlements comprise the city’s Consolidated Plan, a comprehensive, integrated approach to planning and implementing the City’s housing, community development, and economic development needs and priorities. However, with diminishing resources it is evident that the City of Los Angeles cannot indefinitely sustain the same breadth of project activities previously funded through the CDBG program.

Los Angeles must continue to strategically deploy its resources to promote good jobs for Angelenos across the city, improve city services and the livability of our neighborhoods, and create a more sustainable community. This effort requires the City family to work with our partners to maximize every resource so Los Angeles can strengthen its economic value. Increasing economic opportunities for city residents and transforming low-income neighborhoods into sustainable communities of opportunity, in alignment with the Consolidated Plan strategies, was the goal in developing the budget for the Consolidated Plan.

As part of the City’s planning process, the Housing and Community Investment Department needs your opinions on how the Federal funds should be spent. The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the City want to hear from you about what you believe the needs and strengths are in your communities, so that, together, we will develop plans that will best put these grant funds to use in your neighborhoods.

The Draft Plan is still subject to a 30-day public comment period (beginning February 2, 2015) and City Council review. In order to present this Action Plan Budget to the Public, HCIDLA has scheduled three meetings at three different sites throughout the City. They will take place on February 3rd, 5th, and 10th, in South LA, the San Fernando Valley, and East LA, respectively. For more information on this topic and to view the full draft action plan, click here or email hcidla.planning@lacity.org. Informational flyers regarding the public meetings are available in English and Spanish.