Vista council hears outcome of CDBG funds, approves Homeless Commission workplan
The city of Vista spent about $29,000 in federal funds to provide overnight shelter to homeless people and about $77,000 to help low- and moderate income residents, seniors and others in the past year.
The money was part of about $977,000 the city received from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grants to support affordable housing, suitable living environments and economic opportunities for low- and moderate-income populations.
City Council members heard a presentation on how the program year 2025-26 money was spent at their Sept. 22 meeting. Management Analyst Johannah Knieff gave the presentation on the Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER), required by HUD to be submitted within 90 days of the close of the program year, which was June 30.
The bulk of the CDBG funds went to public infrastructure projects, which received $688,000 of the $977,000 allocation.
Affordable housing and housing services received $40,000 in CDBG funds and fair housing and testing for discrimination against housing received $34,000.
In all, 5,462 Vista residents received new or improved access to CDBG benefits in the 2025/26 program years, with 3,870 benefitting from capital improvements and infrastructure, surpassing a proposed objective of 2,100. The total also included 411 individuals who received access to affordable housing and services, surpassing a goal of 293.
CDBG money funded overnight shelter for 132 homeless people and services for 982 low- and moderate-income individuals or people in special populations, including seniors.
In addition to the annual CDBG allocation, Vista also received $1.4 million from the federal Coronavirus Air, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The final $144,000 was spent this past program year, with $44,000 going toward shelter for homeless people and the remaining $1 million used for public infrastructure and facility improvements.
Council members accepted the report and had no questions for staff members.
Also at the meeting, council members accepted the workplan for the city’s new Homeless Commission, which was scheduled to meet for a third time for Sept. 24.
The seven-member commission was created this year to review homelessness issues and make recommendations to the City Council, identify outside funding opportunities, promote community engagement, provide a public forum for concerns and recommendations, identify unmet needs and service gaps, and expand partnerships with organizations serving Vista residents at risk of or experiencing homelessness, according to the staff report.
The workplan has a primary focus on improving transparency and coordination in homelessness data collection and reporting, creating a better understanding of homelessness services available in Vista, and evaluating and updating the city’s strategic plan to better address current homelessness challenges.
According to the workplan approved by the council, commissioners plan to access the reporting databases used by service providers in the city and compare them with databases used across the county.
The commission’s timeline includes a March 30, 2027 goal to receive presentations from each of the city’s strategic plan providers to hear their concerns with data collection and report. By Dec. 31, 2027 the commission plans to recommend a comprehensive strategy to the council on how data collection and reporting should be modified to improve regional outcomes, accomplish the objectives of objectives of the strategic plan and effectively support regional decision-making.
By Dec. 31 of this year, the commission plans to have toured each strategic plan facility to better understand its operations and services provided, and then provide recommendations to the City Council on contract renewals as appropriate.
