Also approves annual increase in Recreation and Parks fees
On December 3, City Council approved the Social Service Human Relations Board’s (SSHRB) housing and community development needs statement for the coming fiscal year’s Community Development Block Grant (Block Grant) Action Plan. SSHRB is responsible for assessing the community’s social and human service needs and establishing strategies to address them. Block Grants fund programs and activities that benefit low- and moderate-income households and help prevent slums and blight. SSHRB recommended prioritizing affordable housing, mental health services, food security for the unhoused, age-friendly communities, and social connectedness. Council agreed to make Block Grant funding decisions aligned with these needs.
Council also approved additional and revised Recreation and Park Fees for 2025. With some exceptions, fee adjustments will increase by 5-10% for residents and 10-15% for non-residents.
Block Grant background
Each year, the City receives approximately $1,150,000 in Block Grant funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). To receive this, the City submits an Annual Action Plan detailing programs and activities addressing City housing and community development needs as identified in the Consolidated Plan, a HUD-required planning document.
At least 70% of Block Grant funds must benefit low- and moderate-income residents or neighborhoods.
Current Block Grant funded service providers and their offerings include:
- Alameda Family Services, mental health counseling.
- Alameda Food Bank, emergency food distribution.
- Building Futures, shelter and counseling.
- Eden Council for Hope and Opportunity, fair housing and housing counseling.
- Eden Information and Referral, 2-1-1 community service information and referral.
- Family Violence Law Center, family violence prevention.
- Legal Assistance for Seniors, legal assistance for Alameda seniors.
As an example of services provided in the last fiscal year, Alameda Family Services provided school-based mental health services to 55 youth. Building Futures served 95 homeless clients, with Midway Shelter providing 2,241 bed nights and 6,723 meals in the fourth quarter alone. Midway staff also conduct weekly meetings on topics such as parenting, domestic violence support, housing, employment, life skills, and children’s activities. Legal Assistance for Seniors provided free legal services to 55 seniors on housing, health law, and elder abuse cases, while its health insurance counseling program served 110 individuals.
SSHRB recommended addressing the following priority areas with next fiscal year’s Block Grant funds: mental health services, food security, housing access, advocacy and coordination of wraparound services to support marginalized and underserved communities, developing age-friendly communities, and greater social connectedness.
Council vote and next steps
Councilmember Malia Vella emphasized skyrocketing living costs, not just in Alameda but in all California coastal communities, and the need to plan carefully due to the possibility of forthcoming federal funding cuts. She proposed forming a joint planning committee to align SSHRB priorities with the Strategic Plan, which informs the City’s overall budget.
Council voted 4-0 to approve SSHRB’s Needs Statement for the Community Development Block Grant Action Plan. Councilmember Trish Herrera Spencer was absent.
Andre Fairley, Management Analyst for Housing and Human Services, outlined the next steps—a Notice of Funding Availability sent to service providers in January 2025, application reviews beginning in February 2025, and finalization of the Action Plan and updated Consolidated Plan for City Council review in May 2025. Updated plans will dovetail with mid-year budget discussions.
Revised Recreation and Parks Fees
Council also approved the annual increase in Recreation and Parks fees (link downloads 2025 User Fee Schedule with 2024 comparison). The fee adjustments aim to balance cost recovery across various programs, with increases ranging from 5-15%. Programs that benefit the whole community tend to be subsidized by programs that benefit individuals or small groups.
Key changes include a $1 per hour raise for youth field rentals to support maintenance during off-season restoration, a phased increase for swim program fees to align with market rates, and increased fees for tennis court and field rentals to cover enhancements to those facilities.
Picnic and facility rentals will see adjustments to manage high summer demand. There will be new fees for Transitional Kindergarten (TK) non-school day camps and bocce ball parties, which have recently become popular. There will also be new lock-up fees, which users will only incur if they fail to lock up rented facilities as agreed upon.
Contributing writer Karin K. Jensen covers boards and commissions for the Alameda Post. Contact her via [email protected]. Her writing is collected at https://linktr.ee/karinkjensen and https://alamedapost.com/Karin-K-Jensen.
