Title:
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Approve the 2025-2029 Five-Year Consolidated Plan and 2025 - 2026 One-Year Annual Action Plan and authorize the Chairman to execute corresponding documents and signature pages on the Standard Form 424, Standard Form 424D, all certification pages, and subsequent Grant Agreements with HUD. Authorize Community Services Department staff to submit all plans, reports, and corresponding grant documents to HUD for approval. Authorize the Chairman to sign all subrecipient agreements tied to the 2025 - 2026 One-Year Action plan and any subsequent agreement amendments. Countywide (Allison Thall, Community Services Director)
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Division:
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Community Services - Community Development
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Authorized By:
Allison Thall, Community Services Director
Contact/Phone Number:
Stacey Smithwick/407-665-2362
Background:
Seminole County is an Entitlement Community that receives grants for the following programs from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD):
• Community Development Block Grant (CDBG);
• HOME Investment Partnerships; and
• Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG).
These programs seek to address the housing and community development needs of low and moderate income (alternately defined as very low and low income, respectively, in the HOME Program) persons and households in the County.
The County is required to submit a consolidated plan that outlines the community’s priority needs and establishes goals for the five-year planning period from October 1, 2025, to September 30, 2029. In addition, the County is required to submit Action Plans annually to describe the activities and projects the County plans to implement to help meet the high priority needs identified in the Consolidated Plan. The 2025 - 2029 Consolidated Plan and 2025 - 2026 Action Plan serve as a combined grant application, required for HUD approval and award of funds.
The Consolidated Plan is an analysis of the current housing and community development needs of the County, and was developed using extensive input, both from community agencies (non- and for-profit) and from interested citizens. The public participation process included several methods to obtain feedback from the community residents and stakeholders.
The County facilitated three (3) public meetings on March 12, 2025, March 25, 2025, and March 27, 2025; one in-person and two virtual, one (1) stakeholder-specific meeting on May 20, 2025, and an additional public hearing before the County Commission for adoption of the Consolidated Plan on July 22, 2025. In addition, Seminole County published a summary of the Consolidated Plan and FY 2025-2026 Action Plan in the Orlando Sentinel and made the draft plans available for review on the County website and Community Services Offices. The public comment period began July 2, 2025, and concludes August 1, 2025. Any comments received from the public will be incorporated into the Consolidated Plan and Action Plan.
Seminole County Community Development issued a Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for FY2025 - 2026 to solicit applications for CDBG, HOME, and ESG projects. The attached Executive Summary shows the recommended activities to be funded in the FY 2025-2026 Annual Action Plan. These activities fall in line with the objectives and goals outlined in the Five-Year Consolidated Plan.
The County will also submit a Housing Equity Plan, which will identify barriers to fair housing and provide actionable steps for mitigating housing inequities, particularly for protected class groups. The Housing Equity Plan Report will be brought to the Board for approval in October 2025.
The Seminole County Citizen Participation Plan outlines the process in which the citizens of Seminole County can participate in its federal grant programs. Its purpose is to encourage and solicit public participation in the planning process, as well as to meet regulatory requirements from HUD. Community Services will update the Citizen Participation Plan to include the participation process for all the Community Development Division programs and bring the participation plan to the Board for approval in October 2025.
Staff is presenting the Consolidated Plan and FY 2025 - 2026 Action Plan apart from the Housing Equity Plan and Citizen Participation Plan so that the projects and activities associated with the Annual Plan can be implemented as quickly as possible to meet expenditure deadlines.
Requested Action:
Staff requests the Board approve the 2025-2029 Five-Year Consolidated Plan and 2025 - 2026 One-Year Annual Action Plan and authorize the Chairman to execute corresponding documents and signature pages on the Standard Form 424, Standard Form 424D, all certification pages, and subsequent Grant Agreements with HUD. Authorize Community Services Department staff to submit all plans, reports, and corresponding grant documents to HUD for approval. Authorize the Chairman to sign all subrecipient agreements tied to the 2025 - 2026 One-Year Action plan and any subsequent agreement amendments.