Public hearing conducted on affordable housing and community development needs

*The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors meeting in chambers during a regular board meeting.*

The Board of Supervisors conducted a public hearing on Tuesday, Jan. 14, at the County Government Center in San Bernardino to receive input from community residents on the strategic use of grant funds that the county receives from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The hearing was also open to residents through videoconference locations in Joshua Tree and Hesperia.

“Today’s hearing provided vital feedback from our citizens on affordable housing and community development needs across the county,” said Community Development and Housing (CDH) Director Carrie Harmon. “Their input is important to us and will help shape the 2025 Consolidated Plan.”

Every five years CDH is required to prepare a Consolidated Plan to identify affordable housing and community development needs and prioritize projects to address these needs. The purpose of the Consolidated Plan is to establish goals and delineate how grant funds will be utilized toward increasing affordable housing, reducing homelessness and providing a range of social services to underserved communities for the next five years.

HUD grant funds can be allocated to eligible projects and activities in the unincorporated communities of the county as well as cooperating cities, including Adelanto, Barstow, Big Bear Lake, Colton, Grand Terrace, Highland, Loma Linda, Montclair, Needles, Redlands, Twentynine Palms, Yucaipa and the Town of Yucca Valley. Additionally, the cities of Chino Hills and Rancho Cucamonga also qualify for HUD funding.

The public hearing concluded the county’s efforts of obtaining citizen and stakeholder feedback to guide the use of federal funds for the Consolidated Plan. Prior efforts included a variety of approaches to achieve meaningful public engagement with residents and other stakeholders, including participation in various public meetings and events throughout the county, as well as the release of a community-wide survey.

In total, CDH staff attended 26 meetings and events in each region of the county, including the mountains, deserts and valleys. Events ranged from participating in Municipal Advisory Council meetings, Continuum of Care Regional Steering Committee meetings, and senior meal distribution programs in Bloomington, Joshua Tree, Crestline and other communities. These efforts resulted in the completion of over 1,600 surveys to help inform the development of the Consolidated Plan.

A separate stakeholder and service provider survey was deployed to capture feedback from a variety of stakeholder viewpoints, including fair housing/legal advocacy, housing, affordable housing, real estate and mortgage lending, community development and planning, transportation, education, homelessness, civic organizations, services for low-income households, people with disabilities, seniors, children, domestic violence victims and others.

“I want to thank our residents and stakeholders for sharing their thoughts with us throughout this process,” said Harmon. “We are committed to enhancing the quality of life in our communities by meeting the county’s affordable housing and community development needs.”

CDH will return to the Board of Supervisors to present the draft Consolidated Plan and Action Plan for review and approval in March 2025.

Additional County Update News – Jan. 16, 2025