ENU to City Council om Use of HOME funds
The City of Escondido has approximately $583,000 in unspent federal HOME funds from 2017–2018 federal grants and these funds must be spent by September 30, 2026, or they may be recaptured by HUD.
The City has been aware of these expiring funds since at least late 2025 and many residents have advocated for using them for rental subsidies to help people stay housed. However, now it appears that the City is indicating it may be too late to use those funds in this way. We disagree. We need to urge the city to preserve and spend these funds for desperately needed housing for Escondido residents through rental assistance.
While ENU is in strong support of the development of affordable housing, in this case we can have both. Aging HOME funds could be used now to assist residents and the housing project have other funds which can be accessed, HOME funds now are not necessary.
Please contact he Mayor and City Council before April 8 and urge them to direct staff to use these expiring funds to expand the City’s rental subsidy program, and focus funds on immediate help such as:
- Serving the 5,276 Escondido residents currently on the Section 8 waitlist
- Assisting individuals and families transitioning from temporary shelter to permanent housing
Contact them here. Since we don’t have an agenda # yet, just use the title HOME Funds use and Housing Element for the April 8 City Council Agenda.
Housing is a complicated issue and it is seldom that there is an action this clear, easy, and would help so many. Please contact Council today!