Urbana staff outlines annual action plan timeline, social-service grant window and PIT count update

Urbana grants staff delivered several procedural updates to the Community Development Commission, including timelines for the annual action plan, the city's social-service funding application window, and a status update on the recent point-in-time (PIT) count.

Staff said the annual action plan is the one-year increment of the 2025–2029 consolidated plan; staff hopes to publish an initial draft and begin the required 30-day public comment period around February and to return to the commission with a recommendation in March. Staff emphasized the citizen participation plan's 30-day comment requirement.

On grants, staff announced the city's annual social-service funding application window will open Feb. 3 and close April 6, and encouraged commissioners and community members to share application information. Staff clarified that funds that in previous years had been funded from CDBG will this year be part of city general funds and therefore fall under City Council purview; those agreements will not come to the commission for formal approval but staff will seek community stakeholders to serve on review committees.

Staff also reported that the PIT count took place the previous Thursday; the data are still being aggregated and checked for duplicates, so no totals were available at the meeting. Staff said the Continuum of Service Providers for the Homeless (CSPH) coordinates the PIT count and that Katie Harmon at RPC likely posts the data on RPC's website; staff offered to follow up with commissioners about data hosting.

Staff introduced and welcomed two new people to the commission process: Rachel Harp, noted as the commission's newest commissioner, and Eric McCann, introduced as a new grants specialist who most recently worked in Denver and has federal grants experience.

Next steps: staff will publish the draft annual action plan and start the public comment period around February, open the social-services application window Feb. 3, and report back to the commission when PIT count data have been verified and posted.