Council hears update on $130,000 CDBG-CV grant that funded Concord Coalition winter shelter operations

City staff and a local nonprofit told the council Monday how a $130,000 Community Development Block Grant–COVID (CDBG-CV) award was spent to support shelter operations and outreach.

Tim Thompson told the council the grant covered costs for an emergency winter shelter at 240 North Main Street and a resource center at 238 North Main Street for the period Dec. 1, 2025 through Apr. 30, 2026. Of the total $130,000, Thompson said $114,000 was subgranted to the Concord Coalition to End Homelessness to reimburse operating costs and $16,000 paid the city's contract administrator. "All the funds have currently been expended," Thompson said.

Karen Jansen, executive director of the Concord Coalition to End Homelessness, described operational impacts: the coalition was able to open earlier and stay open slightly later on some days, add expanded afternoon hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays and provide roughly 73 extra hours of shelter coverage during the winter surge. Jansen said those efforts helped the coalition house 43 people over the past year and allowed deeper case-management work.

Councilors asked factual clarifications. Some members read slightly different beneficiary counts from the transcript (Thompson cited "674 persons were benefited by this particular project" during his prepared remarks; one councilor later referenced 614). Staff explained the grant period (Dec.–Apr.) reflected the CDFA's eligible timeframe and said the $16,000 administrative amount was standard under federal rules for non-entitlement communities.

Why it matters: The grant funds paid for direct services and operational flexibility during extreme weather, funding that officials said expanded shelter hours, outreach, and housing placements. Council discussion focused on transparency about how the grant was allocated and how administrative costs are recorded.