Manatee commissioners backs $2.3M HUD funding plan for housing, social services
A chart shows Manatee County’s planned allocation of annual federal grants for housing, homelessness prevention and community services across the region.
By Lisa Neff
The Manatee County Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously June 2 to approve a slate of projects for inclusion in the county’s draft fiscal year 2026-27 Housing and Urban Development Annual Action Plan, directing more than $2.3
million to housing, homelessness prevention and community services across the region.
The 6-0 vote authorizes county staff to proceed with the draft plan, which will go through a 30-day public comment period before returning to the board for final adoption July 28. The county must submit the completed plan to HUD by Aug. 16.
The plan distributes federal funding across three HUD grant programs — the Community Development Block Grant, the HOME Investment Partnership Program and the Emergency Solutions Grant — to a range of nonprofits and county agencies
serving low-income residents.
Combined with more than $357,227 in reprogrammed prior-year CDBG funds, the total available for allocation reaches about $3.1 million.
Tracie Adams, deputy director of the county’s community and veterans services department, presented the funding recommendations to the board, explaining that a review committee scored 25 applications requesting a combined $6.14
million — far exceeding what the county can award.
Community Development Block Grant money
The largest of the three grants, the CDBG at roughly $1.98 million, funds public service programs and physical infrastructure and facility projects.
Public service awards totaling $297,150 go to five organizations, including Meals on Wheels for its senior meals program, Turning Points for Project Smile, Gulfcoast Legal Services for housing legal assistance, the Food Bank of Manatee and Helping
Up Mission for shelter operations at Under One Roof.
An additional $1.02 million is directed to public facilities, infrastructure and housing projects, with awards going to Genesis Health Services for a dental facility expansion, MEF Soar in 4 for a Soar Lab backyard expansion, Easter Seals Southwest Florida for a preschool kitchen rehabilitation and county property management and public works for the Under One Roof kitchen rehabilitation and a sidewalk expansion in CDBG target areas.
Reprogrammed dollars from prior fiscal years — $207,227 from a canceled code enforcement program and $150,000 reduced from a Power of Love facility expansion — are redirected to the sidewalk expansion, the Under One Roof kitchen rehabilitation and Salvation Army shelter rehabilitation.
HOME funding
The HOME Investment Partnerships Program, totaling $623,460, directs funds to tenant-based rental assistance through Turning Points and the Salvation Army, along with a community housing development organization set-aside for Manatee County Habitat for Humanity’s Palmetto Townhomes project in the
county’s District 2.
Emergency Solutions
The Emergency Solutions Grant, at $161,149 with $149,069 available after administrative costs, is directed to Catholic Charities Diocese of Venice for rapid rehousing and homeless prevention services.
Commissioner Amanda Ballard, R-District 2, asked about the cost-effectiveness of the ESG award, noting the grant would serve eight families at roughly $1,500 per month each.
“I think I talked about something similar last year, which is that we’re spending $150,000 for eight families, which is a really large number for a very small number of people served,” Ballard said. “Is there a way that this could have been done differently to serve more families, prevent more people from going into homelessness? Because it just kind of sounds like we’re paying eight people’s rent for a year.”
County staff responded that the ESG program targets individuals and families in more acute housing crises — those with back rent owed — and emphasized that a path to self-sufficiency is built into the program design.
The draft plan will be open for public comment June 29 through July 28.
The county’s new fiscal year begins Oct. 1.
A timeline shows the next steps in Manatee County adopting an annual action plan to fund housing, homelessness prevention and community services across the region.