CDBG and HOME Guidelines

The Community Development Block (CDBG) and Home Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) are federal grants. These funds come from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).  Funds provide organizations in Marin with a resource to address community needs. Program funds support the needs of low- and moderate-income households in Marin County. This program is a collaboration between the County and Marin's cities and towns.

The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) is a program that provides financial assistance to affordable housing developers, non-profit and government entities to support housing, community and public service projects aimed at enhancing the community.

The HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) is another program that assists housing developers and funds projects that create and preserve affordable housing units in Marin County.

The following list of applicants will be considered for funding:

• Nonprofit organization
• A Government entity, or organization with a fiscal sponsor that is a nonprofit or government entity. 

The following applicants will not be accepted:

• For-profit developers
• Individuals 

There are three main categories that are supported with these funds.

Housing Development and Preservation

• Obtain a property and transform it into affordable housing units. 
• Renovate or build a property that caters to low-income to moderate-income households. 
• Rental and homeownership projects are eligible for funding, and the units must serve households at 60% of the Area Median or below. 

Community Infrastructure

• Projects to rehabilitate or make a community-centered property more accessible. Projects include but are not limited to: ADA-accessible ramps and walkways, roof or electrical repairs, and play structures.

Public Service

The current priorities elevated for funding are:

• Programs that support basic health care services to uninsured or underinsured individuals and families. Programs and services include but are not limited to routine adult and child examination and treatment, immunization, medical impairment treatment, reproductive care, and mental health care services. 
• Children, youth, and parent support services that target low-income families and address disparities in access to early childhood education, high cost of childcare county-wide, and family self-sufficiency. Programs and services include but are not limited to: childcare scholarships, student before and aftercare programs, or youth extracurricular activities. Also eligible are parent engagement and training, case management, and legal support services.
• Food security services to help support a healthy lifestyle. Programs and services include but are not limited to food banks, grocery subsidies, meal delivery services and onsite meal service programs.
• Housing support services assist individuals in accessing stable housing, prevent discrimination in housing choices, and aid renters in maintaining stable housing. Programs and services included but not limited to fair housing counseling, legal support, housing locators, and down payment and rental assistance.

General Requirements

• Subrecipients of the CDBG and HOME funding are required to Affirmatively Further Fair Housing and submit an Affirmative Marketing Plan (AMP), outlining how they will market housing opportunities to target groups. Projects must ensure proactive marketing to engage the protected classes.
• Funded properties are subject to affordability restrictions, which limit a property from being rented at market rate pricing.
• Project must benefit low and moderate-income persons and income qualify beneficiaries.

Construction Project Additional Requirements

• Construction costs must be comparable to similar housing development projects in Marin County.
• Projects must follow the County procurement policies when selecting contractors and/or materials.  
• Must meet the Marin County Green Building Code requirements.
• The project must comply with Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards (UFAS) and Title III. 
• The project must comply with Build America, Buy America procurement requirements.
• The project may be subject to Federal Davis-Bacon prevailing wages for construction workers requirement if the project involves construction work on 7 or more units for CDBG applicants and 11 or more units for HOME applicants. 
• Projects receiving $200,000 or more in CDBG funding must use contractors that offer local job opportunities to low-income and very low-income individuals, in adherence with Section 3 regulation, enforced by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). 
• Must submit Form 2516 annually to show that the project sponsor has attempted to seek out minority and/or women-owned contractors.