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Page 3 of 5 <br />City of Redwood City 1017 Middlefield Road, Redwood City, CA. 94063 Tel: 650-780-7000 www.redwoodcity.org <br />During the first two years of the City’s COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Program, when demand <br />was highest, CDBG-CV funds were used to serve 515 individuals with rent assistance. Since 2020, the <br />number of clients served has decreased every year, and by 2023, only ten individuals from two households <br />were served through the program. The last time CDBG-CV funds were used to provide rent assistance was <br />in November 2023. Additionally, the FOCC continues to have sufficient funds to provide rent assistance <br />from other funding sources that do not require documentation of a COVID impact. <br />While there are several types of CDBG-eligible activities that could address COVID-19 impacts, almost all <br />of the CDBG regulations are still in effect including federal labor (e.g. Davis Bacon), procurement, and <br />National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) environmental review requirements. Therefore, it is important <br />for the City to strike a balance between addressing an urgent need in the community and using the funds <br />for a project that can be completed by June 2026 and is feasible within the City’s current staff capacity <br />and resources. <br />Upon communicating with various stakeholders and considering HUD’s CDBG-CV guidance and the City’s <br />Strategic Plan priorities for economic vitality and creating a healthy community for all ages, City staff <br />determined that allocating the remaining unspent CDBG-CV funds to support programs that help the City <br />prevent, prepare and respond to a future possible pandemic would be the most appropriate use of the <br />remaining CDBG-CV funds. More specifically, job training to “expand the pool of health care workers and <br />technicians that are available to treat disease within a community” was identified as a community need <br />as well as a CDBG-CV eligible activity that could be completed by June 2026. <br />Reallocating the remaining CDBG-CV funds towards a healthcare job training program only requires a <br />minor administrative amendment of the City’s 2019 Annual Action Plan, because job training programs <br />fall under an existing CDBG Con Plan Goal - Public Services. The Fourth Amendment to the 2019 Action <br />Plan is attached as Attachment A. <br />The City released a Request for Proposal (RFP) in October 2024 for organizations that can administer a <br />healthcare job training program for low-to-moderate income Redwood City residents to achieve the <br />following two objectives: <br />Objective 1: Provides comprehensive healthcare job training using theory and practical application to <br />prepare learners for future pandemics. <br />Objective 2: Expand the pool of health care workers and technicians that are available to treat <br />coronavirus and other infectious diseases within the community. <br />The City received one proposal from STEP Into A Job!, a 501c3 nonprofit organization affiliated with Bay <br />Area Medical Academy (BAMA), a technical school that provides healthcare training. <br />Through STEP Into a Job!’s Pandemic Readiness Medical Job Training program, 20 Redwood City residents <br />with an income up to 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI) will complete a phlebotomy program with <br />the option to continue onto medical assisting and electrocardiogram (EKG) programs. The program will <br />6.F. - Page 3 of 36 <br />122