Roughly $3M federal housing grant plan recommended for approval

Items Discussed

2026-2027 HUD One Year Action Plan (CDBG, HOME, ESG) – Recommended to be approved; duplicate item placed on file

This mayor's request asks the council to approve the annual action plan the city must file with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in order to receive its federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), HOME Investment Partnership, and Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) funds. The item appeared twice on the agenda under two numbers; Program Compliance Officer Miranda Rubin said one version was likely entered with an old attachment and one with the new one. After the Assistant City Clerk checked with the Intergovernmental Affairs director, the older item (26-0870) was placed on file and the newer one (26-0688) was recommended for approval.

Rubin walked through the plan:

• This is the third year of the city's five-year consolidated plan covering all three grants; the format is largely dictated by HUD.
• Funding levels: CDBG "a little less than $2,500,000"; HOME "just under" $500,000, all for affordable housing; ESG $200,000, all for homelessness prevention, rapid rehousing, shelter and outreach.
• CDBG activities must meet one of three national objectives, and at least 70% of funds must benefit low- and moderate-income people. Projects in HUD-designated low/mod block groups (shown in green on a city map) can qualify on an area basis, such as tree plantings or parks.
• Proposed CDBG buckets include housing acquisition and rehab, a Section 108 loan repayment for the Clarendon Hill redevelopment phase two (borrowed against future CDBG allotments until the development sells its market-rate parcel), small business resiliency funds for the Main Streets organizations, parks and open space, urban forestry, and public services (capped at 15% and awarded through a separate RFP). Administration is capped at 20%, mostly city staff salaries.
• HOME funds cover tenant-based rental assistance, first-time homebuyer assistance, and a required set-aside for a community housing development organization. Recent CDBG-supported projects include Prospect Hill Park, Junction Park, Hoyt-Sullivan area work, the Glen Street community garden, pedestrian safety improvements, and the mobile farmers market; Art Farm is likely to be funded this year.

Councilor Jonathan Link initially asked about the heavy concentration of eligible areas near Tufts, then noted the map also reflects public housing locations and withdrew the question. Chair Kristen Strezo said she had no objections and was ready to vote. The roll call at the end of the meeting (combined with adjournment and the minutes) recorded yes votes from Councilors Sait and Strezo in the transcript; the official record lists all three members (Sait, Link, Strezo) in favor.

ADA Coordinator vacancy and interim complaint process – Kept in committee

The administration's June 11, 2026 written response to a council resolution (26-0825) describes how ADA duties are being covered while the ADA Coordinator position remains vacant: a team including the director of engineering, the ADA field associate, Racial and Social Justice staff, the mayor's public liaison and HR staff, with Chief Administrative Officer Kimberly Wells acting as ADA coordinator.

Holly Simione, chair of the Somerville Commission for Persons with Disabilities, attended in person to read a letter the commission voted to send after its September 23 meeting. The letter thanks city staff but argues there are "significant gaps," and asks the council and administration to:

• Prioritize hiring a dedicated, qualified ADA coordinator; the commission is concerned the posted job also includes human resources investigator duties and does not require ADA training, certification, or prior municipal ADA coordinator experience.
• Reconsider combining the role with HR investigative work, which the commission says would reduce capacity for ADA compliance, accommodations and complaints.
• Include commission representatives in the interview process, as was done in the past.
• Fix a communication problem: the ADA@somervillema.gov address cited for complaints has also been the commission's public contact address for more than six years, and messages are only forwarded to the commission if they specifically mention it. The letter says residents "cannot be expected to know" this.
• Establish a clear, documented interim process for complaints, accommodation requests, departmental referrals and follow-up.

The letter also raises broader coordination concerns, including missing wheelchair-accessible housing units and city documents that describe the commission as consulted on projects when its records do not show that participation. Simione said the commission "wants the structure to succeed."

Councilor Naima Sait asked whether the administration had seen the letter; it had not been submitted previously. Brenna Broderick, Community Partnerships Liaison in the Mayor's Office, said she had no prepared remarks but would bring the letter back to the appropriate staff. Link urged "careful consideration" of the requests, which he called "quite reasonable." Strezo said the email confusion seemed like a modest fix and should be addressed quickly, noting that for this community "this is people's lives"; Broderick said efforts on the email issue are already ongoing. On recruitment, Broderick said the job description was revised to capture the full scope and reposted September 10, and that details on recruitment efforts would need to come from the human resources director. Strezo kept the item in committee pending an administration response.

Public list of community spaces, including those in private developments – Kept in committee

This resolution asks the Strategy and Development Department (formerly OSPCD) to publish a list of all spaces available for community use, especially those required as conditions of private development. Strezo gave examples of spaces she understands are supposed to be open to the public: a second-floor room at the Stop & Shop off McGrath Highway, community space in the MGB building and the public storage building in Assembly, Maxwell's Green, the Public Safety Building on Washington Street, and buildings that accept CPA grant money.

Executive Director Thomas Galligani said the city commissioned a study in 2021 that cataloged publicly owned, nonprofit and private community spaces, with contacts and use requirements, but little follow-up analysis was done because of the pandemic. Separately, the Community Preservation Act program has been building a list of historic community buildings it funds, with reporting requirements to ensure public access. He said the goal is to combine both lists and publish them on the city website so that "a group of quilters" or a little league can easily find a place to meet. He acknowledged it "hasn't been at the top of our priority list" but said the CPA coordinator now has capacity to help clean up the list (though CPA will not maintain it). He also flagged a new community space coming at 299 Broadway on Winter Hill in roughly 12–15 months.

Link asked how the list could be kept current sustainably, suggesting a crowdsourced update mechanism so the burden isn't entirely on the city. Galligani agreed and compared it to privately owned public spaces that go unused without signage. Strezo kept the item in committee and asked for the list to be made public along with clear instructions on how residents sign up and whom to contact.

Partnership with St. James Episcopal Church to activate underused space – Recommended work completed

This resolution asked the administration to work with St. James Church (1180 Broadway, Ward 7) on using its underutilized space for community purposes. Broderick reported that the church reached out through Councilors Mbah and Hardt; declining membership has left its rectory space largely unused apart from AA meetings. Three rooms are on offer: a hall for about 80, a medium room for about 50, and a small room for 10–15 or storage. She has circulated the opportunity to community groups, Arts and Culture (as possible performing arts rehearsal space), HHS, and Engagement and Neighborhood Services, which is also exploring similar arrangements with other houses of worship. School of Honk has toured it and is weighing instrument storage needs.

Key issues raised:

• Logistics: the church wants few keys in circulation and lacks staff to open doors, and is likely not seeking a semi-permanent tenant.
• Accessibility: in response to Link, Broderick said the building is not ADA accessible—three steps at the entrance, interior level changes, and non-accessible restrooms and doorways. The church is interested in CPA funding but has limited administrative capacity to apply.
• Teen space: Strezo and Sait urged the administration to approach teen-serving groups such as Teen Empowerment whenever space becomes available, with Sait noting the added liability considerations for minors. Broderick has not yet contacted teen organizations but offered to arrange site visits.
• Relocated AA meetings: Most AA programs formerly at the Ralph & Jenny Center (Ward 1) have moved to St. James. Link cautioned that the two sites are "about as far apart as you can get in Somerville" and worried about participants losing their support network. Galligani explained that after the city took ownership of Ralph & Jenny it changed the locks because it did not know how many keys were out, and cannot staff open-door access; most AA participants drive, and parking was arranged with the parking division. One Sunday-morning group still has no home because that conflicts with church services—"we're just one group short."

Strezo called the effort a positive demonstration of community service and marked the item work completed.

What's Next

• The 2026-2027 HUD One Year Action Plan (item 26-0688) goes to the full council with a recommendation for approval; the duplicate item 26-0870 is recommended to be placed on file. No council date was stated.
• The ADA Coordinator update stays in committee. Broderick will bring the Commission for Persons with Disabilities' letter to administration staff for a response; recruitment details are to come from the human resources director, and the shared ADA email address issue is being worked on.
• The community spaces list stays in committee pending an updated, published list from Strategy and Development (with CPA input) and guidance on how residents request space. Galligani said the 2021 study is available on the SomerVoice page.
• The St. James Church item is marked work completed, though staff said they are still seeking a Sunday-morning home for the remaining AA group and continuing to match community groups to the space; Broderick offered to follow up with a list of interested groups.