Board of Representatives — April 21, 2026

The meeting was a structured, administrative public hearing characterized by professional presentations and methodical inquiries for data.

Date Tuesday, April 21, 2026 Duration 3.7h Speakers 43 Public comments 1 Decisions 2 Routine

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On April 21, the Stamford Board of Representatives held a public hearing regarding the annual CDBG and HOME funding action plan. This is a critical session where local non-profits compete for limited federal funds to provide essential services—including food security, mental health support, and ADA accessibility improvements—to the city's low-income residents and individuals with disabilities.

During the meeting, several organizations presented high-impact projects, such as the Children's Learning Center's safety improvements and the Kids in Crisis shelter's specialized services. The Board took a methodical approach, requesting additional specific data from several applicants (such as square footage and client demographics) to justify the allocations.

Notably, the Board did not finalize the allocation of $189,124 intended for CDBG administration expenses; this vote has been moved to the next meeting. Because this administrative funding is required to manage the broader grant program, residents should pay close attention to the next session to ensure these funds are distributed efficiently to the community organizations that need them most.

Apr 21, 2026 3.7h long 43 speakers 1 public comments 2 decisions Routine

❝ Notable statements ↔ Drag to browse

“Strongly urged support for the PEP program, noting its success in empowering Spanish-speaking parents to take leadership roles in the community.”

— Ana Callegos · Public comment during the CDBG action plan hearing. ▶ 13:59

“Clarified that the security system is a proactive measure for elderly safety rather than a response to a specific recent incident.”

— Natalie Cord (Charter Oak) · Responding to questions from Representative Price regarding the necessity of the security system. ▶ 40:21

“Highlighted that Pacific House has reduced the time clients spend in emergency shelter from over two years to 90 days.”

— Carmen Colon (Pacific House) · Introduction of the agency's impact during the grant presentation. ▶ 59:37

“About one third of every entering kindergarten class in Stamford Public Schools is coming out of CLC.”

— Monica Machera-Filippo (CLC CEO) · Discussing the impact and scale of CLC's role in the local education foundation. ▶ 1:12:40

“It costs about $3,000 for us to serve a family. Once a child enters the child welfare system, that cost rises to more than $45,000 per year.”

— Ryan Drenzik (St. Joseph Parenting Center) · Providing a cost-benefit rationale for investing in family prevention services. ▶ 1:45:47

“We don't ask immigration status as well... for a lot of folks, if they are immigrants, documentation, regardless, some folks can get scared when that question is asked.”

— Richard Liberano (Liberation Programs) · Responding to concerns about how the organization identifies and serves uninsured/unspecified clients. ▶ 2:19:49

“It's difficult to have insurance cover the full thing with where mental health specific rates are.”

— Unidentified speaker · Explaining the necessity of grant funding to cover uncompensated care for uninsured patients. ▶ 2:23:54

“Poverty is directly tied to poor health outcomes. DME is proportionally three times more expensive than prescription drugs due to the lack of insurance.”

— Unidentified speaker · Highlighting the impact of the Wheel it Forward lending library. ▶ 2:28:33

“We work non-traditional hours, weekends, evenings... We what we consider ourselves is violence interrupters.”

— Unidentified speaker · Describing the approach of the Project New Hope program. ▶ 2:39:09

“Before [reimbursement], the nonprofits have to pay out the fee first and then they submit receipts to us, an invoice to us showing the backup...”

— Unidentified speaker · Clarifying the grant management process to ensure funds are used specifically for the requested programs. ▶ 3:05:26

“There are in the whole state of Connecticut, there are only 14 emergency shelter beds that are exclusively for children in the entire state of Connecticut. And 10 of those are with us.”

— Unidentified speaker · Highlighting the critical role and capacity of the Kids in Crisis Safe Haven shelter. ▶ 3:28:36

“One of the other things that you'll have to vote on and allocate is the administration portion, which we are allocated 20% of the total grant goes to CDBG administration.”

— Unidentified speaker · Explaining the administrative budget requirements for the grant program. ▶ 3:38:00

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Public ⁠impact

Issues from this meeting with documented community impact.

What was discussed

Significant distribution of federal funds across dozens of local non-profits providing essential services like mental health, housing, and food security.