October 7, 2026 - Housing Commission

The Menlo Park Housing Commission meeting on October 7, 2026, considered two housing funding and service-provider items. On proposed rental-assistance and legal-assistance programs, staff described a combined RFP for providers, with rental help for eligible low-income residents capped at $5,000 per household per year and legal services focused on education, consultations, and limited-scope representation. Relocation assistance and emergency hotel stays were excluded from eligible uses following grant guidance. The programs would be funded through the BMR Housing Fund, alongside a $250,000 Metropolitan Transportation Commission grant; staff discussed a proposed $75,000 first-year starting amount. The commission voted 5–0, with two members absent, to recommend that City Council approve the staff proposal. The item was scheduled for Council review on October 27.

The commission also reviewed the draft 2026–2027 Below Market Rate Housing Fund Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) and provided feedback for staff to consider before its planned October 15 release; applications were tentatively due November 20, with later commission recommendations and Council consideration expected. The NOFA is intended to support affordable-housing production and preservation, and commissioners discussed roughly $4 million in available funds. Prior awards cited included $180,000 to Rebuilding Together and $1.22 million to Habitat for Humanity of Greater San Francisco in the 2022–2023 cycle, plus later off-cycle awards for housing projects. A motion to forward the commission’s comments to staff passed 5–0, with two members absent. No new NOFA awards or contracts were approved at this meeting.