County of Hawaiʻi Publishes Draft 2026 CDBG-ESG Plan, Proposes 2025 ESG Amendment

The County of Hawaiʻi’s Office of Housing and Community Development has published its Draft 2026 Annual Action Plan, Year 2 of the 2025–2029 Consolidated Plan, setting out proposed uses of U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Community Development Block Grant and Emergency Solutions Grant funds and opening the documents to public review and comment.

"Pursuant to 24 CFR Part 91, the County of Hawaii’s Office of Housing and Community Development (County) has prepared its Draft 2026 Action Plan (AP) for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) CDBG and ESG programs and invites public review and comment," the County notice states. The public review period runs from February 6, 2026 through March 9, 2026, with written comments due by March 9, 2026 at 4:30 p.m. Comments may be submitted by mail or by e-mail to ohcdcdbg@hawaiicounty.gov.

Alongside the Draft 2026 Action Plan, the County is proposing a substantial amendment to its 2025 Action Plan to identify a project to be funded with PY2025 ESG funds. "The County proposes to amend its 2025 Action Plan to identify a project to be funded with PY2025 ESG funds," the notice says and itemizes the proposed PY2025 ESG commitments: Hope Services Hawaii - $255,163.00 and OHCD administration - $20,688.00, for a total of $275,851.00. The notice cautions that "ESG project and administration amounts may be adjusted based on final allocations." The County also states that "Comments will be considered and may be incorporated into the final plan as deemed appropriate."

Draft plans and supporting documents are available for in-person review at OHCD offices in Hilo and Kailua-Kona during business hours, Monday through Friday, 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., except holidays, and on the County OHCD Grants & Funding webpage. The materials posted for review include the Draft 2026 Annual Action Plan, the proposed substantial amendment to the 2025 Action Plan for ESG, the County’s Plan to Minimize Displacement, and the County’s Final Annual Community Assessment Report for program year 2024 submitted to HUD.

The County’s next formal review steps are scheduled for presentation to the Governmental Operations and External Affairs Committee on April 7, 2026 and to the Hawaiʻi County Council on April 22, 2026; the notice warns that meeting dates are subject to change and directs readers to check the OHCD website for updates. The Draft 2026 release follows the County’s 2026 Request for Proposals window, which ran September 2, 2025 to November 14, 2025, and public hearings held in partnership with the State HHFDC on August 14 and August 21, 2025 to gather views on housing and community development needs.

For residents and service providers on the Big Island, the immediate implications are concrete: the ESG amendment would direct a six-figure grant to Hope Services Hawaii pending final allocations and local approvals, and the Draft 2026 plan will frame how federal CDBG and ESG dollars are prioritized across Hilo, Kailua-Kona and other communities. Residents who want to shape the final plans should review the posted documents at OHCD offices or the Grants & Funding webpage and submit written comments by March 9 at 4:30 p.m. by mail or by e-mail to ohcdcdbg@hawaiicounty.gov. Final allocations and council action in April will determine which projects are funded and how the County applies federal homelessness and community development dollars in the coming program year.