The Cloudburst Group

10/21/2025

Have you thought about CDBG activity delivery costs (ADCs) and program administrative costs (PACs) and realized that you aren’t really sure of the differences between them? Or perhaps your community’s CDBG admin cap isn’t going as far as it used to?

(Spoiler alert! ADCs are allowable costs incurred for implementing and carrying out eligible CDBG activities, while PACs are costs for staff time and overhead costs for planning and general administration of the CDBG program.)

This November, the Cloudburst Group will present a two-day ADC vs. PAC online training, in partnership with National Association for County Community and Economic Development(NACCED)! Sign up today at https://www.nacced.org/trainings

The sessions will walk grantees through the difference between the two distinct ways of spending costs for CDBG projects utilizing CPD Notice 23-07: Allocating Staff Costs between Program Administration Costs vs Activity Delivery Costs in the CDBG Program. Participants will leave the training with a unique perspective to utilize resources more effectively and a better understanding of both the pointed and subtle differences between these costs and how they can be classified in activities and financial reports to HUD. Best of all, being able to classify costs as ADCs can enable a grantee to stretch their administrative funds much further. The training will include real-life examples of common and less common ADCs, and will employ some interactive learning modules to help participants better understand this distinction.

To learn more about Cloudburst’s housing and community development work, please visit: https://cloudburstgroup.com/housing-and-community-development/

09/03/2025

As a CDBG grantee do you know the difference between Activity Delivery Costs and Program Administration Costs? ADCs are allowable costs incurred for implementing and carrying out eligible CDBG activities. While PACs are costs for staff-time and overhead costs for planning and general administration of the CDBG program.

The Activity Delivery Costs (ADC) vs. Program Administration Costs (PAC) training series is designed to walk grantees through the difference between the two distinct ways of spending admin costs for CDBG projects utilizing CPD Notice 23-07: Allocating Staff Costs between Program Administration Costs vs Activity Delivery Costs in the CDBG Program. This training will provide participants with a unique perspective to help utilize these resources more effectively.

ADCs, PACs and so much more will be explored in this new
National Association for County Community and Economic Development training led by Cloudburst's housing and techincal assistance experts, Marybrook Cox and Susan Walsh.

Dates: November 5-6
Member Price: $225
Non-Member Price: $275

Register today: https://www.nacced.org/trainings

To learn more about Cloudburst's Housing and Community Development work: https://cloudburstgroup.com/housing-and-community-development/

07/30/2025

Six Actions You Can Take to Prepare Your Community for a Disaster

Every community has its own vulnerabilities to natural disasters, its own unique constituencies, and its own traditions and networks for response — so disaster plans must be just as individual as those they will serve. And since the world is in a state of change, disaster plans can't just sit on a shelf — they must be constantly revisited, drilled, and rebuilt for new vulnerabilities and new capacities to address them. The best time to create and test your disaster plan is now.

1. Ensure People Experiencing Homelessness Are Part of Disaster Planning
• Emergency response systems often overlook unsheltered
populations. Make sure your disaster planning efforts consider
the unique needs of people experiencing homelessness.
Engage the Right Partners Early

2. Create ongoing connections with emergency responders, public agencies, and nonprofit organizations.
• Trust and communication during a disaster are built long before
the crisis begins. Collaborative planning across sectors
strengthens response efforts.

3. Build or Update a Disaster Response Plan
• Create a comprehensive, accessible, and flexible plan that
covers sheltering, transportation, outreach, and communication
strategies. Engage your partners to understand needs across
constituencies, to assess capabilities and reduce redundancies,
and to ensure lines of responsibility are clearly established. If
you already have a plan, revisit and update it regularly.

4. Establish Clear Communication Channels
• Set up systems to share timely information with service
providers, outreach teams, and all constituencies including
people experiencing homelessness. Use multiple methods
(texts or email, printed flyers, social media) to ensure
messages are accessible during a crisis.

5. Know Your Resources
• Ensure your disaster plan includes regularly updated lists of
contacts, available shelter space, transportation options, and
supply needs. Including and beyond the specific capacities of
the partners listed above, identify what your community can
provide and what external support might be needed during a
disaster.

6. Practice and Test Your Plan
• Conduct tabletop exercises or drills that include real-world
scenarios to identify gaps and improve coordination — and to
help envision and build the next edition of the disaster plan.

To learn more about what you can do to prepare for disasters:
https://cloudburstgroup.com/housing-and-community-development/

06/03/2025

Do you consider policies and procedures important to your organization’s sustainability?

With federal regulations continuously changing, it’s crucial for every entity impacted by these changes to reconsider the policies and procedures that sustain it. It isn’t always easy to prioritize an analysis of policies and procedures, but the investment can pay for itself quickly and many times over. Clear and well-documented policies and procedures are essential to find footing on new paths, avoid redundant work, and standardize approaches to save valuable time and resources.

Cloudburst’s experts have deep, extensive experience in guiding communities in developing, updating, and standardizing their policies and procedures to regulatory changes.

If you’re a state or local jurisdiction needing to more effectively manage their federal grants, we can advise you on a range of needs, such as program design, regulatory compliance, procurement, and monitoring and reporting, and we’ll make sure you’re up to date with cross-cutting requirements such as 2 CFR 200 and your indirect costs.

For more information, please reach out to [email protected].

05/15/2025

There are just 5 days until the National Association for County Community and Economic Development CDBG Financial Reporting and we are excited!

NACCED is offering this comprehensive virtual training with the Cloudburst Group, May 20th & 21st, 2025. CDBG Financial Reporting is designed to walk grantees through the PR26 - CDBG Financial Summary Report, the Cash on Hand report and submission in IDIS, and related MicroStrategy reports that assist in reconciliations. CDBG Financial Reporting will equip you with the knowledge and tools for accurate and effective financial reporting.

Member price: $225, Non-member price: $275. Don't miss this opportunity to enhance your skills and contribute to successful community development initiatives.

Learn more and register here: https://www.nacced.org/trainings

Learn more about Cloudburst's housing and community development work: https://cloudburstgroup.com/services/hcd/

05/13/2025

Data visualization is the graphical representation of information through visual elements such as charts, graphs, and maps. Data visualization leverages how humans perceive and process information, making it easier to identify patterns, understand trends and outliers in data, engage stakeholders, and build shared understanding. In collaborative planning processes, it helps teams align on goals, communicate impact, and track change over time — all critical for driving systems-level transformation. By transforming complex datasets into clear, compelling visuals, we can turn spreadsheets into stories and numbers into narratives.

Cloudburst has an extensive history of employing data visualization techniques to shine a light on a variety of public health issues including homelessness, disease outbreaks, substance use, and mental illness — with tools that can highlight this information on the federal, state, county, territorial, and local levels. Through the use of dashboards, GIS mapping, and performance metrics, Cloudburst supports health leaders to use these tools to guide decision-making, assess service integration, and target interventions more effectively. By making complex behavioral health data visible and actionable, visualization doesn’t just support better decisions — it helps tell the story of where support is needed most and how systems can evolve to meet those needs.

Source
https://libguides.library.cpp.edu/datavisualization




Email [email protected] to learn more about Cloudburst’s data visualization expertise.

05/06/2025

The PR26 CDBG Financial Summary Report is a financial summary report used by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for CDBG (Community Development Block Grant) grantees. The PR26 report is one of the most misunderstood reports for the CDBG Program. Did you know the PR26 Report series is used to test a grantee’s compliance with two administration cap tests?

If you'd want to demystify the PR26 report, the Cash on Hand report and submission in IDIS, and related MicroStrategy reports that assist in reconciliations, register for the National Association for County Community and Economic Development's CDBG Financial Reporting training with two of Cloudburst's Housing and Community Development experts, Marybrook Cox and Susan Walsh.

Dates: May 20 & 21
Member Price: $225
Non-Member Price: $275

We look forward to seeing you there!

To register for the CDBG Financial Reporting training: https://lnkd.in/eECA4hpF

To learn more about Cloudburst's Housing and Community Development Services: https://www.nacced.org/trainings

Please pass this information on to others who may be interested.

02/10/2025

The Cloudburst Group has an exciting opportunity for an Affordable Housing Analyst to join our Housing & Community Development Team! Cloudburst has a growing portfolio of strategic planning, project implementation, and technical assistance projects with state, local, and federal government clients.

Cloudburst has an expansive history of working with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and other government agencies to improve housing outcomes for low- and moderate-income individuals and families. Cloudburst provides a variety of services to its clients, including disaster recovery, homelessness prevention, and fair housing. The firm also provides training and technical assistance to grantees to help them effectively manage and operate their programs.

The position is fully remote and offers a competitive salary and benefits package.

To learn more about this impactful position: https://recruiting.paylocity.com/Recruiting/Jobs/Details/3034452

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10/28/2024

This week Cloudburst's Katie Peterson (she/her) will be presenting at the Shared Housing 2024 Conference at The Dana on Mission Bay in San Diego, CA, October 29-31. The goal of the Shared Housing Conference 2024 is to empower individuals and teams working to end homelessness by equipping them with the knowledge and skills to effectively implement shared housing practices.

Katie Peterson is a Senior Technical Assistance Provider on the Cloudburst Homeless Assistance Team, working alongside communities to prevent and end homelessness. She provides technical assistance to Continuum of Care grantees, develops trainings, tools, and products, and advises on program design, strategic planning, and program effectiveness. Katie has over 10 years of experience with HUD programs. She is also experienced in creating housing solutions in HUD’s Public Housing and Multifamily programs for households experiencing homelessness.

If you are attending the Shared Housing Conference this week, please reach out to Katie and say hello!

Register today: https://whova.com/portal/registration/nshc_202410/

10/23/2024

As we continue to acknowledge, celebrate, and or reaffirm our commitment to vulnerable people groups and critical issues during the month of October, today we are celebrating Women-Owned Small Business Month with a short video.

In this video, Cloudburst's Heidi Schilpp, Senior Analyst, Housing Programs and Data Systems, shares how working for a women-owned small business has impacted her career and life.

If you are a women-owned small business, like us, The Cloudburst Group celebrates you!

Cloudburst's Heidi Schilpp, Senior Analyst, Housing Programs and Data Systems, shares what it means for her career and her life to work for a women-owned sma...

10/17/2024

The Cloudburst Group is delighted to participate in the Office of HIV/AIDS Housing (OHH) 2024 HOPWA Institute October 21 – 23, 2024 in Washington, DC. This year's institute will be an opportunity to learn the most current HOPWA program information, as well as network with other HOPWA programs from across the country.

Cloudburst's Jonathan Sherwood, HUD Compliance Expert; Steven Ellis, Senior Technical Assistance Provider; Heather Rhoda, Senior Analyst, Affordable Housing & Special Needs Assistance Programs; Morgan Cline, Housing and Homelessness Analyst; and Heidi Schilpp, Senior Analyst, Housing Programs and Data Systems will present at this year's Institute.

Below are some of the topics this dynamic team will discuss:

Accessing Competitive Funding - Jonathan Sherwood
This session will provide an overview of formula vs. competitive funding, including the different types of competitive grants. It will include lessons learned from previous competitive grants, grantee design types, and tips and strategies for applying for a competitive grant when a CPD Notice is released, signaling available funding.

Meeting Safety Standards in HOPWA-Assisted Units - Christine Boger and Steve Ellis
This session will provide an overview of unit requirements that apply to specific HOPWA activities and the strategies to meet them. It will cover CO detection, NSPIRE, smoke alarms, and lead-based and review specific strategies to inspect and document when each are applicable.

Terminate or Re-engage? - Christine Boger, Steve Ellis, Heather Rhoda, and Love Latonia
This session will focus on strategies to prevent terminations from the HOPWA program including housing first, harm reduction, and person-centered strategies. It will cover the creation of policies and procedures to reinforce building a culture of “screening in” versus “screening out” and re-engagement rather than termination. It will also explore common misconceptions about terminations in the HOPWA program.

Understanding the HOPWA Data Ecosystem - Morgan Cline, Heidi Schilpp, and Love Latonia
This session will explore the major reporting requirements of the HOPWA program as well as cross-cutting reporting requirements that apply to grantees. It will cover what is new with the CAPER and APR and why it’s important, as well as cover other reporting requirements. The session will also provide tips and strategies on how best to utilize reporting and data to improve outcomes.

To learn more about these of other vital HOPWA learning sessions please visit: https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/comm_planning/hopwa/hopwa_institute

2024 HOPWA Institute FAQ:https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/comm_planning/hopwa/hopwa_institute/faq

10/02/2024

The entire Cloudburst Group team grieves the loss and devastation experienced by numerous communities throughout the Southeast, including those hit by Hurricane Helene’s catastrophic impacts in western North Carolina.

Cloudburst’s subject-matter experts work directly with communities after disasters to help homeless services providers navigate the complexities of the disaster response system. Our team often engages with local government, nonprofit organizations, and others to assess impacts to the homeless services system and assist local communities to ensure that people experiencing homelessness are able to access any available resources they may be eligible for. Our team understands that we must pay particular attention to those who may be facing homelessness due to the disaster and work to ensure that steady state systems are not overwhelmed.

If you are a homeless service provider in a community impacted by Hurricane Helene in need of assistance, please contact the HUD disaster line: Call 1-800-304-9320 or email [email protected].

Resources:
To locate an available disaster shelter or if you need help locating a loved one, please reach out to the American Red Cross, https://www.redcross.org.

To find assistance related to your needs, or apply for FEMA assistance, go to https://www.disasterassistance.gov

The HUD Exchange offers specific resources for disaster response and recovery for homeless services providers.
https://www.hudexchange.info/homelessness-assistance/disasters/

Planning, response, and recovery resources for housing providers; state, local, and tribal governments; and others can be found on the HUD website: https://www.hud.gov/disaster_resources/disaster_recovery_communities