This does not include one of the largest funding sources, the Home Investment Partnerships (HOME) program.
“This is extremely good news, but I want to encourage you to write these elected officials in Washington (D.C.) and thank them for restoring the funds, but encouraging them to restore more,” Assistant Mayor Dave Estrop told residents at Tuesday’s city commission meeting. “So we’ll see how it works out.”
The city provides a sample letter to ask the House and Senate to support full funding for housing and community development on its website at springfieldohio.gov.
Springfield is working toward submitting a five-year spending plan to HUD for funds from the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, HOME program and Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) program.
The latest spending bill from the House Appropriation Committee will go to the Senate for vote.
Priorities for HUD funding
Through community input, the city identified three major priorities: provide decent housing, create suitable living environments and expand opportunities for low-to-moderate income people.
The city is required to prepare a five-year consolidated plan for HUD funds to identify needs in affordable housing and community and economic development. The final draft must be submitted by Aug. 16.
In its current form, the draft would use $1.7 million in CDBG funds per year for housing for people experiencing homelessness and with disabilities, public services, housing affordability and rehabilitation, code enforcement, demolition, promotion of fair housing and administration, the Engaged Neighborhood project and public improvements and economic development and job creation.
The HOME Investment Partnerships program would use more than $439,000 per year for HOME entitlement activities, the Community Housing Development Organization reserve and operating expenses and HOME administration. HOME entitlement activities include homeownership assistance and “activities that promote the development of affordable housing units including rental housing and/or single-family housing,” according to the city.
Losing this would impact efforts to provide and support affordable housing in Springfield.
Help sought for emergency housing
The draft also plans to use just over $155,000 in ESG funds for homeless prevention and rapid rehousing, homeless management information systems, emergency shelter operations and administrative funds. ESG’s goal is to help people regain permanent housing after being in a crisis or experiencing homelessness.
CDBG funds since 2005 have “provided safe and affordable housing to over 2.1 million households, supported public infrastructure serving nearly 59 million people nationwide, and created/retained 581,495 jobs through economic development activities. Since 1992, the HOME program has completed nearly 1.4 million units of affordable housing and provided tenant-based rental assistance to 403,788 low-income families,” the city’s sample letter reads.
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