Community Development

Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG)

The CDBG program is an annual grant from the U.S. Department of
Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on a formula basis to entitled
cities and counties to develop viable urban communities by carrying
out a wide range of community development activities directed toward
revitalizing neighborhoods, economic development, and providing
improved community facilities and services.

Entitlement communities like Waterbury, develop a five year
Consolidated Plan and individual Annual Plans which establish funding
priorities, goals and programs that meet the following three National
Objectives. Grantees must give maximum feasible priority to activities
which benefit low-and moderate-income persons. A grantee may also
carry out activities which aid in the prevention or elimination of slums
or blight. Additionally, grantees may fund activities when the grantee
certifies that the activities meet other community development needs
having a particular urgency because existing conditions pose a serious
and immediate threat to the health or welfare of the community where
other financial resources are not available to meet such needs.

CDBG funds may be used for activities which include, but are not
limited to:

• Acquisition of real property;
• Relocation and demolition;
• Construction of public facilities and improvements, such as water
  and sewer facilities, streets, neighborhood centers, and the
  conversion of school buildings for eligible purposes;
• Public services, within certain limits;
• Activities relating to energy conservation and renewable energy
  resources; and
• Provision of assistance to profit-motivated businesses to carry
  out economic development and job creation/retention activities.

The Citizen Participation Plan is a process used by WDC and the City to
solicit input from the general public, service providers, state and local
officials and neighborhood based organizations on setting annual and
long term goals as well as with the allocation of funding. The
participation plan includes a funding request timeline, 2 public
hearings and direct involvement by a Consolidated Plan Coalition and
Consolidated Plan Committee.

Current Activities Include:

• Funding 28 Social Services
• Facade Program for the Main Street Waterbury District in Census Tract
  3501
• Fire Pump Truck Under Construction and window and door replacement at the Baldwin Street Firehouse
• Street and Sidewalk reconstruction
• Window replacement at Walsh and Wilson schools
• Exterior door replacement at Crosby, Wallace, Wilby and North End
  schools
• Five demolitions (250 Walnut, 224 Bishop, 17 Wood, 22 Welton and 60 Dikeman)
• Boarded up 34 vacant structures

EMERGENCY SHELTER GRANT (ESG)

The Emergency Shelter Grants program provides homeless persons
with basic shelter and essential supportive services. Grantees, which
are state governments, large cities like Waterbury, urban counties,
and U.S. territories, receive ESG funds from the U.S. Department of
Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and make these funds
available to eligible recipients, which can be either local government
agencies or private nonprofit organizations.

ESG funds are available for the rehabilitation or remodeling of a
building used as a new shelter, operations and maintenance of the
facility, essential supportive services (i.e., case management, physical
and mental health treatment, substance abuse counseling, childcare,
etc.), homeless prevention, and grant administration. ESG also
provides short-term homeless prevention assistance to persons at
imminent risk of losing their own housing due to eviction, foreclosure,
or utility shutoffs. Grantees, except for state governments, must match
ESG grant funds dollar for dollar with locally generated amounts.

Current Activities Include

• Funding 5 Social Services

INFORMATION

Click on the following links for more information on the HUD website:

Consolidated Plan -
www.hud.gov/offices/cpd/about/conplan/index.cfm
CDBG Program -
www.hud.gov/offices/cpd/communitydevelopment/programs/index.cfm
ESG Program -
www.hud.gov/offices/cpd/homeless/programs/esg/index.cfm