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Planning Department - Community Development Block Grants (CDBG)

What are Community Development Block Grants?

The Planning Department is responsible for administering the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program which provides financial assistance to eligible property owners and organizations.

From the website for the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development:

The CDBG program works to ensure decent affordable housing, to provide services to the most vulnerable in our communities, and to create jobs through the expansion and retention of businesses. CDBG is an important tool for helping local governments tackle serious challenges facing their communities. The CDBG program has made a difference in the lives of millions of people and their communities across the Nation.

The annual CDBG appropriation is allocated between States and local jurisdictions called "non-entitlement" and "entitlement" communities respectively. Entitlement communities are comprised of central cities of Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs); metropolitan cities with populations of at least 50,000; and qualified urban counties with a population of 200,000 or more (excluding the populations of entitlement cities). States distribute CDBG funds to non-entitlement localities not qualified as entitlement communities.

HUD determines the amount of each grant by using a formula comprised of several measures of community need, including the extent of poverty, population, housing overcrowding, age of housing, and population growth lag in relationship to other metropolitan areas.

Who is eligible?

Though literally hundreds of activities, ranging from public facilities to public services and housing to economic development are eligible for funding, the City has established three priorities based upon community need:

Capital Improvement - Construction and repair of public infrastructure, including streets, sidewalks, storm drains, and public buildings. For more information, please contact Tom Grahn, Associate Planner, at (909) 477-2750 or e-mail him at tom.grahn@cityofrc.us.

Home Improvement - The Home Improvement Program can help you pay for repairs and improvements to your home such as new roofing, a new furnace, or plumbing/electrical repairs. A variety of grants and loans are available to qualified recipients. For more information, please contact Cathy Morris, Planning Specialist, at (909) 477-2750 or e-mail her at cathy.morris@cityofrc.us.

Public Services - Funds are provided to assist organizations which provide important services to meet the needs of the community, such as shelters, food programs, and graffiti removal. For more information, please contact Tom Grahn, Associate Planner, at (909) 477-2750 or e-mail him at tom.grahn@cityofrc.us.

What is the application process for Capital Improvements and Public Services?

Each year letters are sent to public services organizations and advertisements are placed in the local newspaper by the City to solicit applications for block grant funded capital improvements and public services. Applications for grants are due by the end of December. Following their review for eligibility by the Planning Department, the eligible requests are forwarded to the City Council for review and approval (generally) around May of the following year.

What is the application process for Home Improvement?

Applications for Home Improvement are accepted any time throughout the year. Following a thorough review by the representatives from the Planning and Building & Safety Departments, including visits to the home and discussions with the homeowner, the applicant is placed on an eligibility list; funds are released as they become available.

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This page was updated on March 22, 2007.  Questions or comments?  Please e-mail me.