Community Development Block Grants Will Prioritize Social Services, Transportation, And Infrastructure
Photo: HUD.gov
Report On The Meeting Of The Community Development Block Grant Advisory Committee, August 31, 2022
This meeting was held on Zoom and was recorded. The recording can be viewed here.
Present
Becky Michaels (Chair), Gregory Bascom, Rika Clement, Lucas Hanscom, Nathanael Larson, and Suzanne Schilling
Staff: Ben Breger (Planner)
The state Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) has designated Amherst as a Mini Entitlement Community eligible to apply for Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) to assist in funding projects, programs, and services that support low- and moderate-income residents. Funds are federal HUD grants administered by DHCD. This initial meeting of the CDBG Advisory Committee was to establish priorities for funding requests and to hear from organizations hoping to obtain funds.
Last year’s funds were delayed, and this year’s funding will be for a two-year cycle beginning July 1, 2023. Amherst is slated to receive $1.65M for fiscal years 2024 to 2026. These funds are to be awarded for social services and non-services, such as transportation and infrastructure. The town has designated the downtown area, Pomeroy Village, and East Amherst as target areas for non-service grants. Planner Ben Breger has developed a draft of the town’s development strategy to be used in selecting how the funds should be used. This draft designates housing and community services as top priorities.
In public comment, Hilda Greenbaum asked why North Amherst was not a target area, since “it is a gateway to the town and looks shabby”. She hoped funds could be obtained to fix sidewalks and possibly create a small park near the soon-to-be renovated North Amherst library. Because it is not a target area, North Amherst would not be eligible for CDBG funds. Breger said that the advisory committee does not make this determination of target areas. This was done by town staff. Concerned residents should contact the town’s Department of Public Works (DPW) to present their arguments for improvements.
The committee heard from several service agencies. Judith Roberts, director of the Literacy Project which helps adult learners attain a high school equivalency diploma, stressed her agency’s focus on economic stability. Francine Rodriguez of Family Outreach of Amherst said that her agency has noted an increase in requests from residents having trouble paying their rent, including a notable increase in requests for aid from seniors. She said a recent DHCD survey stated that a family of four would need to earn $78,000 a year to afford a two-bedroom apartment in Massachusetts, and rents in Amherst are well above the state average.
Laurie Millman of the Center for New Americans, which was not funded in the last round of CDBG grants, noted that 26% of children in the Amherst public schools come from homes where English is not the first language. The Center for New Americans provides English instruction to adults and support for families. Susan Nicastro of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Hampshire County, a previous recipient of funds, stressed the importance of mentoring for vulnerable children.
Lev Ben Ezra of the Amherst Survival Center said the need for food and nutrition services in Amherst is more dire than it ever has been, especially since the child tax credit ended eight months ago. The Survival Center has seen a 30% increase in those coming for meals and a 20% increase in patrons of the food pantry. Sarah Sargent of the small business division of Valley Community Development Corporation said her organization has seen an uptick in new small businesses in Amherst, many owned by immigrants. Over 70 have registered in Valley’s service area since January.
In terms of non-service opportunities, David Ross advocated for continuing the sidewalk repair done from Taylor Street to High Street and down Kellogg to provide a safe walkable route to the town center. A CDBG grant is being used to fix the sidewalk near the Ann Whalen house on Kellogg, but there is no sidewalk in the area of the hill there.
The CDBG Advisory Committee will review requests for proposals (RFP) to be sent to various agencies and submit comments on priorities to Breger before meeting again on September 14. They will finalize their recommendations at the September 21 meeting, so the report can be submitted by September 30. Applications are due on November 4, so that a decision on funding can be made in January, 2023 after another public hearing. The funding recommendations are due to the state by March 3, 2023. There was still uncertainty about whether requests from North Amherst would be considered.
Thank you for this informative article. The draft development strategy was of keen interest and I wonder if the Planning Board will have a chance to see this strategy and comment in it before it becomes final. I imagine other community members also would be interested.
I also found it curious that North Amherst was skipped over since UMASS and North Amherst area is the poorest area of Amherst according to the American Community Survey and I think this explains why Amherst receives so much CBDG monies. It would seem fair that this area would receive some funding for improvements and social services. But perhaps there are other factors I am unaware of.