Federal Money Available to Benefit Low,Moderate-Income Households

From the City of Rockville: Applications for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding for Fiscal Year 2019 will be available July 18 on the City of Rockville's website. The allocation process for the grants begins this summer.

CDBG provides federal funding for housing and community development programs that benefit low- and moderate-income people. Rockville's CDBG funding comes through Montgomery County. The city will hold a public hearing on community needs on Sept. 11and begin a competitive grant application process for nonprofit organizations and government entities to apply for funds. Grant applications are due by Sept. 15. The proposals will be reviewed and prioritized by city staff and forwarded, with recommendations, to the Mayor and Council for review and approval this fall.

For the past few years, the city has prioritized CDBG funding for capital improvement projects. For example, CDBG funds have been used to rehabilitate different types of housing for low- and moderate-income residents. This has included rehabilitation funds for public housing units in the city, as well as the city's Single-Family Rehabilitation Program, which provides forgivable loans to low- and moderate- income residents to make critical repairs to their homes. A portion of funds have also been dedicated to renovations of group homes for individuals with severe mental illness and a residence for formerly homeless men.

Interested community members and organizations should check Mayor and Council agendas in July at www.rockvillemd.gov/AgendaCenter and visit www.rockvillemd.gov/cdbg for updated information on the grant application.

For more information, contact Asmara Habte, chief of housing programs, at 240-314-8203or ahabte@rockvillemd.gov.

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