City of Salem Develops Annual CDBG Action Plan

From The City Of Salem: Salem Mayor Kimberley Driscoll recently announced that the City of Salem is developing its annual Action Plan that will outline priority activities for federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and Home Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) funds that the City of Salem anticipates receiving during Fiscal Year 2018 (FY18). This funding, provided through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, assists income-eligible households and low- to moderate-income neighborhoods through a variety of programs, services and improvements.

The FY18 Action Plan will outline Salem’s housing, economic and community development needs and funding priorities for the period of July 1, 2017 to June 30, 2018. The plan will continue to put into action the goals and strategies established in the 5-Year Consolidated Plan which was completed following an extensive public participation process in 2015.

Regarding the Action Plan, Mayor Driscoll stated, “Federal programs such as CDBG and HOME are important to Salem. Without this funding, many Salem households and neighborhoods most in need might not have adequate housing, community and economic development programs and services. We encourage community members to participate in developing the FY18 Action Plan.”

During FY16, Salem expended $834,794 in CDBG and $41,809 in HOME funds to assist 3 families to purchase their first home, renovate 7 housing units, help 35 families with first/last rent and/or security deposits, issue 1 businesses loan, improve 1 business storefront, create 19 new jobs, support the Salem Main Streets Program, fund building repairs and improvements to the Salem Council on Aging (masonry, door, brownstone, roof and gutters), assist with the environmental testing at McGlew Park, assist with environmental testing and design development at Mary Jane Lee Park, plant 21 trees and replace sidewalks on Webb, Canal, Lafayette, North, Linden, Proctor, Leavitt, Prince and Leach Streets and Jefferson Avenue. In addition, we helped fund 30 social service programs that served over 8300 persons with services, including emergency homelessness prevention, food assistance, services for victims of domestic violence, accessible housing assistance, medical services for homeless persons, ESL/ELL classes, first time homebuyer education, career and financial counseling, child care, senior transportation, police bicycle patrols, citizenship classes, Spanish GED classes, job training for administrative positions in health care, and supplemental education, after school and engagement programs to increase public school students’ academic achievement, as well as early intervention for children with physical or developmental disabilities.

Mayor Driscoll would like to invite Salem’s citizens and representatives of businesses, organizations and agencies to participate in the citizen participation process that will kick off on January 19, 2017 with a public hearing at 6:00 p.m. in the third floor conference room at 120 Washington Street. The purpose of this hearing is to give interested persons the opportunity to comment on the housing, community and economic development needs of Salem’s low- to moderate-income residents and on the types of activities that could be undertaken to meet those needs. In the event of a meeting cancellation due to inclement weather, this meeting will be rescheduled to January 24, 2017 at 6:00 p.m. Interested parties may also provide written comment addressed to the City of Salem Department of Planning and Community Development (DPCD) by January 24th.

Following this hearing, the DPCD will prepare the draft Action Plan for FY18, which is expected to be available for public comment at the end of March. Copies of the draft plan will be available for viewing at the DPCD, the Salem Public Library and the Salem Housing Authority and on www.salem.com.

Image Courtesy Of The City of Salem