Dear Colleagues,
Spring is the time when we begin preparing for next year’s
Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program. Our staff is
drafting a new Consolidated Plan that will govern the County’s CDBG
Program, HOME Investment Partnerships Program and Emergency Shelter
Grant Program over the next five years. Municipalities are now
considering what projects they will choose to submit seeking CDBG
funds for 2006. The Authority has been reviewing the citizen
participation process we have used for the past 25 years to
determine if any changes should be made to the process to ensure it
is effective in determining those projects which meet the greatest
need and benefit low and moderate income families.
So normally we are excited about the future at this time of the
year. But this year we are also a little apprehensive; apprehensive
about the future of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)
Program. The CDBG Program has existed since 1974 when President Ford
signed the first Housing and Community Development Act into law.
Over the past 31 years the program has invested more than $100,000
million to improve the infrastructure of the County’s low and
moderate income neighborhoods; extend public water and sewer to low
and moderate income families dealing with malfunctioning on-lot
sewer systems; build and renovate community facilities providing
services to low and moderate income households; provide essential
services to families and individuals that cannot afford to pay for
the services; provide services to help families become
self-sufficient; and develop affordable rental housing throughout
the county.
Why are we apprehensive? The Bush Administration has proposed a
new initiative called Strengthening America’s Communities
Initiative. The initiative is designed to restructure how federal
funds flow to communities for community and economic development
activities. While there are few details available at this time, the
one thing that is certain is that the CDBG Program will no longer
exist. The initiative will move all funding for community and
economic development programs to the Department of Commerce. One of
the objectives of the new initiative is to consolidate numerous
community and economic development programs currently spread over at
least three federal agencies –Housing and Urban Development,
Agriculture and Commerce – to a single federal agency. The
Administration has proposed that the Department of Commerce be that
agency.
I acknowledge that the idea of consolidating numerous, and
sometimes duplicative, federal community and economic development
programs under the governance of a single agency is a good idea,
especially in this time of tight federal budgets. However, the CDBG
Program was designed to comprehensively improve low and moderate
income neighborhoods in our communities. Economic development is but
one activity that helps achieve this goal; so are infrastructure
improvements, community facilities, housing rehabilitation,
affordable housing development and social services. All are needed
to succeed in our efforts to revitalize our communities. Economic
development alone will not meet the challenges facing our low and
moderate income communities.
We have been communicating with Congressman Pitts, Senator
Specter and Senator Santorum about our concern with the
Strengthening America’s Communities Initiative. Information has been
provided to them so they can see the impact of the CDBG Program in
Lancaster County.
We believe that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development is the agency under which these programs should be
consolidated. We also believe it is essential that the CDBG Program
continue and be funded at current levels. Join us in our efforts to
ensure that our representatives in Washington, DC understand the
importance of the CDBG Program to the Lancaster County community.
Sincerely,
Randy S. Patterson
