National Community Development Week This Week in Waterloo

The 2015 National Community Development Week will be celebrated in Waterloo, Iowa, from April 6-11, 2015. This year marks the 41st anniversary of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program.

It provides the community the opportunity to focus on local as well as national attention on the outstanding accomplishments of CDBG and the HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME) Program in a week-long celebration.

The CDBG program was enacted into law as part of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974. CDBG’s main purpose is to provide decent, safe and sanitary housing, a suitable living environment, and economic opportunities to low- and moderate-income people. To this day, CDBG remains the principal source of revenue for localities to utilize in devising flexible solutions to prevent physical, economic, and social deterioration in lower-income neighborhoods and communities throughout the nation.

Enacted into law in 1990, the HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME) Program was developed to provide resources to communities to provide decent, safe and affordable housing opportunities for low-income persons. Program funding has been used nationally to complete over one million units of affordable housing. Prior to the creation of the HOME program, there were few options available to communities to develop affordable housing. Families lived in overcrowded situations and in unsafe housing. Working families struggled to save enough for a down payment. Communities lacked the resources needed to design large-scale affordable housing programs to address these problems.

These two valuable programs have made tremendous contributions to the viability of the housing stock, infrastructure, public services, and economic vitality of our community.

For further information regarding activities being planned contact the Community Development Board at 291-4429.