Community Development Block Grants

The CDBG and HOME Programs are the Federal Government's primary programs for promoting community revitalization throughout the country, providing annual grants on a formula basis to approximately 1,000 metropolitan cities including College Station.

CDBG funds are used for a wide range of community development activities directed toward neighborhood revitalization, economic development, and improved community facilities and services. Any project obtaining CDBG funding is required by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to meet at least one of three national objectives:

• Benefit Low- and Moderate-Income Persons
• Aid in the Prevention or Elimination of Slums or Blight
• Meet Urgent Community Development Needs

HOME funds are used - often in partnership with local non-profit groups - to fund a variety of activities that build, purchase, and/or rehabilitate affordable housing for rent or homeownership or provide direct rental assistance to low-income people.
 

Public Facility Funding

Public Facility funds are used to expand, improve and/or add public facilities and infrastructure when and where needed for designated low to moderate income areas of the city. Improvements include streets, parks, neighborhood centers, community centers, and sidewalk projects.

Please refer any input you have on future public facility or infrastructure projects to the Community Services Department at (979) 764-3778.

Recently funded CDBG Public Facility Projects include:

• Lincoln Center Bus Shelter
• Holleman Dr. Sidewalks
• Park Place Sidewalks
• Georgie K. Fitch Park Trail

Federal Reporting

In order to receive annual CDBG funding, the City must submit a five year Consolidated Plan and an annual Action Plan for each of those five years. The Community Services Department is the City's primary agency for both the Consolidated Plan and the Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER). To view publications, click here.

The Five Year Consolidated Plan

In the Consolidated Plan, the City identifies its goals for community development programs, which also serve as the criteria against which HUD will evaluate the City's performance in carrying out the identified goals. The Consolidated Plan promotes a comprehensive approach to local decisions by engaging all local residents interested in community development, helping identify the needs of the community to formulate strategies for addressing current and future needs.

The Action Plan

The One-Year Action Plan, updated annually, is a component of the Consolidated Plan used to reflect any changes previously reported. Additionally, the plan includes the annual allocations, program projections, and budget for the upcoming year.

The Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report

At the close of each program year, the City uses its CAPER to inform the public on how CDBG and HOME funds have been expended, and to describe the purpose and extent to which the programs have been delivered.

Public Service Agency Funding

Federal regulations allow for up to 15% of the City's annual Community Development Block Grant to be allocated to fund local public services. The City of College Station City Council continues to support the allocation of the maximum allowable funds.

The City of College Station and the City of Bryan work in a joint process to allocate these funds to our local agencies. The Joint Relief Funding Review Committee is made up of three Council appointed volunteers from each city. The six member committee is tasked with reviewing applications from eligible programs, making site visits to the agencies, ranking the applications and finally recommending funding allocations to each City Council.

The Joint Relief Funding Review process begins in the Spring with a pre-application workshop where any agency in the community that is interested in applying for CDBG funds is required to attend and learn more about the process. Applications are received by City staff and reviewed for eligibility. The process then takes approximately nine weeks with the committee meeting on a weekly basis in public meetings to discuss the applications and ending with two public hearings where the programs are ranked, and the committee formally adopts the funding recommendations to be made to each City Council. The committee is asked to fund no more than twelve agencies each year but can choose to fund less or more depending on the applications.

The deadline for receipt of completed applications was in March. If your organization is interested in applying for the following year, please call the Community Development office at 979.764.3778.

Once adopted by each City Council, the recommendations are included in each City's Annual Action Plan, which is a report done to notify the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) how the City proposes to spend its grant dollars in the coming year. After approval from HUD, the funds are made available to the agencies beginning October 1st. Funding is on an annual basis, and the allocated funds must be used no later than September 30th of the fiscal year. Funded agencies are required to report to each city on a quarterly basis to ensure that they are providing the services and serving the number of clients that they proposed in their application. The city staff monitors the reports and the agencies' files to ensure the accuracy of information.

Agencies applying must have or be in the process of receiving 501(c)(3) tax status from the Internal Revenue Service. Requests must be in the form of program specific operating funds which will serve primarily low income persons (at least 51%) residing in College Station and Bryan. Agencies accepting funds agree to comply with Federal Regulations 24 CFR 570 and 2 CFR Part 200.

For more information, please contact the Community Services at 979.764.3778.