Public feedback will be accepted through April 5
VANCOUVER — The city of Vancouver is seeking public comments on its proposal to award $9.3 million in federal and city grant funding to 40 local projects, programs and services related to housing, business assistance and COVID-19 relief. Public feedback will be accepted through April 5.
The funding sources include:
- $2,433,479 from the federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, including $1,127,065 specifically for COVID-19 relief
- $688,711 from the federal HOME Program
- $6,225,000 from Vancouver’s Affordable Housing Fund, a property-tax supported fund approved by voters in 2016
The CDBG and HOME programs are both operated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
The types of projects, programs and services being funded include:
- COVID-19-related public services, including affordable housing, homelessness prevention, support for youth and families in crisis and more
- Business assistance programs
- Housing services and rental assistance programs
- Temporary shelter projects
- Affordable housing development and preservation projects
- Non-profit public facility improvements
- Home repair loans for low-income homeowners
The city accepted applications for the funding from local service providers, organizations and agencies in late 2020. A volunteer committee of 27 community members and city staff then reviewed and scored the applications and developed the proposed list of projects and funding amounts.
Public comments accepted through April 5
The community is invited to review the full list of proposed projects and funding amounts online at www.cityofvancouver.us/2021grantawards. All the applicants made presentations to the committee about their projects. The presentation materials and recordings are available to view online at www.cityofvancouver.us/cdbg.
Comments about the proposed funding awards must be submitted to the City of Vancouver one of the following ways by 5 p.m. Mon., April 5:
- Email: Peggy.Sheehan@cityofvancouver.us
- Telephone: (360) 487-7952, TTY: (360) 487-8602, WA Relay: 711
- Mail: Peggy Sheehan, City of Vancouver, PO Box 1995, Vancouver, WA 98668-1995
More information about the city’s CDBG/HOME Program is available at www.cityofvancouver.us/cdbg. More information about the city’s Affordable Housing Fund is available at www.cityofvancouver.us/ahf.
Information provided by city of Vancouver.
