National Community Development Week 2021 (April 5 - 9) provides an opportunity to reflect on the value federal community development funds bring to communities throughout Fairfax County. The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME Investment Partnership Program (HOME) – funded through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development – provide essential funding utilized to support neighborhood improvements, economic revitalization, affordable housing, community facilities and services to assist our most vulnerable neighbors.
Generally speaking, Fairfax County receives between $5 and $10 million each year in combined CDBG and HOME funding to support a variety of community initiatives. To date, Fairfax County has received over $263.5 million from the CDBG program and over $64.7 million from the HOME program that has been used to promote housing stability and their general socioeconomic, intellectual and physical well-being of very low- to moderate-income individuals and families.
Community Development Block Grant
The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program provides grants to over 1,200 local governments for the development of neighborhood approaches to improving the physical, economic and social conditions in communities. Beginning in 1974, the CDBG program is one of the longest continuously running HUD programs. Every $1.00 of CDBG leverages more than $4.00 in other funding; bringing additional vital resources to Fairfax County communities.
Over the past five years, Fairfax County has used CDBG funds to achieve the following outcomes:
create or preserve over 2,300 affordable housing units through acquisitions and/or rehabilitation projects,
enable over 2280 low-income households to purchase homes through homeownership assistance programs and
provide targeted public services, including supportive services for persons who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, for older adults and for persons with disabilities; literacy and academic development services; and training and financial stability programs, for over 10,258 low-income residents.
The HOME Investment Partnership Program (HOME)
The HOME Investment Partnership Program (HOME) has been providing grants to over 600 local participating jurisdictions since 1992, to be used to create safe, sanitary, and affordable housing and to provide direct rental assistance to low-income households. In Fairfax County every $1.00 of HOME funds received is typically leveraged with more than $4.00 in other funding to support the creation or preservation of units of affordable housing units and to provide rental assistance for the benefit of low-income residents.
In the past five years, Fairfax County has used HOME funds to accomplish the following:
create over 1,300 affordable rental units and
provide tenant-based rental assistance to over 175 low-income families
Comments