WESTFIELD- The Office of Community Development will be hosting a Technical Assistant Workshop Feb. 5, at 10 a.m. at City Hall for applicants who would like to learn about the application and qualification process for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG).
Community Development Director Peter J. Miller described the workshop as an open office hour to assist those who may be interested in applying for the grant. The workshop is geared towards local non-profits who would like grant funds to benefit low and moderate income families.
The activities that would be covered by the grant funds are listed in the Request for Proposal linked on the city website. Those activities include clearance and demolition, public services such as employment assistance and crime prevention, and construction of public facilities.
Miller said that they were able to support 10 non-profits last year following the workshop with grants ranging from $3,000 to $10,000. He anticipates similar numbers this year.
The workshop itself is intended to help people understand the CDBG regulations and the requirements to receive a grant.
“We get $350,000 each year from Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and we spend about $60,000 on these non-profits,” said Miller, “The rest is given to sidewalk, neighborhood, and accessibility projects.”
The deadline to complete the application and submit a proposal is 4 p.m. on Friday, March 6. All proposals should be sent to Miller at City Hall or to [email protected].
Two public hearings for the Annual Action Plan were hosted in January at City Hall in addition to a community survey to gauge what projects residents would like to see funded as part of the CDBG.
