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The CDBG public hearing has been postponed until further notice due to coronavirus concerns. Please fill out the survey linked at the bottom of the page to provide feedback on areas you feel should be community development priorities. Thank you.
The city of Bessemer’s Economic and Community Development Department is seeking the input of residents and other interests as it seeks to develop a Five-Year Action Plan as part of the Community Development Block Grant, or CDBG, program.
The federally-funded program is administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The city of Bessemer is an entitlement city and receives funding each year through the program. Money from the program can cover a variety of activities aimed at enriching the lives of low-income residents, including upgrading infrastructure, rehabilitating housing and providing funding for job creation.
In order to ensure funding, the city must first develop a plan of how the funding will be spent.
The public’s participation in developing this Action Plan is critical. With input from residents, the plan will outline spending goals and priorities for the program over the next five years.
“We would really like to hear from residents of Bessemer about ways they think this funding can improve their communities,” said Toraine Norris, Mayor’s Assistant. “This funding can be used in a variety of ways, whether its improving infrastructure, rehabilitating houses of low income individuals and eligible seniors or improving public facilities and parks to make them ADA compliant.”
The department has two ways this year for citizens to provide feedback. A CDBG Public Hearing will be held on Tuesday, March 17, 2020 at 6 p.m. at Bessemer City Hall, 1700 Third Avenue North. The public is invited to attend.
The second way residents can participate is through an online survey, available until 11:59 p.m. on Friday, April 17. The survey, developed by Community Development staff, is available at the bottom of this page.
The CDBG program funds 28 eligible activities that include infrastructure, economic development projects, installation of public facilities, community centers, housing rehabilitation, public services, clearance/acquisition, microenterprise assistance, code enforcement, and homeowner assistance, to name a few.
To take part in the survey, click the following link: Click to take Survey
To review past action plans, visit the Community Development page at
https://www.bessemeral.org/community-development/.
To learn more about the CDBG program, visit the following links:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvQe6YzbCXk