Jamestown Director of Development Crystal Surdyk addresses City Council Housing Committee
The community’s opportunity to give input on the annual Community Development Block Grant and HOME funds plan will be expanded this year.
Jamestown Director of Development Crystal Surdyk said they plan to hold walking tours in each ward in addition to the two usual public input meetings, “We’re still working on finalizing the routes, but we will start each tour at either a park where there’s a pavilion and we can sit and have some discussion. And then we’ll take a short little walk and just talk about some things along with the community.”
Surdyk said the public will be invited to join in the neighborhood walks. She added the first part of those meetings will be stationary to accommodate those with mobility issues. Surdyk said the ward meetings will be an opportunity for residents to share their concerns about what’s happening in their neighborhoods.
Community Development Block Grants support community development activities and needs such as infrastructure, economic development projects, public facilities installation, community centers, housing rehabilitation, code enforcement, and homeowner assistance.
A public hearing on the CDBG/HOME action plan will be held the same day as City Council‘s June voting session before it’s submitted for review to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Surdyk said input meetings with stakeholders, such as housing agencies, were held on a HOME American Rescue Plan grant the City received. She said a rental rehabilitation program was developed based on that. A public hearing will be held on that program at the end of March. Surdyk emphasized that while the new rehabilitation program is for rental units only, homeowners can still apply to the regular HOME program for repairs.
Surdyk informed the City Council Housing Committee that the Department of Development is looking at reallocating a portion of HOME funds that they haven’t been able to expend due to lack of contractors.
She said as Chautauqua Home Rehabilitation and Improvement Corporation, or CHRIC, and Citizen Opportunity for Development and Equality, or CODE, have already expended funds they have, the city would reallocate some HOME funds to them, “Try to spread it out and knowing those programs, they have waiting lists, they could really use the additional funding and they can get it out. So if all three organizations are working on getting those funds expended, the money is out in the community rather than sitting waiting for us to be able to do something with it.”
Surdyk said a resolution in regards to that re-allocation will likely come before City Council for consideration in April.
Leave a Reply