Even though Jim Kelly has only been the executive director of Dutchess County Association for Senior Citizens since January, there’s one thing he already knows with certainty.
“Everybody likes to receive grant money,” he said with a chuckle.
That said, it’s safe to assume there are a lot of happy organizations throughout the Hudson Valley after Dutchess County announced last week that federal funds totaling more than $2.6 million will be awarded through the 2008 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program as well as the HOME Investment Partnership awards to support a number of projects throughout the county.
Funding is administered by the county’s Department of Planning and Development. The 2008 total represents a decrease in federal funding from 2007.
“Each year we have more eligible projects than available funds,” said Dutchess County Commissioner of Planning and Development Roger Akeley. “But over the years, a well-distributed pattern of worthy projects have been funded in towns and villages throughout the county.”
“These grants are intended to benefit low-to-moderate income people,” said Beth Doyle, the county’s Community Development Administrator. “Certain populations – seniors, the homeless, the handicapped – are considered in the low-to-moderate bracket right off the bat.”
The CDBG money – which has been given out by the federal government since 1983 – is mainly allocated for infrastructure improvements. Fifteen percent of its total is set aside for human service programs. The HOME grants are used for housing projects around the county. The county is the lead agency in determining which organizations will receive the grants except in the case of the City of Poughkeepsie, which receives separate funding and is permitted to determine how the money it receives will be used. The city received a total of $319,000 this year.
Some of the notable organizations awarded CDBG money include the Dutchess County Association for Senior Citizens, which will receive $21,200 to provide senior volunteer opportunities through its Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) and Volunteers in Transition (VIT) program; Mid-Hudson Addiction Recovery Center, which will receive $21,200 for emergency housing for individuals with chemical dependency; Martin Luther King Cultural Center, which will receive $21,200 for job readiness skills training; Literacy Connections, which will receive $21,200 for adult and family literacy programs; and The Child Abuse Prevention Center, which will receive $19,614 for its Child Advocacy Center.
Hudson River Housing (HRH) secured $42,400 of CDBG money to fund emergency, transitional and permanent housing for low income and homeless families and individuals as well as for River Haven, which provides shelter for runaway youth ages 10-17. HRH also will receive $207,488 from Poughkeepsie’s HOME grant toward Phase II of the Poughkeepsie Homeownership Assistance Program in which six houses will be built on vacant lots on Poughkeepsie’s Northside.
“We’d be dead without the grants,” said Gail Webster, HRH’s executive director. “We’ve been fairly successful at getting money from the federal government in the past. It’s a little tighter now, but affordable housing is still one of the most important issues for the government.”
HRH will also receive $167,281 to lead the Main Street Rehabilitation Program for the creation of rental units on Main Street.
“Towns and villages don’t get a lot of federal funding and human services are always struggling,” said Doyle. “They depend on these funds. This is a continuous source of money that they use for projects that otherwise wouldn’t be possible.”
One of the tools used to guide use of CDBG and HOME funds is the county’s 2008-2012 Consolidated Plan, which sets four priorities to address countywide needs: affordable housing; economic development; public facilities and infrastructure improvements; and public services.