The City of Bismarck has completed the draft of its five year Consolidated Plan (2010-2014), and it is available for public comment and viewing. The Consolidated Plan identifies housing and community development needs in the City and proposes strategies to address these concerns over the next five years. The Plan also prioritizes how HUD funds will be spent. The City receives only Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds directly from HUD, so an annual update/CDBG application is done for each of the five years. Funds must be used for projects that benefit low and moderate income (LMI) persons, alleviate slum and blight, or address an urgent community need. The following is a summary of the major strategies included in the draft Plan:
Housing:
1. Continue emergency housing repair & housing accessibility programs
2. Assist with the development or renovation of affordable rental housing
3. Promote the development or renovation of special needs housing for the frail elderly and persons with disabilities
4. Support efforts to increase homeownership for LMI families
5. Increase awareness of Fair Housing
Homelessness:
1. Support the renovation or expansion of facilities serving homeless persons
2. Assist in the development of additional housing for homeless persons, especially for families
3. Provide operational support for agencies providing services that promote self-sufficiency, case management, counseling, and prevention.
4. Allocate funds for emergency assistance activities to prevent homelessness as needed (e.g., security deposits, rental assistance)
Community Development:
1. Support public service activities that provide essential services to persons who are LMI, homeless, or may have special needs.
2. Allocate funds to renovate or expand public facilities that are located in LMI neighborhoods or that primarily serve LMI persons
3. Fund infrastructure projects to improve accessibility or ease financial burdens on LMI households
The public is invited to make comments on the proposed plan in the following ways.
At a public hearing to be held as follows: By sending written comments to:
Tuesday, June 29, 2010 at 5:15 p.m. City of Bismarck
Conference Room No. 251 Community Development Dept.
2nd Floor – Community Dev. Dept. PO Box 5503
City-County Building Bismarck, ND 58506-5503
221 North 5th Street Fax: (701) 222-6450
By e-mail to: sredman@nd.gov
All comments on the Plan are due on or before Thursday, July 15, 2010 at 1:00 p.m. Copies of the Plan are available at the Community Development Office at the above address or call 355-1847 (TDD:711) for assistance.