County Celebrates National Community Development Week

Highlighting the Successes and Importance of Federal Grants

April 1, 2024 – National Community Development (NCD) Week is the County’s annual opportunity to celebrate the impact and longstanding accomplishments of the Federally-funded Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME) Programs.  NCD Week provides the opportunity to celebrate critical locally-led projects and services. The goal is to bring a renewed awareness to the need for Federal investment to sustain CDBG and HOME.

This year marks the 50^th Anniversary of the CDBG Program and Los Angeles County is dedicated to actively promoting awareness, education, and advocacy for these vital community resources. In celebration of the CDBG Program’s 50^th Anniversary, the County is taking this opportunity to declare April 2024 as Community Development Month. This recognition highlights the role the CDBG Program has had, and will continue to have, in the development of neighborhoods and communities while also recognizing the importance of community-based organizations, County departments, and participating cities in assisting low- and moderate-income residents throughout the County of Los Angeles. 

For 50 years, CDBG has been an important resource for communities to provide programs and activities to address infrastructure, affordable housing, and community and economic development needs. CDBG has long been considered the most successful Federally-supported local Program ever approved by Congress. The County of Los Angeles, through the Los Angeles County Development Authority (LACDA), administers the largest CDBG Urban County Program in the nation, encompassing the unincorporated County areas and 48 participating cities.

The County’s CDBG Program substantially exceeded the Federal requirement to expend 70% of its funds for the benefit of low- and moderate-income persons.  In the past fiscal year, the CDBG Program expended a total of $30.5 million, of which more than 99% of qualified expenditures benefitted low- and moderate-income persons. 

The CDBG Program’s success is rooted in its flexibility, allowing local governments to directly address community needs through activities such as housing rehabilitation; public services for groups, such as seniors, youth, and those who are unhoused; economic development activities; and making public facilities, housing, and sidewalks accessible for persons with disabilities.

Additionally, for the last 32 years, the HOME Program has provided vital funding to help communities improve access to affordable housing. Los Angeles County has successfully used its HOME Program funds to finance innovative housing developments for low-income families. Since the Program’s inception in 1992, the LACDA has overseen the investment of over $340 million in HOME funds into the County’s housing market.  The HOME Program’s added benefit is its ability to leverage local funding.  The total leveraging ratio for its rental projects is approximately 5.4 times, for a total of over $1.1 billion made available for local housing since 1992.

Emilio Salas, LACDA Executive Director, said, “The LACDA works diligently each year to solicit feedback from members of the community and businesses on what their local needs are and recommends strategic investments that will help build stronger and more resilient communities. As we celebrate NCD Week, we are proud that our mission, to Build Better Lives and Better Neighborhoods, translates into effective service delivery of CDBG- and HOME-funded programs to individuals, families, and businesses within the County.”

While the accomplishments of these Programs are far-reaching and severely needed, past budget cuts have overshadowed their merits not only through funding reductions but also through level funding, which does not keep up with increased expenditures. For Federal Fiscal Year 2024, the CDBG Program will receive $3.30 billion, and the HOME Program will receive $1.25 billion. Help us preserve the CDBG and HOME Programs by telling Congress how vital the Programs are to your community. Click here to find your U.S. House and Senate representatives.