Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG) and HOME Overview
Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG)
Although a wide variety of activities qualify for CDBG annual grant funding, these funds must be used for eligible activities only. Examples of eligible activities include projects, carried out by non-profit organizations or agencies, such as purchasing property, purchasing buildings, rehabilitation of private and public buildings, paving streets, providing public services for example child care, and economic development activities like creating jobs to be filled by low income persons. Keep in mind these examples are a partial listing only of possible eligible activities.
Eligible activities are determined by statutory and regulatory limitations. Every CDBG-funded activity must meet one of three national objectives of the program:
- benefiting low and moderate income people
- preventing or eliminating slums or blight
- meeting needs having a particular urgency because existing conditions pose a serious and immediate threat to the health or welfare of the community and other financial resources are not available to meet such needs
Additionally, the activity must also conform to a number of programmatic requirements such as meeting environmental clearance standards and labor standards. Applications for the CDBG programs are accepted annually, usually during the months of January and February.
For complete details and program requirements for these grant funds, contact the Planning and Community Development Department at (406) 455-8407, or email CDBG Administrator. It is important to contact the Planning and Community Development Department prior to completing the application form to help determine project eligibility and to become informed about the long term requirements of CDBG grant funds.
CDBG programs the City of Great Falls administers to promote affordable housing on a citywide basis include:
- Deferred Payment Loan Program
Citywide, no interest loan program for low income homeowners to make code-related repairs in their homes
Loan limit of $50,000 per property - Rental Improvement Fund Program
Citywide, no interest loan program to rehabilitate sub-standard rental units that will be made affordable to lower income tenants Loan limit of $30,000 per unit, up to $100,000 to any one owner or group - Water and Sewer Loan Program
Citywide 0-3% interest loan program to install or repair water and sewer service lines for lower income home owners or rental units for lower income tenents.
Applications for these housing programs are accepted year round as funds become available. For complete details and program requirements, contact the Planning and Community Development Department at (406) 455-8404, or email Bruce Haman.
Additionally, CDBG funds are allocated to NeighborWorks Great Falls, to be used for neighborhood revitalization for housing activities such as purchase and rehabilitation of property, new construction of houses to be sold to people with low incomes, foreclosure prevention, neighborhood clean-up, and other activities that address affordable housing and neighborhood revitalization.
NeighborWorks Great Falls, concentrates its neighborhood revitalization activities in specific areas of Great Falls. Their neighborhoods encompass the area of 26th Street (north of Central Avenue) and 15th Street (south of Central Avenue) west to the Missouri River and from the Missouri River on the north to 10th Avenue South. They also have neighborhoods on the westside of Great Falls which have the western boundary of 14th Street Southwest, east to the Missouri River, and from Central Avenue West south to the railroad tracks. Contact NeighborWorks Great Falls, directly for detailed information about their wide array of services and the specific eligibility requirements and guidelines for those services.
NeighborWorks Great Falls
509 1 Avenue South
Great Falls, MT 59405
(406) 761-5861
(406) 761-5852 (FAX)
The City also provides CDBG funds to a variety of local non-profit agencies to carry out housing and community development activities, including public service activities.
HOME Investment Partnership Grant Program (HOME):
This program is designed to provide funding to non-profit organizations for affordable housing activities on a citywide basis. The intent of the program is to expand the supply of decent, safe, sanitary, and affordable housing in the community, primarily for people with very low incomes.
Eligible activities include projects typically undertaken by housing developers such as homeownership programs, homeowner property rehabilitation, rental housing development, and tenant-based rental assistance. Once again, it should be kept in mind this is only a sampling of possible eligible activities.
Each activity must conform to a number of programmatic regulations such as providing a 25 percent match, implementing rent limitations for specific time periods, and providing required program documentation. Regardless of the type of housing activity, it must benefit very low income people.
Applications for the HOME program are accepted annually, usually in the months of December, January, and February.
For complete details and program requirements for these grant funds, contact Chris Imhoff at the Planning and Community Development Department at (406) 455-8407. Applications for the CDBG and HOME programs are accepted annually, usually during the months of January and February. The grant application forms are generally available online in November. A grant application workshop is held at that time also. It is important to contact the Planning and Community Development Department prior to completeing the application to help determine project eligibility and to become informed about the long term requirements of CDBG and HOME grant funds.
Citizen Participation
To assure citizen participation in the design and implementation of the City's allocation of CDBG and HOME funds, the Planning and Community Development Department actively seeks input from the citizens of our community. Citizen participation is an important aspect of the CDBG and HOME funding processes as it establishes the needs of the community and identifies barriers to obtaining needed services. The City has a close working relationship with the Great Falls Housing Authority, NeighborWorks Great Falls, and other housing providers. Many social service agencies, non-profit agencies, youth organizations and service agencies are also consulted to assure citizen participation is obtained in a comprehensive, methodical manner. Information is also directly sought from the nine Neighborhood Councils, the local Continuum of Care for Homelessness group, and other local organizations. In addition, input is sought from low income citizens themselves.
For further information on the CDBG and HOME programs, please contact:
Chris Imhoff, CDBG administrator
City of Great Falls
Planning and Community Development Department
P. O. Box 5021
Great Falls, Montana, 59403-5021
(406) 455-8407
(406) 454-0495 TDD
(406) 454-3181 FAX
email: Chris Imhoff
