Info refreshed on August 7, 2022:
The Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) has designated the Town of Amherst a Mini-Entitlement Community that is eligible to apply for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds. In accordance with DHCD regulations, Amherst’s CDBG Advisory Committee will hold a Public Hearing on Wednesday, August 31, 2022 at 7 PM to receive comments and suggestions from local residents and service providers regarding Community priorities for the 2022 and 2023 CDBG application process.
The CDBG Advisory Committee will receive suggestions and comments on how to prioritize activities within the following areas:
Social services (Household stabilization, Support services for those experiencing homelessness, Youth services/development, Adult education, Food and nutrition, etc.)
Non-social services such as affordable housing, public infrastructure, and business assistance;
Target area neighborhoods where non-social services can take place; and
Review of the Community Development Strategy
The Public Hearing will be conducted virtually at https://amherstma.zoom.us/j/83234814199 and will accommodate public comment. To join the meeting via telephone: Call (312) 626-6799 or (646) 876-9923 and enter Webinar ID when prompted: 818 9282 3982.
More information can be viewed on the committee’s webpage: https://www.amherstma.gov/1122/CDBG-Advisory-Committee and on DHCD's webpage here: https://www.mass.gov/service-details/community-development-block-grant-cdbg
As a reminder, the 2022-2023 CDBG process is different this year. Here are the highlights:
We will issue the RFP to agencies on September 30th with a due date on November 4th
Contracts for the 2022-2023 grant would begin on July 1, 2023 at the earliest, but late summer/early fall is more likely.
This means current 2021 grantees will have a funding gap of at least 3 months but possibly 5-7 months as the 2021 grant runs through April 30, 2023.
The 2022-2023 grant covers a 2-year cycle, so there will be no grant round for 2023. This grant has a 24-month implementation window and twice as much money will be allocated
We are still bound to funding only five (5) social service activities and (3) non-social service activities this round.
Previously posted info is below:
An update from the Town of Amherst to provide you with an information on the upcoming Amherst 2022-2023 CDBG Application Process.
The Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) has proposed changes to the application (see attached) this year and we are assured that these plans are all but certain to go into effect.
Here are the highlights:
Town's application is due to DHCD in March 2023, so we will issue the RFP to agencies in late September with a due date in early November.
Contracts for the 2022-2023 grant would begin on July 1, 2023 at the earliest, but late summer/early fall is more likely.
This means current 2021 grantees will have a funding gap of at least 3 months but possibly 5-7 months as the 2021 grant runs through April 30, 2023.
The 2022-2023 grant covers a 2-year cycle, so there will be no grant round for 2023. This grant has a 24-month implementation window.
We are still bound to funding only five (5) social service agencies this round.
Twice as much money will be made available as the grant covers a 2-year cycle.
We wanted get you this information as soon as possible so you can plan accordingly. The CDBG Advisory Committee is holding a public hearing on Wednesday, August 31 to kick-off the grant cycle, so you can put that in your calendars. More information can be found on the Town's CDBG website: https://www.amherstma.gov/1122/CDBG-Advisory-Committee
And in the flyer HERE.
Or agencies can contact Ben Breger in the Planning Department.
