Mayor proclaims Community Development Week on Kaua’i

LĪHU‘E, HI – April 09, 2009 – (RealEstateRama) — Mayor Bernard Carvalho, Jr. has proclaimed April 12 to 18 to be Community Development Week on Kaua‘i as part of the annual national celebration of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program.

“This year marks the 34th year that the county has administered the CDBG program,” said the mayor. “We are pleased that the program continues to provide us with the opportunity to collaborate with a number of community groups on projects that benefit low- to moderate-income communities on Kaua‘i.”

He noted that the County Council passed a resolution today recognizing the significance of the CDBG program and the hard work of all the community partners that has helped many Kaua‘i residents.

In the coming federal fiscal year, county officials expect to receive $793,056 in CDBG funds to support community development activities such as low-interest homebuyer loans, public facilities and improvements, rehabilitation of houses and historical structures, and public services.

Six projects, selected for CDBG funding by the mayor and approved by the County Council, will begin shortly after the funds are released in July including:

– $128,819, Kaua’i County Housing Agency, to finance low-cost mortgage loans for low-to-moderate, first-time homebuyers.
– $49,000, Hawaiian Community Assets, to provide homebuyer education and counseling for low- to moderate income residents to help them become homeowners, and assist existing homeowners with foreclosure prevention and loan modification services.
– $81,270, Kaua‘i Fire Department, to purchase an emergency response vehicle for the future Keālia Fire Station.
– $325,000, Kaua’i Habitat for Humanity, to build an offsite sewer line.
– $20,356, Child & Family Services, to provide outreach, needs assessment, and money management education classes for 50 low- to moderate-income households at Nana’s House and Hale Ho‘omalu.
– $30,000, Women in Need, to provide case management services that promote self-sufficiency for 15 families in Women in Need’s transitional housing program.

The CDBG program provides funding to more than 3,000 small and 1,100 large and medium-sized communities across the country to address a wide range of unique community development needs.

The main objective of the program is to provide decent, safe and sanitary housing and economic opportunities primarily for low- to moderate-income residents.

Funding for the CDBG program is made possible through appropriations from Congress.

The program is administered nationally by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and locally by the Kaua‘i County Housing Agency.

For more information, please contact Jo Shimamoto, CDBG coordinator, at 241-4428.

EUGENE JIMENEZ, DIRECTOR
Tel (808) 241-4444
Fax (808) 241-5118