5678979 Housing and Community Development, Department of - Notice of Community Engagement Events - 2016-2020 - Five Year Consolidated Plan for the District of Columbia INFORMAL FORUM: Wednesday, October 28, 2015 PUBLIC HEARING: Wednesday, November 4,...

GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

 

NOTICE OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT EVENTS

INFORMAL FORUM: Wednesday, October 28, 2015 at 6:30 pm

PUBLIC HEARING: Wednesday, November 4, 2015 at 6:30 pm

 

“2016-2020 FIVE YEAR CONSOLIDATED PLAN

FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA”

 

The DC Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) is charged with developing a Consolidated Plan (“Plan”), a document that lays out a vision for how the Agency intends to spend four federal resources. The document is updated every five years and submitted to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. This is an exciting time for DHCD as we are currently undergoing this process for Fiscal Years 2016-2020.

 

For DHCD, this Plan will serve as map for our work ahead, promoting the administration’s comprehensive vision of an affordable, livable, and growing DC. Community engagement is a vital component in this process and will serve as the basis for our policy goals and decision-making. These two community engagement events, along with two public hearings held in August, will help paint a picture about the affordable housing and community development needs in DC.

 

The four federal resources included in the Plan are:

·         the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, which funds local activities that revitalize neighborhoods, promote economic development, and improve community facilities, infrastructure and services in low-moderate income communities. CDBG funds are the District’s most flexible federal resource, and can be used for both housing projects and non-housing community development activities;

·         the HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME) program, which supports building, buying, and/or rehabilitating affordable housing for rent, homeownership, or providing direct rental assistance to low-income residents;

·         the Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) program, which provides funding for programs and services supporting homeless individuals and families; and

·         the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) program, which makes grants to the District and nonprofit organizations for projects that benefit low-income persons living with HIV/AIDS and their families.

 

The previous Five Year Consolidated Plan: October 1, 2010 to September 30, 2015 document is available for review on the Department’s website www.dhcd.dc.gov, and in at the Department’s office at 1800 Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue, Southeast, Washington, DC 20020 in the Housing Resource Center, First Floor. Additionally, copies will be available the following community-based organizations:

 

AARP Legal Counsel for the Elderly 601 E Street, NW [phone]	Central American Resource Center 1460 Columbia Rd, NW, #C1 [phone]	Greater Washington Urban League, Inc. 2901 14th Street, NW [phone]	Housing Counseling Services, Inc. 2410 17th Street, NW, Suite 100 [phone]
Latino Economic Development Center 641 S Street, NW [phone]	Lydia’s House 4101 Martin Luther King, Jr., Avenue, SW [phone]	Manna, Inc. 828 Evarts Street, NE [phone]	Manna, Inc. 828 Evarts Street, NE [phone]
MiCasa 6230 3rd Street, NW [phone]	University Legal Services 220 I St, NE, Ste 130 [phone]	University Legal Services 3939 Benning Road, NE [phone]	University Legal Services 1800 MLK Jr. Ave., SE [phone]

 

The Department has scheduled two community engagement events:

 

(1)   An informal forum to learn about existing programs and express affordable housing and community development needs about specific program areas. This event is held will be held on Wednesday, October 28, 2015 at 6:30 p.m. in the large meeting room at Shaw Library at 1630 7^th St, NW.

(2)   A public hearing to formally testify about affordable housing and community development needs. This event will be held on Wednesday, November 4^th at 6:30 pm, at the Greater Washington Urban League at 2901 14^th Street, NW.

 

Residents who would like to present oral testimony at the public hearing are encouraged to register in advance either by e-mail at [e-mail] or by calling [phone]. Please provide your name, address, telephone number, and organization affiliation, if any.

 

If you wish to provide written comment for the record, please do so by mail or email by close of business Wednesday, November 18, 2015. Written statements should be mailed to: Polly Donaldson, Director, DHCD, Attention: Five Year Consolidated Plan Comments, 1800 Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue, Southeast, Washington, DC 20020. Emailed comments should be submitted to [e-mail] with a subject line, “Five Year Consolidated Plan comments.”

 

Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD) relay service is available by calling [phone]. A sign language interpreter will be provided upon request by calling [phone] five days prior to the event date. Residents who require language interpretation should specify which language (Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese-Mandarin/Cantonese, Amharic, or French). Interpretation services will be provided to pre-registered persons only. Deadline for requesting services of an interpreter is five days prior to the event date. Bilingual staff will provide services on an availability basis to walk-ins without registration.

 

If you need additional information, contact Booker Roary, Jr. at [e-mail] or by phone at [phone].