PEABODY — Residents can offer their views Thursday, 5:30 p.m. in City Hall’s lower level conference room on how federal affordable housing dollars are spent in the city.
The money is allocated through the North Shore HOME Consortium, an organization made up of 30 cities and towns in the Merrimack Valley and the North Shore.
As part of the planning process for its five-year consolidated plan for the period from 2020 through 2025 and its 2020 action plan, the Consortium and city officials are looking for public comments on federal spending. After the conclusion of the community meetings, a draft of the Five-Year Consolidated Plan and Annual Action Plan will be created and made available for public comment.
At that time, three additional public hearings will be held to get feedback on the document. The public comments received will be incorporated into the final draft of the Consolidated Plan and the Annual Action Plan, which will be submitted to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
Written comments are also encouraged, and may be addressed, on or before Feb. 14, 2020, to: The Department of Community Development City Hall, 24 Lowell Street Peabody, Massachusetts 01960 FAX (978) 538-5987 e-mail addresses: [email protected] or [email protected].
The city is also seeking proposals from community agencies and organizations for spending Peabody’s 2020-2021 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) money.
The money is spent in the development of viable urban communities by meeting one of two broad national objectives — benefitting low- and moderate-income persons and aiding — in the prevention and elimination of slums and blighted areas.
The total estimated amount of funding available to community agencies and organizations is $64,000.
Organizations can apply by sending a signed original and one electronic copy of the CDBG application available on the City of Peabody website noon on Friday, February 28th, 2020: Attn: Stacey Bernson, Assistant Director Department of Community Development City of Peabody 24 Lowell Street Peabody, MA 01960.
If City Hall is closed because of inclement weather, the application will be due no later than noon on Monday, March 3, 2020.
City CDBG program priorities for the 2020-2021 CDBG program include youth programs (including after school programs, youth and family counseling, gang and drug diversion, teen centers, youth sports and recreation programs); employment programs including job counseling, job training, job development and transportation and English as a Second Language (ESL) and basic skills training.
Other funding areas include affordable childcare; senior services; health services; homelessness prevention; street outreach support services, including mental health and substance abuse and domestic violence programs.
Projects that increase the number of affordable housing units, both ownership and rental and programs that provide shelters and assistance to homeless residents, abused women and children, and residents requiring physical or mental assistance, are also considered for funding.
Proposals are evaluated on their ability to meet community needs, provide outreach coordination and collaboration, along with evaluations of implementation plans and proposal budgets.
