The Vancouver City Council distributed this week to local agencies $2.16 million in federal Housing and Urban Development funding aimed at improving the lives of community members who are low-income or live in low-income areas.
The city has roughly $1.28 million in Community Development Block Grant funding and $877,000 in HOME funding to award this year. Social service agencies, nonprofits and the city of Vancouver are using the money to feed the hungry, teach life skills, subsidize rent, build housing for low-income seniors and the homeless, support small-business owners and help people buy and repair homes.
Here is how the council allocated the money among 23 projects and programs:
• Share: $50,000 in CDBG funds toward a $585,900 Hunger Response program serving 4,000 people. The money will provide hot meals at Share shelters, support children’s food backpack programs during the school year and provide groceries to low-income children during the summer when free meals at school are no longer available.
• Council for the Homeless: $50,000 in CDBG funds toward a $446,000 Housing Solutions Center serving 2,930 people. The money would go toward the cost of staff who help clients access support services and screen clients for programs delivered by partner agencies.
• Janus Youth: $50,000 in CDBG funds toward a $1.2 million Oaks Case Management Program serving 325 people. The money would pay for case management for homeless, at-risk youths at Janus Youth shelters.
• Share: $46,178 in CDBG funds toward a $378,000 outreach program serving 350 people. The money will pay staff costs for street outreach to connect homeless people to shelters and other services.
• Share: $223,814 in HOME funds and $50,000 in CDBG funds toward a $1.5 million ASPIRE rental assistance and case management program serving 80 people. Case management includes job training, family counseling, debt reduction, budgeting, substance abuse, domestic violence, counseling, mental health, education, parenting, life skills, child care referral and transportation.
• Janus Youth: $50,000 in CDBG funds toward a $645,000 “The Nest” case management program serving 40 people. The money will help fund staff who conduct case management to provide life skills, job training, parenting skills and money management to help participants become self-sufficient.
• Janus Youth: $125,000 in HOME funds toward “The Nest” rental assistance program serving 40 people. The money will be used for direct rent subsidies to house participants for up to two years.
• Second Step Housing: $45,000 in HOME funds toward operating a Community Housing Development Organization, plus $100,000 in HOME funds toward an $8.2 million Meadows Apartment project. The project will build 30 units providing supportive housing for people who are homeless or very low-income.
• REACH: $100,000 in HOME funds toward the second phase of construction of a $12.8 million 62nd Avenue affordable housing project serving 49 low-income senior households age 62 or older.
• Second Step Housing: $75,000 in CDBG funds toward a $386,000 residential sufficiency housing services program serving 80 people. The money will be for case management focused on life skills and self-sufficiency.
• CDM Caregiving Services: $100,000 in CDBG funds toward a $3.3 million Aging with Dignity program serving 106 people. An 8,400-square-foot Clark County Aging Care Resource Center will be built to provide adult day services and other aging resources.
• Second Step Housing: $60,000 in HOME funds for a $336,000 residential sufficiency rental assistance program serving 80 people. The program will provide tenant-based rental assistance.
• School of Piano Technology for the Blind: $46,750 in CDBG funds for a $65,000 roof removal and replacement project serving eight people.
• Vancouver Affordable Housing: $59,000 in CDBG funds and $100,000 in HOME funds for a $420,000 Vancouver Homebuyer Assistance program serving seven people. The money will help households that earn up to 80 percent of the area median income buy homes.
• Salvation Army: $70,000 in HOME funds toward a $377,000 Moving Forward Together rental assistance program and $50,000 in CDBG funds toward a case management program serving 48 people. The program focuses on life self-sufficiency skills.
• Salvation Army: $20,000 in CDBG funds toward a $5.8 million Vancouver Corps Community Center project serving 12,000 people. The 15,000-square-foot building will provide space for after-school and senior programs, a demonstration kitchen, emergency disaster services and other social services.
• Hispanic Metropolitan Chamber: $50,000 in CDBG funds toward a $75,500 small business assistance program serving 30 people. The money will be for one-on-one bilingual/bicultural services to Latinos and others who want to start or expand a small business in Vancouver.
• Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce: $55,000 in CDBG funds toward a $87,000 small-business assistance program serving 30 people. The money will be for providing one-on-one counseling to small, low-income, startup businesses.
• Share: $30,000 in CDBG funds toward a $375,000 Individual Development Account program serving 81 people. The money will cover staff costs and matching funds for a small-business matched savings program for people seeking to start or expand a small business in Vancouver.
• City of Vancouver: $225,387 in CDBG funds toward a housing rehabilitation program for seven houses. The money will provide loans of up to $25,000 to low-income homeowners to make repairs.
