Office of Community Development puts grants to work
Posted Date:3/4/2019
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Clarksville’s prosperity will be extended to five more moderate- or low-income households, thanks to major projects by the city’s Office of Community & Economic Development.
The office announced this week that three homes are scheduled for major renovations, and two properties will be torn down and replaced with new three-bedroom, two bath homes. The projects total $327,113 and will be paid for with federal Community Development Block Grants and HOME Investment Partnership Funds.
Three homes will get extensive renovations, valued at $10,796; $23,350; and $48,590 respectively, for a total of $82,736.
Two properties will be torn down and rebuilt, with projects valued at $113,347 and $131,030, for a total of $244,377.
“We do about 20 of these kinds of projects a year,” said Keith Lampkin, director of the Office of Community & Economic Development. “The federal grant funds that we administer allow us to expand economic opportunities and provide decent, affordable housing and better living environments for Clarksville’s citizens. Often these homes belong to residents who are elderly or disabled.”
Federal guidelines allow the City a measure of local control over how the CDBG program is managed. Community needs, resources, priorities and procedures are approved by the City Council as part of a five-year Consolidated Plan for Housing and Community Development.
In addition, the City Council approves the current year’s Action Plan.
For Fiscal Year 2019, the City’s CDBG allocation was $1,064,869, which funds priorities such as housing rehabilitation, emergency housing repair programs, assistance to the homeless and improvements to public facilities, such as parks and playgrounds, in low-income neighborhoods.
The City’s HOME Investment Partnership Fund allocation this year was $496,974, which helps qualifying first-time home buyers with down payment assistance; pays for reconstruction of single family homes; and provides community housing rental assistance.
The Office also partners with nonprofits, housing development organizations, lenders, faith-based organizations and charities to help redevelop and revitalize Clarksville’s lower income neighborhoods.
This is a Clarksville neighborhood home that was rebuilt in 2018 by the City's Office of Community and Economic Development using federal Community Development Block Grants and HOME Investment Partnership Funds.