The City of Douglas has been awarded a Georgia Department of Community Affairs Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) for housing rehabilitation in the Pine Street target area. The grant totals $877,225. The grant will be used to rehab substandard owner occupied housing units of whom 100% are low to moderate income persons.
“We are thankful to the Department of Community Affairs for their crucial role in providing grants that contribute to neighborhood revitalization and enable cities to improve aging infrastructure,” says Mayor Tony Paulk. “Community Development Block Grants are absolutely essential for making crucial infrastructure and housing improvements in Douglas. Without this vital assistance, our community would face significant challenges in advancing and thriving.”
Since 1975, the city has received CDBG funds for various improvements in the areas of housing, water/sewer infrastructure, and stormwater/drainage throughout Douglas. In 2023, the city was administering $23,543,134.53 in total grant monies, which included several grants that have resurfaced streets/roads, improved water, sewer, stormwater, natural gas, and sidewalk infrastructure, assisted with the purchase of public safety gear, improved the airport, and rehabilitation of several parks. The CDBG and CHIP are among recent housing grants that have benefited or will benefit owner-occupied homes with low-moderate income in several target areas. A full list of each grant and more information about city projects can be found in the 2023 Annual Report on the website, cityofdouglasga.gov/66/City-Manager.
“We are aware of questions and raised eyebrows of citizens after learning of the recent CDBG 2024 awarded grant,” says Georgia Henderson, Community Development Director. “In preparation for the grant submission, a public hearing and application intake was conducted at the Lighthouse Church of God in January 2024. Beyond construction costs, additional expenses for each home include lead testing and lead abatement for properties built before 1978 and appraisals. Rough cost estimates were acquired and submitted with the grant application. Actual costs are not known until after the grant award and bids from contractors are received. Each home is inspected both before the start of rehabilitation and after renovations are completed to verify that it meets current building codes and standards.”
The City of Douglas applies for grants to help the community by meeting or exceeding the criteria required for successful grant applications. The City of Douglas is a Qualified and Certified Local Government, a Georgia Initiative for Community Housing Alumni Community, and a PlanFirst Community. These statuses, along with tools such as the Urban Redevelopment Plan, Comprehensive Plan, Service Delivery Strategy, and Revitalization Area Strategy, allow the city to apply for grants and aid to help the city successfully secure awards each year.
Henderson further states, “These federal grants mandate much paperwork and processes that the City of Douglas must adhere to. Respectfully, we say there is no ‘funny business’ with funds from these grants. It’s a privilege to be awarded local, state, and federal funds to benefit our community. It is not our intent to jeopardize our Qualified or Certified Local Government status. If anyone has questions about our grant administration process, please feel free to contact me, and we can further discuss.”
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development allocates these funds annually to Georgia’s Community Development Block Grant program, which is administered by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs. View the full release from DCA on their website at www.dca.ga.gov/newsroom/blog/georgia-awards-334-million-community-development-block-grant-funds-36-local.