Residents support community development grant at public hearing

Andrea Hancock, The Norman Transcript, Okla.
·2 min read

May 15—The lone item outside of the Norman City Council's consent docket Tuesday was a public hearing on a community development grant action plan.

The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) is a federal program from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development that provides grants to states, counties and cities to help develop accessible housing. Norman's CDBG funds are allocated based on action plans, and the public hearing gave residents the opportunity to contribute to the plan for Fiscal Year 2025.

Lisa Krieg, the CDBG Program Grants Manager, said funds are also allocated in accordance with a five-year consolidated plan. Goals according to the plan include maintaining an adequate supply of permanent, quality affordable housing; assisting special needs populations with social service and housing needs; reducing homelessness; and continuing commercial and residential revitalization efforts in low-income neighborhoods.

The City will have $944,550 in CDBG funding for Fiscal Year 2025, which runs through June 2025. Nearly half of that funding goes to housing rehabilitation, with the remainder spent on neighborhood renewal projects, administration costs and affordable housing acquisition.

Housing rehabilitation helps residents stay in their current homes through renovations and repairs. Rehabilitation can include modifications made to accommodate disabilities a homeowner developed after moving in, or repairs that may be too costly for a homeowner to cover, such as roof or air conditioning replacements.

While the public hearing was intended to let residents provide input for the next year's plan, most residents who spoke used their time to praise the City's CDBG program.

Dan Munson of Ward 6 took his time to praise Krieg for her work.

"She makes this look really, really easy," he said.

Stephen Ellis of Ward 4 said he was satisfied with Norman's CDBG program, and he encouraged City Councilmembers to keep the grant's long-term goals in mind while working on other projects in Norman, too.

"We do a really good job with community block grant stuff. My biggest regret is that it's only a million dollars coming next year," he said. "One of the things we can do as a city that I think will help supercharge the ability to spend that money is to keep in mind the goals of this program while we do other stuff."

One resident asked if the housing rehabilitation program can be used for landscaping projects, particularly food gardens; Krieg replied to keep funding allocated more towards emergency repairs, they do not perform landscaping projects.

Another resident asked about explicit plans to purchase property. Krieg explained that the City's CDBG program has contracts with Habitat for Humanity and the Norman Affordable Housing Corporation, and they are the organizations in charge of locating properties to purchase.