Please note that the Cities of Rockville, Takoma Park, and Gaithersburg have their own CDBG programs which provide Public Service grants. If some or all of your intended beneficiaries are likely to be residents of one of these jurisdictions you may consider applying for funds from one or more of these programs. It is permitted to fund grantee programs and activities from different sources, including CDBG funds from separate jurisdictions. You can find more information on these other programs online:

http://www.rockvillemd.gov/residents/

http://www.takomaparkmd.gov/

http://www.gaithersburgmd.gov/poi/default.asp?POI_ID=982&TOC=107;81;87;982

GRANTS ADMINISTRATION AND SPECIAL PROJECTS SECTION

Background:

The Grants Administration and Special Projects Section is responsible for administering the housing and community development related grants Montgomery County receives annually from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.  The grants include the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), the HOME Program Grant, and the Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG). We also handle special federal grants that may arise from time to time. A recent example is the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP).

The Section is also responsible for preparing Montgomery County's "Consolidated Plan for Housing and Community Development," which described the County's policies for how it will spend these federal funds to address such pressing issues as affordable housing, neighborhood revitalization, and homelessness.  To find out more about the works of the section, please click on one of the links below:

Other important information: 

• Electronic Benefit Data Reporting
• Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice
• Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) (administered by the Montgomery County Department of health and Human Services)

Community Development Block Grant:       back to top

The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program provides Montgomery County and other local governments with the opportunity to develop viable communities by funding activities that provide decent housing and a suitable living environment and by expanding economic opportunities, principally for low and moderate income persons. Funds are awarded to carry out a wide range of community development activities directed toward neighborhood revitalization, economic development, and the provision of improved community facilities and services.

The County received approximately 3.8 million dollars in CDBG funds in fiscal year 2013 (July 2012 - June 2013). These funds are available for activities such as Housing Rehabilitation and Public Service Grants.

The following jurisdictions do not participate with the County in the CDBG, ESG and HOME programs; therefore, no activities may be funded for these areas: Town of Barnesville, Town of Chevy Chase, Chevy Chase View, Chevy Chase Village, Village of Chevy Chase (section 3), Town of Laytonsville, Village of Martin's Additions, and Town of Poolesville.

HOME Program:       back to top

The HOME Investment Partnership's program is designed to increase affordable housing choices for low-income households through the development of rental housing. HOME funds are loaned to non-profit and for-profit developers for a variety of affordable housing activities including acquisition, rehabilitation, new construction, and tenant-based rental assistance. In fiscal year 2013 (July 2012 - June 2013), Montgomery County received approximately 1.3 million dollars in HOME funds.

Non-profit and for-profit developers of housing may contact DHCA to see if their project qualifies for HOME funds.

CDBG Public Service Grants:       back to top

Each year, Montgomery County awards public service grants to groups to carry out programs that directly serve low-income people, often people with special needs. These "special needs" populations include some of our most vulnerable residents: the elderly, children and youth, recent immigrants, the homeless, people with mental and physical disabilities, people with chronic illnesses, people with addictions, and victims of violence.

Public service grants are funded with Montgomery County's Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds - in fiscal year 2013 (July 2012 - June 2013), the County awarded approximately $457,000 to support 12 nonprofit groups throughout the county. (Please note that the Cities of Rockville and Takoma Park have their own CDBG programs which provide Public Service Grants. Links to these jurisdictions' web sites can be found at the top of this page.)

Applications for public service grants are accepted once a year (usually around mid-September). They are reviewed by DHCA staff to determine eligibility and conformance with the County's CDBG funding policy. Applications are then reviewed by the Community Development Advisory Committee (CDAC), a diverse group of county residents appointed by the County Executive to make recommendations regarding CDBG funding requests. Both the Director of DHCA and the CDAC will recommend CDBG projects for funding to the County Executive, who will then make final recommendations to the County Council. The County Council, as part of the budget process, will then determine the final selection of activities to be funded with CDBG funds. Funds are generally available to grantees after September 1 of the following year - almost one year after the application is submitted.

Emergency Solutions Grant

Montgomery County is the prime recipient of federal Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) funds through the Department of Housing and Community Affairs (DHCA). The County is also the Lead Agency for the Montgomery County Continuum of Care (CoC) through its Department of Health and Human Services (MCDHHS). As the Lead Agency, MCDHHS chairs the CoC Governing Board, supports CoC sub-committees, oversees the HMIS system, manages the annual Point-in-Time Count, develops system-wide policies and works with the CoC to identify service needs. MCDHHS also administered the implementation of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funded Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program. In order to assure collaboration with the CoC and integration of ESG funds into the Continuum’s activities, MCDHHS will also be administering the Emergency Solutions Grant under a memorandum of understanding with DHCA.

The transition of the program from the Emergency Shelter Grant to the Emergency Solutions Grant is described in the Substantial Amendment to the FFY11 (County FY12) Consolidated Plan. A description of funding and activities for the current year begins on page 33 of the FFY12 (County FY13) Consolidated Plan, both located on the Consolidated Plan page. 

The program contact for ESG is Sara Black, MCDHHS, 240 777-4082, sara.black@montgomerycountymd.gov.

Neighborhood Stabilization Program

In 2009, the Federal Government awarded Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) funds nationally to states and local governments to address the national housing foreclosure problem.

Montgomery County received $2,073,965 of NSP funds as a direct allocation.  The State of Maryland also received a direct allocation of NSP funds from the federal government and established the "Neighborhood Conservation Initiative Program (NCI) and made a portion of these monies available to participants through a competitive process.  Montgomery County received $2,500,000 of these NSP funds through the state's NCI program.

Montgomery County will use its current total of approximately $4.5 million NSP monies to provide funding to the Housing Opportunities Commission (HOC), to our local public housing authority, for HOC to purchase and rehabilitate 15 to 20 foreclosed houses for lease to low-income county residents.  The majority of the people to be housed will have household incomes at or below 50% of the Area Median Income (AMI) and with emphasis on homes that will accommodate larger families, for whom the current affordable housing shortage is most acute.  HOC will rehabilitate these homes as necessary to make them as low-maintenance and energy efficient as possible.

Although currently Montgomery County does not have an NSP-funded Homeowner Purchase Program for individual purchasers, it is possible that if additional NSP funds were to be awarded, such a program may be established.

For further information, please contact Stevens Brown at 240-777-3685.  

Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA)       back to top

The HOPWA program was established by HUD to address the specific housing and service needs for persons living with HIV/AIDS and their families.  The County’s Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is the local “program sponsor,” responsible, under contract with the AIDS Administration in the Maryland Department of Mental Health and Hygiene, for administering the HOPWA program within Montgomery County. The program provides tenant based rental assistance (TBRA) and health care, case management and other supportive services to eligible households. The staff contact for the program is

Dale G. Schacherer, MSW, LCSW-C
Program Manager/Social Worker IV
- Client Services/Public Health Services
Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services
2000 Dennis Avenue, Ste. 220
Silver Spring, Maryland  20902
240/777-1739

Electronic Benefit Data Reporting / CDBG Quarterly Reporting System

Contractors awarded funding are required to submit benefit data reports electronically.  Contact Stevens Brown at 240-777-3685 or stevens.brown@montgomerycountymd.gov if you are a Contractor and have trouble logging in or completing a report.    

• Grantee Login
• Jurisdiction Login

 

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