Community Development
Block Grant Program
What is the Community Assessment Strategy (CAS)?
How are Community Block Grant (CDBG) Programs projects selected?
What are the CDBG Investment Areas in Trumbull County?
What is the history of the CDBG program in Trumbull County?
What projects have been completed in Trumbull County using CDBG funds?
Who do I contact concerning community development programs in Trumbull County?
What is the Community Assessment Strategy (CAS)?
The Community Assessment Strategy (CAS) is a required element of the Trumbull County's Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) application. The Office of Housing and Community Partnerships, Ohio Department of Development, mandated the CAS in 1999.
According to the Ohio Consolidated Plan, published by the Ohio Department of Development, the purpose of the CAS is to specifically identify the type and degree of community development needs within areas of LMI (Low- and Moderate- Income) concentration or distressed areas (designated as Slum and Blighted areas).
The CAS is a planning tool utilized by the Trumbull County Planning Commission to continuously update and prioritize projects in Target Investment Areas that are eligible for CDBG and other grant funding in the county.
Over the past thirty years, the planning commission has identified Target Investment Areas in Trumbull County, through various planning studies and surveys. These areas typically contain low- and moderate- income persons, poor housing conditions, and deficient public infrastructure.
How are Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) projects selected?
The Trumbull County Planning Commission is limited to the number and types of CDBG projects it can complete in a fiscal year. The Office of Community and Housing Partnerships provides strict regulations for project selection and implementation, they include:
- Each county is limited to six projects per fiscal year, with an additional three projects allowed for each acquired city
- Every project must meet a National Objective of the CDBG program
Facts
- Approximately twenty million dollars are utilized to fund the Ohio CDBG Community Development Program
- CDBG projects must be Eligible Activities pursuant to Title I of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, as amended. A listing of eligible activities can be found on the HUD website
- Applications are usually due by the last week in June and grant agreements are sent out to recipients the following September
Compliance
Compliance with the National Objectives set forth in the Ohio Small Cities CDBG Program Policy Book is achieved by selecting:
- Activities benefiting a majority of low-and moderate- income persons
- Activities which aid in the prevention or elimination of slums and blight
Eligibility
Once the national objective is met, the type of activity is further restricted. Eligible Activities are listed in the Ohio Small Cities CDBG Program Policy Book, some examples of eligible activities include:
- Construction of homeless shelters or group homes for disabled persons
- Demolition of buildings
- Increases in public services
- Upgrading buildings with handicapped-access
What are the CDBG Investment Areas in Trumbull County?
The Target Area Capital Improvement Program of the 1980's defined the geographic locations throughout the county that needed assistance through CDBG programs. The program prioritized community development needs within each of the identified target areas.
There are currently 13 Target Investment Areas in Trumbull County, Ohio.
| Target Investment Areas | Capital Improvement Needs |
|---|---|
| 3. Bolindale, Howland Township | Sanitary Sewer |
| 4. Maplewood Park, Hubbard Township | Sanitary Sewer |
| 6. Meadowbrook Area, Warren Township | Sanitary Sewer, Water Lines |
| 7. Morgandale, Howland Township | Sanitary Sewer, Water Lines |
| 9. Scott Street Area, Newton Township | Sanitary Sewer |
| 10. Mineral Ridge, Weathersfield Township | Sanitary Sewer |
| 12. East River Gardens, Newton Township | Street Improvements |
| 13. Hubbard Northeast, Hubbard City | Street Improvements |
| 14. Mesopotamia Township | Street Improvements |
| 15. Churchill, Liberty Township | Water Lines, Sanitary Sewer, Storm Drainage Improvements, Curbs, and Commercial Facade Improvements |
| 16. North River Road, Warren Township | Sanitary Sewer |
| 17. Stewart-Sharon Road, Brookfield Township | Sanitary Sewer |
| 18. West Park Avenue, City of Hubbard | Street Improvements |
These Target Investment Areas throughout the county are still deficient in a number of areas, including the availability of public infrastructure and quality housing stock.
The Community Assessment Strategy (CAS) allows the planning commission to prioritize the Target Investment Areas problems on a countywide basis.
What is the history of the CDBG program in Trumbull County?
Community development initiatives were developed in the 1970's through competitive Small Cities CDBG grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
- These grants were used to rehabilitate housing units for low and moderate-income households in identified pocket areas of poor housing conditions.
- In Fiscal Year 1981 (FY81), the county obtained a CDBG grant from HUD to extend a waterline along Ravenna-Warren Rd. (which was later extended along State Route 5 with CDBG grants).
- In FY82, the Ohio Department of Development began administering a statewide Small Cities CDBG Program that still funds the Trumbull County CDBG Program today.
What projects have been completed in Trumbull County using CDBG funds?
Who do I contact concerning community development programs in Trumbull County?
Julie Green, Grants Coordinator
Trumbull County Planning Commission
347 North Park Avenue, Warren, Ohio 44481
Phone 330-675-2480
Fax 330-675-2790
Email pcgreen@co.trumbull.oh.us