Since the 1970’s, the City of Florence has participated in the federal Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program as an Entitlement City. The Department of Community Services oversees this program.
As an Entitlement City, the City of Florence receives an annual allocation of CDBG funds from HUD, which are used to fund eligible housing and public service programs meeting the needs of low-to-moderate income individuals and families.
A requirement of the CDBG program is preparing a Consolidated Plan (PDF, 741.45 KB) every five years. The Consolidated Plan establishes three to five year goals, and identifies local needs relevant to community development and affordable housing. An Annual Action Plan (PDF, 475.03 KB) is another important document drafted each fiscal year that outlines specific activities and funding sources that will help achieve the long-term goals identified in the Consolidated Plan. Each year, citizen input is requested in order to help pinpoint these community needs.
CDBG funded activities must meet one of the three National Objectives as listed below:
Benefit low-to-moderate income individuals: applicants requesting assistance under CDBG guidelines will be considered income eligible if the household gross income is no greater than 80 percent of AMI according to household size;
Prevent or eliminate blight;
Meet other community development needs having a particular urgency because existing conditions pose a serious and immediate threat to the health or welfare of the community, and other financial resources are not available to meet such needs.
