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Eighteen agencies apply for Skokie community block grant funding
Updated: January 21, 2013 3:19PM
SKOKIE
Eighteen outside agencies have applied to the village for community development block grant funding for 2013-14, three more than were considered last year, which had three more than the year before.
Monday marked the first step in the process, the first of several hearings on the way to the village receiving federal funding for allocation to both qualifying outside agencies and for village projects.
This marks the 39th year of CDBG funding for the village, during which the village has allocated almost $19 million in federal grants. Nearly 30 outside agencies have received funding since 1977.
Village Staff have had to make increasingly difficult decisions about which agencies and projects to fund and for how much. The village has never been able to fund all proposals, but recent years have been especially challenging with the recession and greater need. Social service agencies have seen many of their budgets slashed by the state and county and the village has received less federal funding to allocate.
While the exact amount of federal funding for 2013-14 is not yet known, village officials are estimating the total at $425,000, about 5 percent less than last year’s grant. The village is also able to reprogram a small amount of unused funds from last year and to have a cushion of $20,000 in the CDBG budget for emergency expenses.
The next hearing, Jan. 7, calls for representatives of each applying agency to make a brief presentation to the Village Board. In order to receive funding under the village’s guidelines, the presentation is mandatory.
CDBG funding must be used primarily for projects that benefit low or moderate-income people or are in response to a community emergency. The program is mostly for brick-and-mortar projects although program funding is allowed as a smaller part of overall funding. ~.
