National Community Development Week Filled With Activities Underway

National Community Development Week 2107 begins today with cities, counties, and states sponsoring activities that will highlight both the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program and the HOME Investment Partnerships program. This year’s celebration is more important than ever as it will be a significant response to the Administration’s proposed elimination of both programs in FY2018.

Here are a few of the planned activities from around the country for National Community Development Week, April 17-22, collected by the National Community Development Association (NCDA).

• Bridgeport (CT) will hold a rally to protest the proposed elimination of CDBG and HOME. Mayor Joseph P. Ganim, Senators Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal, Representative Jim Himes, city council members, Citizen’s Union Members, local non-profit organizations, beneficiaries (including Veterans), other city officials, and other citizens will rally together on April 18 to voice their opposition to the elimination of CDBG and HOME. Participants will sign a letter to the congressional appropriators opposing the elimination of the programs.
• Senator Al Franken (MN) will be in Duluth on April 20 for a tour of a CDBG funded housing project, followed by a press event.
• Killeen (TX) will host Representative John Carter, a member of the House Transportation –HUD subcommittee, at a tour of a CDBG-funded neighborhood revitalization project.
• Longmont (CO) produced a video for National CD Week. The video is led and narrated by children and pre-teens and tells the story of how CDBG is used in Longmont.
• Portland (ME) will conduct an all-encompassing National CD Week campaign which will include a projects tour, meeting with congressional members, story or op-ed in the local newspaper, press release, proclamation, and social media messaging.

Learn more about our fight to CDBG at out CDBG Action Center at usmayors.org/cdbg.