The volunteer Rebuilding Together program benefits from HUD’s Community Development Block Grant. Photo is from a 2014 project by the organization.
Haverhill’s share of federal Community Development Block Grant funding is expected to fall below $800,000 this year.
Economic Development and Planning Director William Pillsbury Jr. said the department of Housing and Urban Development has let communities know that this year’s awards will likely be reduced by 10 percent from last year’s level.
HUD’s Community Development Block Grant program is meant to provide assistance to low- and moderate individuals in target areas including the Mount Washington, Acre and Highlands neighborhoods.
In 2016, Haverhill received $876,000; this year, the city estimates it will receive about $788,000, Pillsbury said.
The program’s core mission is neighborhood stabilization and housing rehabilitation, and includes things like code enforcement, support for Emmaus’ services to the homeless, heating assistance, and food pantries, Pillsbury said.
A majority of the budget for Rebuilding Together, a volunteer organization that helps to repair and improve homes for low-income, elderly and disabled homeowners, comes from the CDBG program.
Pillsbury notified city councilors that the Trump administration has communicated that there may be no funding from HUD for the block grant program in 2018.
Councilor Andy X. Vargas successfully urged the council to communicate to the city’s congressional delegation and the Trump administration the importance of the CDBG program to the city.
So, now the city council takes orders form Andy Vargas ? Very interesting development. It seems that Vargas’ ranting about illegals has worked to scare the rest of the council into doing his bidding. All this time I thought they had minds of their own ! Grants are just that..grants which are paid using our money. The Govt. takes our money, keeps around 25% for their administration of said monies, then makes us beg to get some of it back. Time to divest Washington of our money and keep it here.
How about if our City Councilor, Andy X. Vargas, and his fellow councilors put their heads together to SAVE the people who pay the bills — that’s CITY, STATE, FEDERAL taxes we are talking about here — rather than to lobby other politicians to give more and more money to folks who should be contributing to the upkeep of the City instead of always relying on and spending our money?
Of Course or two Senators and our Congressmen and women should lobby on our behalf. A budget that favorable to the Democrats was just passed and it seem that our representatives in Washington have let us down. As far as State funds are concerned, we have a champion taking care of things for us. Thank you Brian Dempsey for all that you do for us.
I would like to see our Senators work to bring all necessary funds possible to our State which would ten flow down to our cities and towns. How about some support for the taxpayers. WE are the ones that pay the bills.Of course the land of milk and honey continues to pay the bills for those who come to drink from our wells and eat from our tables. Our hard working Haverhill s citizens deserve more
Acorn Andy….correct me if I’m wrong…
You publicly bash President Trump when you give your juvenile speeches at civic events, and now you are calling on him to financially assist the city?
You publicly defend the right of criminals illegally in this country to ignore President Trump’s orders to Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials and now you request support?
You completely ignore the efforts of President Trump to provide border security at the country’s southern border which is wiping out YOUR generation with the out of control drugs flowing into the country, and now you ask for favors as an elected city official?
If you’re going to make your career as a politician Andy, you need to learn how to be one. More than likely it is YOUR liberal public policy positions and statements that resulted in Haverhill getting less funding to begin with.
Well said Jack – Andy is a predictable shill for the looney left who believe that everything is “free” – while working people continue to pull the wagon and the free loaders ask for more. America has gone from a society that has people who were humbled to ask for help and thankful for it – to a group for entitled, lazy free loaders who not only demand help – but also demand the exact amount they want. Sad!
You are so right COB!
Those nasty little things called FACTS dispel the liberal notion that the wealthy in this country “don’t pay their fair share”. The Congressional Budget Office reports the top 3% of high income earners pay over 52% of all federal taxes….and then there are these two little gems …
~Low wage earners receive $20.00 in government benefits for every dollar in taxes they pay.
~High wage earners receive $00.19 in government benefits for every dollar in taxes they pay.
The wealthy are paying all the taxes and receiving literally nothing in return for doing so. The poor, on the other hand, pay no taxes and get all the benefits. If this doesn’t prove that the USA in now a welfare driven, socialist nation nothing will.
Very sad indeed….