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Grace Hallowell:

What’s up, College Station? I’m Grace Hallowell and I’m joined once again by David Brower, Community Development Analyst. Hi, David.

David Brower:

Hey, Grace. Thanks so much for having me.

Grace Hallowell:

You’re welcome. I know you were on the show not too long ago to talk about the housing action plan.

David Brower:

That’s right.

Grace Hallowell:

But we have some more things going on. Starting April 1st, it’s National Community Development Week, and it’s a pretty big milestone for that celebration.

David Brower:

That’s right. So it is the 50th anniversary of the Community Development Block Grant. Lots of birthday candles on Community Development Block Grant’s cake.

Grace Hallowell:

Yes.

David Brower:

So our community does some great things with that. And so I’m excited to talk a little bit more about what that grant is and what we’ve got going on to celebrate.

Grace Hallowell:

Yeah, so let’s start with what that grant is, why it’s important, and how it benefits us and our community.

David Brower:

So the city has received Community Development Block Grant funds since the 1970s. So 50 years ago, you can go back and we’ve been receiving that grant. And it allows you to make targeted investments in the community where they’re needed to make the most impact. It’s a really flexible grant. So just to list off of some of the things you can do with it, you can do housing. We’ve helped non-profit partners. You can purchase land, you can rehabilitate things. You can do programs to help people purchase homes. People that have homes, we have programs to help them rehabilitate them. So you can do housing, you can do public facilities. So streets, sidewalks, playgrounds, street lights, we’ve done those things with Community Development Block Grant funds. Economic development, so we can… Thinking back to the pandemic, when businesses were hurting, we were able to use these Community Development Block Grant funds or CDBG funds.

We were able to help businesses that needed the help to be able to retain their employees when things were kind of like, “What in the world’s going on?” So you can do economic development. We fund non-profit programs. So we have a citizen committee that the council appointed, non-profits apply, and these Community Development Block Grant funds can go help fund a case manager position or help fund supplies at the prenatal clinic or help do rent or utility assistance. And so we can do that. So there’s a broad range of different things that CDBG funds can do, and we’ve done them in our community with some really awesome results.

Grace Hallowell:

Yes, it’s a very important grant that can, like you said, go in many different directions and have many lasting impacts on our community here. But to celebrate the 50 years of this grant, we have kind of a reception happening on April, the 4th.

David Brower:

That’s right. So folks are invited to come out. So April the 4th from 2:00 to 4:00 PM at LULAC, Oak Hill. And so it’s 110… Let me make sure I get the address correct. It’s 1105 Anderson Street. There are 50 units of affordable senior rental housing there that were built in the ’80s, have been a great asset to our community, but they needed to be rehabilitated. And so it’s a great opportunity for people to come out, we’re having a reception, hear more about what CDBG, what our department does, what that grant is, but also to see firsthand a project we’re currently doing. So all of those 50 units are being completely rehabilitated. People have the opportunity to tour and see kind of, “Gosh, what do they look like now?”

Parking right at the site is kind of tight so we’re going to have a shuttle. You can come park at Lemon Tree Park just right across the street. I’m going to be driving the van. So we’ll bring people back and forth and we would love for you to come meet with us, meet with city leaders, and see the project, learn more about the Community Development Block Grant. We’ll have cake and refreshments and come celebrate with us.

Grace Hallowell:

Yes, and it’s a come-and-go event. You don’t have to stay all the way from 2:00 to 4:00.

David Brower:

That’s right. Anytime between 2:00 and 4:00, come check it out. We’ll love to talk with you, show you what’s going on. And just kind of like I said, celebrate. We’re excited. Thinking about 50 years and the impact that the grant’s had, the impact that all the different people who’ve worked with it have had, our partners, so it’s an opportunity to celebrate all of that that’s happened.

Grace Hallowell:

And where can people find out more about community development or community services?

David Brower:

So our website. So if you go to cstx.gov/commserve, C-O-M-M-S-E-R-V-E, you’d go to the Community Service’s webpage. So our whole department’s there. We have Code Enforcement, the Northgate District, and Community Development. With a button click on Community Development, you’ll see all the programs we have, initiatives like the housing action plan that we’ve talked about in the past where one of the main things we do is housing. And so you can learn more about that. See what we do as far as who we partner with, what we’ve done. And so all of our plans and our action plan that says, “Hey, here’s what we’ve seen as needs, what we’re going to focus these funds on.” It’s all there. And so we invite people to go look there and then come out and talk to us there on the 4th. We’ll love to get to celebrate and answer questions and all that kind of thing.

Grace Hallowell:

Yes. You guys do a great job with the community with educating and helping and just pointing people in the direction to receive help because we are here to help. We’re here to serve.

David Brower:

And I’m humbled and I’m so thankful I get to work with the coworkers I do. And these grants, it’s a unique opportunity to make an impact in the community. And so to get to see over the time I’ve been here, but even looking back with what they’ve been able to accomplish and then what we still have to do. We receive these funds annually and so we invite citizen input on how to use these funds and then we go forward and try to carry out what is going to be best for the community and make the most impact with them.

Grace Hallowell:

Right. It’s all about our community here.

David Brower:

That’s right.

Grace Hallowell:

Well, thank you so much for joining me today, David.

David Brower:

Thanks for having me.

Grace Hallowell:

And that’s what’s up.

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