Posted April 10, 2023
Notice those new improvements in City parks? There are new areas for dogs to romp around, shade sails, and refurbished restrooms. City Home Repair funds were used to ease the family's stress over leaks. Look over there and you'll see families secure in their homes and apartments because they received housing assistance. And elderly residents and formerly homeless individuals have found a safe place to live. All this due to the City of Tucson's focused collaboration with partner agencies to improve the lives of thousands of Tucsonans.
This week the City of Tucson's Housing and Community Development Department (HCD) is celebrating 10 years of investments made in our community through Community Development Block Grant funds (CDBG) and other programs. The City of Tucson’s Housing and Community Development Department serves as the:
- Local Public Housing Authority, providing housing assistance to thousands of Tucsonans.
- Community Development agency, supporting strong communities and safe and decent living environments by funding important projects and programs.
- Housing First provider, giving shelter and services to people experiencing homelessness.
- Affordable Housing developer, fostering the production of affordable units through the non-profit El Pueblo Housing Development.
National Community Development Week was created in 1986 and celebrates the accomplishments and impacts of the CDBG and HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME) programs. Through these programs, HCD supports a wide variety of housing, community, and economic development initiatives to make Tucson a better community.
In the past 10 years:
- 133,883 Tucsonans received social services funded through the Community Development Block Grant program.
- 380 low-income Tucsonans achieved the goal of homeownership through the HOME down payment assistance program.
- 1,644 low-income Tucson renters received security deposit assistance through the HOME tenant based rental assistance program.
- 51 community facilities acquired or improved through the CDBG program.
- 13 multi-family housing properties constructed or improved through the HOME and CDBG programs.
- 1,506 units of affordable housing constructed or preserved through the HOME program.
- Addressing Homelessness: HCD has invested $23.7M in efforts to prevent and end homelessness.
- Strengthening Neighborhoods: HCD has invested $2.9M in fire equipment/station improvements and $2.8M in transit, streets, and neighborhood centers.
- Investing in Rental Housing: $29.4M invested in affordable rental housing development and preservation in Tucson.
Here is a story map with details on the work of HCD.