Contact: Gordon Hickey
(804) 225-4620
www.governor.virginia.gov
January 20, 2009
Governor Timothy M. Kaine today announced the award of a $2,314,551 in Virginia Community Development Block Grant (VCDBG) funding for four projects in Altavista, Richlands, and Saltville designed to revitalize downtowns, rehabilitate homes, and renovate a dental clinic in order to provide community improvements for more than 3,300 people.
“This funding will provide not only for the rehabilitation of homes, but also for the revitalization of downtown Altavista, and for the renovation of a dental clinic in Saltville,” Governor Kaine said. “The grant will provide significant quality of life improvements for many Virginians, as well as economic and health improvements.”
The grant was awarded through the VCDBG Community Improvement fund, designed to improve localities by expanding infrastructure for new or expanding industries, providing new or improved water and sewer systems in rural areas, rehabilitating housing in declining neighborhoods, revitalizing commercial districts, providing support to small businesses, and providing facilities for a variety of needed services, such as dental clinics.
“The CDBG program provides critical funding to Virginia communities,” said DHCD Director Bill Shelton. “Through this funding, we are able to address various community improvement needs throughout Virginia in order to create safe, affordable, and prosperous communities in which Virginians can live, work and do business.”
The VCDBG is a federally funded grant administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) since 1982. Virginia receives up to $19 million annually for this “small cities” Community Development Block Grant program. Currently, 284 localities in Virginia who do not receive CDBG funds directly from the federal government are eligible for VCDBG funding.
The VCDBG grants are awarded through a competitive process using objective scoring criteria developed in consultation with eligible localities. Approval is based on established threshold for low and moderate income benefit, job creation and investment. Most VCDBG projects benefit low and moderate income people and many projects are targeted for the prevention or elimination of slums and blight.
